Ebb and Flow: The Pattern of Starting and Abandoning Plans and Projects by denmarkguy

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success · @denmarkguy · Mar 7 '17

$1.59

Ebb and Flow: The Pattern of Starting and Abandoning Plans and Projects

<html>
<p>In my wanderings through life, I have noticed that a lot of people are very good at "<em>starting great projects</em>" and then abandon them very quickly.</p>
<p>
<div class="pull-left">
<p><img src="https://i.imgsafe.org/f3accc483f.jpg" alt="Ship" /><br />
<em>The good ship Steemit?</em></p>
</div>
</p>
<p>What brought this to mind was trying to visit a few favorite blogs this morning, and a couple of Facebook pages I had previously been happy to discover. Several of them were clearly "not active" anymore.</p>
<p>The common thread seems to be that someone had a great idea, started doing whatever it was they had in mind with great enthusiasm... and then abandoned the project because "<em>it wasn't a HUGE success</em>" in a matter of a few weeks or months.&nbsp;</p>
<h2><em>Success Usually Requires Patience</em></h2>
<p>With the exception of a few people who "<em>got lucky</em>" because they had some truly novel idea that went viral on introduction, my experience has been that very <em>few</em> projects succeed except with lots of dedication, hard work and a <em>"long term horizon"</em> to work towards.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
<div class="pull-right">
<p><img src="https://i.imgsafe.org/f3ac957b34.jpg" alt="Butterfly" /><br />
<em>A "White C" Butterfly</em></p>
</div>
</p>
<p>The second part of my experience suggests that a large number of people have <em>"successful ideas"</em> but end up <em>failing</em> because they abandon their ideas several months or even <em>years</em> before they hit that moment of "critical mass" and would have become <em>very</em> successful.</p>
<p>This pattern of <em>start-abandon-start-abandon</em> seems to have become especially true now in "<em>The Age of the Internet</em>" where people have developed this unhealthy expectation that they are going to become <em>"overnight successes."</em> In my estimation, that's not "<em>creating success</em>" that's "<em>winning the lottery.</em>"</p>
<p>I have been watching it happen a little bit here on Steemit, with some of the old timers starting to freak out a little because there isn't more "happening" here... after not even a year.</p>
<p>I guess we live in the <em>Age Of Instant Gratification</em>... but how realistic is that, really?</p>
<p>
<div class="pull-left">
<p><img src="https://i.imgsafe.org/f3acb0b6d9.jpg" alt="ForestRoad" /><br />
<em>You must walk your path and stay on it</em></p>
</div>
</p>
<h2><em>It's not a New Story...</em></h2>
<p>Even back in the pre-Internet days, I remember starting my own businesses... and often my business partners were ready to back out because they weren't making enough money to drive a new Mercedes after a less than a year.&nbsp;</p>
<p>And, in fact, they ended up <em>"abandoning"</em> their parts of the business... either selling them back to me, or simply walking away... <em>long</em> before the business actually became quite successful... in one case <em>four years</em> after it had been started.</p>
<p>My rules of business advice are rather cynical, I suppose, but they tend to be based on <em>reality</em>, not "wishes and dreams."&nbsp;</p>
<p>Sometimes things can take a long time. Take a company like twitter. This is a huge company with a household name, founded in 2006, 300+ MILLION users... and they are <em>still</em> trying to figure out how to actually make money. Fortunately, enough people decided to not just abandon ship because "it wasn't working" at the end of year one.</p>
<h2><em>Success is "Built," I doesn't just happen spontaneously</em></h2>
<p>I believe that pretty much anyone can <em>"build success"</em> with a solid idea, whether it's a web site, a brick-and-mortar business, a product they make or even just building a fan page on Facebook. But what is sure-- except for maybe 1% of the time-- is that it will take <em>more</em> work, and <em>more</em> time, and cost <em>more</em> money than you expect, to get there.</p>
<p>But if you're willing to deal with the time and effort factor, you'll also know that the "house" you built stands on a solid foundation, and it not just a "house of cards" built on nothing but air.</p>
<p>So what do YOU think? When you start things, do you have patience with them? Do you have expectations that success should be quick and easy? Are there things you have "left behind" that you <em>later</em> realized might have done well, if only you'd had more patience? Do you think I am being "too cynical" concerning what it takes to succeed? Do you think some of our worried fellow Steemians are just being too impatient? Leave a comment-- start the discussion!</p>
<p><em>(As per usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)</em></p>
</html>

