The three chasms...

Photo by Denny Luan on Unsplash

There are three chasms you must cross in your career.

The first is the chasm of talent. When you begin, you will suck, and your goal is to create enough that you become good. The second is the chasm of popularity, where you attempt to build an audience of loyal fans who support and buy from you. The third is the chasm of self-doubt, and it is the only one you can never truly overcome.

Eventually, if you work hard enough, you will become a good creator, and if you master marketing you will build an audience. Those two chasms are infinitely surmountable. However, I have never met a creator who is not riddled with self-doubt even at the apex of their career.

As creators, we are birthing something from nothing, and in doing so, we are bringing something new into the world. It doesn't matter how often it happens, bringing something new to life is always fraught with fear.

Most people never learn to manage their self-doubt enough to bring anything into the world.

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