Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of focusing on the creative process and personal growth rather than obsessing over immediate results and statistics.

Abstract

The author discusses the pitfalls of being overly concerned with immediate outcomes and statistics, especially in creative endeavors. They argue that while periodic evaluation of results is worthwhile, an excessive focus on outcomes can be detrimental to one's progress and happiness. The article suggests that creators should put on "blinders" to concentrate on the process they can control, rather than the outcomes they cannot. It challenges the notion of "overnight success," highlighting that significant achievements often require years of consistent effort. The author reflects on the unrealistic expectations set by the "six-month window" for success and encourages creators to adopt a beginner's mentality, which fosters curiosity and openness to learning. The piece concludes with a call to focus on personal improvement and small victories, advocating for the protection of one's happiness and the adoption of accurate, data-driven thinking over emotional responses.

Opinions

Fixating on results and statistics can lead to unhealthy comparison and burnout, stealing one's happiness and creativity.
The process of creation is the only part creators have control over, and focusing on this process is key to eventual success.
The idea that significant results should manifest within a six-month period is unhelpful and can lead to unnecessary self-doubt.
True breakthroughs may not align with preconceived expectations and require sensitivity and adaptability to recognize.
Comparison with others is counterproductive, as it often ignores the unique efforts and circumstances of each individual.
Maintaining a beginner's mentality helps sustain excitement and prevents one from being bogged down by past perceived failures.
Success is a personal journey, and the only competition one should engage in is with oneself, using quantifiable data to measure progress.
Setting rails or boundaries for projects is important to prevent burnout and to provide points for evaluation and course correction.
Protecting one's happiness is crucial, as it can be easily eroded by constant scrutiny of results and comparison with others.

Put Your Blinders on and do the Work

If it’s a grind, so be it

In a world obsessed with stats and results, it’s easy to get caught up in the wrong thing.

Though it’s worthwhile to evaluate results periodically, a fixation on outcomes can be unhealthy, and even detrimental to your progress as a creative or creator. Because process is the part you can control, outcomes are not.

Filters are crucial to your survival. Without them, you will take on too much, burn out, and get caught up in an unhealthy game of comparison that steals your happiness.

We need to be able to put our blinders on, even if it’s only for a short duration, to focus long enough on the process that we see desired results flow in.

Every “Overnight Success” Was 10 Years in the Making

I find it easy to fixate on the results, even unprompted. Even when there’s virtually no reason to.

I needlessly check in on my Medium stats, even on days where I know I’m not going to get any love…

Even on days when my posts probably won’t be accepted into a publication, and despite the 700 some odd followers I have, all I can expect are a couple of claps on my stories…

Look, it’s not always like that. I have stories that have done well. Stories that continue to captivate and engage.

But I think this is perhaps one of the dark sides of publishing daily… That every day you publish, you almost expect your next big break to happen. When it has literally never worked that way.

The Six-Month Window

Everyone around me says “stick to it for six months — you will see results.”

Which has me looking at myself and wondering if I have done something wrong.

There are some things I have been doing for 10 or 20+ years that I can honestly say I haven’t really seen the ship come in on.

So, that’s where I find the “six months” idea thoroughly unhelpful. I’m not saying there’s no truth to it. You will see some results. But will they be the results you’ve been hoping and waiting for?

So far as Medium is concerned, I have been publishing for over 230 consecutive days. That’s over six months already. I have not achieved “success.”

I guess that means I should stop posting to Medium and try something else right? RIGHT!?

A Breakthrough for Everyone

Okay, so a lot of this sounds kind of whiny. Which isn’t really my intention.

But you can see the conversations that sometimes unfold in my head.

I just think that the “six months” idea isn’t going to resonate with those who’ve duplicated and modeled other successful people and have shown up faithfully to do it, only to find their spin on the same methodology hasn’t yielded the same results.

Some results, yes. Always. But not necessarily the same results.

There’s a breakthrough available to everyone, I suppose. But it might not come in the expected form. And that’s where some sensitivity is required.

The universe will sometimes make that subtle, quiet call towards an endeavor in which you would do well. But you’re not going to notice if you stubbornly insist on your own way. Because it will probably mean adjusting.

Put Your Blinders on

So, is it worth worrying about the results?

Should you be checking in with your stats all the time?

Should you put a hard, six-month deadline on success?

Probably not.

Maybe it works for some, but I can’t recall anything I’ve done that gave me a huge ROI in six months.

I am going to argue that it’s best to put your blinders on and do the work.

You’ll want to make sure you have rails for the project, of course. You could end up resenting anything you keep grinding out, without any sense of when to stop, evaluate, and course correct.

But within those rails, only come up for air, as necessary.

The temporary discouragement you allow yourself to feel could hold you back from your eventual success. It’s a distraction.

It could have you doubting yourself and your project constantly, and that can’t possibly add any value to you or your project.

Comparison is unhelpful, since it puts the spotlight on someone you don’t know, whose results you haven’t verified, and who may have put more work and effort into their project than you’ll ever know.

And most importantly, it steals your happiness, which is worth protecting.

The only score to beat is your own, and even there, you must practice accurate thinking.

The only score to beat is your own, and even there, you must practice accurate thinking. (Click To Tweet)

Accurate thinking is not based on emotions or feelings. It’s based on quantifiable data.

Go hard within established rails. Then look up and see whether you’re further ahead than when you started. If yes, go to next square. If not, consider whether you want to continue. Yes, then keep going. No, then start playing a new game!

A Beginner’s Mentality

Personally, I seek to disappear any notion that I’m seasoned or experienced. At the very least, I don’t see it as an unfair advantage, because if it were, I would have figured out this “six-month” thing by now. Maybe I’d be able to do it in three months!

A beginner’s mentality is fresh. It’s open to learning. It remains curios. It doesn’t lose focus or interest.

Every day, we can start with a beginner’s mentality, or focus on a thousand yesterdays in which we didn’t see the ship come in. We can maintain excitement for what we’re doing, or make a meaning of our failures.

Although it’s good to acknowledge the ships that didn’t come to pick you up, focusing on them long-term is sure to be detrimental. You’ll just keep waiting at the docks and prove yourself right, even as new ships come and go!

On the journey to success, you don’t want to keep proving that things don’t work for you. You want to begin finding proof that you’re going to make it, even if it’s small. And you want to do this daily.

Final Thoughts

In saying all this, I’m mostly preaching to myself.

I’m looking to get those blinders in place instead of evaluating my progress day to day, or moment by moment. There isn’t much positive that can come from being a dopamine junkie.

I do feel I could do a better job of setting rails, and to that extent, I am letting my self-esteem lead the way. And I find this helpful.

Do you feel you get caught up in the wrong things?

What are some things you could take your eyes off of to be more effective?

Let me know.

Pay what you want for the first issue of my digital magazine, The Renegade Musician.

Originally published at https://davidandrewwiebe.com on March 26, 2021.