Not Quite Good Enough

“They focus on the wrong things. There are a lot of aspiring comedians, for example, who aren’t funny or don’t have stage presence, but they have excellent websites. They have excellent websites and the shiniest business cards and their head shots are impeccable. And who gives a f-ck about those things? You know what I mean? They focus on the wrong things…

[On people who excel]…

“They focus on the work. I think that’s all it is: they focus on the work. On the content. On creating something of substance.” -Jerrod Carmichael when asked about common mistakes aspiring comedians make

“Good songs. Good songs. That’s it. That’s it. Good songs. I promise. A good song. Not songs that have all of the technical body parts. I mean good songs.” -John Mayer when asked how to market your music and get exposure

Notwithstanding that making a living in the arts is really f-ing hard and often not a meritocracy and that you need a lot of luck, etc…what if the reason you’re not where you want to be is because your work just isn’t quite good enough…

…Yet.

Don’t be disheartened by that.

Be inspired and empowered.

Because it means it’s within your control.

You could get there.

Keep at it. Keep working. Keep training. Keep growing.

And regardless if your efforts ever lead to monetary success, isn’t it awesome to know that there’s always another level you can get to? I mean, that’s the whole reason to do it anyway, right? For the pursuit of excellence…Otherwise, why are you doing it?