Self-doubt:Everyone has it. Some are just better at hiding it than you are. The most successful creators and entrepreneurs are often, secretly, the most insecure. It’s the need for applause that drives them to succeed.Success: It won’t taste as sweet as you think it will.As soon as you hit your goal you will create an even bigger goal. Rinse and repeat.Ironically, it’s the years of struggling and hustling on the shaky rollercoaster ride to the top that will become your fondest memories. It’s the sacrifices we make in life that shape us and not the achievements. What is your Why?Many developing creators and entrepreneurs are chasing external validation. Many of our greatest creative icons were/ are the same.There are easier ways to get external validation. If you are determined on an entrepreneurial career then connecting with an audience is your new obsession. To create content that moves people emotionally is all the validation you will ever really need. The art of true art is in the connections. Results vs SystemsDeveloping creators talk in terms of results. Getting noticed, blowing up online, and having six-figure businesses.But in order to achieve those goals, you need a system. It’s successful systems that lead to successful results. That means sitting down and creating every day. It means creating a schedule and focusing on marginal gains to slowly master your creative skills. It means making sacrifices. Getting used to being uncomfortable.To succeed: means committing to a philosophy that cultivates peak creative performance. It means mastering your craft. It means connecting deeply with your audience. It’s making services/ products/ articles/ podcasts that create word of mouth.Start focusing on the system and stop focusing on results.Get the system right and the results will follow. Audiences:You don’t build an audience you connect with one. The more people you connect with the bigger your audience becomes.Make content that moves people emotionally.They will tell their friends about you. That is the key to be successful. Your icons simply connect with much more people than you do. ‘How can I grow my audience?’ is the wrong question. How can I connect with more people?’ is a better one. Focus on the audience. Focus on connections. Deciding vs WantingBuilding a career as a creator or entrepreneur is hard.It’s a solid struggle. Struggle is when you can’t finish your content. Struggle is when you’re too scared to release it when you do. Struggle is when you overthink everything. Struggle is releasing content that doesn’t connect time and time again.Struggle is investing your self-worth in all of the above.These struggles are all part of the journey. Your icons struggled, too. They decided to keep on struggling and got a bit better year after year. Everybody wants success. Successful creators and entrepreneurs decide they are going to be a success — and are willing to pay whatever the price is to do so. Connecting with creativity:This is the key to your future. It is your competitive advantage.How do you connect with people? Authenticity. No, not the fake BS type you see on social media. The real genuine shit, where you're scared of looking like a bit of a dick. That level of authenticity.Empathy. Make content that articulates the pain they are feeling and the compassion to try and heal it with your art. Creativity is a service mentality. It is evoking emotions within others.It’s content that moves them. Making content that makes a difference… emotionally, inspirationally, politically, or culturally. True creativity is humanity. It’s making a difference. It is the art of being a true artist. Failure:It is essential. You will not develop as a creator or entrepreneur without it. The more failures you have, the more you will grow as a creator. More failures lead to success.By reframing failure as growth you reduce the pain and increase your power. Quitting:There’s no shame in quitting. Life is short. The entrepreneurial world can be brutal. If the struggle is making you anxious and depressed, quit — or take an extended break. Nothing is worth more than your well-being. I quit the music industry after 25 years. It was no longer worth the chronic stress and burnout. The end no longer justified the means. We are creatives. There are other creative outlets. Find one that you love to do and do that instead. Perfection Vs seeking excellence:Perfection is a myth. Seek excellence. The difference? A perfectionist has unrealistic expectations and is never happy with the results regardless of how good they are.A seeker of excellence demands extremely high standards and is happy when they achieve them. Comparison: Don’t watch/ listen/ read your icons when you’re creating. It will only make you feel inadequate. Watch their first Youtube video. Read their first article. Listen to their first podcast.Everyone is shit in the beginning.Control freakery:Control freakery is a curse. It is the source of much of your anxiety. Trying to control situations that are uncontrollable will do that.You can only control your effort, your attitude, and your reactions. Surrender to the rest.Remember this the next time you are writing, filming, recording. Focus all your energies on your effort and attitude. Ignore everything else.In elite sports, they call it ‘controlling the controllables.’ It is a peak performance technique that will serve you well. Fulfillment:Success is lovely but it won’t fill the voids in your self-esteem. It won’t make you happy. It won’t fulfill you. It may make you feel worse. Why? Because you have probably convinced yourself you’ll be happy when you find success.You won’t.You will have more money.But this is also true of your fears and anxieties. The trouble with creative success is once you have it, you spend more time worrying about losing it.Creative fulfillment:This will make you happy. This is your goal.Happiness comes from mastery and not results.Creative fulfillment comes from mastering your craft. Creative fulfillment comes from connecting with others with your art.Creative fulfillment is making music that matters. Get into flow. It is intrinsic motivation. It’s the joy of creating for the joy of creating. Fears:Everyone feels fear. The core fear of developing creators is: ‘Am I good enough?’The core fear of established creators is: ‘Am I still good enough?’All other fears manifest from the core fear. PerfectionismProcrastinationWriter’s blockImposter syndromeFear of failureComparing yourself with othersFears never leaves you. The fear of losing success is greater than the fear of never finding it. This is called loss aversion biasThe more successful you get the more you will fear losing it. Channel your fear to tap into your superpowers. If you can’t channel your fears, you will never reach your creative potential. My philosophy for creative success:The best philosophy to be a success in the creator economy? Stop focusing on the results.Create a process and do that every day.Focus on the fundamentals and success will take care of itself.Become the best creator you can be. Focus all your energy on creating your content.Master your craft. Master the art of connecting with people with your music.If you want to earn a full time living in the creator economy you only have to do two things:1) Make remarkable content that people share with their friends. 2) Create a product or service people will pay for.This is not easy. It will take you years to master. Focus all your energy on fulfilling your creative potential. Become the creator/ entrepreneur you were meant to be — and the results will take care of themselves. 2 million people have created six-figure businesses in the creator economy.Connecting people emotionally with your stories/ videos/ podcasts/ tweets/ and the money and business will follow.Set financial goals. Set targets. But all that will take care of itself after you've connected with a big enough audience.So focus on that and results will follow.Somewhat predictably I have a newsletter. It’s got creative hacks, creative business strategies and mental models to build audiences and overcome creative blocks. It’s surprisingly good. You can sub here if you like. see hubwealthy.com/wealthy
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