What Kept Me Here

“When you’re tired, ask yourself what actually kept you here this long.”

There was a winter when I almost stopped.

Not dramatically.

Just quietly reconsidered.

I had a notebook open on my desk with two columns:

“Keep going”
“Let it go”

The “Let it go” column had more bullet points.

But then I remembered the faces.

Not the applause.
The after-moments.

The person who lingered.
The quiet thank-you.
The email weeks later.

What helped me stay wasn’t ambition.

It was impact.

When you’re tired, ask yourself what actually kept you here this long.

It probably isn’t what you think.

— Slash