Create
Michelangelo, one of the greatest artists of all time, started painting the Sistine Chapel in July of 1508. He didn’t finish until October of 1512. That means he worked for over four years to complete one of the most famous works of art in the world. 11 years earlier he spent over two years of his life to completely free the 14-foot statue of David from an enormous block of marble. Two of the greatest works of art in history took the better part of a decade to complete.
Invent
Thomas Edison was the record holder for U.S. patents until the 21st century with over a thousand credited to his name. But his crowning achievement and most famous invention was the light bulb. To find a filament for the light bulb that was both durable and inexpensive he and his team are said to have tested more than 6,000 different materials in the effort to find the perfect one.
Perform
Morgan Freeman began acting at age nine in a school play but it would be 25 years before he had his first movie credit and another 16 before he had his breakout roll. Now, at over 4 billion dollars, Morgan Freeman is one of the highest grossing box office stars of all time.
Write
The Church of England first commissioned the King James translation of the Bible in 1604. The translation wasn’t completed until 1611. It took seven years to complete one of the most widely used versions of scripture and what is still considered a marvel of literature.
Memorialize
George Washington’s face on Mount Rushmore is 60 feet long. Over 90 percent of our first president was carved with Dynamite and the rest was finished with hand tools. It took 14 years to complete all four faces on the mountain and now the monument receives more than 3 million visitors each year.
Patience
One thing gave each of these artists the power to complete their project: patience. The thread of patience runs through all of these stories. If you want to create a work of art then you will have to have patience. Patience is the difference between simply creating something and creating something epic.
A doodle will cost you seconds of your life. The Mona Lisa cost Leonardo Da Vinci at least four years of his.
A text message takes only moments to compose but J.K. Rowling started writing her Harry Potter series in 1990 and didn’t publish the first book until 1997.
A Big Mac only takes minutes to make but a good Thanksgiving dinner can take hours to prepare.
The person who is motivated can have, but the person who is also patient can have all.
Do you want to create something that will be remembered? Patience, my friends, patience.
Final thought:
