Success is boring (says James Clear)
So get bored.
Everybody’s enthusiastic at first.
Yay, I love writing. I can do it all day long.
Yay, I’ll be coaching people and making them happier. What a life!
I’m willing to wait to make good money.
Plus, I have SO MANY ideas.
Then, slowly, you get exhausted. Results are not coming. Your ideas dry out. You force yourself to sit in front of your laptop and come up with the next article, the next digital product, or the next e-mail pitch.
Every action feels like it weighs a ton.
It’s just not as exciting anymore, you know?
Congrats on getting bored.
You just became a real solopreneur.
Not many people come to this. Most will give up before it becomes boring because of a lack of results.
Some will give up the minute it becomes boring because it was supposed to be fun, you know? So maybe that’s not their “passion.”
But you! You know what it’s like to feel like doing anything else but working on your solo business—yet, sitting down, and working on your solo business.
That’s why you’ll be successful.
"Boredom is a filter. Common ideas come before it. Uncommon ideas come after it. Sit with a project long enough to get bored with it, then sit a little more. The most useful insights bubble up after you get bored."—James Clear
One of the ways to make it as a solopreneur is NOT to allow feelings to run your business. Boredom included.
Use the emotion, don’t let it use you.
When you feel excited, do something with your energy.
But when you feel like everything sucks and you can’t break through, let the feeling pass and do the work anyway.
Get bored. Get tired. Get blah.
Get up, make a cup of coffee. If you’re a paid subscriber, drop me a line. You know paid subs get unlimited DM coaching, right? I’ll respond as soon as I can, and I’ll help you reposition that emotion. Feel it, but also let it pass.
Let it pass and sit with your solo business, because this is not a matter of fun, or passion, or doing what you always love to do (no such thing).
This is your LIFE. It’s happening right now.
Make it happen.
Great article, Maya! In my experience, this is so true!
I’ve often found myself running out of steam mid-project, only to return a week or two later with fresh eyes—and voilà, suddenly everything becomes clear. It’s amazing how stepping away can renew our perspective and help us move forward with even more clarity.
In my 20s, while running busy restaurant bars in central London, I sometimes had to walk outside for a few minutes before walking back in.
As soon as I re-entered, the issue I couldn’t see before was suddenly obvious. Sometimes, embracing that lull is exactly what we need to see the path ahead.
Thanks for highlighting this important aspect of the creative process!
Mark
Perfect said.
That's the reason it was never easier to become a millionaire. 30 years ago it was much harder because the young generation had so much more drive.
That's the reason I turn down many coach and mentorship inquiries. You can help only doers. Never talkers.
Recently, I met a 75-year-old who just started 2 new businesses. He said to me: “Nowadays it is so much easier because the young guys never stay focused.” He has no smartphone. Not only that, but he never answers calls. He calls when he must speak. Furthermore, he does all by email and personal.