I mentioned the book The Third Door in the last newsletter, The author says that life, business, success…is just like a nightclub. There are always three ways in. There’s the first door - the main entrance where the line curves around the block where 99 percent of people wait hoping to get in. Then there’s the second door - the VIP entrance where the billionaires, celebrities, and people born into it slip through. But what no one tells you is that there is always always the third door. It’s the entrance where you have to jump out of the line, run down the alley, bang on the door a hundred times, crack open the window, sneak through the kitchen—there’s always a way. Whether it’s how Bill Gates sold his first piece of software or how Steven Spielberg became the youngest studio director in Hollywood history, they all took the third door.
My experience
Winning a major competition or simply waiting to be picked up by a major agency some day might be the first door in the classical music industry. The second door might be being born into a musical family where your father might be a historical pianist, Anton Rubinstein, or a famous conductor such as Gustavo Dudamel through whom you are instantly connected to the field. However, there is always the third door which no one talks about. It is never clear how to get around. You have to find your own way to express, connect with real people, and continue creating music. No one taught me how, nor has it been easy, but I find that it is rewarding to create a path uniquely designed for me by me. Rather than waiting in a line I can always do something. This mindset of possibility has been the great fuel of my life. What I could accomplish is something I don’t know. But If I don’t ask, I won’t get. I keep dreaming and always believe that I can make it work.
What about you?
Do you relate to this third door analogy? What has been your third door that you have created in your life? What are you waiting for? Can you create it on your own?
Jeeyoon
