Most People Will Quit

In my full-time work, we were asked to do a bit of a research project. How many student members from a particular year were still actively working in music. These former students might have the ability to become full-on members. As I went down the list, I noticed some of the names were students I remember being a part of the program. I’ve met a lot of students after being with the company coming up on ten years. I remember their devotion and passion for the industry. The big goals and dreams they had of making it big. What I realized after completing the project was that most of them had quit.

Now, there are so many reasons our paths end up in different directions. Whether it’s family issues or finances or simply realizing something isn’t for you. But the reality is that so many people you start with will not be the same ones at the finish line with you.

Creative careers are HARD. They tend to be extremely low paying, if at all, at least in the beginning. The hours tend to extend well past 40 hours from week to week. They demand all of your mind, body, and soul. There is more rejection than a normal person can handle.

There are a lot of reasons to quit. But for those of us glutton for punishment, something in us keeps trying, keeps working to get better because we cannot imagine our lives without creativity as a priority.

So, we keep pushing. And I believe that if you do something long enough at your highest capacity, eventually you will make a crack in the surface. And for most of us, that little bit of space is all we need.

Persistence, perseverance, and ambition are three essential elements you need in this business to get anywhere. What should keep us encouraged is knowing that if we just keep focusing on the next right step, as Oprah says, eventually we will get there. Nothing in my life has seemed to happen in the timeframe I may have anticipated. But it happened.

Most people will quit, you have to ask yourself, have I been honest about what you really want. My stubbornness won’t allow me to quit. Pause or pivot at times, absolutely. And well, so far so good. So far continuing to put one foot in front of the other has taken places I saw when I closed my eyes but couldn’t have thought would actually happen.

I’ve found so far in my short time in this life that nothing worth having is easy to acquire. So I’m no stranger to hard work and hustle and most importantly prayer. Stay the course.