I've been a visitor to this forum for a while now, and it's occurred to me that for many, not reaching concert pianist standard would be a disappointment, certainly it's something people hope for. I started late, at 29, so had in the back of mind a slightly more realistic set of goals. Perhaps one day reach grade 8 (UK), play 20-30 pieces I like really well, and ideally from memory so that I could, in theory, just nonchalantly sit down at any piano I find in public and play. I'd also quite like to be able to site read grade 8 pieces someday.
In short, I think there's hope for late starters because it's not just a sport, where technical ability is all, but an artform where interpretation counts. So, there's really no rush to play that Etude or that 8 part fugue just to show off. My progress so far, in case anyone is interested, is that I passed grade 5 fairly quickly via digital and then basic acoustic piano, then attended some grade 7ish workshops (very helpful) for a few years, and now have a lovely Kawai grand where I can now really strive to separate voices, get dynamics working etc. I'd say I'm hovering around grade 6, but with ever improving tone and very basic theory. No teacher currently though, which is an issue...
So, for late starters, what would you say are your goals?