Nathan - Northeastern University student, music enthusiast, can make a damn fine mix CD
September 29th
5:15 PM
Via

adamconover:

I just sent a discouraged student this piece of advice from Ira Glass, and in so doing watched it again myself. If you’re a person hoping to make a career doing creative work, I highly recommend — actually, I insist — that you watch it as well.

In a nutshell, here’s his message: Yes, you suck right now — that’s because you haven’t been working long enough. The only way to stop sucking is to keep working, because that’s how you get better. No one is born great; everyone sucks at first, and every person who does what you want to do got there by pushing through that long, dark period of sucking and working hard to improve. If you give up now just because you think you suck, you will suck forever. So just. Keep. Working.

Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a rehearsal I have to get to.

(Update: Embedded the correct video. Geez!)

I think I’m going to have to watch this multiple times if I plan on getting the confidence for National Novel Writing Month.  Or anything we do in that class, for that matter.

  1. omgeverything reblogged this from juliasegal and added:
    I’ve seriously lost a lot of confidence over the last year or two, to the point where I don’t even know what I’m doing...
  2. smoketest reblogged this from oldeenglish
  3. jordancardwell reblogged this from adamconover and added:
    …good point Ira..
  4. maleydaily reblogged this from oldeenglish and added:
    I’m currently taking one of the more challenging classes I’ve encountered...grad school....
  5. oldeenglish reblogged this from adamconover and added:
    few weeks ago, but...bears repeating here. This...sound...
  6. dreamtimeistherealtime reblogged this from eturosanna
  7. wellthatsjustgreat reblogged this from emmyaward and added:
    back to my writing! Ag
  8. thesquink reblogged this from whatson and added:
    I’ve heard this advice before, but it’s so nice to hear it in such a down to earth way and to hear Ira’s own personal...
  9. ismayonnaiseaninstrumentt reblogged this from adamconover and added:
    This really motivated me.
  10. vulpesater reblogged this from whatson
  11. atnight reblogged this from adamconover
  12. watchthislater reblogged this from adamconover
  13. eturosanna reblogged this from adamconover
  14. dailyrpg reblogged this from adamconover and added:
    hear this message.
  15. monstrously reblogged this from adamconover
  16. rudyriou reblogged this from adamconover and added:
    Very encouraging message....hear something like this
  17. gkojaz reblogged this from adamconover
  18. thanksbutnothanks reblogged this from adamconover
  19. check2one2 reblogged this from adamconover
  20. goodbyemisery reblogged this from adamconover and added:
    think I’m going...watch this multiple times...confidence for...
  21. wooftangclan reblogged this from adamconover
  22. emmyaward reblogged this from radarchive and added:
    adamconover:I just sent a discouraged student this piece of advice from Ira Glass, and in so doing watched it again...
  23. saffronjunkie reblogged this from adamconover and added:
    love NPR. This comes...very relevant time for me.
  24. marioandrei reblogged this from adamconover
  25. bauzahaus reblogged this from whatson
  26. thisiswhereimat reblogged this from adamconover and added:
    See picture below.