With 40 studio albums in over 60 years, Bob Dylan is one of the most dynamic and creative artists living into old age. Its productivity remained constant until 80 years old. Last year, at the age of 82, he released a new album, “Shadow Kingdown.” He has serious stamina.

And while, of course, we’re not all destined to become Bob Dylan, we can learn a lot about productive and creative endurance by looking closely at his approach to music-making. What follows are three takeaways from Dylan to help you build your productive and creative stamina.

Emotional intelligence is the common thread running through each of these takeaways

Stamina and emotional intelligence (EQ) go hand in hand. How do you cope with difficult tasks, fallow periods in your creativity and self-doubt? The answer lies in your ability to recognize and manage these difficult emotions.

Dylan’s Three Takeaways

1. Know your purpose (or “destiny” as Dylan calls it) and hold it close.

Dylan talks at length about his destiny. He even goes so far as to say “that he negotiated with the commander in chief”, trading his dedication to music for success. “(Destiny) is the feeling you have that you know something about yourself that no one else knows,” Dylan explain. “It’s a feeling of fragility. You put it out there and someone will kill it. You have to keep it to yourself.

Even if you don’t view your purpose as destiny, the idea still translates: Know your purpose. Revisit it often. Revisiting your purpose generates lasting energy.

EQ Strategy: Know your goal and return to it often. Treat your goal as a non-negotiable. This will give you clarity and confidence when you need to make difficult decisions, navigate difficult conversations, or analyze moral ambiguity.

2. Curiosity fuels decades of endurance.

Author Brad Listi describe Dylan’s creative stamina, saying: “You can name a number of artists who fit that profile… They never stop staying interested.” They are always learning new things. You can see Dylan’s open-mindedness and interest in his work as he moves from an album of thirty Sinatra-style covers to an album of newly written songs. It follows what interests him, not what interests you.

EQ Strategy: Follow what really interests you, not what you think you “should” do. This form of curiosity is difficult to adopt. This might involve changing careers with a pay cut or taking a risk that makes you uncomfortable. But in the long run, these are the kinds of decisions that will keep you energetic and creative late in your career.

3. Curiosity also fuels short-term endurance.

One study found that simply describing a day in which you felt curious can increase your mental and physical energy 20% more than when you describe a moment of deep happiness.

Writer De-Shawn Charles Winslow I experienced this personally. He was stuck, trying to finish his book. His deadline was approaching. But he felt like his book was boring. His characters were boring. Recently he had been watching old shows about law and order and he had a great idea. What if he mixed his novel with a murder mystery?

He tried it and the book came out of him. Her debut novel “In West Mills” won the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, an American Book Award, and a Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction. It was his curiosity that propelled him through this hollow and boring period of his writing. Channeling curiosity propelled his creative and productive energy.

EQ Strategy: Reframe negative emotions using curiosity. Feelings that accompany being “stuck” include boredom, confusion, overwhelmed, lack of concentration, helplessness, and nervousness (to name a few). When you recognize feeling these emotions, it’s time to reframe curiosity (like that employed by Charles Winslow). Ask yourself what is interesting about the situation you find yourself in. You might be surprised how lucrative this simple question can be.

Build your stamina, develop your emotional intelligence

Not all success is instantaneous. Developing the stamina to stay energetic for months, years, and decades can help you keep going. And as a bonus, you will develop your emotional intelligence.

Kevin Kruse is the founder and CEO of LEADxan emotional intelligence training company. Kevin is also a New York Times bestselling author. His latest book is Emotional Intelligence: 52 Strategies to Build Strong Relationships, Increase Resilience, and Achieve Your Goals.