On Determination

I watched Piers Morgan interview Mark Cuban last night. One phrase Cuban mentioned about his own success struck me.

"The only thing you can control is your own effort." 

Don't you think that is so true? When we strive for a goal of any kind, there are so many variables and unknowns. But we can ultimately control our own efforts and how much time we spend going for a goal. This applies to writing one-hundred fold. So many writers labor and whine about how hard it is to write a novel. To get that first draft written. And then, of course, there are all the downer messages about the state of publishing today and how difficult it is. It's challenging to write that first draft and even more challenging to navigate the business of seeking publication. But isn't it good to remember that in the really important ways, it really is up to you, the writer, to put that effort forward?

Take Gus, for example (in the video below). That dog knows what self effort is all about!