When times are tough we look around for inspiration or success stories about people who have been in our position and succeeded. These stories are all around us but we don’t pay attention to them until we need them. 

When I needed inspiration, I came across Tick Tick...Boom! on Netflix and it has become a bit of an obsession for me. It’s an autobiographical musical about a man who kept going even though the odds were against him. I needed to hear his story and now I am going to tell you why it is a good source of inspiration. 

First, let me tell you about the main character, Jonathan Larson. 

Jonathan Larson is known for his hit Broadway musical RENT, but before this, he spent 8 years trying to get another musical onto the stage. 

Like a lot of young people, he headed for New York City hoping to be discovered by theatre producers and fulfil his dream of producing a hit musical. All he had was a dream and determination to make it happen. He lived in a small apartment while working as a waiter at the famous Moondance Diner in Soho, New York. 

While he worked hard on his dream, his friends gave up on their own dreams of becoming actors and dancers and took jobs in the corporate world. They tried to convince Larson he was wasting his life trying to get a musical on Broadway. They tried to convince him to get a job to pay the overdue bills that were piling up. 

He nearly gave up on his dream...

At one point, Larson gave up. He went to his friend and said that he quit, he wanted the corporate job and the security that came with it. His friend convinced him to keep going, he reminded him that his talent is unique. 

Larson’s birthday came and went and instead of giving up, a series of events prompted him to carry on and write Tick Tick...Boom! and then RENT, the musical that took Broadway by storm. 

RENT was an unlikely success, it was different to the other musicals on Broadway, it looked and sounded different and thus changed musicals forever. He changed the industry forever with his ideas and songs. 

That’s powerful. One man using his talent to change the world. 

Jonathan Larson died the night before RENT’s debut performance at 35 years old from an aortic aneurysm. 

He never got to see his dream become a reality. Yet despite this, he is still teaching us about never giving up on something you believe in. 

Here are the lessons I took from Tick, Tick...Boom! 

• Your dreams shouldn’t have deadlines. 

• Hard work pays off - sometimes it takes a while 

• Surround yourself with people who believe in you

• You can change the world. 

• You might be struggling now, you might have no money, no plan or both. That’s ok, as long as you have a dream and passion then you will make it. 

• Some projects don’t make it and that’s ok. Don’t give up, just try something else. 

Never give up on your dream. 

If you are reading this because you need inspiration - well here it is. Don’t give up, keep fighting for your dream and when in doubt, refer to those success stories.