When I was 13 yrs old, I wanted to be a rapper. Sometimes after school, my Aunt Sylvia’s home office turned into my music studio – I would design my own albums covers on the computer; I named unwritten songs; and I recorded only a few songs on my karaoke machine.
Over the course of a couple of years, my actions weren’t that of a rap star: I wrote less than 10 songs; I didn’t compete in freestyle battles; and I wasn’t studying the art of music. I never practiced, yet I wanted to be a musician. As a result of my lack of effort, I never became the rapper I wanted to be.
In order to accomplish your goals, you have to put in countless hours of practice. Commitment, consistency, and determination are key elements to be successful. I wanted to be a rapper, but I never trained. How was I going to be a great rapper? How were my punchlines going to get any TKO’s if I didn’t exercise my craft? How was my music going to compete with an artist who writes songs everyday? My chances of success were highly unlikely.
There’s no success without practice. For example; if you want to be a NBA player, you have to work on your shots and game. This goes for anything you want to do. Whatever it is you want to be, you have to practice if you want to be successful–no exceptions.
“Champions train, losers complain!”
— Latif Torres-Robinson