Shoot through the achievement window to make your masterpiece

We want to make our masterpiece, but we are our own worst enemy. We overestimate what we’re capable of, yet we are quick to make excuses when faced with a challenge.

We should shoot to get through the achievement window.

Imagine a window. Through the window you can see the masterpiece you dream of making. It’s a novel or a startup or a Michelin-star restaurant.

The lower sash of the window is slightly open. The lower edge of the sash is the threshold for you to make excuses. If you aim too high, you’ll just make excuses for not making your art.

You still need to do research, you don’t have the time, or you kinda have the sniffles today. You can still see your vision through the window, so you feel just fine. But you can’t get started today. You’ll start tomorrow, you tell yourself.

Each day, shoot to get through the opening in that window. You want to get over the window sill. Anything below that, and you’ve made no progress. But you want to get under the window sash. Anything above that, and it’s easy to start making excuses.

The achievement window is some goal, some daily deliverable, that’s so small you can’t possibly fool yourself into making excuses for not doing it. But it’s progress toward your masterpiece.

It could be a 100-word story, an elevator pitch for a new business idea, or yet another variation on your morning’s scrambled eggs.

Spend each day shooting for the achievement window. You’ll build a creative habit, and the sash will get high enough you can shoot for the moon.

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