👍 witness.svk, samupaha, wackou, created, craig-grant, joshbreslauer, joseph, dunia, svk, summon, pal, carrinm, vcelier, wang, good-karma, biodragon, picokernel, sunshine, cryptos, mata, jocelyn, pkattera, lightsplasher, creatr, samstonehill, berkah, anyx, fyrstikken, coininstant, svamiva, roelandp, personz, rynow, riskdebonair, bola, steemsports, unipsycho, olisan, arcange, honusurf, raymonjohnstone, silviabeneforti, furion, pheonike, idol, denmarkguy, dreemit, ebargains, ambyr00, proctologic, old-guy-photos, pairmike, xwerk, brich, kurtbeil, thereikiforest, sqube, sjennon, ullikume, steemprentice, karenmckersie, patrice, ogochukwu, virtualgrowth, and 55 others

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@creatr · Mar 8 '17

This is a very interesting and very wise post. I am still deep in the middle of an entrepreneurial, agorist startup and I am pretty much a "one man band," trying to do everything.

I appreciate the encouragement to "stay the course" and (eventually, God willing) reap the profits. Going for the long haul can be very wearying, and hearing an encouraging word helps a lot.

BTW, I'm here checking out your blog due to your kind visit to mine today. ;)

😄😇😄
<a href="https://goo.gl/dIZCsm" target="_blank">
  <img src="https://i.imgsafe.org/b68e74b386.gif" alt="@creatr" style="border:0;">
</a>

👍 denmarkguy

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@denmarkguy · Mar 8 '17

Thanks for stopping by "my place" here on Steemit!

Solopreneurship can be a long journey, but I find it is one well worth the effort and periodic frustrations... I have been on the "independent path" since 1999. If you truly believe in what you are doing and pursue it with passion, it *will* work.

👍 creatr

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@creatr · Mar 8 '17

Thanks once again for your very encouraging words. :)

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@old-guy-photos · Mar 8 '17

I have seen it here as well. I have read some very interesting things that were written by active authors here say 3-5 months ago, but then nothing....
Being new here, I find it a bit troubling. Like what did they see all of a sudden that caused them to stop?
But I have seen many of these types of places go by the wayside. I hope it doesn't happen again here. In the meantime, I will keep writing and enjoying it here....however not exclusively. After all I'm not married to the place lol. I plan to continue cross posting to Niume, and see what happens. I really thin if there was an easy conversion to USD, MANY more folks would be interested...that's the response I'm seeing anyway from regular non geek type of people.

👍 denmarkguy, lakshmi

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@denmarkguy · Mar 8 '17

Yeah, it is here. as well... maybe the "new and shiny" just wears off... not sure.

I tend to be rather slow to enter new things, and I often watch them from the sidelines for a while to see if they seem to be going well or stagnating... so when I DO go "all in" I feel like it's a somewhat informed decision.

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@samstonehill · Mar 7 '17

I have to admit that I am guilty of starting many a project only to 'put it on hold' later.  However, this is mostly due to time restrictions.  Life is not as simple as it used to be now that I am a father of two. I belive I am a patient person, but I also believe I am an attentive father and there is nothing I enjoy more than spending time with my children, giving my partner time to rest. 

Thank you for your beautiful post.  I really enjoy the way you format your page :)

👍 denmarkguy

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@denmarkguy · Mar 7 '17

Thanks for the comment, and the compliments!

Fatherhood-- in and of itself-- is an exercise in patience. And yes, that does often require putting things on hold because caring for our young 'uns takes precedence over our other flights of fancy. We've raised three to adulthood, and now we have been gifted with three grandchildren.

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@samstonehill · Mar 7 '17

Wow!  You are much further down the line than myself.  I assume that means you have more time to embark on new projects and see them through?  If this is the case then I will be able to take my many unfinished projects off the shelf and address them with a new energy in the future!  But for now, as you say,  the young 'uns take precedence :)

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