On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

On Fridays, I receive Hope Clark’s newsletter, Funds for Writers. Here’s a thought-provoking essay from a recent email:

Ah! how could I possibly quit the world before bringing forth all that I felt it was my vocation to produce? ~Ludwig van Beethoven (December 16, 1770–March 26, 1827)

I’ve always loved Beethoven. After 5 years of lessons as a child, he is one I remember most. All that musical brilliance given to someone ironically destined to lose the ear to hear it. But nobody denied that he didn’t spend every minute of the time he had creating the best he could, as often as could, to leave behind a legacy of genius.

You do not know today what you can amount to in ten years, twenty, or more. All you can do is give it your best today, then better tomorrow, then the next. Stopping and saying that it’ll never happen only serves to prove you right. It can’t happen without you diligently chipping away at improving.

Most of the time success happens when you don’t expect it, because you’re too busy getting better at what you do. When you constantly hunt for it, you waste energy that best could be used to hone your craft. Beethoven saw his life as a limited commodity, and his duty to make the most of it. He did.

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