Giving Up On Your First Try Is For Adults

'Trying' is an active word, which means that you're in the process of doing something. You can't be passive and say that you're trying. More specifically 'trying' is a progressive-active word. What I mean by that is the more you know, the more you adapt your approach and so, therefore, as you're trying, you're constantly getting better at it- making small tweaks until you're successful. So, in other words, your first 'trying' is nothing like your most recent 'trying'. In case you haven't noticed, I don't like using the words 'try' or 'tried'. The reason I don't like using 'try' is because it's the more passive form of the verb- expressing intent but lacking real commitment. I hate 'tried' because it implies you gave up because it didn't work on that occasion.

This leads me very nicely on to the meat of this entry. Earlier today, I was thinking about how many creatives come to me asking how they should do something. Before I've even finished telling them what they need to do, they tell me 'what you're saying is so true but I tried that and it didn't change anything'. Let's look at something super basic as an example. One way to grow your following is by actively promoting your work to others- everybody knows this! Imagine someone telling me that they shared their music across their social media platforms and it equated to no new streams, therefore...it doesn't work...

You know, when people say things like this, I really wish that they would remember what it's like to be a baby.

I'm yet to meet a baby that took its first step, fell down, and then refused to get up.

This is the problem with creatives today. Just because it didn't work for you on your first attempt, doesn't mean it doesn't work. You spend hours and hours attending seminars and booking consultations with people like me, just to be told things that you take one stab at and give up on.

That's not how you're supposed to live life.

I really don't hear this in terms of anything else funnily enough. Why don't you become Michael Phelps the very first time you hit the water? Why isn't your first dish of Gordon Ramsey standard? And I'm pretty sure the first time you tried a maths equation, you didn't say "maths doesn't work!"

Like everything else, creativity requires a heck of a lot of patience and perseverance. If people that are successful are attributing their success to the very same things that you're claiming don't work, then perhaps you don't have as much grit as you claim you do.

Grit takes dedication and dedication takes courage and courage take resilience.