Too many people try to start a side hustle or creative venture because they think it will be easier than working a job.
It’s not.
Not even close.
Sure, maybe one day you’ll arrive at that rarified place where life is simple and stress-free, but to get there you will have to crawl through mud and eat broken glass for years.
Greatness doesn’t happen overnight.
Side hustles don’t just spin up to a million dollars in revenue in a weekend, and careers don’t just appear out of thin air because you released one song or posted a video.
As the saying goes, every “overnight success” is ten years in the making.
Success is a byproduct of showing up for years and putting in countless hours, all while no one is paying attention.
It means building quietly, day-in, day-out, for a long, long time.
It requires discipline, focus, and an almost insane amount of self-belief.
Honestly, if you’re trying to be a founder, entrepreneur, or artist, you have to be kind of a crazy person.
But as it turns out, crazy wins.
It’s the people who not only are willing to eat glass but who actually enjoy it that end up changing the world.
So, you need to ask yourself: am I willing to do what it takes?
Is it worth it to me to suffer for what I want?
Because you will most certainly suffer.
But here’s the secret: the suffering is the fun part.
It’s the doing that creates a life of meaning—the overcoming, the struggle, the challenge.
Not the having.
You may think it sounds amazing to have nice things, and it is, but I promise you, hedonic adaptation eventually takes over and what was once new and flashy becomes normalized.
Having said that, we all have to learn that lesson individually.
No one can tell you that.
Not really.
So use that desire as motivation, but don’t mistake a cheap end goal for what truly matters.
If you want to be a builder, you have to be obsessed with building.
If you want to be a creator, you have to be obsessed with creating.
You can’t chase easy because easy doesn’t exist.
Anywhere you see a shortcut or quick fix, just know that you’re not the one winning in that deal.
"There are no get rich quick schemes. That's just someone else getting rich off you."
– Naval Ravikant
If you really want a life worth living, stop chasing what’s easy and start chasing what’s fulfilling.
If you think you want to build something just so you can get rich, be famous, or have nice things, I hate to break it to you, but 99.99% of the time you are going to be outperformed by someone who is obsessed with the process.
So fall in love with the process.
Fall in love with showing up when no one is watching.
Hitting publish when no one is paying attention.
Releasing music when no one is listening.
Building when no one is buying.
Put in the reps for long enough, and you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.
But you will never get there if you try to hack your way to the finish line.
So get out there and eat some glass.
Too many people try to start a side hustle or creative venture because they think it will be easier than working a job.
It’s not.
Not even close.
Sure, maybe one day you’ll arrive at that rarified place where life is simple and stress-free, but to get there you will have to crawl through mud and eat broken glass for years.
Greatness doesn’t happen overnight.
Side hustles don’t just spin up to a million dollars in revenue in a weekend, and careers don’t just appear out of thin air because you released one song or posted a video.
As the saying goes, every “overnight success” is ten years in the making.
Success is a byproduct of showing up for years and putting in countless hours, all while no one is paying attention.
It means building quietly, day-in, day-out, for a long, long time.
It requires discipline, focus, and an almost insane amount of self-belief.
Honestly, if you’re trying to be a founder, entrepreneur, or artist, you have to be kind of a crazy person.
But as it turns out, crazy wins.
It’s the people who not only are willing to eat glass but who actually enjoy it that end up changing the world.
So, you need to ask yourself: am I willing to do what it takes?
Is it worth it to me to suffer for what I want?
Because you will most certainly suffer.
But here’s the secret: the suffering is the fun part.
It’s the doing that creates a life of meaning—the overcoming, the struggle, the challenge.
Not the having.
You may think it sounds amazing to have nice things, and it is, but I promise you, hedonic adaptation eventually takes over and what was once new and flashy becomes normalized.
Having said that, we all have to learn that lesson individually.
No one can tell you that.
Not really.
So use that desire as motivation, but don’t mistake a cheap end goal for what truly matters.
If you want to be a builder, you have to be obsessed with building.
If you want to be a creator, you have to be obsessed with creating.
You can’t chase easy because easy doesn’t exist.
Anywhere you see a shortcut or quick fix, just know that you’re not the one winning in that deal.
"There are no get rich quick schemes. That's just someone else getting rich off you."
– Naval Ravikant
If you really want a life worth living, stop chasing what’s easy and start chasing what’s fulfilling.
