If you don’t believe in yourself, how do you expect anyone else to believe in you? Let me repeat that. If you don’t BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, how do you expect anyone else to BELIEVE IN YOU?
Long before I started my graphic design and illustration business back in 2009, Orange Moonwerks™ Studios, my late cousin, Anthony Lloyd Gilliard, used to remind me of that from time to time. Today, October 2, 2019, marks the 7th anniversary of his death, in which his life was claimed by Stage IV metastatic liver cancer.
I’m reminiscing on all the past conversations I used to have with my cousin; particularly, the plans we had to not just achieve success for ourselves, but for our family and closest friends. We were determined to change the narrative on how things were done in the past throughout the course of our family history. We agreed on a lot of things in life, maybe except for whenever we competed against each other on the basketball courts… lol; however, the one true thing we always agreed upon is that nothing is achieved in this world without effort. I owe my cousin a great deal of gratitude for being such a positive factor on some of the achievements I’ve attained early on in my life. Thank you brother.
Effort is everything to me. You can have all the talent, passion and intended purpose in the world, but without putting forth the required amount of effort, who will know who you are? Who will see your creative gifts? Who will see your skill set and the capabilities that you possess? By the way, this goes across the board: personal relationships, business, sports, fitness, entrepreneurship and life overall.
The unfortunate thing is that there are so many people walking around with the notion that you can achieve the life of your dreams by doing the least amount of work. Effort demands energy, attention to detail, discipline, positive thinking and periods of isolation. After all, it all comes down to you, right?
So are you ready to pursue your passion and purpose? Are you prepared to put forth a great deal of effort to manifest your dreams of success into reality? Don’t get me wrong; I’m not nearly as close to goals that I originally planned out when I first started my business. The key thing is that I got started, and I didn’t quit when I didn’t see immediate results. When you have a moment, check out my “About” page on my official business website: orangemoonwerks.com. I go into further detail on what gave me the spark and motivation to become an entrepreneur.
I’m forever grateful that some of you took the time to read this post. My hope is that I was able to provide some level of motivation and knowledge that whatever you put your mind to, you can achieve it. Don’t be that person who makes excuses, criticizing others and avoid looking in the mirror at the person solely responsible for your own happiness and success… that’s you. It won’t be easy. That’s why effort is the key.
“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” — Winston Churchill
To my readers, I invite you to join me on Facebook and to follow me on Instagram and Twitter. You can also reach me via email at: rgilmore@orangemoonwerks.com. If you find any joy and value in what I do, would you consider providing support to help keep my blog going? Learn how by clicking the link here: Support the Blog
The Perennial Aesthete 
Wow this is powerful stuff babe, thanks for sharing. I know we all was born with a gift and for a reason. But some of us don’t believe in ourselves enough to know we can do it. You were lucky enough to get the chance to spend with and sounds like the coolest guy . He knew your potential and he believed in you enough to tell you go after it. Maybe your cousin was your guardian angel, maybe that was one of his purpose.
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Thank you for always supporting babe! I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
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