J.J. Sechan started bassoon at 15 years old.

Three years later, he auditioned and made it in to Julliard at 18.

On the one hand, he had played other instruments before.

On the other hand, music wasn’t his passion (he almost quit before bassoon).

On the one hand, he did dedicate up to 6 hours a day to his instrument.

On the other hand, he was really, really bad at bassoon when he started and could barely make a sound (which is what caused him to practice so much). Also, he was the worst in his class, with others who had been playing for years. Also, bassoon has a really steep learning curve. Also, music wasn’t his day job. So he fit the time in between high school classes + the rest of life.

The surface takeaway is “hard work and dedication”.

But another is possibility.

Do you believe that you can go from beginner to top 1% in something in 3 years, in something that you’re not naturally gifted in, that has a steep learning curve, and is also competitive? All in your spare time (i.e., while still having a day-job)?

“We overestimate what we can do in 1 year, but underestimate what we can do in 10 years.”

What about becoming world-class in 3 years?

It might not be probable. But it is possible.