To start: someone else’s thought. A very beautiful thought, from the phenomenal Moldovan-Austrian violinist, Patricia Kopatchinskaja :
"Musicians are not on the stage to play all the notes... the concert is the place where one makes experiences, and the performer tries to take the audience into a magical world. I'm not on stage to prove my quality. I'm there just to tell my story. A very humble goal."
- Strings magazine, 04.2014
When I am nervous, or jealous, or tired, I remind myself of these words and think of PatKop’s example.