The other day, I learned a valuable lesson about the need to have confidence in music and in life.

The band I play  in had just went through a tough rehearsal. We were supposed to play the next day, and to say we were struggling would be kind. We’d tried to learn a few new songs, and all but one were bad. Real bad.

We finally replaced a few of the harder songs with easier tunes, but our music was still pretty rough. When we started playing, I thought about some advice a piano teacher gave me years ago. I was nervous just before a recital and she said, “Steve, if you mess up, just keep going and no one will notice.”

I’m not sure she was being completely truthful, but her suggestion helped calm me down and helped me play better, I’m sure. Since then I’ve thought of her words many times.

So when we started playing the other day, I decided to play with confidence. I knew that if I played tentatively I would almost certainly mess up.

I don’t know if the other band members picked up on it, but I do know that we played better than we had at any time during practice.

I thought later how the music lesson also applies to life. Confidence is often the difference between success and failure. It’s like someone once said, “If you think you’re going to fail, or if you think you’re going to succeed, you’re right.”

So next time you get nervous about something, get in harmony with your optimistic side. Have confidence in music and in life. Even if you make a mistake, keep going. No one will notice.