Read time: 3 min

Once Upon A Time…

“How to finish anything you start with success?”

When I started this journey of building a personal brand online I asked this question many times.

I thought trying a new strategy every week would work.

Well, no.

I thought editing my videos in a different style would accelerate my growth.

Well, no.

I thought being present on all social media platforms was the answer.

Guess what? No.

Looking back I realize that I was jumping from one thing to another, from one shining object to another.

I tried to be everywhere online, and do everything for everyone.

I lacked focus.

The truth is anything will work if we focus on one or two things long enough and put effort into making it work.

So in this short letter, I want to show you the cycle that will help you to understand your own behavior.

As soon as it clicks, you will never look at your progress the same.

The Cycle of Progress

I customized this framework or model that I learned from Alex Hormozi.

He talks about it through the lens of a business but you can use it for anything you are trying to succeed or improve.

Understanding this model will help you to not give up and stick to your goal.

You can implement this in anything:

• Improving your health,

• Getting jacked

• Building an audience on social media,

• Building better relationships,

• Getting out of debt

• And more…

Literally, anything that requires some sort of progress.

I call it the Cycle of Progress.

The model consists of 5 stages. Let’s dive in!

Stage 1: Pink Glasses

Let’s use my example of growing a following on social media to build a personal brand.

In the beginning, when I started on YouTube, I was watching people online talking about building an audience on ALL platforms.

For example, one said: “Oh, I grew so much on Instagram in record time! Instagram is the best platform to do that.”

Of course, I heard that and I thought that it was a great idea!

So I hopped on Instagram without knowing any details about how to grow on it.

But I already got my pink glasses on and charged to pursue Instagram.

This is the stage one. If you ever added another thing to try because of your friend’s accomplishments, then you had the same experience.

Does that make sense?

I was uninformed and optimistic about this opportunity (keep in mind while also trying to grow on YouTube). I already fractured my attention here.

Then I hopped on more social media platforms and ended up being on all of them.

Stage 2: Reality Slap

After some time, I realized that it was way harder to grow on Instagram than I thought.

This was when I got a slap in the face and realized that there was so much stuff that “online gurus” didn’t talk about.

Can you recall yourself in this stage?

Now I have become informed and pessimistic.

I took off my pink glasses and ended up in reality.

But I was still slightly optimistic that I could do it if I put in a little more effort.

Stage 3: Desperation Moment

But some more time passed, nothing changed and I hit the desperation moment.

I was struggling a lot with Instagram growth. I was stalling.

In this stage, you have 2 options:

1. Keep going and push through

2. Burn and jump on another attractive opportunity

Most people choose #2 and start this cycle all over again.

That’s why they quit anything they start doing and never reach success in it. Whatever it is.

That’s what I did with Instagram.

I quit it.

I have not been using Instagram for 2 years now which was, to be honest, a great decision.

So I used this as an example of burning and jumping on another opportunity (which I did).

If I kept pushing and moving forward with it no matter how hard it was, I would have unlocked that little secret.

But you might remember that I was still working on my YouTube channel.

I am grateful that I’ve wrestled through the YouTube journey (which also has the same stages of progress).

So let’s transition to this example now.

Stage 4: Enlightenment

Now because I have pushed through YouTube, I have a feeling I am approaching this stage.

I am so close.

I can feel it.

I have been doing YouTube for 3 years so only now I am about to get this thing that will make me scream: “AHA!”

I am about to become an informed optimist (remember at the beginning I was an uninformed optimist).

When you push through your moment of despair no matter how hard it is, you will end up in this stage.

The missed detail, which will make everything clear and unlock the best results, will come to you at this stage.

Stage 5: Arrival

This is the final and the most straightforward stage.

After understanding how everything works and mastering the area you are trying to progress in, you just succeed.

Congratulations, you arrived at your destination!

Conclusion

The moral of the story:

Don’t jump from one attractive opportunity to another.

They all work, you just need to focus and push through.

This is the only difference between success and failure.

You either give up and turn, or you push through and arrive.

Thank you for reading! I will talk to you next week.

- Merdan

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