Yesterday I was listening to the 9/16/06 NPR interview with Liang Wang, the new Principal Oboe of the New York Phil. The piece was called “Oboist Liang Wang: His Reeds Come First” and really focused on communicating just how important the art of reedmaking is to being a great oboist.

Liang Wang is 26 years old and has already played in some of the greatest orchestras around.

Hearing him play and talk got me really thinking about why some players audition for what seems like their entire lives and others win audition after audition.

I am sure Mr. Wang makes great reeds.

I know that his playing sounds beautiful. Very smooth and singing.

But there are probably a lot of oboe players that might have that said about them.

So how did Liang Wang end up as Principal of the New York Phil while everyone else was sent home?

I heard the answer as I listened to the rest of the interview.

What came through was his attitude. Cool, calm, collected and confident.

You might be thinking, “Of course he’s confident, he just won the New York Phil job!”

Or you might be thinking, “Some people are just great audition players. They can play perfectly when it counts.”

And you might be right thinking both things.

But here is my question for you:

Is your attitude a product of your circumstances or does it determine your circumstances?

In Mr. Wang’s case, did his attitude and confidence come from winning the job, or did it help him to win it?

Where does attitude come from?

It comes from your thoughts. From the repetition of the same thoughts over and over. It comes from you telling yourself the same things over and over.

Thoughts turn into feelings and attitudes which determine your actions. And it’s actions that determine your reality.

But it all starts with what’s in between your ears.

Here’s a quote that sums it up nicely:

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t . . . you’re right.”
—Henry Ford

You can hear the complete interview here: Oboist Liang Wang: His Reeds Come First