There is more to look out for than just scams. I did music for a very long time and the reason it failed was how I conducted it. The same will apply for any other career in life. This is what I have learned as well as observed in successful people in many ordinary careers:
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NEVER, work with people who’s ambitions or priorities within your field of interest, are below your own. It gets incredibly tiring, time consuming and destructive to always be the one doing 80% of the work, only to get to 5% of what you could have achieved. If that is your case, it’s both your fault and your responsibility to change it. Being nice is the way to mess this up. Be fair and good, but not nice and endlessly understanding. It is way better to be honest than to be liked. It is way better to have time wasters abandon you and even attack your reputation online, than to carry them nowhere with you.
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NEVER, work for people who aren’t long-term focused and predictable with one final outcome in mind, plus the resilience to see it through. I kept changing music styles before anything had become successful, had the loser’s / victim mindset and even though my ambitions, will power and ability to suffer are way beyond most people, my business and project management skills were horrible. Everyone I worked with who became successful, realised I wasn’t going to make it because of inconsistency, left early and are now doing very well.
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One of the main reasons why so many creatives, and probably coders as well, fail so badly at just paying the rent, is this:
Being brutally honest about your short comings is extremely embarrassing, even just to yourself. Doing something about it is incredibly difficult and takes months or even years until one can be counted on in demanding & long-terms work relations. Another aspect is a historically & a global low level of real confidence, that trait required to look in the mirror and admit your failures. We live in a world where accountability has been replaced with victim rewards as something to strive for. -
As to point 3: We cannot work on others, neither workers, nor clients, we can only work on ourselves. This also goes for family and friends.
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Talent, expertise, skills and experience are important, but the most important thing is this: How do you and the people you meet (online) deal with pressure? Will you hide it and cave in, or tell your team that you can’t handle it? Pride vs. humility.
Is the individual (you and others) actually doing something about it, or is it all talk? If the answer is honesty and action, then consider this: Are they, and you, realistic and optimistic? -
It is ok to be brutally honest and tell people your relations are coming to an end, or at least going to be zero to none. If it’s toxic people, ie. complainers, liars, abusive, aimless and hopeless romantics, unfulfilled, etc. types: Cut the ties and do it fast. If it’s friends, don’t worry about it, you are both better off without each other. If it’s family, well, sometimes you have to, sometimes you can’t. Do it respectfully and without being personal about it.
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You, the people you associate yourself with, work with and work for, better be optimistic, winning types, strong, resilient, accountable and honest. Emotionally, mentally and physically healthy, or at least doing something about it. The type that wakes up on a horrible day and starts by thinking: “Wow, I’m alive, one more day. That’s awesome. Let’s get up and apply some powerful and strong energy to this problem at hand.”
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Science has tried to measure brain activity and the answers are many. Here is one to consider:
The conscious mind can process 40 bits of data per second. The subconscious mind can process 40 million bits of data per second. 95% of our decisions are routines we are barely aware of. The remaining 5% are our own conscious decisions, presented as choices, AFTER the subconscious mind has parsed various possible outcomes, some seconds before we know we have to make that choice. We are simply too slow to think for ourselves. The only way to change this, is to reprogram your subconscious mind, your believe systems, your attitude. -
Changing the way we think, act and respond:
Very few people actually know this is very possible. Very few people really work on this with patience for long enough time. Very few people make the sacrifices necessary to get this done, aka. cutting ties with toxic people, hold ourselves accountable, change our environment and get back up fast when we fall back into old habits.
What this all means, is that chances for your success are extremely limited.
In the distant future, there is another you, a very old you, awaiting death and thinking back on life. That very old you is either going to die in regret, or happy and accomplished. How that very old person feels on their deathbed is up to you. Are you going to disappoint them?
That very old you will not care that you offended those who could have ensured their regret. That person will be grateful you did your part to create an interesting life story.
Unless you die young, in which case; what difference will it really make if you just get after your dreams and stop caring about how others may deal with you moving forward in life?
I won’t wish you a happy New Year.
Instead, I wish you a focused New Year.
Make it your best so far.