The Greatest Indicator of Success
In my years of teaching I've found that, while I can't really predict who is going to be talented or not, I can usually tell who is going to be able to stick with it long enough to find their talent by one key characteristic...
...a person's ability to expect to fail.
1 - People who accept success as a pleasant surprise really enjoy their endeavors.
It's amazing how often people expect piano to be easier or take less practice. Maybe it's because we hear and sing music all the time people think that they should be able to pick up an instrument and make music right away. Students, especially adult students, who come back surprised by their lack of success rarely continue very long. However, students who make the same amount of progress, but seem surprised by how soon it starts to sound like anything are bound to enjoy the journey. And that's all we have - in music and in life - the journey. People who expect life to be hard work and appreciate their blessings live far happier lives. The difficulties meet their expectations and the blessings always exceed them. People who think they deserve more return on their effort are rarely satisfied.
2 - People who expect to fail keep trying until they find success.
All focused practice is really just systematic failure, adjustment, and more failure. Once a student has a passage down, there is no need for practice there. It's on to something else to fail at. Readjust and try again. Fail. Readjust. Succeed. Move on. It's the success that rare and surprising, not the failure. These students can practice for long periods of time, driving to one more little success. Students who expect to succeed are further beaten down with every repeated mistake.
3 - I've found the same to be true in business.
Failure is inevitable, on some level. People who hang on to their pet projects or ideas because they just can't be convinced they've pursued a terrible, terrible goal are doomed to go to their grave bitterly clenching their failed business. Many successful people, however, have a long trail of business failures and even bankruptcies in their past. It seems being a narcissist increases a person's likelihood for success. But if nothing else, trying despite past failure at least increases the chances of success because luck seems to favor those who hold their own ideas lightly and willing embrace others' genius.