Effort

The problem with trying harder

 

I was a music major in college. After two years of maximum effort and dismal results, I burned out and quit.

I walked away to save my sanity but it stung. What I perceived as my life's trajectory evaporated in an instant because I couldn't hack it. It was a relief to let it go, but I was sad. I felt like a failure.

A couple years later I went back to school for photography. Photography is not easier than music, but the same effort produced notable better results. In fact, twenty-seven years later, I'm still a professional photographer. I built a career and made a life for myself.

It's not always about trying harder. It's about finding the right thing.