A fun side hobby I started up last week was reselling some old stuff I had on Facebook marketplace for some extra cash. I've been selling anything from old watches, video games, and little pieces of furniture. One of the items I sold was a $40 dartboard that I had been hanging on to for a while.
When the gentleman came to pick up the dartboard, I handed it over to him and he handed me the cash. But what happened next was something I will probably remember for a very, very, long time.
He looked at me and said,
"Hey- I wanted to let you know that I know you. I am pretty sure I read your blog. You write about business and stuff like that right? The Bonker Beat?"
At first I thought, he's gotta be yanking my chain and must've just saw my Facebook profile before he came over to pick up the dartboard. But he continued-
"I started reading after I saw the Springsteen one, I even read the one yesterday about the letter to yourself from 25."
It was at this point that I had the hair raised on the back of my neck, and for the first time ever I had met a complete stranger who had come across my blog online. He not only knew what it was, but he read it! Up to this point in my writing, most likely you are reading this because you are a good friend of mine, or you are one of my mom's friends on her Facebook page.
But this was a big moment for me. To be honest and transparent on here, I've had quite a bit of intermittent doubt over the last few months as I have began writing. It is hard to start anything new, put a lot of effort into it, and not always see the results you expect of yourself. But yesterday in the parking lot of my condos here in Morristown, NJ, I had a signal that I need to keep digging. It was a reminder to keep trying, keep writing, and to keep moving forward. Because you never really know how close you might be to finding the success you are after.
I believe this can apply to all walks of life. Whether you are a basketball player working on his jumper, or an entry-level salesman trying to get that first sale, you have to keep pushing in order to see a result you are looking for. The funny thing about progress is, sometimes you don't realize how much of it you have made. We can often times be so fixated on the things we have yet to achieve, without looking back and seeing all of things that we have accomplished.
"Lost track of how far I've gone, how far I've gone, how high I've climbed."-The Rising, Bruce Springsteen.
I ended up striking up a conversation with my new-found follower in the parking lot for 10 minutes or so. We talked about our careers thus far, our interests, and even connected on Facebook so we can stay in touch. As we shook hands and went our separate ways, he mentioned that maybe there was a reason he bought that dartboard from me that day. I'd like to think that there was.
I'll leave you with this cartoon I came across online when I started thinking about writing this blog post.
Whether you are trying to improve on your sales pitch, your writing skills, your jumper, your mental health, or whatever it may be- remember that everyday you work on it, you are getting closer to the goal you are trying to achieve. And although you can't always see the progress you have made, or how close you may be to reaching your destination, know that you are closer than you were the day before, and you are going in the right direction.
Just keep digging.