Not giving up can get you pretty far, in my experience. It got me to Japan.
Rinse.fm was determined to become a legal radio station. Something about this video inspired me very much.
The adversity was very hard. They simply didn’t give up, and eventually got what they wanted. How far can you go, if you don’t stop?
Don’t stop the music
It seems there was a point of despair for rinse and it seemed like their FM broadcaster license was just not going to happen. I had a perhaps similar period when returning to the U.S. from Japan in spring 2014. My job search had been basically fruitless. I still kept applying to any job openings in Tokyo that I saw online. I applied to company that actually interviewed me the previous year but had turned me down. Somehow they gave me another chance and we conducted a short Skype interview. The interview was so short I was certain I wasn’t getting the job. honestly at that point i was ready to give up. Twenty minutes later an email came saying i was hired.
My next challenge is to create my own software company that will allow me to create the kind of life I want to live. I’m filled with constant doubt and fear, but I know that ‘not giving up’ will get me pretty far, at least.
When I started attending college I was only studying art. I quickly realized that studying only art was unlikely to have much of an impact on the student loan debt I was quickly accumulating. I turned to learning something technical, Computer Science, in the idea that maybe if i could land a decent paying job someday i could actually afford the money and time to keep making music.
Honestly I still wonder about that decision. While I love programming , these days I struggle to find the time to actually make any music.
However i don’t think it was just about the money and time a development career could afford me. Doing only one thing is just kind of boring to me. Why only make art, or why only program. There is so much more out there to do.
I don’t think I’m even saying anything is possible, or you can do anything. Maybe some things really are impossible. However I think you can get a lot farther than you think you can if you just don’t give up. Consistent progress is a very powerful thing.
I’m now taking on my next challenge that seems even more ridiculous. I want to build my own saas product. Its not going to be easy and I don’t expect to see any real results without a few years of real commitment.
Most people quit before they get anywhere. Effort compounds quicker than you think. How far can you go if you keep going when everyone else quits?