Writing in spite of it all

"How poor are they that have not patience!
What wound did ever heal but by degrees?
Thou know'st we work by wit, and not by witchcraft;
And wit depends on dilatory time."

- Shakespeare (from Othello)

What makes a person successful? What leads to victory no matter the conflict?

Patience. Perseverance. The willingness to continue on even when everything is going awry.

It's hard to push forward when you feel like everything you're working for is meaningless, that you're not receiving credit or acknowledgment, or gratification seems far off. Negative criticism may be holding you back -- you do your best at something only to have it ridiculed and dismissed.

These feelings are difficult to avoid.

But the key to true success is to never give up. Never give your critics an inch, never worry about the future. Continue in spite of it all.

I constantly face this conflict, myself. While I'd like to think I take criticism well enough (and I always try to learn from my mistakes), I find that I will still tend to second-guess myself when confronted with opposition. Old habits die hard, I guess.

When it comes to acknowledgment, I'm a bit less worried. I write for whoever will listen, and to give myself a voice. In a professional sense, and in college, I write because that is my assignment and it provides income. But in the end, whenever I find my patience diminishing or my morale fading, I always remember why I started writing in the first place, all those years ago.

Because I like to. And no one -- nothing -- can take that away from me.

Do you ever find your morale slipping? What do you do in those situations?