004: Missed Opportunities
FOMO is real, my friends. The fear of missing out is something we all deal with on an ongoing basis in both our work life and everyday life. Social media inundates us with images of the success everyone else is having, and we get self conscious about why we are not achieving these same level of success. We get a tiny glimpse into someone else's world and suddenly we compare everything we are doing to that single image. The result is us asking the questions - Am I missing out on something? When it comes to our work life, this manifests in us and leaves us wondering if we are missing out on an opportunity. It’s an important question to ask, and it has a very simple answer, with a very large footnote. So let’s tackle this one today and move past it. Am I missing out on opportunities?
When I’m talking with an artist, this question inevitably comes up and usually causes stress for the artist. We see the results and successes others are having and want to emulate that, assuming we are missing out on some untapped easy opportunity. Those 1 million Spotify plays, the month long Australian tour, the viral YouTube video or the placement of a song in a national ad campaign. But when you see these successes others are having, you are only getting a single frame of an entire movie. You don’t see the hours of work they put in to reach this goal, you don’t see all the other things they sacrificed to achieve this, you don’t see all the opportunities they passed up to stay focused on this singular task. We want to assume it was easy, that they were lucky, that it was some overnight success that landed them this opportunity. And sure, that may happen now and then - but for the most post, this level of achievement only comes with years of work, and focus. You’re not doing yourself any favours thinking it comes easy for everyone else, but is somehow hard for you. In doing so, you’re only selling yourself short.
So let’s just cut to the chase and put the cards on the table. Am I missing out on opportunities? Yes, you are - now get over it. There are literally hundreds of opportunities you could pursue. Do you really think you are going to take all of those projects on and be successful? Because that will never happen. The question you should be asking is - What opportunities do I want to pursue? Take control of the situation. Make the decision on what key projects you feel will benefit you the most and make these your purpose. Eliminate all the other things that don’t drive towards these things. To be clear, I’m not saying you should just stop doing tasks that need to be done. But don’t do things just for the sake of doing them, and wonder why you are not getting results. If you create Facebook events for all your shows, but then never invite anyone, or do anything to create engagement around these posts - do you think you will get any results? Either stop doing this, or create a plan on how you can effectively use this tool to promote your shows. By creating a purpose for your tasks it helps you decide if it is worth putting the time into it or not.
The reality is that nobody really posts their failures. The things they tried and didn't succeed at. Or the months and months of work and strategic planning it took to get those 1 million Spotify plays. You need to remember this when you see a post where someone is celebrating their success. You need to give them credit for picking an opportunity and running with it to that extent. You need to ask yourself what opportunities you are chasing with that same passion. If you take this approach you will no longer need to fear missing opportunities, because you will have already decided on which ones you are pursuing, and know in time you will pursue others. In the long run this will produce true results and you will naturally create systems for success. It will also give you the space to then pursue other opportunities with the same passion. So remember - you are missing out on opportunities. But that is OK because you are on your own path, not someone else's.
~ Steve