I believe in the power of perseverance. I saw it in the life of my father, Paul, who had a full time job working the afternoon shift at the Chevrolet plant in Detroit…and he also would do free lance carpentry work for people. In the 50’s alot of people wanted their basement to be finished off and the big thing was a home bar. He built alot of those, and also did cabinetry and furniture as well. That was his true passion. In his spare time from that, he also built a 3 bedroom home for his family in the suburbs. He had the land cleared of trees and jumped right in with the project. He also needed to borrow money to get started and while the house was coming together. He was not afraid to ask relatives or very good friends for a loan, because they all knew he would repay…and he did, every penny. It was his determination, his drive, his perseverance that completed the house. I was born 7 months later, the youngest of 3 children and had the luxury of going places with him as a child, as he died just before my 6th birthday.
He left a work ethic in us to persevere in what we truly want in life. I am a free lance commercial artist and it took me many years of paying my dues by working at other “day” jobs to pay the bills while I did my artwork at night and on weekends. I realized that along the way, I had to learn how to be self employed and to be a success. Its one thing to be self employed, its quite another to make a success at it. It was my perseverance that kept me coming back to my artwork after one job or another would end or I would be laid off. It also helped that some of my competition moved away and I was in the right place at the right time to land some good clients. There is nothing in this entire world I would rather be doing than my artwork, in my studio…and I’ve passed this knowledge and passion on to others as well. Whatever you want to do in life, you have to make a tiny beginning and build upon it. As you are clearing away the obstacles your drive and your perseverance become clear. If its worth making the dream come true, its worth the effort to get there. The road to success is most likely under construction. That is what I believe.