“If you hear a voice within you saying ‘You are not a painter,’ then by all means, paint…and that voice will be silenced.”
Vincent Van Gogh

When the founder of a successful company asked him what it took to succeed, he replied, “The same thing it took to get started, a sense of urgency about getting things done.”

A sense of urgency: with it, you can push through almost any barrier; without it, you’ll probably stop when you hit even the smallest roadblock. There are tons of people, many of them aspiring or even established writers, who intend to get started as soon as they have
the time or the energy or circumstances align in a way that makes them sure they’ll be successful. And they’re probably still waiting to get going.

Talent is great to have — the more, the merrier. But it can never take the place of urgent persistence. People who don’t worry about how much talent they have but who are gifted with a sense of urgency — who understand the importance of getting started now are the ones who often accomplish the most and find their work most fulfilling.

“Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of hustle” –I once saw this on a billboard in New York — what a great recipe for success! let’s forget about our mental IQ or our emotional IQ and focus on our hustle IQ! Which leads us all to the question:

How’s my hustle? Do I bring a sense of urgency to the page?

If your hustle needs more bustle, here are a few ideas:

Pump up your passion: Get in touch with what excites you about
whatever you’re writing — use it as fuel.

Ignite your ingenuity: When you hit a roadblock, instead of getting discouraged, get driven. or as my good friend and mentor Dr. Rob Gilbert* says, “Get Fascinated, not Frustrated” — see it as a challenge to your creativity.

Find your Second Wind:  There’s no greater feeling than pushing past a point where you feel like stopping and finding out that you have more gas in the task. We’re never really empty, we’re just idling. So keep going when you feel like stopping.

“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of hustle” — let’s go for them all today as we write on!

* Check out Rob’s great Success Hotline at 973.743.4690.