👣 Step 44: No Effort is Wasted

I've put a lot of time the past month into my new app idea, and it's been wildly fun. It's an exciting creative venture, and I've been learning a lot about entrepreneurship, software development, and the tech startup world.

This is the importance of 1. passion projects, 2. trying new things, and 3. being okay with whatever outcome.

You never know how one venture will benefit you in a totally random, different way in the future.

Example: I've always loved math, and I studied it all the way until I discovered marketing in 2020. Now, I'm not doing algebra or calculus every day anymore.

But you know what I'm a lot better at now because of my math background? Problem solving, pattern recognition, and data analysis.

​
Did I know that my childhood passion for math would result in that? Of course not. I just liked math! That's just one example of how a past hobby or skill can show up in a completely different, unpredictable way now.

No effort is wasted.

Hank Green had a genuinely phenomenal YouTube video around this concept recently where he talked about the Mola mola fish. They can release up to 300 MILLION eggs at a time. And so few of them even hatch that if you rounded to the nearest percent, 0% of them make it. (And to make it even crazier, the babies that do make it can grow up to 60 MILLION times their hatching size)

But obviously those 300 million eggs are not wasted, because some of them do hatch. Mola mola would be extinct if absolutely 0% survived. Yet they live on, and they can't predict which handful of eggs survive, so they have to continue their process.

And so should you. Your chances are a lot higher than 0%.

Your random Google searches, side hobbies, or hand-raises in meetings can turn into exponential growth in the future, like the Mola mola.

Also, remember that countless inventions, discoveries, and moments of growth for people and society were completely by accident.

Coca-Cola, penicillin, the microwave oven, tea bags, and countless accidental, "randomly bumping into you," "this person got sick so we need you to fill in" human interactions and opportunities we'll never hear about.

You never know how one thing (or person) will show up again in the future. Nor should you focus on it.

So:

1. Take on new exciting responsibilities or projects that are outside of your wheelhouse (physically, mentally, educationally, artistically, etc.)
2. Learn about new things that interest you, whether it's personal branding or the fluid mechanics of crowds at concerts
3. Pick up new hobbies, visit new places, and meet new people
4. Maintain a positive attitude

And be okay with not needing an immediate purpose or outcome for those actions.

No effort is wasted. You are adding tools to your life's toolbox, and you never know when a random tool can come in handy.

So build your toolbox.

See you next Thursday, Steppers.

We will succeed,

Grayson

​graysonstepanek.com​

​​​

Song of the Week:

The Man Westwood PREVIEW   ​

Yep, I'm officially back in my hyperpop bag. Discovered Westwood last week and been jamming this album a lot. This one immediately stuck out to me, and it's truly impressive how good his music is since he's only 19. He's got a great grasp of melody and beat selection, and this song is just a blast to blare in the truck. Excited for this new wave of hyperpop!