“In
plain words, you’ve got to make up your mind to study whatever you undertake,
and concentrate your mind on it, and really work at it. This isn’t wisdom. Any
fool in the world knows it’s true, whether it’s a question of raising horses or
writing plays. You simply have to face the prospect of starting at the bottom
and spending years learning how to do it.” ―Eugene O'Neill (1)
In previous blog articles, I
have discussed ideas like success, finding purpose in life, some of the
challenges to creativity such as fear of failure and poor time management
(links below). Today, I turn my attention to the idea of grit and perseverance
when life seems challenging and you are feeling discouraged.
Related articles that you may
find of interest:
What is Perseverance?
I have been considering the
concept of perseverance in my own life over the past few weeks. Certainly time
management plays a part in this character trait, but how does one gain, what my
father playfully called, “stick-to-it-tive-ness.” Granted that word doesn’t
exist, but I think it captures the essence and definition of this idea:
sticking to what you are doing and continuing to work at it without giving up,
even when it is hard or when you are feeling negative and doubtful.
Growing Up
As a young boy, I was a
hyper-active child. I was one of those kids who could not sit still, would not
focus on anything for more than 5 seconds, and had the memory of a goldfish (my
wife may attest that I still have the memory of a goldfish, but I try). Was
there something wrong with me? Probably not, other than a mild sensory
disorder, I was like most excitable and extroverted boys, full of energy.
Well, I got older, I still can’t sit still for
very long without a concerted effort, I am still sensitive to loud environments
and bright lights, but I learned to focus by working in short concentrated
burst of energy. I pace a lot when I work, can’t seem to think when I am
sitting down, but I have learned that if I really care about a project then it
deserves my full attention and effort. As a creative person, I know that it can
be exciting, at least for me, to start new projects, but if you only start new
works, when do you ever finish something already undertaken?
Facing the Prospect
In the quote at the beginning
of this article by the famous playwright, Eugene O'Neill, in a letter to his son
about raising horses, instructs him to have perseverance, summing it up so
well:
“You simply have to face the
prospect of starting at the bottom and spending years learning how to do it.”
Nothing comes immediately; anything worth doing takes years, not days, weeks or
months, but years for you to become accomplished or successful in life.
As a
blogger, I know that many blogs get to about the 6th month mark (this is
the beginning of the seventh month here at Impulsive Artistry) and that is when many authors
quit blogging for any number of reasons – not enough views, comments,
time-commitments, relationships, money, responsibilities, or other things in
life that occur. Some of those are valid reasons to stop, but not all of them.
It is
easy to feel discouraged when things are not going as well as you hoped, when
your expectations, grounded in reality or not, do not come to fruition at fast
as you would like, but that’s exactly when you need perseverance and grit!
Sticking with it when it is hard, when it doesn’t seem as exciting as day one, is
a valuable life skill to employ – otherwise we are just running in circles,
never getting anywhere. I am writing this article to myself, as much as I am
sharing my thoughts with you now – we can’t give up, the easy thing to do, but
must keep striving for our goals in life.
What are my goals?
My main
objective with this blog is to inspire you to a greater creativity in your
life, to get outside your comfort zone and try something new, be it painting,
photography, learning a musical instrument, etc. I would love for this
blog to be a success; I would love to support my family on my work as a visual
artist, but those things take years to come about. I know that every post I put
up, every link I share, I am working towards my dream, fulfilling my life’s
purpose and that is a comforting thought, especially when you are feeling down
and full of self-doubt.
Perseverance in History
My wife
and I on our recent trip to Cape Hatteras Island, Outer Banks, North Carolina,
stopped on the way home at the hill where the Wright Brothers flew the
first heavier-than-air machine on December 17, 1903. As we climbed Big Kill Devil
Hill, a solitary sand dune, 90 ft. tall (tallest on the island), the cool,
salty wind whipped through the air into our faces from the sea. We peered down
the steep descent, and marveled at the brother's courage and resolution to attempt to
ride a predominantly wooden contraption that they built with their own hands.
It took them several years and several failed attempts to finally
conquer flight – how did they do it? Perseverance, study, hard work and
patience.
At the very top of the hill, a monument to
their achievement sits in the sunlight bearing the following inscription: “In
Commemoration of the Conquest of the Air By the Brothers
Wilbur and Orville Wright Conceived By Genius Achieved by Dauntless Resolution and Unconquerable
Faith.”
Question of the Day?
When in your life have you used perseverance? I would love to hear
about it, so comment below and tell me about your experience. I hope that you
all have a great end to your week, remember to call on your grit and use that
“stick-to-it-tive” attitude when you are feeling discouraged. Have a fantastic
creative day,
—Charles
[1] Travis Bogard, Jackson R.
Bryer, Editors, Selected Letters of
Eugene O'Neill (Hal Leonard
Corporation, 1994), 490.
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