Hi Everyone!
With pleasure, I
bring to you another article that will inspire you and change your life
forever.
If you are a success
seeker and you have been doing all you can to succeed and you haven’t
succeeded, you will agree with me that it is not easy experiencing feeling of
frustration, defeat and failure after every unsuccessful attempt.
The easiest thing to
do at such times of discouragement is to quit. But you know what? Success won’t
come if you quit. You will have to keep persevering until you achieve what you
want to achieve.
The success story of
renowned bestselling author, James Lee Burke, demonstrates that super success
awaits any person who refuses to quit after every unsuccessful attempt.
At 19, Jim published
his first story, but it neither sold nor earned him fame. He did all kinds of
jobs to make both ends meet. He worked in the oil fields, he drove trucks, he
taught. He sold a couple of books, but nothing tangible came out of it.
While struggling, he
wrote a novel titled, The Lost Get-Back Boogie. He submitted the
manuscript for publication, but he got rejected 111 (one hundred and eleven)
times over the course of 9 years!
He battled with
alcoholism. He applied for Guggenheim grant, he got rejected 14 times. But
almost a decade after he had first submitted The Lost Get-Back Boogie, L.S.U.
Press bought it. It was nominated for Pulitzer. He got his Guggenheim grant.
He wrote another bestseller
titled, The Neon Rain (1987) and created his famous Dave Robicheaux
character. His other bestseller, Black Cherry Blues, sold six figures.
Jim has presently
written more than 30 novels. He is an award-winning bestseller and a mainstay
of his genre!
Dear reader, what
lessons can we hold unto in James Lee Burke story? In your own pursuit, are you
ready to confront every frustration that come your way until you succeed?
Below are some vital
lessons I learned from Jim’s success story which I am going to share with you
below:
1.
You are Not a Loser
A loser is a person
who quits. A loser is one who gets discouraged and gives up. You are not a
loser because you tried and failed or because you were rejected. But if as a
result of the failure or rejection you quit, you become a loser.
AS LONG AS YOU GET UP
AND TRY AFTER EVERY UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT, YOU ARE NOT A LOSER. IT IS NOT EASY
TO KEEP GETTING UP TO TRY AFTER EVERY UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT, BUT THAT IS WHAT
MAKES YOU A WINNER.
In respect of this,
Jim said: “Rejection’s not easy. I mean it’s like somebody saying, ‘You know
you’re a loser.’ And you wonder if he has a point. But the truth is that you
don’t care. And I never did. I was never bothered by letters of rejection. I
never believed one of them. And I received them by the hundreds, over many
years. You do it a day at a time. You just put your rejection slips in a
shoebox and tell yourself one day you’re going to autograph them and sell them
at auction.”
The important thing
is knowing what you are doing and believing in it. If you know what you are
doing and strongly believe in what you are doing, you can never be easily
discouraged and frustrated.
2.
Your Time to Shine Will Come
The fact is, every
day is not your day. No matter your brilliance, level of performance and
productivity, don’t expect to shine and be recognized instantly.
Until your time
comes, people will continue to write you off. Until your time comes, it will
look as if nothing will ever work for you again. Until your time comes, it may
look as if you don’t have what it takes to succeed in life.
But dear reader, let
me assure you that NO CONDITION IS PERMANENT. A CHANGE IS COMING! That failure
and defeat dogging your footsteps will stop. Your excellent works which have
previously been rejected will be accepted.
You just have to wait
patiently for your time. And it will come as you keep pressing on.
3. Do
it for the Love of it; Fame and Fortune Will Come
We all want fame and
fortune. And the fact is, they will come. We must show that we deserve fame and
fortune by doing our job for the love we have for it and do it excellently.
Jim’s advice for
writers and everyone on this point is: “Write for the love of the art. Some
place down the road, the money, the fame, they’ll come, but by that time, you won’t
be thinking in terms of money or fame.”
So, never be
discouraged or frustrated after every unsuccessful attempt. Keep on producing
and keep on moving closer to success. And assuredly, fame and fortune will
come.
4.
Never Give Up
Perseverance is the
ultimate strategy for success. Everything may fail you, but it is perseverance
that will earn you success. Jim’s advice to writers and everyone is: “Don’t
ever quit. Never quit. Never show anybody you are hurt. Grin and walk through
the canon smoke. It will drive them the wall. You always stay true to your own
principles. You always believe in your gift. God doesn’t make mistakes when he
presents someone with a gift like that. It’s there for a reason.”
Jim’s story is a
story of perseverance. After over 111 rejections, he never got discouraged. He
kept pushing, kept writing until the tide turn in his favour. He eventually
wrote more than 30 novels and they are all bestsellers.
As I round off, I
urge you to savour these takeaways:
- Success won’t come if you quit. You will have to keep persevering until you achieve what you want to achieve
- As long as you get up and try after every unsuccessful attempt, you are not a loser
- It is not easy to keep getting up to try after every unsuccessful attempt, but that is what makes you a winner
- No condition is permanent. Your time to shine will come and your unacknowledged work will be acknowledged and accepted
- Do your job for the love of it and do it excellently. Some place down the road, the money and fame will come.
- Perseverance is the ultimate strategy for success
Until I come your way
soon, go and live victoriously!
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