What Chess has Taught Me about Life

Persistence is key!  If you want to expand your knowledge in a certain field, you have to stick with the training/studying on a regular basis.  I have not improved my chess game very much over the past decade because I do not devote the time that is required to gain new chess knowledge.  I'll study every now and then.  I'll study openings, middle-games, endgames and tactics.  I forget them, frequently.  The problem is a lack of repetition.  I am not studying these aspects of the game daily.  Chess is all about dedication and training.  If you want to remember what you've studied, then you have to repeat it - daily!

This problem has appeared in my life in areas outside of chess - specifically web design, graphic design and studying foreign languages.  If I had the will to devoted a significant amount of time to studying these fields I would be a lot better off.  I practice graphic design on my computer.  I watch Inkscape tutorials on YouTube.  I successfully make a logo or twitter header.  Then I leave it at that.  A few days later everything I learned from that specific tutorial is gone.  I need to put in the hours.  I need to study both old and new material, daily.  Life is not easy.  If there is no pain, there is no gain.  I need to be more disciplined.  I've forgot a lot of French vocabulary that I learned in High School because I didn't continue to study it beyond high school.  I need to be motivated.  I need to be disciplined.  I feel like I've gotten nowhere with life over the passed 10 years.  I will make the changes.  I will not waste anymore time.  Persistence is key!

Calvin, 3.30.2016