Keep On, Keeping On…
I have a friend who used to always say, 'Keep On, Keepin' On ….' (this same fella has made a successful living in the music industry as a pro drummer, guitarist & singer)
The image this expression raised for me was someone walking slowly, methodically placing one foot in front of the other through snow, through sunshine, through it all – they just kept moving forward.
The only true way to fail? Is to give up. Of course sometimes our initial goal changes along the way.
This past weekend, a friend sent me these stories & I want to pass them as inspiration for you
Elvis Presley: You do not need to be a Elvis fan to acknowledge the impact he has had on popular music. They don't dub somebody the "King" of a form of music without a great amount of success.
But even for Elvis success came after failure. His first recordings went nowhere. After that he tried to join a vocal quartet and was told he, "couldn't sing". Finally, right before he became popular, he was told, "You ain't goin' nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck."
Stephen King: King was working as a teacher in rural Maine when he wrote his first novel, "Carrie". King had some small success selling short stories previously, but nothing that anyone could create a "career" on. King submitted "Carrie" 30 times. King was rejected 30 times. Before his 31st attempt he threw the manuscript out. His wife rescued it from the round file and asked him to try one more time. The rest…is history
Fred Astaire: During his first screen test an RKO executive noted that Astaire, "Can't sing. Can't act. Balding. Can dance a little." Despite this initial rejection, Astaire persevered and ended up becoming one of the top actors, singers and dancers of his generation.
JK Rowling: Rowling is the perfect example that success can come to anyone at anytime. She is now doing the backstroke through a pool of Harry Potter money, but that was not always the case. Before Harry Potter became a success she was a divorced mother, living on welfare, going to school and trying to write a novel in her spare time.
At a Harvard commencement speech Rowling had this to say,
"Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy to finishing the only work that mattered to me...."
(It's almost hard to believe these stories!!)
That's some pretty powerful proof that some of the most fabulous people we know were told along the way, 'You Can't' or "You're not Good enough'
In my mind here are some keys to 'Keep on, Keeping on'
+ Believe in yourself,
+ Don't rely completely on other people's judgments (especially if they are negative!!)
+ Stay true to your path (acknowledge that sometimes there are twists and our initial goals can change)
+ Take Chances, Embrace Opportunities and Be prepared for Miracles!
Another powerful way to help you Keep On Keeping On is to build a supportive team around you.
They say no person is an island and it's true. We can't always do this alone!
Embrace your mentors and choose your teachers wisely - anyone who says Impossible or Can't? They don't belong in your inner circle. Period.
Love, Light, Music and til' next time? Keep on Keeping ON!
The image this expression raised for me was someone walking slowly, methodically placing one foot in front of the other through snow, through sunshine, through it all – they just kept moving forward.
The only true way to fail? Is to give up. Of course sometimes our initial goal changes along the way.
This past weekend, a friend sent me these stories & I want to pass them as inspiration for you
Elvis Presley: You do not need to be a Elvis fan to acknowledge the impact he has had on popular music. They don't dub somebody the "King" of a form of music without a great amount of success.
But even for Elvis success came after failure. His first recordings went nowhere. After that he tried to join a vocal quartet and was told he, "couldn't sing". Finally, right before he became popular, he was told, "You ain't goin' nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck."
Stephen King: King was working as a teacher in rural Maine when he wrote his first novel, "Carrie". King had some small success selling short stories previously, but nothing that anyone could create a "career" on. King submitted "Carrie" 30 times. King was rejected 30 times. Before his 31st attempt he threw the manuscript out. His wife rescued it from the round file and asked him to try one more time. The rest…is history
Fred Astaire: During his first screen test an RKO executive noted that Astaire, "Can't sing. Can't act. Balding. Can dance a little." Despite this initial rejection, Astaire persevered and ended up becoming one of the top actors, singers and dancers of his generation.
JK Rowling: Rowling is the perfect example that success can come to anyone at anytime. She is now doing the backstroke through a pool of Harry Potter money, but that was not always the case. Before Harry Potter became a success she was a divorced mother, living on welfare, going to school and trying to write a novel in her spare time.
"Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy to finishing the only work that mattered to me...."
(It's almost hard to believe these stories!!)
That's some pretty powerful proof that some of the most fabulous people we know were told along the way, 'You Can't' or "You're not Good enough'
In my mind here are some keys to 'Keep on, Keeping on'
+ Believe in yourself,
+ Don't rely completely on other people's judgments (especially if they are negative!!)
+ Stay true to your path (acknowledge that sometimes there are twists and our initial goals can change)
+ Take Chances, Embrace Opportunities and Be prepared for Miracles!
Another powerful way to help you Keep On Keeping On is to build a supportive team around you.
They say no person is an island and it's true. We can't always do this alone!
Embrace your mentors and choose your teachers wisely - anyone who says Impossible or Can't? They don't belong in your inner circle. Period.
Love, Light, Music and til' next time? Keep on Keeping ON!
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