Write your first ugly blog post. Today.

Create your first ugly video blog.

Just start.

Your first video won’t be your best video.

Your first video will be your worst video.

And that’s why you do it.

But you worry, “What if I just create dribble?”

The first time you probably will create dribble.

But when you’re new, how many people read what you write?

How many people watch your videos?

My first video had nine views. One from my mother, and eight from me.

But you say, “What about the critics?”

The critics are always here.

Hemingway had critics. Michael Jordan had critics. The best of the best have critics.

And critics do what critics do.

But both Hemingway and Michael Jordan kept doing what creators do.

Both kept creating and upgrading their craft.

Haters gonna hate. And keep hating.

Haters usually stay on the sidelines because they lack courage.

But the courageous ones. The creators, like you and me, create.

And we’re gonna keep creating.

The world needs what you have to create.

So start.

And write that first ugly draft.

Create that first ugly video.

Because your passion is greater than your fear.

What’s your pain point?

What if you clearly defined an annoying pain point you have?

What if that pain point represented a pain point of your tribe? Like baby boomers? Millions of people with the same pain point.

And you could solve or just ease that pain point?

Just brainstorm what this pain point and solution could mean. A pain point (or a solution) could be a discomfort, an annoyance, a faster cup of coffee, a morning reading plan, a 15-minute exercise routine, a pleasant blog post to read every morning, a podcast for your afternoon walk, a Bible quote. Inexpensive gift ideas for grandchildren grouped by age and cost.

If you have some ideas, just take this moment to list them on paper. On in a notepad on your phone.

Now you have a list of pain points and solutions.

And maybe. . .

Maybe you have just created a product that meets the need of a niche market.

And that is how creative people create things that solve problems and serve a marketplace.

If you want to put a dollar figure on this, then you have just created a solution for a marketplace that could make a sizable living for you.

Today look at the next “new thing” that you buy. The creator of that product or service started with an idea and list like you have.

They clearly defined a pain point and solved it for a specific market.

Someone is doing that right now.

Why not you? Why not now?

What’s your pain point today? What’s the solution.

Now start a plan to bring that solution to your tribe.

It all starts with you seeing your pain point differently.

Seeing your pain point as an opportunity.

Some day you just start writing and see what happens.

Because a creator creates.

Consistently, daily.

To publish or not to publish. That’s a different question.

But you do create EVERY day. Regardless.

An athlete trains consistently. According to a specific plan.

On a rainy day. On a hot day. On a discouraging day.

An athlete trains on a day after a loss. The same as the day after a win. According to a schedule.

The fans do not care if he / she had a discouraging morning, a fight with a spouse. Or children that would not cooperate that morning.

Consistent daily activity according to a plan. That is the key to creating a body of work that will be noticed.

During a training session sometimes the times and activities go well. Sometimes not. But the athlete trains consistently.

And the creator / writer / artist / course creator creates. They work their trade.

A plumber doesn’t wait to be inspired to work. That sounds ridiculous. That’s what makes him a quality plumber.

So just work your trade today. With or without inspiration.

Consistently. Daily. Just like a parent changes a dirty diaper.

Not because they love the job, nor do they feel inspired to change a dirty diaper. Multiple times during the day. And night.

It is the task at a hand. Done without applause. Or accolades.

Just doing the job the best that they can at the moment. With or without inspiration.

The thought leaders that I know personally have a consistent work ethic. Working per their plan consistently. When no one is watching.

Like the athlete doing the reps daily. The writer writing. The leader responding to her team as promised. On time.

That is the journey to creating a body of work that matters.

Some days you just grind. Alone and unnoticed.

Body of Work. You hear this term occasionally.

Especially when someone is taking about a leader – a global leader, a leader in the sports world, a world class writer or a world-wide corporate icon.

But what does this phrase mean? Body of Work?

It’s the entirety of what that icon has produced. What have they contributed to the world so far in their life.

In time, this Body of Work could be pretty impressive. It must be impressive since someone is talking about this global giant and their Body of Work.

But let’s put this in perspective. Let’s put this in terms that I can understand.

Their Body of Work was not just one big event. It was an accumulation of many smaller events. Many mini-wins and mini-victories.

And numerous struggles and failures that the public did not see.

Their Body of Work was the result of their “daily grind.”

Whatever that “daily grind” was. Lots of unseen work. Maybe unfinished drafts of a book.

Or a failure in several sports before they found their passion sport and a coach that would work with them.

That world acclaimed person’s Body of Work is the tip of the iceberg of their entire body of work.

And miles below and years below the tip of the iceberg that we see as their Body of Work are countless hours of work and preparation and failures that are too numerous to name.

Body of Work. That explanation puts it in perspective in terms I can understand.

If you want to create a Body of Work that will be recognized someday by your tribe, your family or your peers.

If you want to create that memorable Body of Work, then focus on daily habits and activities. Focus on all of the stuff that is below the tip of the iceberg that will make what’s above the water line – your Body of Work – visible.

The real body of work that is below the tip of the iceberg is what really matters.

You won’t believe the huge mistake that a world class podcaster made this morning.

I look forward to listening to his podcasts. EVERY day.

I listen in spare moments while getting ready in the morning, and I listen in the kitchen while prepping meals.

He delivers value to my life. The value of what he and his guests offer is rich and deep and specific for my walk in life.

But his morning, his podcast STARTED with the EXTRO bumper – that little 6-second blurb at the end of a podcast that brands the podcast and says “thanks for listening and here’s where you can get more info about. . .”

The part that says “goodbye” was on the beginning of the podcast. I was confused. I restarted the podcast twice because I thought I was listening to the end of the previous podcast.

But regardless of an obvious error made by his tech team, I still listened to his new podcast episode. And the interview with his guest and the content was stellar. As always.

I did not discount the value of his “body of work” over many years because of one simple mistake. It was a simple and forgivable error.

Maybe it was even intentional just to illicit listeners’ comments. Maybe.

I learned two lessons.

(1) Every creator has time pressures. My favorite podcaster ships on time regardless. Even at the risk of making a mistake.

(2) I still value good content even when the content creator makes obvious mistakes.

So create what you need to create.

Deliver consistently.

When your audience appreciates your value, they will quickly forgive (even ignore) your mistakes.