Forget Magic
We often come to the conclusion that in order to make something magical, we’ll need magical events to occur to get there.
Seth Godin
I just had a conversation with a friend I’ll call Alex. She’s an artist. A woman who is very creative, brimming with ideas and enthusiasm. She approaches her craft with heart and she’s just told me how she’s going to make a lot of money this year.
She’s going to sell one of her special limited edition pieces for $500 a piece. Now all she has to do is sell this piece to 2000 people and she’ll be a millionaire by the end of the year.
Sounds feasible, right?
Uh…sure.
Is it likely to happen?
No. Why?
Because she’s barely been able to sell her work, at less than a third of the cost, to even 100 people.
I believe in having faith, it’s blind faith that bothers me. More often than not blind faith leads to magical thinking which can look like this:
If I create X with heart, passion and diligence, it will be so amazing that people will start talking about it and word will spread and then I’ll be a success!
I only need one in every hundred people to like my book so I’m going to write a blockbuster this month!
I just made $5,000 in sales two months in a row so that means I’m set for the rest of the year!
All the above can happen and has happened to someone. But the likelihood it will happen to you is rare.
Magical thinking doesn’t allow for reality. It doesn’t address the fact that too many things have to work perfectly for the magic to happen.
What if 9 out of 10 people like your work, but don’t tell anyone? What if 9 out of 10 people talk about your work in glowing terms, but nobody buys it? What if the market doesn’t understand what you do? What if you soar high for three months and then the rest of the year is flat?
Projection and expectation can be a place for delusion if not approached realistically. Look at what has really worked for you. Not what you hope to work. Build on your small successes.
I’m all for going after your goals and dreaming BIG. Yes, those BIG crazy dreams that people tell you will never work.
But look out for unrealistic expectations.
Do your dreams a favor; give them enough time to grow, to develop, to expand. Put them on a firm foundation that can nurture and hold them. Commit to them for the long-term.
Magic may happen, just not how you planned.
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“Forget Magic” copyright ©2016 Dara Girard; Image copyright © 2016 by 123rf
My latest non-fiction title, 10 Things to Forget: to be Creatively Free was a blast to write. On this blog, I’ve been writing on topics that didn’t make it into the book and others I’ve expanded on. You can read the other posts here.