The question that made me almost cry...

I chose accounting over music. Here's what I learned

The question that made me almost cry

A couple of weeks ago, someone asked me if I still play piano.

"No," I said, and suddenly I was fighting back tears.

In 1995, I stood with a Unisa Grade 8 distinction certificate for piano and two university applications: B Mus or B Acc. I chose accounting. I heard two voices in my head:

The one voice said: "Follow your passion immediately. Life's too short to compromise your soul for security."

The other voice said: "I'm never going to be a performing artist - I'm just not good enough. I'd have to settle for becoming a music teacher, and I can't see myself doing that. Music isn't financially viable. I need to choose accounting to create real security."

Both voices felt true. Different fears, different hopes, same 18-year-old trying to figure out her life.

For almost three decades, I've been saying "I'll start playing again soon." 

Recently, I heard the following quote again:

"Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life."

It really made me think deeply - question even - my initial career choice.

(Fun fact: Nobody knows who actually said this first. It's often attributed to Confucius or Mark Twain.) 

What my "security first" path taught me

Here's what nobody tells you about choosing the "safe" option: sometimes it leads you exactly where you're meant to be.

On day one of my accounting articles with PwC in Cape Town, during our induction training, I knew with absolute clarity – I think this was my soul knowing - that I wanted to be the person at the front of the room, the woman with the red patent leather heels teaching us. Three years later, I became the training manager for PwC Western Cape. I couldn't believe I was being paid to do what I loved.

That moment changed everything. Accounting wasn't just giving me financial security - it had led me to my true calling: helping people grow, learn, and transform. That passion for developing others became the foundation of my entire career, first in Learning & Development, then People & Transformation, and now in my own coaching business for the past eight years.

Would I have discovered this gift for helping others find their voice if I'd gone straight into music? Perhaps... Who knows? The accounting path didn't just give me business skills and financial freedom - it revealed my authentic purpose in ways I never could have imagined.

Sometimes the long way around is actually the way home.

The both/and truth

Here's what I wish someone had told me at 18: You don't have to choose forever.

I don't regret choosing financial security first. But I also won't let another 30 years pass without honouring the part of me that comes alive with music.

This isn't about fixing a mistake. It's about understanding that authentic living means honouring the fullness of who you are—the practical and the passionate.

What this means for your choices

Whether you choose passion or security first, ask yourself:

• How can I honour both my need for security and my soul's calling?
• What if no choice is permanent?
• How might this path create space for other dreams to flourish?

I'm researching exactly this tension for my upcoming book MOAR! Making Work Magic Inside & Out. Join the study here—your story matters.

P.S. My childhood piano sits in my lounge right now—the same one from 1995. My sister kept it safe for 18 years while I lived in London. It's been back for months. I keep meaning to have it tuned, to see if my fingers remember.

Maybe that's the most honest part—sometimes having your dream within reach is scarier than having it far away. Some journeys take 30 years. Some loves are worth the courage to finally begin again.

Your personal call to MOAR!

I'm conducting a comprehensive research study on work wellbeing for my upcoming book MOAR! Making Work Magic Inside & Out. It’s for corporate processionals, entrepreneurs, freelancers and homemakers.

The people thriving have learned to express their unique voice consistently through their entire journey – they show up with purpose, courage, and power while navigating challenges with remarkable ease, peace, and presence.

JOIN THE WORK WELLBEING RESEARCH STUDY HERE – Your Voice Matters

15 minutes that could change everything. Help us understand how to create workplaces where authentic expression becomes the foundation for sustainable success.

Plus, receive a complimentary e-copy of MOAR! when it launches.