If you think you want to build something just so you can get rich, be famous, or have nice things, I hate to break it to you, but 99.99% of the time you are going to be outperformed by someone who is obsessed with the process.
So fall in love with the process.
Fall in love with showing up when no one is watching.
Hitting publish when no one is paying attention.
Releasing music when no one is listening.
Building when no one is buying.
Put in the reps for long enough, and you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.
But you will never get there if you try to hack your way to the finish line.
So get out there and eat some glass.
Too many people try to start a side hustle or creative venture because they think it will be easier than working a job.
It’s not.
Not even close.
Sure, maybe one day you’ll arrive at that rarified place where life is simple and stress-free, but to get there you will have to crawl through mud and eat broken glass for years.
Greatness doesn’t happen overnight.
Side hustles don’t just spin up to a million dollars in revenue in a weekend, and careers don’t just appear out of thin air because you released one song or posted a video.
As the saying goes, every “overnight success” is ten years in the making.
Success is a byproduct of showing up for years and putting in countless hours, all while no one is paying attention.
It means building quietly, day-in, day-out, for a long, long time.
It requires discipline, focus, and an almost insane amount of self-belief.
Honestly, if you’re trying to be a founder, entrepreneur, or artist, you have to be kind of a crazy person.
But as it turns out, crazy wins.
It’s the people who not only are willing to eat glass but who actually enjoy it that end up changing the world.
So, you need to ask yourself: am I willing to do what it takes?
Is it worth it to me to suffer for what I want?
Because you will most certainly suffer.
But here’s the secret: the suffering is the fun part.
It’s the doing that creates a life of meaning—the overcoming, the struggle, the challenge.
Not the having.
You may think it sounds amazing to have nice things, and it is, but I promise you, hedonic adaptation eventually takes over and what was once new and flashy becomes normalized.
Having said that, we all have to learn that lesson individually.
No one can tell you that.
Not really.
So use that desire as motivation, but don’t mistake a cheap end goal for what truly matters.
If you want to be a builder, you have to be obsessed with building.
If you want to be a creator, you have to be obsessed with creating.
You can’t chase easy because easy doesn’t exist.
Anywhere you see a shortcut or quick fix, just know that you’re not the one winning in that deal.
"There are no get rich quick schemes. That's just someone else getting rich off you."
– Naval Ravikant
If you really want a life worth living, stop chasing what’s easy and start chasing what’s fulfilling.
If you think you want to build something just so you can get rich, be famous, or have nice things, I hate to break it to you, but 99.99% of the time you are going to be outperformed by someone who is obsessed with the process.
So fall in love with the process.
Fall in love with showing up when no one is watching.
Hitting publish when no one is paying attention.
Releasing music when no one is listening.
Building when no one is buying.
Put in the reps for long enough, and you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.
But you will never get there if you try to hack your way to the finish line.
So get out there and eat some glass.
Take the next step
Read the Newsletter: Explore previous issues of The One Thing to learn at your own pace and upgrade your marketing knowledge for free.
Book a Consultation: Schedule a one-on-one call with me to improve your marketing across paid advertising, social media, and more.
Become a Client: Hire our team to manage your marketing across streaming platforms and social media so you can focus on what matters most—making music.
Take a Course: Join the hundreds of artists who have successfully learned to automate their growth on Spotify using paid ads on Instagram.
Take the next step
Read the Newsletter: Explore previous issues of The One Thing to learn at your own pace and upgrade your marketing knowledge for free.
Book a Consultation: Schedule a one-on-one call with me to improve your marketing across paid advertising, social media, and more.
Become a Client: Hire our team to manage your marketing across streaming platforms and social media so you can focus on what matters most—making music.
Take a Course: Join the hundreds of artists who have successfully learned to automate their growth on Spotify using paid ads on Instagram.
Take the next step
Read the Newsletter: Explore previous issues of The One Thing to learn at your own pace and upgrade your marketing knowledge for free.
Book a Consultation: Schedule a one-on-one call with me to improve your marketing across paid advertising, social media, and more.
Become a Client: Hire our team to manage your marketing across streaming platforms and social media so you can focus on what matters most—making music.
Take a Course: Join the hundreds of artists who have successfully learned to automate their growth on Spotify using paid ads on Instagram.