Growing up, report card day was a huge deal. Two main factors…
-the only thing that parents, teachers, and students cared about was the report card
-we were finally going to see what’s on the report card
One of the bummers about this is that it fooled us into thinking things were going to be that clear in the real world.
It turns out we wanted to talk about these more than we want to buy them.
When Toys R Us was going out of business it was headline news and everyone said how much the toy store meant to them and how it was so awful that it was going out of business. If everyone commenting would have instead just gone on a Toys shopping spree it would have fixed everything.
When the cartoon remake is announced (Lion King, Little Mermaid, etc), everyone is very excited. But then not many people go see the movie. It turns out the best part about the remake is the opportunity to celebrate and relive the original.
It’s one thing to get people talking...it’s another leap to get people spending their time and money.
Methods can be copied. And should be.
Madness cannot be copied. If you try you’ll get burned out.
These days it’s easy to dig into the method. Read the books and listen to the podcasts and watch all the TED talks.
The madness is much scarier…because there’s no method. There’s no one to properly set the dials of your personality and art to what the market might want.
You might get tired of what you’re selling but the people buying it don’t.
Your songs, your messaging, your vibe…it’s all gotta be something you truly believe in because you’re going to have to keep it going even when you don’t feel like it.
The socks, or headphones, or t-shirt you just bought…it’s new and exciting to you. But those people have been selling them for years before the message finally got to you. Thank goodness they stayed the course.
If someone presents you with a difficult (but good) opportunity, your instant reply might be No.
But the seed has been planted.
They came to you with the opportunity because they had belief in your ability. Now their belief becomes the seed of your own belief. And now it’s on your mind. It seeps into the realm of what you think just might be possible.
And what you think might be possible turns into something you’ll try out.
Once you start seeing this pattern, you can learn to just say Yes right away.
I’m good at it
vs
I got good at it
The second one is almost always more true. That extra word.
But we see and hear other people who are highly skilled and we forget that while they’re good at it…they actually GOT good at it. It was a gradual process. They weren’t born that way.