The Etude magazine, February 1929, p. 139
Have Faith In Your Ability By FLORENCE BELLE SOULÉ EACH one of us possesses a special talent, some more than one. The man who finds his real work finds himself.
After a person has discovered his special gift, let him make up his mind to develop it with the best that is in him. Let him be determined to succeed and not allow friend or foe to change his course. Let him compare his work with that of others; try to put originality into it; be sure that it is good, and then go ahead. Let him have faith in his ability and keep that faith unshaken.
Years ago Lalo wrote some beautiful music. Little by little his melodies took form until an opera was the result. Lalo was sure that his music was good, but he found no one who agreed with him. The opera score was carried from one publisher to another for twenty-five years. Picture the disappointments and discouragements that he met day after day and year after year! The music was finally published and today we can enjoy its beauties.
Corot has been called the greatest landscape painter in the world, and yet he painted pictures for thirty years before he made a sale. He knew that his work was good, and he continued to work knowing that success must come.
When Caruso was a young man he was told that he could never be a great singer on account of defects in his voice. He felt certain that he could sing and little by little climbed the ladder of success, fame and fortune until he became one of the world's greatest artists.
Fora number of years Zane Grey wrote stories and articles. All came back regularly. Nothing was accepted. The publishers told him that he would never be a writer. One person believed in his talent. His faithful wife turned over her own fortune to him in order to give him another start. When the money was nearly gone, Zane Grey met a Westerner who wanted a man to travel with him and write true stories of Western life. He chose Zane Grey who has since then become one of the greatest writers of Western stories in America.
De Pachman achieved greatness only by his devotion to his art. He often spent six months shut away in a monastery where he could work without interruption. Paderewski became a world-renowned artist after years of hard work, heartrending sorrow and extreme poverty.
If a person writes a composition and the publishers refuse it, let him write a better one. Let him keep on working, keep busy and hold fast to his ideals. After a while, he will write a composition that is good enough to be published. But at all times he will need the ability to stick, like a postage stamp, until he arrives. If his enemies call him a third-rate musician, let him keep right on working, learning something new every day, keeping his mind open and his heart full of loving kindness. Three requirements for developing a talent and making it great are: first, the ability; second, the hard work; and last, the confidence. By combining these three, success is certain.
