Perfect Performance
By witnessing your presence in action.
The evening ahead of a major piano competition it dawned on me that I had wasted time and effort in an echo chamber without even hearing, seeing or feeling the echo.
I practised for weeks and thought I had studied every move. Yet I didn’t realize that I hadn’t listened or watched myself even play once.
What professional tennis players and other top performers in entertainment and sports are used to as part of their daily training, I dearly missed out on during my early days as a musician.
This was decades ago. Now it’s different.
Know Thyself!
The subtle art of self-analysis is en vogue latest since the practice of mindfulness became a popular movement a few years ago. However, whether you’re venturing into deep meditation or simply want to look inwards before making certain decisions, many people struggle when it comes to the reality of self-knowledge.
When I wrote “Know Thyself”, I forgot to mention a key experience I had when studying piano, particularly during our chamber music classes, led by a super passionate and well versed individual who is still a mentor to me to this very day.
After hours of practise with all of us exhausted from him trying to get his point across and no time left to spare in preparing for the next day’s competition, he simply said:
“Guys, I’m done talking. Take a video of yourselves performing this piece and you’ll get it.”
He was right. And we went on to win the competition.
“Realize that Learning”
I forgot about this incident until yesterday when two things happened simultaneously that eventually became co-incidents. I am lucky to work with extremely talented and really smart individuals on a day to day basis, but during a call I noticed that one individual was far smarter than he gave himself credit for, thereby not acknowledging his real value.
Often it’s only when people start advising others that they “realize their learnings” by getting a more objective view of what they truly bring to the table.
For many however, it’s a life-long journey of unexplainable misses that are hard to fix when simply not understanding the why, or where to start. You don’t have to become a Polymath or even bother about realizing your full potential, but with the advances of new technologies, you can make the most of what you’re doing anyway.
The realization of your value (or your limitations) is only a click away.
Perfecting Our Potential
Whilst writing “Are YOU a Polymath”, I remembered a wonderful conversation with one of my Board Members in Hong Kong about the need for more “holistic people” in otherwise classically narrow careers.
With the help of AI, anyone can record a conversation, and with it, realize how brilliant (or not) they are.
One of my nephews recently introduced me to ChatGPT’s “memory” function and how he uses it to track his performance in studies, hobbies, interests and the constantly changing perceptions of life which naturally occur at his age.
It’s an irony that from originally needing other people’s endorsements we’ve come to an AI now telling us (right now perhaps even more objectively than others who either like or dislike us) how we’ve changed and evolved over time.
But if analyzing myself’s piano performance through a mere video recording worked 30+ years ago, why would such an AI today not be able to accurately spot the most valuable contributions I made during a simple conversation?
The thing is — some people have a hard time presenting their best in writing but easily express themselves over a casual conversation. They don’t even notice the greatness of what they just said, even if it’s of a quality that elevates the entire subject of the discussion to yet another level.
Funnily, AI does.
If you’d prompt an AI notetaker1 as to “who was the speaker sharing the most important information likely to affect an outcome of success or failure”, it will pick more wisely than most humans, who are deeply affected by emotions, misled feelings of loyalty, memories of betrayal and carrots that come in different shapes and forms.
Therefore recording yourself in conversations casually for personal and professional growth (with permission to record the call) can do wonders for your performance.
The Perfect Performance
Ultimately, perfection is perception and a constant work in progress.
Whether it’s that pitch deck you refine, the iterations of a legal agreement, or composing a musical piece — at the end of the day “it’s never done”, as there is always something to add, remove or an opinion that comes up which you want to honor.
The perfect performance occurs when we witness our presence in action through the eyes of a neutral observer, yet are fully engaged at the time of manifestation. — Sri Tejas
And whilst I don’t want to keep asking AI for its opinion of my value to others, I at least shall endeavour to grow my awareness when listening to my speaking or reading myself in my writing.
Have a great end of the week everyone!
Best,
Toby
Plaud.ai — #1 world’s AI notetaker.