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There is that wonderful scene in the movie Field of Dreams where Kevin Costner is urged to “build it and they will come”. A baseball field in the middle of a cornfield starts to attract great players from the past.
Many people in the personal development field have latched onto this mantra. Build it, they say, and the rest will come. They will quote you examples of people who have achieved this, despite impossible odds. You get inspired, pumped up and you decide to go for it. What the hell, who wants to lead a life of regret?
So you start to create. You build. It takes a lot of toil. You are scared to death, not knowing how your creation will be received. “Build it and they will come” keeps ringing in your ears.
Your efforts take twice as long as you thought, are twice as hard and probably cost you in physical, emotional or financial ways.
The day arrives. Your creation is finished. It is built. You proudly put it out there to the world.
And you wait for them to come.
And they don’t.
The album flops. The blog post gets only a handful of reads. Nobody understands your painting. The stack of unsold books will remain forever in the cupboard under your stairs.
