Not Too Late For Befores

So you want to be creatively independent.

Before you can say you’ll have made it, you’ll have…
Found a way to earn a living from your preferred craft.

That’s the goal. But what do you need to do before you can say you’ll “made a living from your preferred craft”?

–

Before that, you’ll have…
Found a way to earn a living from a marketable craft you can like.

Before that, you’ll have…
Found a way to get good at that marketable craft.

Before that, you’ll have…
Found a way to make promises to others and yourself that you can keep.

Before that, you’ll have…
Found a way to be at the top of your personal game, knowing your interests, your preferences, your wishes, and become generous in your first-line relationships.

–

You might be rushing to get to the goal, but you might find your success was hollow if you skipped those steps. Chances are, skipping the steps just makes it doubly hard to make it, anyway.

But it’s never too late to pause, to back up, and to settle your score on those befores.

Know who you are and start becoming generous.
Make promises to others, keep them.
Make promises to yourself to practice that skill.
Become good at that skill.
Earn new skills that are more marketable.
Earn your way to your preferred skill.

The people around you, and your future self, will be thrilled that you did.