You see, those who accomplish little in life will think that he became the Salvador Dali that everyone knew and could afford to make such statements… after all, you’d act that way too, right?
If you’d have the money, the respect, the talent, the appreciation of others…
Sorry to break it to you, but he became Dali because he thought like that. He thought like that about himself until the world gave him what he demanded of it.
Average wishes it were easy. Greatness enjoys it for being hard. Average thinks of all the reason why it won’t work. Greatness, of all the reasons it will. Average blames circumstances. Greatness creates circumstances. Average waits for the perfect opportunity. Greatness knows such a thing does not exist.
So, fuck average. Fuck procrastination. Fuck laziness. Fuck depression. Fuck anxiety. Fuck waiting. Fuck other people and what they think or say or do. Fuck fear.
Conquer yourself and you can conquer the world.
So, tell me, what prodigious thing will you do today?
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Great post, and very true! I plan on finishing the first draft of my next book today, I’m so very close
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Good for you! Go for it!!!
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Success also takes a great deal of luck. You need a variety of happy little accidents and coincidences to open doors for you, it’s not just about working your ass off or being a genius.
In England almost a quarter of the population lives in poverty. 14+ million people. The door is very firmly shut for them as the modern trend for inequality escalates rapidly.
Appreciate this post is about positivity and “get up and go”, by the harsh reality isn’t quite like this for tens of millions around the world. Persererance is key, but there can reach a point where you’re deluding yourself.
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It’s sad to think that people who are hardworking, capable, and willing find it delusional when someone tells them perseverance is the key! But, I imagine there are places & circumstances where it boils down to being in the right place at the right time.
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Yes, perserverance is key. But it doesn’t mean it’ll get you anywhere – that’s the point. We’e in an era where there’s the continued, delusional belief that excessive hard work and commitment (i.e. burnout and mental health disorders) are the paths to success. That’s a nonsense.
Capitalism functions arbitrarily. You can be hyper intelligent, brilliant, or a creative genius, but unless the right path opens up for you – usually through luck – you have no chance. It’s time to stop this vacuous idea it’s about “seizing the day” etc. Modern life isn’t about that. In England we have 14+ million people, almost a quarter of the population, living in poverty after a decade of austerity and an appalling housing crisis.
What’s the soluton? These poor people are a bit lazy and need to work harder? Or how about it’s because the cheapest rent will drain half your wage even if you’re earning £30,000 p/a? Creativity is much the same. Anyone who claims a book publishing deal does so through luck. A business takes off and is a success? A huge amount of luck there. An actor landing a big role? Lots of luck there.
I refer you to Socialism For The Rich by Johnathan Aldred, a verbatim extract. This is modern life under post recession capitalism:
“One crucial reason why we have done so little to reduce inequality in recent years is that we downplay the role of luck in achieving success. Parents teach their children that almost all goals are attainable if you try hard enough. This is a lie, but there is a good excuse for it: unless you try your best, many goals will definitely remain unreachable.
Ignoring the good luck behind my success helps me feel good about myself, and makes it much easier to feel I deserve the rewards associated with success. High earners may truly believe that they deserve their income because they are vividly aware of how hard they have worked and the obstacles they have had to overcome to be successful.
But this is not true everywhere. Support for the idea that you deserve what you get varies from country to country. And in fact, support for such beliefs is stronger in countries where there seems to be stronger evidence that contradicts them.”
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Thank you for your thoughtful post and response.
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very encouraging indeed, and yes dali was a great painter…one of the best of surrealism.
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feeling uplifted !!!!
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The prodigious things are hard to come by… but every act of kindness adds up to a whole lot of “prodigiousness!” I’m headed to the airport an hour away to pick up my young cousin who’s coming to stay a week. Not quite sure that’s prodigious! Is it??
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wow! this post was even more encouraging then others……..yes, we just need to get over it all and move forward! thank you!
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Yes, fuck it all! So honest and interesting, as usual.
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Salvador Dali is easily my favorite artist ever!
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That is powerful!
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Thank you!
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Perseverance does indeed stem from having the right mindset, and your post captured that fact with enthusiasm! Well written!
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