Been there, done that, moving on

I once had a collaborator whose mother would worry herself sick when he would apply to competitions, grants, jobs and other opportunities. The possibility of his being rejected and the way that rejection could make him feel was hard for her to handle as his mom. "I don't want you to get sad," she would say. But for him, being sad at losing an opportunity, not getting a job interview, or not winning a competition was just a reflection of how much he cared about the work he was doing. I think of that story every time I get sad about the career I care about so intensely.

I ended 2025 on a low: even with the holiday magic, the specialness of spending our first season as a family of three, and the relief of a break, I was hanging onto some criticism that made it difficult for me to feel my best. I didn't want to carry that weight into 2026, so I finally decided to set it down and leave it in 2025.

I am not a resolution writer, but I do set intentions for every new year. This year, I decided to articulate my goals for 2026, but also list what I'm leaving behind in 2025, a sort of "been there, done that, moving on" approach.

What I'm Leaving v. What I'm Keeping

Leaving: Doom scrolling before bed

Keeping: Reading for pleasure (with a goal of 26 books in 2026)

Leaving: Stressing about admin work I do to support my career

Keeping: Protecting practice time as sacred, aiming for 4 hours/day

Leaving: Commitments that don't move my career forward

Keeping: Prioritizing family time

Leaving: Feelings of disappointment about not getting to perform where I live

Keeping: Showing up as my best for every single performance!

2025 was a big, big year for me: the end of my pregnancy, the birth of my son, and the relaunch of my life as a concert pianist-mom. 2026 is starting off with some intense momentum, and I am so excited to bottle it to have my most artistically productive and thrilling year yet.