Choose your hard

It’s all hard. Success is hard but so is failure. Leading is hard but so is following. Winning is hard but losing harder.

Regret hurts more than discipline.

It’s all hard.

You already do hard. So you’re good at it. We just need another kind of hard.

Delayed Gratification is the God of Success

The longer you can delay gratification, the more you will be gratified. People want to launch webinars from scratch that do big numbers in no time - but that almost never happens.

You usually do webinars for 10-50 people your first few go rounds, make a bit of money and start momentum in your favor. But that’s boring.

Unimpressive, unremarkable, yet the most likely path to success.

You get good in front of small audiences so when you have a large audience you don’t waste its potential. You see the potential when, doing it poorly in front of small crowds, it still works somewhat and that motivates you to get better.

The answers become clearer when you’re working them out in the real world with real stakes in front of real people.

It’s just that you have to put a lot of time and “suffer” a lot upfront even when doing the right things before you see the pay off.

Success is built on trailing indicators

When you plant a seed, you don’t know if it will grow. You tend to it, water it, make sure it gets sun. You really care to it like a pro. And yet it still doesn’t grow.

The challenge is in the wait.

It’s possible that even in the best soil with the best care the best seed won’t grow. But it probably will.

What’s beautiful is even if it doesn’t pay off in this specific instance you still win because of who you start to become in the process of building out your success.

The character traits of someone who tends to their garden and plants and cares for seeds stays with regardless of whether this one tree grows or not.

The “failures” of my past - as a monk, as a rapper - shaped my character to become successful in my business. First as an article writer. Then as a product creator.

And eventually as the best in the world at webinars.

The rule of 6 months

I’m learning a whole slew of new skills related to social media. I study it, implement it, watch it get modest views and try it again.

It feels like I put in a ton of effort and not get any better. But I know that’s not true based upon past successes I’ve had.

When I studied selling, I studied hard but I didn’t really have it show up for 6 months after working my ass off.

When I learned how to create info products, it took me 6 months to really put it all together in a way where I could make and sell those products.

That’s my trailing indicator - when I want to get good at something, I know I’ll have to put a lot of time in and then suffer for 6 months before I even get a modest win. And I’m ok with that - because I just need that first win. Then I can get momentum.

The Miracle of Momentum

Ever build an exercise routine where it becomes harder to not work out?

I remember when I dialed in my physical fitness where I’d have a series of consecutive days where I’d say “I think I’m going to skip today…” only to find myself in the gym. Or I’d say “I’ll just super easy today” and then do a normal workout.

That’s the power of momentum - when you try to talk yourself out of doing it but can’t.

(I’m finally there with writing these articles after about two years of starting and stopping.)

Then that gratification you’ve delayed finally kicks in - and it kicks in bigger than ever. Just like the small snow ball that turns into an avalanche.

What was once impossible now becomes effortless. What you once couldn’t imagine becomes normal.

Then you trade up.

“Now that I made this hard skill easy… what new hard skill does this unlock for me to acquire next?”

Hard is the new easy.