The longer you pursue something, the clearer it becomes as to why so few people have achieved the level of success you want. The answer is simple:

It’s really hard and takes a long time.

That’s why if there’s a single “secret” to success, it’s perseverance. Whatever project I start, execute, and finish, this is always what I come back to: just keep going.

Tara and I talk about this all the time… how we are uniquely equipped to handle “failure” and keep going. Mostly because we encounter it far more often than the average person.

When a sketch doesn’t perform as well as we want it to. When a producer or buyer passes on our project. When a director doesn’t think our script is funny (they’re wrong). When Tara doesn’t book a role. When my YouTube thumbnail sucks. When we don’t place in a screenwriting competition. And on and on and on.

We experience a lot of it because we are constantly putting ourselves and our work out there. And that’s the secret.

Creators know failure because any given project is far more likely to fail than become a breakout success. And we all keep making stuff anyway.

Now, that doesn’t mean it always feels good. Some days just plain suck.

But I put “failure” in quotation marks for a reason. Because it’s not really failure. Everything you create compounds, and it becomes super-fuel when you learn from your mistakes.

Now that we’ve released “Hot Ghost Roommate,” I’ve got about a dozen things I’d change. Very little of that is around story and execution (though there are a few things). Most of it is around format and packaging.

I’ve learned more about YouTube, Instagram and TikTok distribution in the last three weeks just from releasing this series than I have from YEARS of scrolling these platforms.

You learn 100x more from doing than watching or reading.

And it’s really important that you write down what you’ve learned so you don’t make the same mistake again. Even if it’s stupid simple and obvious to you right now. Because three months from now when you’re onto your next project, it won’t be so obvious.

So create, make mistakes and learn from them. Then adjust course based on the feedback you get from the real world.

And remember: change is the only constant. In the age of AI, the world is shifting underneath our feet, so always push yourself to experiment on the edges of your domain. And just keep going.

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In the end, the amount of compounding you do in your domain will determine your level of success.

Through my 20’s, I kept switching careers. First I was in unscripted TV, then I jumped to producing car commercials for YouTube, and now I’m writing and producing rom-coms with Tara. I also jumped physically, bouncing from Canada to the U.S. and back again multiple times, across multiple cities.

All of this hinders compounding.

I’m not saying don’t experiment, especially if you’re young and still looking for your path. All I’m saying is that once you DO know what you want to do, go do it and DON’T STOP.

People quit things all the time because they’re looking for a quick win. Don’t look for a quick win. Don’t chase fads. Don’t get pulled into what’s “hot” right now.

Instead, look for a craft and domain that you’d like to spend the rest of your life exploring.

Start there. And don’t stop.

Thanks for reading.

-Thomas

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