There’s no end to it - my resolve. When I’ve got my mind set on something I want to do, something I need to do, it will get done. The only times it doesn’t get done is if I don’t want to do it or find it unnecessary. That’s not how I feel right now, however, rather the opposite. I feel like I could reach the sky if I worked hard enough, like I can finally achieve what I was meant to if I work hard enough, if I focus all of my energy in getting better, in playing the notes with the uttermost legato languidness and other times with the stickiest, sharpest staccato that I can muster. It feels like I’m flying. It’s in these moments that I truly feel like my hard work pays off. Like I could play violin forever, every moment of every day, and find this sweet, wonderful bliss that fills me up with hope and brings me closer to the music in every way.

As I play, the music flows through me, the emotions travelling down my arms and with grace into the wondrous-sounding music. If I knew I would sound this good in the beginning, I would never even have thought about trying to give it up. Hitting every note beautifully, with perfect rhythm, intonation, and sound, is my ultimate goal. Though this is just a tiny section of the song that I managed to hit just right, it’s this kind of satisfaction that propels me forward to continue improving, to get just one more section right. If I can do that and focus on improving every day and truly progress, I think I have a chance of entering into the youth symphony.