The Messy Middle: Finding Your Way Through the Hardest and Most Crucial Part of Any Bold Venture

big goals take time and sustained effort to complete. Of all the challenges you’ll face along the way, endurance often proves to be the most cunning and lethal adversary. Big goals therefore must be fueled by an authentic need that will help you weather the days, months, or even years it takes to fulfill them.

To be in the top decile over the long run requires being strategic about where to invest your energy. Instead of fast and furious, intentional imperfection is slow and steady. It sacrifices the thrill of short-term rewards for the serenity of sustainable success. As Trosky deliberately approached his investments, you, too, can be selective about ho

One of the greatest motivators is a sign of progress. Hardship is easier to tolerate when your work is being recognized (either through external validation or financial rewards), but long journeys don’t show progress in the traditional sense. When you have no customers, no audience, and nobody knows or cares to know about what you’re making, the gr