Experience earnings

It is wonderful to celebrate results! We finished the book, the race, the painting. The final goal has been achieved. Would you do it again? why? Or will you quit, because after finishing the book you didn’t have enough likes or good reviews?

Our society sadly has put too much emphasis on achieving something tangible, easily measured, like a medal, a diploma, earnings, a published book, and nowadays; followers and likes. And, I get it; It is good to have a benchmark, a tool to measure those; but we often forget about the “experience earnings”.

Doing something just for the glamour of success isn’t sustainable. What I call the “experience earnings” are the rich lessons that the struggle gives us. The glorious pain of trying and failing. The joy of being in a creative state without caring if anyone is going to like it or if it will work. Many times, it is the moments of frustration where new ideas start to bubble. Ultimately those experiences are the why. The reason you invest time and resources in your trade. When you learn to truly embrace the struggle of the process, things shift in a magical way. You are “in the moment”. You are mindful, and that opens up the doors for joy. The joy of learning thru failing. The joy of innovation.

We all know that the actual process is way longer than achieving the goal. It takes me 8-10 hours on a painting and it takes me 5 minutes to post it on Instagram. I might only get 5 likes, but guess what?—- I f’in enjoyed those 10 hours. I learned new things about brushes, anatomy, and even was able to enjoy my daughter’s company while doing so, because I am learning to work and flow with my environment.

Ultimately I encourage you to do things for yourself. Stay true to you. This is your life and your journey. Take some time to analyze why you do what you do. If it brings you joy and you are investing time and resources; lean into the discomfort. I promise you that the end result will be so much sweeter when you add up the whole richness of the experience.