Patience: The Fourth Step to Following Your Passion
Be patient!!!! Everything takes 10 times longer than you expect. There are at times exceptions to this, however, they are extremely rare. So if you love something then be prepared to work for it and most of all, be prepared to wait for it. Especially if you are in the arts. Unless you have a very famous family member then chances are that fame, fortune, and slutty groupies are not appearing over night like cash from the tooth fairy. But take heart, you are following your true passion and you are not alone!
In most industries when you offer a service you receive a payment for your work or your goods. However, the arts work more like a not for profit in which you offer all of your time and energy for an emotional reward rather than a monetary one. You will most likely be performing for free and spending most, if not all, of your leftover income after bills on things like paying your band, buying gear, paying photographers, reproducing head shots, recording, or buying supplies, ect ect ect. So as you watch your vacation dreams, new clothes desires, and love of dining at fancy restaurants flush rapidly down the loo….remember to have patience! This is what you chose. It’s difficult swallow at times but that gaggingly stoic saying about how good things come to those who wait (and who work their a#*! off I should add) is probably true. (For the love of God, please let it be true!) And while you do occasionally hear of the over night success story…most of the time that “over night” break was created by years of hard work, sacrifice, and an pain-staking amount of patience! So keep working and wait for that moment! If you have talent, faith in yourself and passion for what you are doing…sooner or later the world will recognize you! How long can you wait….that’s up to you and your heart to decide. But here are a few brilliant examples of people that had patience and kept on keeping on:
Jack Nicholson got his big break at 30. Morgan Freeman got his at age 52. J.K Rowling was a 30 year old single mom on welfare and got denied by 12 publishing Houses before she finally got a measly $1500 advance by a small British publishing house to finish writing Harry Potter! Robin Thicke is the son of a famous actor but still got shelved for years by his label who didn’t believe America would get his music. Katy Perry and Lady Gaga got dropped by their first labels…and weather you are a fan or not, those ladies are raking in the dough and living their dream. So yes, it sucks most of the time, and I’m the first to admit that, but perseverance and patience are everything! America is built these days on instant gratification, fast food, fast cash, and living in the fast lane. But dreams can not be made like a $3 hamburger at Mickey D’s. So don’t forget why you started on your journey and be willing to hold out for as long as it takes to make it right! Patience is a virtue!
