Leadership Encouragement “Reward Yourself”

Reward Yourself

Grueling.

Tedious.

He hated it.

Loose leaf paper and a pencil were staring at him.

Day after day he sat at a desk in his home office trying to write the story.

He didn’t like to write.

His goal was four pages a day.

Most days, he ended with zero.

He was depressed and frustrated.

The young filmmaker had purchased a 1940s Wurlitzer Jukebox and placed it in the corner of his home office. He loaded it with songs from the 1960s. The jukebox became his motivation to keep working. If he could write four pages of the story, he would quit early for the day and listen to the songs.

But on most days the jukebox never played. It took him a year to write the story, followed by another year to handle edits and character formation.

For an entire year, George Lucas would sit in his home office and stare at blank sheets of paper and hold a pencil trying to write the story for “Star Wars”.

Luke Starkiller eventually became Luke Skywalker.

The Force of Others was reduced to the Force.

Anakin and Darth Vader were originally two separate people.

But Lucas didn’t quit.

He wrote the story and turned it into a four billion dollar franchise he sold to Disney.

Here’s the lesson: Don’t quit. Make progress. You can edit and perfect it later. Keep moving. Don’t give up. Even on the days when no inspiration happens and it seems like you’re sitting still, don’t give up. Take a tip from Lucas; give yourself some kind of reward for taking the small steps toward progress…maybe even buy a jukebox.

Brian Sanders serves as Executive Vice President of Positive Alternative Radio. He regularly writes and speaks on leadership topics.

His new book, “Leadership Endurance,” can be purchased HERE.