Tip of the niceberg
Creating anything and putting it out into the world can be a thankless slog, but every so often, you get a beautiful moment of gratitude from someone.
Email: “Hi, Sara, I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated this. I’m a longtime reader, and this really helped.”
RT: “Everyone needs to read this! Brian really nailed it.”
Comment: “Thanks for this, Sam! Awesome stuff.”
It’s a nice gift, but it can still feel too rare to carry you through the thankless slog.
All too quickly, the feeling that you’ve been validated fades, and you’re left searching for the next one, that next, merciful little “hi” from someone who appreciates your work. It’s easy to start envying people with massive followings as a result. They must get those nice moments of gratitude multiple times every day. No wonder they’re so prolific, right?
The thing is, you’re probably under-valuing one nice comment, because that person likely represents a larger group of people which could or already does appreciate you. Those people may not realize they’re part of a larger whole … but you should.
You may never hear from most of those people — they’re the lurkers, or those who just found you and don’t feel right reaching out, or maybe they’re longtime fans but feel scared to stick their necks out and say something about how your work has changed them. But make no mistake: If one person said something nice, more people are thinking it.
You’re just getting the tip of the iceberg.
Need some motivation? Imagine the part you can’t see.
Keep going.
Photo by Annie Spratt.
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PS: Three things on offer during this tough time:
1) A free, weekly Instagram Live for makers and marketers. Join me and special guests for The 1-Star Club every Tuesday at 1:30ET.
2) My book, Break the Wheel, is temporarily on sale. Order 10 or more for your team, and I’ll join the group on a live call to help however I can. The book explores how to make decisions when the best practices simply won’t do.
3) For speakers and event organizers, I’ve repackaged my experience developing narrative-style podcasts and docuseries into a repeatable process for adapting keynote speeches for the virtual event environment. Email jay@unthinkablemedia.com for details and price.