From: alexhormozi
Many aspiring creators often expect rapid success, anticipating their podcasts or content to “blow up” within 90 days [00:00:01]. However, achieving significant results in content creation, such as a podcast hitting the top 10 in its category, typically takes years of sustained effort [00:00:35].
The Reality of Content Growth
Real success in content creation is built on consistent behaviors and a long-term commitment to the process [00:03:51]. The speaker’s own podcast, which eventually reached the top 10 in entrepreneurship, began in 2017 and took five and a half to six years to achieve this milestone [00:00:32]. During this period, 1 to 3 podcasts were released every week without fail for six years [00:00:42]. This dedication led to over 400 episodes [00:06:19].
The initial phase of content creation, especially the first year, is often a period of “finding your voice” [00:00:53]. During this time, creators learn:
- How to communicate effectively [00:00:54].
- How to teach, entertain, and present information [00:00:58].
- The subject matter itself evolves and improves [00:01:21].
For instance, the first 150 episodes of the speaker’s podcast focused solely on how to run a gym better, before gradually expanding to general marketing, sales, business, and M&A [00:01:08].
The Power of Long-Term Vision
Instead of thinking in days, a mindset of thinking in decades is crucial for sustained success [00:01:44]. When the speaker engaged a YouTube vendor, the commitment was for 5 to 10 years, emphasizing a long-term progression over immediate leads in 90 days [00:05:15]. This long-term approach aligns with the consistency effect in influence and allows for growth and maturation.
Process Over Outcome
A key shift in perspective for content creation is to make the action the goal, rather than the outcome [00:01:52].
- If the goal is “did I make the post, did I make the reach-outs every day?” then success is achieved by checking those boxes [00:01:55].
- This approach decreases emotional ups and downs, as success is tied to controllable actions, not unpredictable results [00:06:01].
Avoiding the Scarcity Cycle
A common trap is focusing on immediate sales or money, which can lead to inconsistency. One individual would create content and make sales, then slow down, entering “scarcity mode” when money stopped coming in [00:02:57]. The solution was to shift focus from the sales and money to the process [00:03:07].
To break this cycle, one must:
- Keep doing the actions that led to success, even when things are going well [00:03:39].
- Keep doing the actions even when results are not yet apparent, to become good enough for future success [00:03:41].
This trait of consistency, the ability to do things repeatedly without immediate gratification, is what truly leads to long-term success and eliminates financial constraints [00:03:29].
Atomic Habits Principle
Drawing from “Atomic Habits,” the core idea is that both winners and losers often have the same goals (e.g., being rich, having a six-pack) [00:04:07]. What differentiates them are the activities they commit to [00:04:21].
- The goal of a winner is to commit to the activities [00:04:24].
- The goal of a loser is to commit to the outcome [00:04:25].
By divorcing activities from outcomes, self-esteem remains stable because focus is on what is controllable [00:04:48]. This perspective allows individuals to commit to high-volume content production and increase business profitability.
Case Study: Consistent Posting for Brand Building
An example illustrates this principle: A friend, discouraged by having no following, was advised to simply start posting valuable short-form content daily [00:02:18]. After 6 months of daily posting, one video took off, then another, leading to the friend making $100,000 a month from content, despite having been in business for 9 years prior [00:02:26]. This demonstrates the power of utilizing free content for lead generation and the delayed but significant returns of consistent content production.
Benefits of Long-Term Consistency
- Skill Development: Improves communication, teaching, and presentation abilities over time [00:00:56].
- Evolving Content: Subject matter can adapt and broaden as the creator learns and grows [00:01:21].
- Sustainable Growth: Builds a strong foundation that leads to lasting success rather than fleeting “overnight” fame [00:00:26].
- Mental Stability: Reduces emotional volatility by focusing on controllable actions rather than external outcomes [00:06:01].
By committing to the actions and behaviors, individuals grow through the process, becoming the type of person who can sustain efforts over a long period, which ultimately removes financial constraints [00:03:51]. This embodies effective content creation that considers new audience members and leads to genuine impact.