“You don’t start over every day; you build on the day before.”

A thought by Mark Batterson (2016-09-06) from his book, Chase the Lion: If Your Dream Doesn't Scare You, It's Too Small (Kindle Locations 1248-1249). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Think of this. Mark says, “Written by the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, ‘Let It Go’ won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2014. The powerful ballad was an instant hit, selling more than ten million copies in 2014. But what’s easily forgotten is the fact that seventeen songs they wrote didn’t make the cut. Most of us give up after two or three rejections. But to achieve the highest level of success in any field, you need a high pain threshold when it comes to failure. In order to write one hit song like ‘Let It Go,’ you have to write lots of songs!”

He goes on, “When the London Philharmonic Orchestra selected the fifty greatest pieces of classical music, the list included six pieces by Mozart, five by Beethoven, and three by Bach. To generate those masterpieces, Mozart composed more than six hundred pieces, Beethoven produced six hundred and fifty, and Bach wrote more than a thousand pieces of music.”

He then says, “We glamorize success, but it always comes back to basics. You have to practice scales, practice skills, practice techniques over and over and over again. And it will take lots of sacrifices, which usually starts with setting your alarm clock extra early in the morning! How have Robert and Kristen achieved so much success in songwriting? I love their answer: ‘First of all, we have to have a baby-sitter.’ Success is not sexy. It’s sweaty! Success is not glamorous. It’s gritty!”

Right before today's thought Mark said, “Obedience earns compound interest. Over time it’s called faithfulness. And there is a cumulative effect. Eventually the blessings of God will overtake you. (Deuteronomy 28:2) God’s Word does not return void. (Isaiah 55:11) He is watching over His word to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12) And He who began a good work will carry it to completion. (Philippians 1:6)”

So what are you doing today?

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