Sunday Musings: Sometimes the HARDEST Part of Succeeding is Simply SHOWING UP Every Day!
I expect we could make the argument that "Success" — much like beauty — is in the eye of the beholder.
That said, however we may define success, it typically involves a process of "getting from Point A to Point B." And usually that means you have to have a plan of some kind... unless your definition of "success" is about winning the lottery.
But even then, you still have to plan to buy the ticket.
busy bees...
I believe lots of people sincerely want to succeed. And many people even plan to succeed... and they have good ideas and plan very well. But then there's this additional step in there called "execution."
Being someone who primarily has a long term approach to projects I get involved with, one of the things I have really become aware of is the importance — as a/the path to succeeding — of simply showing up every day.
We humans have an interesting way of disconnecting what we "think" to be reality from what "is" reality and that can be especially apparent when talking about success. We look at (and look UP to) people who have succeeded and often envy their success... while blithely overlooking that they may have spent twenty years eating cup-a-noodly soup and owning one pair of shoes to GET there.
Washington Coast
In other words, we tend to look for "Easy Buttons" that don't actually exist. We don't LIKE the reality that the success we seek often requires year after year of daily grinding it out.
People — specifically fellow stamp collectors — often envy me for being able to derive a sideline income from selling old and rare postage stamps online. But when they start asking questions, they don't really want to hear that the reason I have a regular flow of income is that I have being working on this pretty much DAILY, since 1988.
"Wow. That sounds like a LOT of work. I don't think I could DO that."
Similarly, I am what one might call "modestly successful" as a blogger, here on Hive. But again, I have no magic pill, and I am not part of the "in crowd," nor did I have $100K to invest at the start. That "modest success" took 1,580 posts, 15,750 comments and going on 57,000 pieces of content manually upvoted in the course of 4 1/2 years.
Another busy bee...
It's funny — and perhaps a sad reflection on the human condition — how often people back away from success... as soon as they discover that it will take a LOT of work.
These days, my "project" is turning my artwork into another viable sideline income. Not looking to make a "living" at it, just hoping to get to the point of generating $750-1000 a month. I've already been "dabbling" for a decade, but only started "taking it seriously" after we closed our retail store in June of 2019.
Then, of course, "Covid happened."
Not really going to use that as an excuse as much as a reason to restructure my approach, because certain parts of my original plan are no longer "available." Still, figuring that by 2026 I should be able to reach my goal... again by SHOWING UP (even if just a little bit) every single day!
The wild Pacific coast
Showing up every day is hard; I'll be the first to admit that! Even if you love what you're doing, there are some days (and WEEKS!) that you'd just as well blow everything off and play online games, watch TV or play with one of your interests or hobbies.
You have to set priorities... and decide just how important your priorities actually are. Because I have multiple projects running, my definition of "showing up" has gradually come to mean that as long as I do at least ONE SMALL THING on each of my projects, I have "shown up." And I keep track!
For example, the last time I "didn't show up" on Hive was July 4th... I can tell, because 7 days later, my account balance only increased by the amount of "natural inflation" in the ecosystem. Of course, I can give myself a "hall pass" for it being a major holiday and we were doing other things!
But most other days, I do show up!
Thanks for reading, and have a great remainder of your weekend!
How about YOU? How do YOU define success? Do you apply some version of "showing up every day" to reaching your goals? Or are you not "long term oriented?" Do you use a different system? Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
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