Short post, but it’s important.
When people get excited about a new idea, their excitement is almost always fueled by two things:
- The idea that a massive reward can be obtained with minimal work/cost.
- Other people deem this thing “important,” and so the idea of doing something important makes you feel special.
In both of these cases, people are more excited by the “idea” itself — rather than the fundamental habits and necessary actions one would have to take to bring that idea to life.
Let me give you an example:
Do you know how many people in the world binge on YouTube videos?
Lots.
Vlogs, especially, are crazy addictive to watch. There is something so enthralling about watching an everyday person carry a camera around and keep you hanging on the edge of a seemingly meaningless story.
From the outside, these videos are seen as requiring minimal to no talent (“anyone could do this!”), while simultaneously raking in millions upon millions of views (“this would be such an easy way to make money!”).
So what do some of these viewers do?
They get excited.
The idea pops into their head that if they pick up a camera and make vlogs, they can:
- Make a lot of money doing something fun and easy.
- Can become Internet famous.
But have you ever seen what a video looks like from someone who is new to vlogging though?
It’s horrendous.
It’s like watching a slow motion car crash.
You can tell what they’re trying to do, but it’s just not being executed properly.
And then what happens is they post a few videos, don’t immediately go viral, don’t immediately turn e-famous, don’t immediately start making serious YouTube ad money, and then give up.
But if you ask any successful YouTuber how they became so successful, none of them say, “Oh, I started making videos because this seemed like an easy way to make a living.” In fact, they all say the opposite — and so does anyone at the top of any field. They say, “I started making videos because it seemed fun. And the more I did it, the more I got into it. Nobody watched my videos for the first two years, but I just kept putting stuff out there. And then one day, I had my first big video, and that’s when things started really taking off.”
The people who succeed are the ones who care far more about the process than the destination.
Excitement, and falling in love with the “idea” of something is short-lived.
What allows you to really dig into a craft, get good at it, and ultimately reach some level of success, always comes down to the love you have for the fundamentals.
If you love practicing, you’ll practice often — and get good as a result.
But if it takes feeling “excited” in order to practice, you’ll spend your entire life waiting for an outside catalyst to prompt the action.
Writer | Founder of Digital Press | 4x Top Writer on Quora | 50M+ Views | www.digitalpress.com