Nobody is perfect. We all have our ups and downs.
Every day on social media, you see someone launching a newsletter, another starting a side project, and yet another taking a non-conventional path. But that’s their high point. Do you know their lows? How do they react when their back is against the wall?
Social media has survivorship bias.
We engage more with posts where people are crushing their goals and so that is what we keep seeing. But it’s an amplified view. Success does not come quickly. Perfection comes with practice.
Don’t compare your journey with someone else’s highlight reel.
As an outsider, you see the steady climb or gradual decline. As an insider, you get to know that the duck gliding elegantly on the pond surface is furiously kicking underwater just to stay afloat. Look beneath the surface. You’ll also see values evolving with time.
Bloopers are a reminder that it takes multiple takes to get that lovely final shot. The rite of passage is a messy journey indeed.