Press play: Remove the hold button from your life

He sat quietly behind me, arms folded, a Cheshire cat grin on his face. “Let’s hear how you’re doing with Stairway to Heaven,” my teacher instructed. “Take your time and go super slow.”

I adjusted the bench beneath me and placed my fingers on the keyboard. Instantly I felt like an awkward teenager at her first piano recital. After playing a few notes, I stopped.

Ok, I’m going to make mistakes, I admitted feeling silly and shy. I have performance anxiety.

Josh, a young man in his mid-twenties, l...