Hard

Is indie hacking really that hard? Or do I just want things to be hard?

Both things can be true. Oftentimes, it comes together.

The pragmatically hard parts can be solved, I can learn my way out of it. Either skill or knowledge issue. I wasn’t a coder, but now I am. I didn’t enjoy marketing, but I found a way to reframe it. It might take time, but can be done. Eventually.

It’s the self-limiting mindsets that are tricky and sticky.

Sometimes hard is self-induced and unnecessary. True, life itself is hard already. But we often make it harder for ourselves than is needed. Perfectionist tendencies, hating marketing, shiny object syndrome, lack of rest, burning out… all the thousand and one ways we block our own light. We’re all scrubs in our own way. We don’t always play to win; we often play to the tune of our own limiters rooted deep in our identity.

Even the words I use, like saying “Indie hacking is hard”, can be self-reinforcing. We speak mindlessly, and it becomes reality.

But sometimes, hard is a paywall, the payment before the payoff. Struggle is a signal, and anything significant to achieve in life will cost you… often dearly. Sometimes hard is a danger sign, a whisper from the universe that you’re not meant to settle there. Knowing which, is the harder part.

So let’s do a tally:

The pragmatic hard parts can be solved.
The mental hard parts are fluff.
If it’s hard, it’s either worth it, or worth finding out it’s not worth it.

So…

Keep calm and carry on.