During my senior year in college, I sat in a conference room with five psychology professors. I was there to receive a special thank you for providing music at a conference the department had just hosted.

As I held a half-dozen roses, I remember wanting to shrink into my seat while the professors complimented my piano playing, along with my abilities as a psychology student. I felt so self-conscious. The longer they spoke, the lower I wanted to sink. The nicer they were, the more I wanted to disappear.