December 16

I have had conversations with people at the top of their industry or craft. In fact, some of them were household names. You’ve definitely heard of them. You know the one overriding thing that I kept thinking after I met them? They are – just like me – figuring it out as they go along.

There is a myth that many people carry around that convinces them that some people just have things all figured out, and if they could simply figure out the “secret” that they know, everything would lock into place. Only, the “secret” doesn’t exist. They are – mostly – just figuring it out as they go along like the rest of us.

Yes, experience yields wisdom, which yields certain insights that others don’t have. Yes, as they get better at their craft they discover some shortcuts or leverage some economies of scale that the rest of us don’t have access to. But, for the most part, they are just figuring it out as they go along.

There is no secret out there for you to discover. The path forward is to make things, to learn, to grow, and to figure it out as you go along.

Even the people at the top of their craft or industry are mostly figuring it out as they go along.

Question: Have you ever been discouraged because you couldn’t seem to figure out “the secret”?