Assume Success
I’m assuming success
This has become my new mantra. One I’ve created for myself to stay focused on my daily habits instead of letting a fear of uncertainty catch me by surprise.
Two years ago, when I left the corporate world, I wanted to work on my own projects. At that time, I launched a podcast with my sister. A month ago, I started publishing my writing weekly. I’m leaning into becoming a creator.
But will I be able to make money doing this?
What’s my plan?
Am I going to regret this?
These questions had a tendency of popping into my mind on and off the past two years. Part of it was I was trying to figure out what exactly I wanted to do after I left my job. I wanted to know if I was making the right decision, but the future has this weird habit of being uncertain.
Something I realized is that if I’m alive in ten years, chances are I will be ten years better at whatever I choose to do. Especially if I commit myself to doing them consistently.
It’s funny, because I’ve spent the last decade on the phone trying to convince people to give me money. My background is in software sales. Even though I left my last sales job two years ago, my LinkedIn inbox is filled with messages from recruiters popping in to see if I’m interested in joining the latest rocket ship software company.
It’s logical for them to assume that after years of cold calling, qualifying and closing deals, I may be pretty good at my job. It’s almost inevitable that I’ve built skills over time. The recruiters don’t know me, but despite having a gap on my resume, I’m a better bet than someone brand new to this role.
I realize the same is true about building my life as a creator. If I put the reps in, ten years from now, it’s easy to imagine I’ll be a lot better than I am today.
The scary part is the uncertainty. I don’t have a corporate ladder to climb that has shiny new job titles at every rung. There’s no offer letter, no salary.
What I do know is that I’m focused on getting better at writing and podcasting. By publishing both weekly, I’m starting to build a habit.
When people ask me what I’m working towards, I say, “I’m assuming success”.
If I keep doing this for ten years, I will inevitably be better. Will “better” pay the bills? Probably. If I run out of savings before that moment, I can always go back into the corporate world.
What does that actually look like for me? I don’t know. Ten years ago, I didn’t know what a podcast was. Substack didn’t exist.
Ten years from now, I can’t even fathom what technology will look like. But I’m committing to putting in my reps so that I keep getting better. I’m preparing myself for the unknown future and I’m embracing the uncertainty.
Since it’s impossible to predict the future, I’m going to assume success.
Mantra's are wonderful little things aren't they? Who doesn't need a pithy verbal coach to get you through the tough uncertain career decisions we make? Love it. Tim Ferris often cites his own version of this when he goes to take on a new big project. "What would this look like if it were easy? What would I do if success was guaranteed?" I think about it often when taking on some new, uncertain, complex project or effort. Action first, motivation later, and if you do it enough, you get pretty darn good at what you are focusing on. It's all preparation. Follow that up with the idea that luck tends to favor the prepared and you're on your way. Rooting for you on this creator journey.
I will be assuming success from now on🫡