Have you seen Chris Botti? If you haven't then you really should. He is an amazing trumpeter and I was fortunate enough to see him on stage in Cupertino the other day. His Jazz band is really unique and every single person is a star in their own right. Together they are awesome.

Being a hypnotherapist and psychologist, I am always curious about "what makes people tick" and what mental skills are involved along that pathway to success. I love music and am very sensitive to sound, but have to admit that I have no talent in this area myself! I always find myself wondering if I might have been any good at playing an instrument if I had "put the time in". Perhaps all of us ponder this same question?

In Malcolm Gladwell's Fascinating book "Outliers" he identifies the fact that it generally takes 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery. The implication is that we all have the ability, if only we had the desire and the opportunity. It is the same with writing; it is said that there is a book in everyone; the crux of the matter is that few of us practice writing or sit down with a clear plan or persevere with that intent...just as I did not persevere with my piano lessons.

Some of us do not have very clear dreams; for whatever reason we have not perhaps found something which we are sufficiently passionate about to motivate ourselves to pay the price - to put in those 10,000 hours of practice. Others do have those dreams, but perhaps do not have the opportunity or the "luck" to be in the right place at the right time. But some, the "outliers", the exceptional 3% of people, possess the passion and have the opportunity and luck within their grasp...AND they have the bravery to "go for it".

It takes guts to go for it. You face the fear of failure and the fear of ridicule. You give other things up in your pursuit of your passion. Chris Botti spends 300 days a year on the road; he gives a lot up. He quit school when he had the chance to play with Frank Sinatra for two weeks; he took that risk and he made it pay off. That takes bravery; that takes guts.

But do you want to know what everyone FEELS when they see Chris Botti at work? He has fun. He loves what he does. He loves every moment and he is "in the moment". It is his passion which you, in the audience, is privileged to feel. He had the bravery to go for it, and he loves what he does. And the same goes for his entire "team", who are all totally amazing artists.

A lot of factors have to come together to achieve extraordinary success. You do have to be in the right place at the right time and you also have to seize the moment and go for it. Passion, determination, vision and luck all play their part. Self confidence has to be strong or else you would not have the guts to go for it.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis downloads for confidence, success and well-being.

P.S. Want to feel more confident? You can get a free hypnosis mp3 from my website.