[rajansaini]

I want to respond to your point about violin-playing, because I think it will open up an interesting discussion. Anecdotally, I was always motivated to practice my instruments by the same exploratory drive discussed in the article. I was taught to ask, "what if I did XXX this way?", i.e., what happens to my sound if I play long tones, what techniques do I need to play piece Y, how do I use scale Z to improvise?

Growing up, I found that those who ran on pure extrinsic factors with all discipline and no enjoyment either stopped or were stunted by locally optimal decisions. On the other hand, those who went on to study in university and play professionally seemed to derive the same obsessive enjoyment from their craft as I would a video game.

Do you think these data points further prove your point about emotional maturity? Or is there something more universal, that true success requires a fierce passion?