the one secret to success
If you are attached to success, you will only find failure. Today I wanted to talk about something profound. It is the reason why so many developers struggle with anxiety and fear of failure, which…
Feb 27, 2023 · 3 MIN READ
If you are attached to success, you will only find failure.
Today I wanted to talk about something profound.
It is the reason why so many developers struggle with anxiety and fear of failure, which not only stops them from reaching their full potential but makes them miserable.
That is attachment to the outcome.
Getting emotionally attached to the outcome of the task you are set to achieve.
Telling yourself that when you get the promotion, the title, or the pay increase, you will finally be happy. Or be confident. Or fulfilled.
And while it seems the logical thing to do (human beings are goal-oriented creatures), this has terrible consequences for your happiness.
Because it takes away from your permission to enjoy what you do until you reach that imaginary goal. Which makes you anxious and fearful.
Fear of failure takes away focus and energy, leading to worse performance, which decreases the probability of you achieving that goal in the first place.
It is a vicious cycle.
So, how do we break it?
Simple. Detach yourself from the outcome.
Forget about the end result. Go into the technical interview to do the best interview you can possibly do, not to get the job.
Of course, you still want the pay raise, the promotion, etc… But you don’t need it for you to be happy.
Because the process of pursuing mastery in your craft is enjoyable enough, getting lost in the depth of mastery is the end goal.
When you are writing a line of code, refining requirements, or investigating the root of a production bug, if you focus on the process instead of the outcome, you will perform far better.
In doing so, you will free yourself from anxiety and fear of failure and have more energy to focus on the task itself.
You don’t do X to get Y.
You don’t do a good job to get the pay raise. You do a good job, period.
Whatever success you attain, the money, the title, and the pay raise will only be the side effect of you seeking to become the best developer you can ever be.
This is also one of the best ways to defeat Impostor Syndrome (I will talk more about this in upcoming emails).
Make mastery your end goal, and success will be only a side effect.
Talking about mastery, that is precisely the goal of our Mentorship program. To help you understand the underlying principles of becoming the best developer you can ever be!
We are putting together the spots for March and got a few of them to go. Apply to see if you qualify here! <https://www.theseniordev.com/apply>
If you're interested, you can apply here for a personal session with me (valued at 450$).
We will talk about your goals, find out what would be the best roadmap for you to the next level, and, if we see fit, have us help you at every step of the journey.
Spots usually fill up before the 15th of every month, so you better do it sooner than later! Apply here now! <https://www.theseniordev.com/apply>
And remember… It is not even that the journey is the destination.
There is no destination!
We only get a few round trips on this Earth, and one of the best ways to make them count is to pick something and become damn good at it.
And if you are a developer, that is writing software!
Take care, Dragos
