“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s souls.”
Daniel Burnham
There will always be ups and downs on every creative journey. Moments of doubt. A day where all you want to do is quit. And on that day when you are teetering on the edge of giving up your dream, you have a choice—keep going or give in. There will be many days like this. This is an inflection point. This is what separates those that succeed and those who give up and go on to and doing something else.
Success isn’t assured. Even if you do everything right, there’s still the chance of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But that doesn’t mean you are destined to fail either. Perhaps the right place at the right time is in your future if you push through the difficulty and have the courage to continue forward. No one said pursuing a creative life would be easy. But if you love what you do, and you really want it, then you need to find the encouragement to keep pursuing.
Remind yourself why you are doing this.
Collect memories of encouragement and compliments to help you preserve on difficult days. (See Tim Ferris’s Jar of Awesome)
Remember that your work has the power to encourage and lift others. (Which also means other people’s work has the power to encourage you too.)
No matter what type of business, brand, product or passion you’re selling, people are your business. Focus on the individuals, not the follow count. Every ideal customer client or follower are real people with real problems and passions. When they become only a number to you — to further yourself — you’ve lost the reason why you do what you do, and the ability to create true impact.
100k followers on your social network of choice means nothing.
But 100k individuals seeking expertise or your personal story means everything.
It’s funny how a few words and a little shift in perspective changes your entire way of thinking. The hard part is being 100% honest with yourself: Are you just looking for numbers instead of seeking to teach and help others? Then maybe that’s the reason why you’re not getting anywhere. But when you focus on helping others with real problems their facing, then the rest will take care of itself. Mastery, wealth, influence, meaning… these are a by-product of putting people first.
“Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.” — Les Brown
“Help others and give something back. I guarantee you will discover that while public service improves the lives and the world around you, its greatest reward is the enrichment and new meaning it will bring your own life.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger
“It’s also selfish because it makes you feel good when you help others. I’ve been helped by acts of kindness from strangers. That’s why we’re here, after all, to help others.” — Carol Burnett
‘What if I invest all this time into my idea that I’m really excited about, but it doesn’t get the feedback or engagement I would like?’
‘Would all my time invested matter?’
‘And if people actually like my stuff, how will I keep up with all the engagement and orders?’
Dear hesitant Creative Like Me,
I hope this letter finds you well.
I completely understand how you feel.
I was running through the same thoughts when I started my clothing company boldsheep.com (@boldsheep) and when I started this very site.
‘What if no one buys anything from me?’
‘What if nobody reads or comments on my blog?’
And you know what?
Nobody did.
Nobody bought any shirts, nobody read my posts. Nobody was listening.
(And mom’s don’t count)
Even though I implicitly told myself I wouldn’t, I made every mistake in the book.
Fffffff…
But here’s the thing: It was worth it.
Every mistake, every problem, every failure has made me a better and more capable person.
What if it doesn’t work? It probably won’t. Do it anyway.
Ask yourself, ‘would I rather try and fail or would I rather not try and be exactly where I am now?’
Failure is not an end-point, rather a turning point. It’s Life telling you that your idea needs some reworking and tuning.
What about this worked and what didn’t? What can I change to earn more engagement? How can I do this better next time? Okay that sucked. What went wrong, and how can I avoid it?
The biggest lesson I can give you about starting something isits okay to fail.
If your idea doesn’t work. Keep going. Keep pursuing your dream.
Every good endeavor needs to be honed and crafted.
Do whatever you have to make your idea and yourself better.
And if you must start over with a new idea, take what you learned on your last project and use it to your advantage on your next one.
When it comes to building an audience, focus on helping one person. Focus your efforts on impacting just one person who’s your ideal customer / client.
Because each additional follower count you gain is a person on the other end. Someone you might be able to impact.
‘And if people actually like my stuff, how will I keep up with all the engagement and orders?’
That’s a good problem to have. It means what you’re doing is working and having an impact.
Stay honest. Ask for help. Let your audience know. Remember, Vulnerability is Relatability.
Things to note and live by:
Every single person who made something wonderful started where you are — at the beginning.
On the ground. figuring out things. failing forward. stepping out of their comfort zones.
