Thinking Long Term

A young musician once asked an established, entrepreneurial musician a great question: “What do you think is the biggest mistake that young musicians make?”  The older musician answered without hesitation, “thinking too short term.”  They went on to explain the importance of thinking long term and not only focusing on the immediate future.

I like to think about making investments in ourselves, in our organizations, in our ensembles.  Doing little things that might pay off in the long run.  Like taking the time to go to that concert that someone invited you to – taking time to cultivate that relationship and perhaps meet others who could offer you an opportunity or collaboration down the road. Take time to plan and set goals for the long term – 5, 10 years.  But also take advantage of little opportunities to invest in yourself now in ways that might yield returns in the long term.  I think this concept is most true with people – don’t think only short term when interacting with people.  The music world is small, and they will likely come back around in the future, or at a minimum interact with others that you know.  So think long term – invest in your work, cultivate relationships with people, and you will be planting seeds for your future.