As hard as I work to reach my goals every now and then it feels like worthless effort. Sometimes it feels that I'm doing a considerable amount only to get nothing back. No ROI. No light at the end of the tunnel.
Yet, I never feel that I should stop trying. I never think that maybe I should quit writing because I didn't become an overnight success. I never feel that maybe I should've studied to become a doctor so I could try to make a lot of money (it's not that easy, but you know what I mean). On no occasion do I have reservations about what it is I want to do. But at times I doubt the steps I'm taking to move forward.
One of the things that I've learned is that there is always more than one way to get where you want to go. Visualize where you are now as the starting point for the day. Your goals are the destination. The effort you put in is your GPS. As you continue putting in authentic effort you are gradually reaching that goal. When you stop you move nowhere towards it.
Consistent effort is all that will get you there and you decide how you apply that. It's the best way to better yourself, your craft and to stay ahead of your competition.
For instance, I'm a writer and I try to make it a point to work on something having to do with writing each day. It can be this blog or a series of Twitter post. I look at long and short term goals and continuously work on them so that when opportunities present themselves I can show I take my craft seriously.
Long term I would like to write novels and screen plays so I continuously work on those. Presently I do freelance work for people who need help with their social media profiles. So, each day I make it a point to stay current with different trends and post on my personal Twitter.
If you want to be an actress then get books that give you techniques you can practice. Enroll in classes that help you hone on every aspect of it. Stay abreast of casting calls. No matter what you would like to do always network with people in the same field. It doesn't always have to be someone that will hire you right away. You never know how those people could help you in the future or how you could help them.
Your efforts will only be worthless if you stop applying it.