I’m very interested in endurance.

Not just physical.

I’m frequently asked how I eventually became a full-time artist and cartoonist, and my answer is always the same— endurance. 

I just won’t go away.

That’s the key to my vocational journey. Endurance.

But Hutchinson’s book I mentioned above is full of research that might contribute to the endurance of marathon runners, etc. It could be genetics, fuel, oxygen, drink, ability, willingness to suffer, fitness, training… all the physiological stuff. But what is being discovered is that the mind plays as crucial a role as the body. Maybe more! The mind and body are intricately woven together and affect each other in ways we have not fully and consciously come to understand yet.

I do things for training in endurance. I run. I do cold showers. I hold my breath (my personal record is 5:26), do weights, meditate, and so on. Because I know that training myself in endurance in one area will bleed into all other areas. Endurance is endurance, and it applies across all fields.

The research proves that.

Some people call endurance the ability to suffer long. Sounds biblical… long-suffering. Or, as Hutchinson also says, endurance “is the struggle to continue against a mounting desire to stop.”

I can’t count how many times I’ve been tempted to stop. But… endurance. 

And I’m here to say to you that it does pay off. Somehow. In some way. In some area of your life. 

You persevering in something you are passionate about matters.