Predicting your own success

Have you ever worked on something, sure that everyone is going to love it? You just knew this next project was going to be successful?

I know I have.

And that thing that I was so sure everyone was going to love, didn’t actually turn out to be popular like I thought it would.

This can be devastating. To put our heart and soul into a project only to find no one really cares about it.

I have learned that we can’t truly predict our own success. Not really.

And that’s okay. It has to be okay.

Because, it’s not in our sphere of influence. No matter what we do about it, we can’t make someone else care about our next project.

Here’s what we can do though.

We can be smart about what we decide to work on. We can find the intersection between what people already care about and what also excites us.

And then we can get to work. We can pour our heart and soul into creating to the best of our ability.

We must learn to love the process. Enjoy the work. All the while we get better at what we do. We master our craft.

About 15 years ago I started down this path of entrepreneurship. And I’ve found plenty of failures. But, not all of them. Some of them have been successful.

As I look back on them, I realize how wildly different many of them have been. Even today, right now, the things I’m working on are each very different.

I’m currently working on a software as a service company, a consultancy, and an online education platform for a very specific narrow niche. Each one serves a very different audience.

Because here’s the other thing, you can increase your chances of being successful when you spread your net wide.

What I work on next will likely be different than what I am working on right now.

You can increase your surface area for good luck by taking action.

The forager who explores widely will find lots of useless terrain, but is also more likely to stumble across a bountiful berry patch than the person who stays home.

Similarly, the person who works hard, pursues opportunity, and tries more things is more likely to stumble across a lucky break than the person who waits.

• James Clear

So, we can’t give up. Even if that thing we created was a failure. We have to dust ourselves off, and start something new.

But, let’s be smarter the next time than the time before. Pick something people already pay for. Start small. Make it our own. And put in the work to create something exceptional.

I’m pretty sure the thing I’m working on right now is my bountiful berry patch.

But, who am I to predict my own success?

Regardless, I can promise you this. I will keep creating. As long as I’m able, I won’t ever stop. And neither should you.