Giuseppe Verdi wrote amazing music. Even if you don’t like opera, Aida will knock your socks off. Something interesting about Verdi: he was turned down by the Conservatory in Milan. They said that he was privo di talento musicale (lacking in musical talent). Verdi was not a quitter. He found someone to teach him privately and though I don’t know his story beyond that point, he clearly succeeded in becoming a great composer. We can only hope that those idiots in Milan had to eat their words.
According to popular anecdote, something similar happened to Fred Astaire. He had a screen test at a studio and this is how they summed him up: “Can’t sing, can’t act, slightly balding, can dance a little.” This tale is part of Hollywood legend, so it may or may not be factual, but it has the ring of truth, doesn’t it? Astaire was a funny-looking guy, nearly awkward. At first glance, he wouldn’t have seemed like star material. In any event, he didn’t let that or anything else get in his way. He succeeded magnificently as a singer, an actor, and a dancer. He never became a hair model, but had that been his goal, who knows what might have happened? 😉
And here’s an example fitting for today. Madeleine L’Engle’s most famous book, A Wrinkle in Time, was rejected by 26 publishers before she was finally able to sell it. L’Engle died today. The only reason that I know and care is because she didn’t give up on that book.
If you give up too easily, you rob not only yourself but also every person who might appreciate your special talents.