A friend recently asked me if I thought my podcast and blog would ever ‘make it big.’ My response: I have absolutely no idea.
At this rate, it appears to me that it will take years of interviewing bigger and more prominent guests, having more dynamic conversations, and vastly improving the quality of my writing before any ‘success’ arrives.
I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve done. I’ve been able to sit down with some hilarious, insightful, and all around amazing people with which I’ve had conversations I’ll never forget (because they’re recorded). As for this blog, it’s been a delightful way to start each morning—forcing my brain to get going and dumping out some thoughts before my day begins.
Having ‘made it’ is a vague and subjective status. But the magic question is this: Would someone pay to consume my podcast or blog?…I doubt it. Not yet at least.
Following a dream is a beautifully exciting and dangerous thing to do, but it can be done in a responsible manner. If you want to be an author instead of a marketing director, but you’ve never written a book in your life, you’re going to have to do it the hard way. Every waking second you have outside your day job should be spent fine-tuning your craft and ability to create compelling stories. The idea of ditching your cubicle and computer screen is glamorous, but it’ll most likely result in you ditching your food and rent as well.
If you want to be an actor (something I plan on pursing in the future), do it! But if you want to do it full-time, make sure you get really fucking good at it first (…as well as design sets, costume design, directing, writing, makeup, etc). You have to have something to offer before you ask what others can offer you.
”If you embrace control without capital, you’re likely to end up…enjoying all the autonomy you can handle but unable to afford your next meal.” – Cal Newport, So Good They Can’t Ignore You
Invest your time and energy in becoming amazing at something before you demand success in it. “Enthusiasm alone is not rare and valuable and is therefore not worth much in terms of career capital.”