Getting underestimated early is annoying. It also means nobody’s watching while you get better.
STILLNESS
WHAT THIS MEANS
Low expectations are uncomfortable and they arrive with an unusual freedom attached. When nobody has decided you are the one to watch, your mistakes are not news, no reputation is being measured against your week, and you can be visibly bad at something for as long as it takes. It is a poor feeling and a good working condition.
Use the quiet while you still have it. Take the thing you would be embarrassed to be seen learning and learn it now, before anybody is paying attention. Keep your own record of what is improving so you do not depend on others noticing.
A QUESTION TO SIT WITH
Who underestimates you, and what are you building unwatched?
MORE IN PATIENCE & TIMING
- Patience doesn’t mean never quitting. Sometimes after giving something a real shot, the honest move is to walk away.
- Artists struggle with hands for years. Getting better at hard things is supposed to take a while.
- Hit pause on the comeback. Clever lines said in anger usually cost more than they win.
Free, with nothing to buy inside it.