This morning we were recording a podcast for a new client. We've been doing this for 7 years now, so everybody in the studio has this process down to a T. When the new client arrives the lighting in the entire studio is set just right. Warm indirect lighting on walls and murals, ambient music in the background, you know, the works. We bring everybody on set. Cameras are ready and calibrated, mics have been checked and everybody is on point. Action!
Right in the middle of today's recording though, one of the production computers had a small hiccup and stopped recording for a second or two due to a RAM or disk error. This happened twice in an hour.
I let out a sigh and rubbed my forehead in slight annoyance. Yes, we'll be able to save the recording with a little bit of editing magic, but it did make me a tad irritated that I now have to invest, at the very least in a new SSD drive and and the worst in a new computer which will set me back about $3,000.
I asked myself why can't things just run smoothly for a year? Every time I'm starting to get in the groove of things, something has to break?
I would be so happy is my business just ran smoothly
Why don't I just leave all this shit behind and move to a Costa Rican jungle?
OK, I didn't go that far, but it did get me thinking...
How many times have you heard yourself (or someone else) start a sentence with I'll be happy when.... ?
When I finish school
When I have my own business
When my business doesn't have any problems
When I get married
When I retire
When I'm successful
That last one got me thinking about this: We often measure and signal success with lavish houses, fast cars, nice clothes, and bougie vacations. But how many wealthy, successful people move the goalpost just a little bit farther once they reach it and think to themselves I'll be happy when...
If you've ever heard of THE ONE Belair, this is exactly what comes to mind when I think of a moving goal post that never stops moving. I'll link the super short version of a walkthrough video, but if you wish to indulge, there's a two-part video tour of the property made by ProducerMichael on YouTube. It's worth a watch; It's really quite ridiculous.
Anyway, how many times have we chased the idea of happiness in the wrong place?
How many times have we felt like our success is never enough?
Today's setback was minor and after I thought about it for a bit i got over my slight annoyance. In the end, I realize that I rather enjoy fixing business problems even if it does imply investing in a new SSD or even a computer, so I'm just going to enjoy the ride. I VERY much like designing processes and improving the systems that make my business ideas work like a machine where I put time and effort in one side and money comes out the other side to keep making the machine better.
I'm an entrepreneur; an entrepreneur in a creative industry, and I choose to embrace this, every step of the way. I do have goals, but they're not all defined in dollar amounts and they are definitely nowhere in Santa Monica. My dream job is doing exactly what I'm doing now with all its ups and all its downs.
If your thing is cooking, writing, working out.. you name it, don't get frustrated when you run into roadblocks or even set backs. It's part of the process we chose.
