Instant Gratification Blows
What if I want immediate gratification?
I am the type of person who wants something NOW. When I was a girl taking piano lessons, before learning a new piece, my piano teacher would play it for me so that I would know what the piece sounded like. When she played, the music flowed and I was transported by the melody. Then it was my turn to sit at the piano to start learning the piece. I would be struck by how far I was from the finish line, that I would have to mutilate the piece before I could play it properly. It was painful not to be able to play it perfectly from the get go. This is a hard lesson to learn as a child. In fact, I don't think I learned the lesson until much later. Instead I learned what frustration felt like. Eventually, I did play the piece quite well, but to this day, learning a new piece on the piano is still daunting. Until I can play the piece, I battle with the temptation to give up trying.
I can draw a parallel with building an online business. When I hit an obstacle, I am sorely tempted to just give up. It would be easy to stop developing content, improving design, expanding my social network and researching new trends. But as a mature adult, I can't hold myself to such a low standard of performance. I have to overcome the frustration of the moment, take a break and come back to the table ready to take on the challenge.
I have to believe that the more you work on something, the better you get. Last week I had the pleasure of listening to a recording of Glen Gould playing Bach's Goldberg Variations. His playing sounded masterful, fluid and effortless. But the truth is that Gould toiled, labored, strove and exerted himself through thousands of hours of practice in order to achieve that effortless sound. It was not easy for him either.
When I hit a snag and start feeling the frustration build, I allow my inner coach to whisper to me that I will be able to get through this and that I just need to take a break. I have put in a great deal of hours to build an online business in affiliate marketing. I have said it before and I will say it again. Building an online business is not about getting to a destination and being all done. It's all about the journey.
Wishing my WA peers success on their journey to build an online business, I remain,
Sincerely,
Beanca - Founder
Lucrative Home
Recent Comments
6
Hi Beanca.
I am a math teacher for my sins and was always taught to do things the right way but now I realise that there is no 'right' way. There are just effective ways and what method suits one doesn't necessarily suit everybody. Some learn in a linear fashion. Others are 'visual' and there are several other methods.
When I started to learn how to play the piano, the teaching methods were pedantic. There was a reason for this, no doubt, but I was interested in the great piano works... the concertos and those were what I wanted to be able to play and not 'The Harmonious Blacksmith'. Of course, my piano teacher was old school and I lost interest. If only he had rewarded my interest by explaining to me that I would have to learn comlex techniques in order to cope with the concertos, he would have held my attention. Instead, he killed my interest.
A day or so ago, I believe you asked me for some particular help but I can't find the message, so if need be, please ask me again.
Ian
Wonderful post Beanca!
It's always good to remind ourselves of the progress we made so far, and you are so right, it's not about the destination it's about the journey. It's normal to encounter challenges along the way, but I am sure you know how good it feels when you overcome a challenge, when you manage to set up that plugin just the right way, when you get out of that error message, when the article just starts flowing, when you sit in front of piano and play like you never did... Those experiences make it all worth while.
We must all remember, we only fail when we completely stop engaging life (learning, playing, trying...)! Until then it's just a journey ;)
And above all, let us never forget to simply have fun, otherwise we are wasting our time! :)
Regards,
Sinisa
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Hi Beanca, I really needed to hear/read that. I have been on the brink of giving up too many times. When things get too difficult for me my first thought is "I don't need this". But, I realise that is the wrong attitude, as giving up always results in failure. When I look at my lovely grandchildren I realise why I'm doing it and that spurs me on.
Hello Mayes, thank you for reading my post and I am glad to hear that you are not giving up. You are 100% correct: giving up results in failure. I wish you success in building your health and wellness business, Beanca