There are a lot of things that separate working artists from the wanna-bes. It would be impossible to list all of them, as they differ from person to person. But there is probably one thing shared by anybody who has had success with their art.
Let’s call it the value of a year.
There is the old maxim that says, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” And while it’s great advice, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to ignore the elephant. We see all of that work required and think how little will be accomplished in a week or even a month. It just seems like we can’t wait that long when there has to be an idea that is just as good that won’t take so much time.
And yet, how many of us have turned to someone and said, “Wow, can you believe it’s already …?” This month may have seemed a million years away in January, but now most of us are stunned it’s the end of the year again.
As you get older, the years truly do feel like they go by quicker — you have lived more of them and turning 38 is far less momentous than turning 18. We begin to understand time better, but often by that point we have also grown up and started to fill our days with family or a real job or we have grown past really feeling like we could create anything amazing period, no matter how many hours we have.
This is why today, right now, you need to realize how quickly the time passes. This isn’t sad but exhilarating. Sure, there are days when your work is going to be a drag, but on the whole, even if it seems like it will take forever, when it’s done you will feel like you blazed through it. The value of a year is priceless and also nothing at all — the quicker you learn that, the quicker your project will be done.
Feeling behind on your life goals? It doesn’t have to be that way. You can start late and finish rich. Learn more.
