An Olympian or a concert musician - they had the talent and the discipline to go all the way - could you have?

My mother was a concert pianist, although she (being a woman in the 50’s) gave up whatever career she might have had to care for her children. I also have a neice who was an Olympia champion. I guess the equivalent for me is that I went back to school after my children were older and got a Ph.D. That took some doing—although granted not as much as the aforementioned achievements.

They both sound good to me.The idea of a sprinter though,appeals to me for so many different reasons :) I believe that I would have the discipline.If I like to do something,I would see it through to the end :)

I have musical talent and I was on the track to do something with it, but didn’t. I still could if I wanted to, but I dunno. There’s a long line of musicians in my family.

Watching the Olympics makes me want to go out and take up skiing again, though.

No, I’m way too lazy.
I make no excuses, I don’t have that kind of ambition.

I could do both but the athlete would have guaranteed me the Gold. I would have had Michael Phelps crying for his bong after finishing 2nd for the 10th time in a row!

I wouldn’t have. I didn’t even have the discipline to practice my trumpet 30 minutes a day.

At one point in my junior/senior years of high school I was highly considering going to college for music, saying screw it all and pursue it. It is the only reason I did ever learn basic notation, and start learning music theory which I still enjoy very much. (notation is so-so)

But when I graduated and started working full-time out of high school it hit me, its not realistic, so I stopped and re-focused on careers/goals that will make me money.

Also when I took band in my senior year, I realized how far I was behind compared the real talent out there that played a pretty big factor in it. Another point where I thought this is pointless to really work on at a serious level or devote a lot of time and effort.

A lack of will power and determination I guess.

My swimming instructor noticed that I had talent. Unfortunately I didn’t follow through. I was also a very good alto saxophone player. Another talent I gave up on.

I wish I would have kept up with the swimming.

@Steve_A I did say screw it and I pursued it… Then dropped out. My dad got a full ride to the New England Conservtory but didn’t take it because he didn’t want to have to have two jobs to make ends meet, but he regrets it every day. So you’re not alone.

I usually don’t worry about that kind of stuff, so likely no.

I’m with @wilma I don’t have enough ambition either. Plus I think I’m good at lots of things, just not very good, except as a nurse. Some nurses take the profession to Olympean (sp)levels.

Talent – yes; discipline – no

For me – I’m sorta like @YARNLADY – talent – maybe; discipline – no. I’m inclined to agree with someone who once said something along the lines of “if it was supposed to happen, it would have.”

Kids from all walks of life and all kinds of challenges have done it. If it didn’t happen, it probably has to do with character, perhaps spirit if you will.

Thanks for your answers and GQ’s.

I don’t know I’m still trying to find out
My physics teacher says that I can become big ,very big if I do some extra work and if I do some research papers and if I take a medal at an international olympiad.
For me all this seem a very long road but I like physics very much and I’d like to have a future in this but I still don’t know if I’ll be able to do all those things on the list,but I’m not willing to give up

I could still be a concert musician. There are few greater joys than playing a long, complicated piece perfectly in a large group of other talented musicians. And in the competitive world of clarinet players, turns out I’m better than most even when I don’t practice every day – I’m blessed with a strong diaphragm and small, dexterous hands.

Discipline isn’t really the issue – I can keep the routine when I put my mind to it. What keeps me from pursuing music has been dislike for my fellow concert musicians. For every nice person in an orchestra, there’s five or so pompous jackasses. Which reminds me of a joke…

Conductor looks down and notices that his first-chair viola is crying. He asks, “What’s the matter?”
The first-chair viola sobs, “The first-chair oboe reached from behind when I wasn’t looking and turned some of my pegs!”
The conductor impatiently replies, “Well then, re-tune your strings.”
“But sir,” the viola cries, “He won’t tell me which ones he twisted!”

Heh, heh. Poor violas. They’re the Polish of orchestra jokes.

For years I wanted to be a singer and trained classically in the hope of being an Opera singer. I had the talent and was always singing in concerts, festivals, competitions and taking exams. However, I was always very aware that as much as I liked the idea of being a singer I didn’t want it as much as many of the people I often saw at whatever I was singing in at the time (at competitions and festivals you often see a lot of the same people). These people had so much more passion for it than I did even if they had less talent and I realised then that I didn’t have the drive to make it to the international stage.

I still sing regularly either in concerts or festivals etc and I still have lessons and, although my singing teacher keeps reminding me that, at 23 years old, I still have time, I do it for fun now. If someone spots me and that leads to something then great but if not, I’m not worried. As lazy as it sounds, I only really want a singing career if it is handed to me on a plate!