Here鈥檚 something that didn鈥檛 happen: Tommy Caldwell, in the days following the first ascent of the Dawn Wall, being interviewed by a journalist about how he did it, said: 鈥淲ell, I鈥檓 sure it looks like a lot of work to climb this thing, but I have this one trick move that I do and it鈥檚 really easy for me.鈥
Also something that didn鈥檛 happen: Lael Wilcox, just after becoming the first American to win the Trans Am Bike Race, tweeted: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 really train at all. I just eat Brand X energy bars and they make me really fast.鈥
You can probably imagine similar stories not coming from successful authors, entrepreneurs, and athletes. We love the story of a hardworking person putting in the hours, the blood, sweat, and tears to realize their dreams. Or do we?
A few years ago, I was talking to a person who wanted to become a writer, and that person said to me, 鈥淚鈥檓 sick of people telling me I need to put in my dues to get to where I want to go. At this point, I want a shortcut.鈥 And every few weeks, I get a message from an aspiring creative asking for some tips, tricks, or secrets on how to get started as a writer or filmmaker. I don鈥檛 have tips, tricks, or secrets on how to make it easy for anyone, and I鈥檇 guess no one else does either. I suggest a two-step process that seems to work for people, if you also apply something called 鈥減atience鈥:
Step 1: Make the best thing you can every time, as often as you can do it.
Step 2: Stick with it for a few years.
If you get to the top of your climbing project the first time you try to lead it, guess what? It鈥檚 not a project. You鈥檒l lower off, thinking, 鈥淗oly shit, that was much easier than I expected,鈥 and you鈥檒l move on to something that鈥檚 a real challenge. Because that鈥檚 what you want: something that will push you mentally and physically and help you grow. That鈥檚 the point鈥攏ot walking into a climbing gym for the first time, cruising up everything, congratulating yourself on your immense natural talent, and moving on to the next hobby. That鈥檚 why people climb for years before they think they鈥檙e anywhere close to 鈥済ood at it鈥濃攐r write for years before they feel like they鈥檝e found their voice, or paint for years, or whatever.
In the era of clickbait articles and listicles, we love 鈥渉acks,鈥 tips, tricks, and shortcuts. You can hack some things: opening jars, technology, occasionally your burrito order. But nothing long-term worth working for can be hacked, and if it can be hacked, it won鈥檛 be nearly as meaningful.
Sure, we love shows like “American Idol,” because they perpetuate a one-in-a-million dream-coming-true story. But none of the people on that show got on that stage without trying hard for a long time before the moment we see them on TV. They weren鈥檛 standing in line at Starbucks and then said, oh look, they鈥檙e having auditions across the street, I used to sing a little bit in middle school, maybe I鈥檒l get in line and see if I can remember all the lines to 鈥淲aiting on a Friend,鈥 and then all of a sudden impress the judges enough to get on the show. That鈥檚 not how anything works.
Not even performance-enhancing drugs are a shortcut. I mean, look at every single cyclist ever caught doping: Do they look like they spent the past few years sitting on the couch eating Funyuns and playing Call of Duty, but knew a guy who knew a guy who could get them the proper pharmaceuticals to get them on a podium at a cycling race? Fuck no, they trained their asses off, AND they took illegal drugs.
You want a shortcut, here鈥檚 one: Stop believing that anyone who鈥檚 successful at anything has some secret other than focus, drive, and a shitload of hard work. There鈥檚 your shortcut.