PP 209: Planting Seeds, Being Patient, and Trusting the Creative Process
PP 209: Planting Seeds, Being Patient & Trusting the Creative Process
I’m in the seed planting business.
(And, no, I don’t mean that I’m literally out here slangin’ sacks of seeds on corners.)
I’m planting seeds in the content I create and in the mindset I plant in my students.
As the episode artwork states: You don’t reap the rewards the day you plant the seed.
Today, I’m going to convince you to join me and my students in the seed planting business.
It’s about mastering the mindset of:
Making intentional moves
Trusting the creative process
Waiting patiently for your seeds to sprout.
Let’s plant some seeds, shall we?
Shortsighted, Shortcut-Seeking Souls
I often talk about how we live in a society that gets wrapped up in seeking overnight results.
These shortsighted, shortcut-seeking souls lose sight of the importance of patience, perseverance, and grit.
In my opinion, these attributes help you build something the right way and help you thrive in the long-term.
These people, instead of playing the long-game mastering massive mountains, are focused on climbing ant hills and chasing short-lived clout and empty vanity metrics.
I stake my reputation and coaching philosophy on taking the path of the slow and steady grind.
It’s that turtle pace approach I’m shilling you to consider in episode 204.
It’s not glamorous, but I believe it sets the tone for longevity—for doing shit you love that impacts people you truly care about.
To me, that’s my definition of running a successful creative biz.
Every day you show up, create, and share something with the world, you’re planting a seed.
Every seed you plant is crucial and could radically change your life one day.
You’re giving your present self, but more importantly, your future self a shot to catch a big break.
This is why I say, “You’re only one scroll, swipe, or click away from getting your opportunity.”
You never know what your current efforts will result in…
That one conversation you initiated may create a lifelong relationship.
That one blog post may rock someone years later and turn someone into a customer.
That one podcast episode may land you a speaking gig down the road.
That one personal project you hired yourself to create may land you a dream gig client (more on this shortly).
What if it never amounts to anything?
One of the biggest objections or fears I hear from students is:
“What if I put in all this energy and effort, and it never amounts to anything...aside from wasting time and feeling like a failure?”
And I hit them back with my own objection:
“What if the energy and effort you invest right now radically evolves into incredible opportunities you never could’ve imagined?”
While it may be anecdotal evidence, this is how my story has played out.
All of these seeds I’ve planted over 10+ years of going hard in the paint after college led me to the path I’m living today.
Most of the seeds I’ve planted haven’t sprouted—but others have blossomed into insane opportunities that have changed my life.
I’m a realist at times, but I prefer to live in the realms of dreaming out loud with my head in the clouds.
My perspective is to trust that big shit is always lurking on the horizon for me if I stay intentional and committed to the chase.
Call me the glass-half-full dude.
I strive to drill this mindset into my students’ heads: plant seeds as often as possible along their slow and steady grind.
You never know when one of them is going to sprout and blossom.
In fact, let me demonstrate my point by sharing an incredible recent student success story.
The Seeds Ben VanSledright Planted
This inspiring story is from my student, Ben VanSledright of @KickingTreetops, part of my OG Fall 2019 Side Hustler’s Coaching Program.
On our first Discovery Call, Ben was seriously lost and fed up with spinning his wheels and gaining little-to-no-traction.
The dude had some serious skills, but he was lacking a lot of clarity, direction, and confidence.
We locked down his Secret Sauce to experiment with during a season.
This was composed of his skills for black and white design, type, and illustration combined with his love/interests for the punk music scene, attending shows, photography, skulls, personal/vulnerable storytelling, and the desire to get into the merch biz.
He went to town creating killer illustrations and type-based designs that were rooted in music, and he shared his own deep stories/vulnerable experiences.
I pushed him to go the extra mile to showcase this incredible work on tangible goods he wanted to see his work exist on, as well as tagging the bands he would reference in his posts.
Over a year has gone by since we worked together, but this dude has planted soooooo many seeds.
(He even became a dad during this time and still kept grinding.)
Fast forward to about a month ago, and Ben shot me the following text:
I was in the middle of the Spring Coaching Program launch and locking in roster students…
I literally shared this story with a ton of my prospects to give them a prime example of what this program is about:
Taking on a professional mindset, laying the foundation, planting intentional seeds, and building life-long relationships over 12-weeks to set the tone for your next 12 years.
pssst…You can sign up for the Side Hustler’s Coaching Program A-List Waitlist here for dibs on the upcoming program launch!
You Can’t Cheat the Process
This is the power of planting seeds.
You’re not supposed to be able to reap the rewards of the seeds you plant right away.
That’s not how this works.
This is why so many people cut corners, then quickly admit defeat and feel like they don’t have what it takes to make shit happen.
When, in reality, they tried to cheat the process and never gave themselves or their seeds a chance to bloom organically over time.
Get into the seed-planting business and trust the process.
Play the short-game the right way, so you can win later on when it counts.
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