Focus on the Goal, not the Gap.

I’ve been having this feeling… that as an artist i’m not where i’m supposed to be. it sucks cause that feeling clouds over other feelings of accomplishment. This is why they say comparison is the thief of joy. Cause when i look on instagram and see other artist friends making huge waves, it makes me feel stuck. what am i doing ? what am i doing wrong and what am i missing? 

something i’ve been learning to combat that is to focus on the goal, not the gap. many high achieving people get stuck in this place where we see where we want to be but also see and feel where we currently are. and then there’s that gap. “i’m going to make $10k a month! i’m currently making $18 an hour.” it sucks. it’s heavy. it’s annoying. but what keeps us stagnant is when we focus on the gap instead of the goal. you keep looking at the space between now and then all you’ll see is that space. you won’t have room to see opportunities to reach that $10k a month. cause you’re paralyzed thinking this gap is an obstacle to keep you at 18 an hour. but note that it is an obstacle, not to keep you here but to see if you’re ready for 10k a month. it’s a different mindset. you have to know how to get over these gaps and probably bigger ones if you are making 10k a month. everything reveals itself as “if you want me, come get me” and that comes with it obstacles and set backs. 

i like to think of life like a video game or cartoon. You have to master the level you’re at, or atleast complete it before getting to the next level. and the thing about each level is that we have the ability to set the criteria for what is passing to some degree. when we set goals for ourselves based on a vision, we should also set action items. “what are the 5 most important things i need to do today(right now) in order to get me to the next level? Everything else becomes a distraction. focus on the goal, not the gap. 

for myself, i want to become “financially independent retire early” my “fire” for short. i want to have my own production studio, and my own space to live and create. that among other things. i want recognition for the work i put out. and i have a lot more but with all that my question to myself becomes “why are the 5 most important things i need to do today (right now) in order to get me to the next level”

in video games, challenges are shaped by patterns that you have to first see then overcome. you’ll see this a lot in boss battles. They attack in a pattern. you have to find the gaps in that pattern in order to defeat that boss. in life, the boss battle is the version of you that you are becoming, versus the version of you that you are. Your boss battle is your own subconscious patterns, procrastination, poor communication, not setting clear boundaries, etc etc. that version of you that you are becoming or want to become, wants to succeed, if you don’t support it, they will become food for the boss. 

even in writing this is a direct response to feeling “lack” because i had friends who are getting accepted in museums and galleries. but instead of feeling stuck in this feeling, i chose to get inspired by it. i don’t envy these people im inspired by their grit ! i don’t want what they have, i want my version of it. i’ve done the work. and still am doing the work. there’s more to do.