There are two musicians I will always see when they come to Atlanta: One is violinist Joshua Bell and the other is Yo-Yo Ma, the greatest cellist in the world. A few weeks ago, Ma performed at the Atlanta Symphony Hall and a friend and I treated ourselves to a night on the town, starting with dinner at Bacchanalia.

Days later, when I was telling another friend about that night, I went on and on about Yo-Yo Ma—his pure spirit, his wild energy, his gracious nature. I told her about his two incredible encores, including the prelude from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1—considered the quintessential cello piece—and how those of us in the audience who know it audibly gasped when he struck the first note.

Then she asked me a very important question: What did you feel when you hear his music? The next thing I knew I had tears in my eyes.

What I felt was joy. Listening to him play, my soul was being fed. Earlier in the evening, my body was fed by food that’s on par with the best restaurants in the world.

It reminded me how important it is to be your best, whatever your best is. Bacchanalia is the best fine dining in Atlanta and Yo-Yo Ma is the best cellist in the world—both the individual and the institution exude an undeniable passion. Experiencing both in one night filled me with pure inspiration and reaffirmed my belief that, whether your passion is playing tennis or making bread, go all in and be your best, whatever your best is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZn_VBgkPNY