Pick a path and start compounding.
If you commit to something with all of your being, you can accomplish it (over a long enough time period).
The problem is that many people have trouble committing. Or don’t know what to commit to. They suffer from choice paralysis, where the sheer number of available options is so overwhelming that it becomes difficult to make a decision at all.
Like the woman in the X post I saw a few days ago. She’s 31, living at home, and trying to figure out what to do with her life.
Some people think life is passing her by. That she wasted her 20s and now is well behind those who used those years to work their way “up.”
But as you can see below, I had a different thought.
No matter where you are at, it’s not too late (and certainly not in your early 30s!) to pick a path and start compounding.
Here’s the post with my response at the bottom:
People really responded to my post. I think because we all want to believe it’s not too late to get going, even if you “missed out” on your 20s.
And it’s not! You just have to pick something (that compounds) and stick with it.
Choose a path that compounds in multiple ways:
1. Compound a skill.
About five years ago I made a choice. I decided that my main creative outlet was going to be writing.
I stopped playing guitar. I gave up on trying to draw or paint or learn graphic design. Instead, I poured all my creative juju into writing.
First, I started writing non-fiction for Wealest.com. My early articles were terrible, but I got better. Slowly. My writing got leaner, more focused, more interesting. And people began to read what I wrote.
Then, my wife and I decided to try our hand at writing a movie. I had already developed a writing habit with my website and it was growing. Why couldn’t I write a movie too?
So, we went all in. Our early script drafts were bad. But we stuck with it and got better. Slowly. We spent the better part of two years learning to write a screenplay.
Now, with two movie scripts and multiple TV pilots under our belt, we can pretty much get read by anyone in Hollywood (including A-list celebrities and directors) - something that seemed impossible just three years ago.
I also write sketch comedy and have my second sketch writing class in February. And I’m working on my first novel - a spy thriller.
I didn’t start out thinking I could do all of this. I just chose a skill and compounded it consistently for 8 years. And I plan on compounding it until I die.
Now, I’m not saying you have to quit all the creative things you do for fun. But if you’re stuck trying to figure out what your “thing” is going to be, pick one and commit to compounding it for 5-10 years. That’s about the time it takes to see real traction.
And if, after 5 years, you really want to quit and try something else, then do it. But I doubt you will. It’s more likely that compounding will have gotten you much further than you ever thought possible and you will stick with it.
Once you’ve started compounding a skill, it’s time to start creating assets and projects using that skill… so you can compound those.
2. Compound the assets you create with your skill.
I consider my first “official” piece of writing to be the first article I published online at Wealest.com.
Yes, I had written plenty before that - things like reality TV treatments, commercial pitch documents, creative briefs, etc. But none of those compounded for me.
Publishing online is different because your effort does compound:
Publishing on the internet builds you free leverage. I write an article once, and it can be read by anyone around the world with an internet connection, without any additional effort from me.
Once I hit publish, the article works for me forever. It’s a single effort with ongoing impact, attracting eyeballs for me 24/7, 365.
The more articles I write, the more people discover my work. Each additional article helps grow my brand, my site traffic, my audience, and eventually, my income.
When you start compounding digital assets, keep in mind that you won’t see traction right away.
The great secret to understand about compound growth is that the greatest gains come at the end of the compounding period.
The small gains you’re making on a daily basis are invisible. But don’t let that convince you they aren’t happening at all. They are, you just can’t see them yet.
It’s the same when Tara and I send out a PDF document of our movie script. I can’t literally see the Hollywood creatives who sit down to read our script. But I know they are because of all the progress Tara and I have made since we started.
Incremental progress is still progress. Invisible compounding is still compounding. Don’t stop just because you can’t see it right away.
Start compounding your skill. Start compounding the assets you create with your skill.
And don’t stop.