How to Work on a Long Project

I've been working on a longer project these days, which is new for me, and here are some things I've learned.

Quitters never win. It really is true: The only difference between success and failure is not quitting. But that's not exactly right, is it? The fact is that on the way to success, you will quit many, many times. I've been working on this project for over four years. I have quit several times. Now, I am close to the finish line of one stage of it. I will never give up. One day I will win.

Form a team. No one person can help you on your way to your destination. It's more like a road, and there are various people along the way. One points you in the right direction. The other hands you a bottled water. Another dusts off your butt when you fall on the ground. You will only recognize your team when you look back and see them lining the path you're on, waving you to the finish line.

Keep your eyes on the payoff. One thing that's cool about working on a longer project is that you exchange the shallow payoff of immediate gratification for the deep win of long-form evolution. When you stick with something for years, it changes you, shifts your makeup, alters your brain. This is a good thing. Without this kind of protracted commitment, you're a dog whining for a bone.

Order the perfect holiday gift today!  Buy THE TUMOR, a "masterpiece of short fiction" by Susannah Breslin.