Persistence is one of those things that can be good or bad. When it comes to almost any artistic endeavor, the longer you work at perfecting your craft the more likely you will be to succeed. There is a theory in business (proven actually) that it takes somewhere around 10,000 hours to become an expert at any skill whether it be artistic, athletic, or educational. That equates to about five years. Which to a teenager sounds like an eternity. But I’m no teenager although I’d gladly do it again if I had the opportunity. Does five years sound overwhelming to you?

I know a few musicians that would probably agree with that theory, along with a mass of writers. Most certainly, in the technical world, that’s the case.

But it’s hard to persevere when you hit a lot of roadblocks along the way, isn’t it? That’s why only a few really do make it as an author, an artist, a musician, a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, etc. But still, they do it so why not YOU?

Break it down into years, then break those years in half. Set realistic goals in shorter timeframes that need to be achieved in order to meet the summit–the fictitious end to your rainbow–whatever that may be. I won’t begin to give advice on the best way to get there as it’s different for every person. Just don’t give up. Do something every day toward that next step.

The only surefire way of NOT getting to that revered goal, whatever it may be is–to quite.

So Don’t QUIT!

EVER.

I mean it.

Seriously.