I know a lot of artists and writers who struggle with staying motivated in their creative endeavors. It’s the same old story and we’ve all heard it before. The initial excitement of a new idea slowly turning into a grinding wrestling match.
We love a fairytale story, an overnight success, and we often attribute these to what “success” really means. Our society has been conditioned to perceive success and glamor with youthful vibrance.
I remember when I had a goal to be “rich and famous” by the time I hit my twenties, and that if I didn’t make that mark I would be a total failure. Gasp! (I got over it)
I imagine that a lot of parents put this same expectations on todays kids. They need to be the next prodigy. Can you imagine the result of failure?
As an adult, we still have these same expectations. Maybe it’s something we retained from childhood or something that we impose on ourselves. We often look at the greats – Da Vinci, Einstein, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and we never really see the backstory. We never hear of their struggles, only the successful end results.
Our internal struggle is often the difference between expectation and reality. And having a good reality check is what we all need to stay sane.
Here’s a video by Adam Westbrook that I’ve been going to recently when I need a reality check. It talks about the history’s greats, their successes and failures. We all struggle and we should not be distraught…
We all have our own paths to take, based on our talents and situation, some might take longer, some are quicker. It’s just part of the process.
The Long Game Part 1:
The Long Game Part 2:
