Hey Reader,

You're going to die.

I don't tell you this to be morbid or anything like that.

This past week, I was just reminded of my own mortality. Not in any big, grand way.

Just in those small moments that make you feel like you're not doing several things for fear (fear of failing, fear of being judged, fear of not being "good enough"), and then you hear this simple truth, in 3-4 generations, your great grandkids won't probably know your name, or what you did, or how you may have failed (and even succeeded) at so many things.

And it reminds me that this fear of not being enough, of failing and everyone noticing, of not making an impact, is really small when you stop to consider the grand scheme of things.

Whether you take risks in your life, whether you go for the things you want, whether you try or don't, whether you fail or succeed at it, we're all going to die. There's no avoiding that.

That's why I have been dealing with this question:

What if the real risk of life is not actually failing, being embarrassed, being judged, or being criticized, but actually not trying, not taking the risk, not truly going for it?

I know fear feels uncomfortable and hard. But I think regret is the bigger risk in life.

So, if you have been talking and complaining about how you want things to change, you have to be the one to make them change.

At some point, you have to stop talking and complaining about it and do something about it. And if not, if you don't feel yet "ready" or willing to change, you have to stop talking and complaining about it.

Success is out-persisting the "Invisible Phase."

We often think that success is a result of natural talent, luck, perfect conditions, or all of these combined. We see athletes, famous people, CEOs, and founders, and usually think they were born with something different, something that other people don't have.
But the truth is that 9 out of 10 of the people who become 'prodigies' in a domain are just the people who out-persist others. The people who keep trying, learning, refining, and who keep themselves in the game long enough to see their efforts compound over time.

In most domains of life, growth and progress feel incredibly small at the beginning. Progressively, these small results start compounding in a J-curve.

And then, it spikes up in what feels like sudden growth (but it's really years and even decades of compounding effort).

That's why most of the big successes we see out there are just the results of out-persisting in the game when it feels like nothing is happening.

Most people who eventually succeed as athletes, creators, or entrepreneurs had long stretches where it looked like nothing was happening.

They just kept showing up during the invisible phase.

The reason why they end up creating an impact or becoming groundbreaking in one specific area is that they keep going beyond the invisible phase, where most people quit.

And you don’t know which things may be groundbreaking or create an impact before you do them either. You just do all the things you are truly interested in, and some may end up being 'successful' or profitable. But you won't know that until you try them.

You just have to keep doing and trying things non-stop. And every once in a while, some of them rise to the top.

The conditions to out-persist

The way to get truly exceptional results at anything is to outpersist the invisible, slow progress stage of it.

The way to do this is to find those domains that make you feel expansive and double down on them because those are the things you would want to push hard on and continue doing consistently long-term. Even during those periods when the rewards are not yet there to show for it.

• There is work that you do where you come out feeling energized and inspired and fired up to get to work, to go for more.
• And then, there’s work where you come out feeling drained, and you just want to mindlessly scroll social media for hours, because you feel so over it.

In life, try as much as possible to double down and to lean into the jobs that energize you and make you feel alive. Follow the things that push you, that are new to you, that are hard for you, and that are challenging in the right ways because you still enjoy them.

Do those things that excite you, that challenge you, where you feel like you're learning from them becuase they are still hard

Then, notice the jobs that drain you and leave you feeling lifeless. And minimize their space in your life (and in your schedule) as much as possible.

That is the recipe to be able to keep doing things (and growing in things) long-term.

Have strong opinions loosely held

Don’t be so stuck or fixed in a specific life plan or goal that you miss the serendipity and the opportunities that might happen if you are more broad-minded.

Be open to changing your mind about what you want out of life or how to get there, consistently.

And then make any big goals you have embarrassingly small, appropriate to the time and space you have available at this stage of your life.

And where you just focus on improving and getting 1% better every day. Where you focus on answering:

• Does this matter to me?
• Is it something new that I haven’t done?
• Is it something that is good for my growth?
• Is it challenging for me?

And along the way, remind yourself often that no matter how small this step may feel, it’s always better to take a step than not to take a step.

A question for the coming week

P.S. Often, the main thing standing between you and your dreams is the story you're telling yourself about what’s possible. If you’re tired of feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unworthy, this episode is your blueprint for shifting from self-sabotage to self-empowerment. Listen on Spotify. Or listen on Apple Podcasts.​

Love creating your mind one day at a time? Forward this to a friend so they can get in on the action and sign up below. Subscribe to The Created Mind Thank you for reading and sharing, Jenny ​​​​

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