🎻 Music, Routine, and Resilience

I started violin and piano at age 7. I didn’t always enjoy it—sometimes I told my teacher I practiced 10 times when I’d only done 7 😅. But what began as a childhood obligation is now a lifelong hobby that brings me joy and balance.

After moving to the U.S. for college, I joined university’s orchestra. These days, I play with the University of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under Professor Roger’s inspiring direction—weekly rehearsals and two concerts each term. Some recent pieces I’ve had the chance to play: Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9.

🎵 Why I keep going:
1. It’s built into my routine—I don’t rely on motivation, I rely on the system.
2. It demands full focus. For three hours, it’s just music—no multitasking, no email, but completely present. A true mental reset.

Some weeks, it’s hard to show up. But I go—by habit, not willpower. 🎯 People sometimes say I’m persistent. But honestly, I’m not sure I am. In Korean, there’s a saying: 작심삼일 (決心三日)—“a resolution lasts only three days.” That’s me. But my secret is: just make a new resolution every three days 😉. If I keep restarting, it adds up to consistency over time.

💡 Music gives me a creative outlet that helps me recharge, stay grounded, and ultimately show up better—in work and life

❓What’s your way to recharge and step away? 😊

P.S. Sometimes, students sitting next to me during rehearsal ask what year I’m in—still fun to be asked that, haha.

#WorkLifeBalance #Music #Orchestra #Routine #Mindfulness #Persistence #SelfDevelopment #LifelongLearning #CareerGrowth