Don't compare your Chapter 5 with someone else's Chapter 50

No.057 — Read old posts on Tinyfarmlab.com
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Whenever you start something new—a podcast, a YouTube channel, building a mud house, or writing a newsletter—you feel the rush of the "fresh start effect."

You are highly motivated.

You feel energized.

You're reading books, watching YouTube videos, and listening to podcasts, all to help fuel your journey.

You get a dopamine hit from designing your logo, buying that website domain, creating a Pinterest board, or brainstorming on Miro.

But then, as time goes on, reality sets in.

You’re putting in the work, but the needle doesn’t move.

You realize your effort doesn’t always produce the results as quickly as you’d imagined.

Welcome to the valley of stagnation.

As Dr. Joe Dispenza says, "The space between conceiving a thought and converting it into 3D reality is what we call time."

In your mind, you’ve already built that mud house, hit 1 million subscribers on YouTube, sculpted that beach body, and are living the dream farm life.

But in reality? It takes time.
A lot of time.

People say starting is the hardest part, but honestly, pushing through when you see little to no progress?

That’s harder.

Meanwhile, social media algorithms feed you a steady stream of people who’ve made it—profiles of those who’ve built things, reached milestones, launched businesses, or are living lifestyles you dream about.

Thanks to the attention engineers.

More often than not, these posts only show the success story.
Rarely do they highlight the grind, the failures, the uncertainty.
Even if they do, how often do we scroll down to find that?

It’s easy to fall into the trap of comparison.
You begin to wonder, Why am I not there yet?

Without realizing it, you’re comparing your Chapter 5 to someone else’s Chapter 50.

The people ahead of you? They’re not necessarily smarter or more talented.
They simply showed up every day, with discipline and courage.
They battled through self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and uncertainty.

Just like you.

They turned their dreams into reality, one small step at a time.

We’ll never fully know the challenges or setbacks someone else endured to get where they are.
All we see is the end result.

Comparison = Despair.

The power lies in recognizing that no one can compete with you in being you.
Instead of focusing on competing with others, focus on being authentic.
Your journey is uniquely yours.
Your reasons for doing something are deeply personal and different.

It’s okay to look to others for inspiration.
But don’t let it diminish where you are right now.
And remember—asking for help when you’re starting out is okay, too.

Success is a lagging indicator of the tiny efforts we put in every single day.
Show up for your dreams.
Trust the process.
Every small effort compounds into bigger results—gradually, and then suddenly.

So, when inspiration starts to turn into comparison, take a step back.
You’re exactly where you need to be in your story.

Keep writing it.

Love,

Raghav and Ansh

P.S. If this message resonated with you, I’d love for you to share it with your friends, family, or anyone who might need a reminder to stay focused on their own journey.

What you can watch -  Why We Should Be Building with Dirt

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What you can listen to - Charles Eisenstein: Human Cultural Evolution | Super Soul Sunday S8E4 | Full Episode | OWN

Oprah Winfrey sits down with public speaker and author Charles Eisenstein to discuss the themes of civilization, human cultural evolution, and being aware of one's existence.

What You Can Read - The Science Behind the Resilience of Earth Architecture

Our friend Ankitha talks about how communities originally built shelters from the earth - the most readily available material to them - and have passed on their construction techniques through generations.

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