“Someday I’ll get there.” At least that’s what we tell ourselves. It’s in our DNA: work hard, never quit, and someday you’ll get there. However, many of us find ourselves growing older with an ever increasing fear that the biggest opportunities of our life have already passed us by, and the only thing left to do is settle, or surrender.
Back in the day, it was the challenge of “gatekeepers” that got in our way. More recently, it’s the challenge of technology. However, for an older artist or entrepreneur it’s the challenge of time—the race to “make it” before we run out of gas. There’s a new voice screaming between our ears: “Why haven’t you made it yet!”
I think there is one way to quiet the voice (other than meditation), and that’s to make a profound shift in your POV:
From: What’s in it for me?
To: How can I continue to be relevant and offer my best work, to those who continue to want it?
Truth is, you may not have an audience of 100k, but you still have an audience. Your video may not get a million views, bit you still have viewers. Your company may not have 50k customers, but you still have customers.
I think the biggest mistake we make is waiting; waiting to be discovered, waiting for the economy to turn around, waiting for the kids to grow, waiting for the tech train to slow down, waiting for things to return to the way they were. Tom Petty says, “The waiting is the hardest part.” Billy Joel says, “Wait until the breeze blows in, and that old second wind comes along.”
Perhaps it’s not about waiting for that perfect opportune time to finally come along. Perhaps it’s about using the time we have to continue to offer the very best we’ve got.