Here are the four reasons I can recognise:
1. Skill issue
They join the game for the money and don't focus on the skill.
Harsh truth: skill brings in the money.
If you're average at what you do, you're in a pool of lots of average people and will earn sub-average money. Only a few are good at what they do, and fewer are brilliant.
What you want to make out of your career depends on how good you are.
To do:
Get better at your skill by
If you're a writer, write hundreds of articles and posts and keep learning on the side to get better at writing.
YouTube is free, and online courses are plentiful. No excuses!
2. Outcome-focused
Many people are first too afraid to show up because they don't know how their work will be perceived.
Then they're afraid of being judged.
After that, when they show up, they want likes. Lots of them.
When they get likes on a certain post, they try to replicate what worked in that post and work like a machine.
Then the algorithm changes, and their posts start dying.
You don't have control over the outcome, only the process. Life gets easier when you fall in love with the process.
To do
Focus on doing the work, not on the results. That's a recipe for unhappiness and failure.
3. Lack of curiosity
Most people ask Qs that are on YouTube and Google. Others search for answers. Guess which of the two wins?
My inbox is full of:
- how to freelance?
- how to earn money writing?
- how to overcome my fear of publishing?
I reply to all my emails, minus the generic ones. I don't want to help someone who is lazy and can't help themselves.
To do
Find someone who is where you want to be and learn from them. Review their content, and consider purchasing their offering if it aligns with your goals.
4. 'Quick' results
I'm not sure why people see us online and think success came quickly.
I've been writing since I was 7, writing online since I was 18. Became a full-time writer at 25.
Does that look 'quick' to you?
You can be good at something quickly but not excellent at it.
Give your skill the time it deserves and allow yourself some grace to grow.
To do
All my students know my methods can change their lives if they show up consistently for 12 months. That isn't 'quick', but it works.
I say this because 90% of them want to grow on LinkedIn, and it's the easiest platform to grow on.
So - set realistic goals.
Finally
Listen, it's always easier to give up.
You show up every day, and nobody hits like or follow. It's hard - I know.
I have over 600 articles on Medium, and over 25% of them have been rejected by publications multiple times. Some articles as many as 6 times!
If I had given up then, I wouldn't have been here now.
What made the journey easier was being in love with writing.
It helps me detach from the outcome....to give my all, every single day.
I'm actually typing this after a shit health day, and I feel cathartic. I'm grateful every day to do this for a living.
See you next week!
Love,
N