Maxwell Maltz

"Remember you will not always win.  Some days, the most resourceful individual will taste defeat.  But there is, in this case, always tomorrow — after you have done your best to achieve success today."

— Maxwell Maltz

American Author

1899 - 1975

One of the most valuable things I learned from playing sports as a kid is that you don't win them all.  There will be days you go home dejected because your team lost.  And you learn to bounce back and keep going.  One loss does not make a loser.  Professional baseball teams play 162 games a year and there is yet to be a team that loses every game.  Even the worst of teams win some games.  And the worst record goes to the Cleveland Spiders who in 1899 won 20 games and lost 134.  Sports has taught me to hold my head high because there is always tomorrow or next year.

As writers, not everyone of our novels, or stories or poems are going to be a bestseller or even get published.  As artists, not every painting will sell.  Sometimes the work we love will be a flop in the marketplace.  That does not mean we should give up.  We need to pick ourselves up, dust off our pants and take another swing.   The next at bat may be a home run.

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Denis Waitley

"There are two primary choices in life:  to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them."

— Denis Waitley

American Speaker/Writer

1933 - 

Do you accept your world as it is or are you willing to change it and make it better?  As creative leaders we have a choice —  to make things better or leave them as they are.  If you are unhappy with your life, then change it.  If you are not happy with your art, then change yourself.  Practice more.  Study more.  Create more.  Life is about choice.  Don't waste time blaming others.  Don't blame your parents.  Don't blame God.  Don't blame your education.  The choice is yours.  Choose to be a winner.

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Paulo Coelho

"It's only those who are persistent and willing to study things deeply, who achieve the master work."

— Paulo Coelho

Brazilian Novelist

1947 -

Most people give up on their dreams too soon.  Every time you are knocked down, you need to stand back up.  The difference between the winners and the losers is that the winners keep going long after the losers have quit.  Quitting is not an option.  Even if you are bleeding with two broken legs, you need to stand back up and keep dancing.  

Creative leaders need to be constantly learning new techniques and ideas for use with their art or writing.  Even the masters continue to study.  No one has perfected his art.  Everyone needs to continue to grow and develop their skills.  What have you learned today?  Last week?  Last month?  Last year?  

Enjoy the visual.

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Tobias Wolff

"We are made to persist.  That's how we find out who we are."

— Tobias Wolff

American Author

1945 - 



The difference between the winners and the losers is that the winners keep going long after the losers have quit.  Many people want to be writers, painters, musicians, and actors.  Most quit too soon.  They let rejection and negative criticism cause them to give-up.  The creative journey takes a lot of stamina and persistence.

In 1914, Thomas Edison was 67 years old. He had lived a lifetime and invented hundreds of gadgets including the light bulb. He was a multi-millionaire living in Menlo Park, New Jersery. One night in February 1914 his phonograph factory burnt to the ground. Overnight he lost more than 3 million dollars and he had no insurance. The next day he was walking through his burnout factory and his son came over to console him. Edison turned to his son and he said: "There is great value in disaster. It burns up all our mistakes. Thank God we can start anew." He redesigned the phonograph, rebuild the factory and gave the world a brand new phonograph within three months. I don't care what challenges you face today or what is preventing you from continuing your creative journey. The difference between the winners and the losers is the winners keep going long after the losers have quit.

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Nicholas Sparks

"When you chase a dream, you learn about yourself.  You learn your capabilities and limitations, and the value of hard work and persistence."

— Nicholas Sparks

American Novelist

1965 - 

Do you have what it takes to chase a dream?  Not everyone is willing to go the distance — to pay the price that success demands.  But whether you succeed or fail, you will gain insight and understanding into yourself.  And maybe what you learn is more important than winning the race.  We all have strengths and weaknesses, capabilities and limitations.  Most people work to improve their weaknesses.  I recommend that you focus on improving your strengths.  You may work for a lifetime to fix your limitations and still not overcome them.  Better to focus your energy on perfecting your strengths.  You don't have as far to travel and the success is more rewarding.

Here is Nicholas Sparks with some tips on writing.

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William James

"Be not afraid of life.  Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact."

— William James

American Writer/Philosopher

1842 - 1910

Every person is unique.  There has never been a person just like you and there will never be a person just like you.  The life you lead is yours.  Nobody can lead the same life and do the same things, so that makes you special.  

Do not judge yourself by how much money you make or how much power you have or the creative work you produce.  Your success lies in the lives of the people you have touched.  And if that is only one person, then you are a success.  All of us in some way will touch the lives of our parents and our siblings.  So from the moment we are conceived, each of us is successful.

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General Colin Powell

"There are no secrets to success.  It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure."

— General Colin Powell

American Author/Soldier

1937 - 

Some people look for the easy way, the next get rich scheme and the short-cuts to the top.  They don't exist for most of us.  If you want something bad enough, it takes preparation, hard work, learning from failure and persistence.  As artists and writers we understand this because we sometimes labor for years or even a lifetime with little or no success.  My words are simple:  keep writing, keep painting, keep living.

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Michelangelo

"Your greatness is measured by your horizons."

— Michelangelo

1475 - 1564

Our progress is depended on our vision and the goals we set for ourselves.  If my goal is to own a house in the small town where I live, then I may never achieve the greatness I was meant to achieve.  If you want to achieve great things, then you need to set goals that will take you there.  Many of us underestimate our potential.  Set bigger goals for yourself.  See yourself bigger than you are today.  As an artist or writer, don't limit your opportunities.  Stretch yourself.  Shoot for bigger magazines and larger galleries.

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