Don’t be dazzled by the few who succeed

Rick loved guitar heroes, every front-page magazine featured them, and he thought his own strumming was next level. So he formed a band, booked studio time, and rehearsed nightly. In a local bar, he played his heart out—only a handful turned up and even fewer clapped.

Undeterred, Rick reread every rock memoir he could find, convinced a secret formula existed. Yet each new book only sang the praises of successful superstars. He never put in the work to uncover the 10,000 bands that never made it past a garage gig.

One evening, a friend showed him a blog post titled ‘The 200 Bands You’ve Never Heard Of’. Rick’s jaw dropped—he’d never imagined there were millions of equally talented musicians who failed.

Later, while deciding whether to invest savings in studio time or a new day job, Rick remembered that blog post. He realised focusing only on the visible few had warped his estimates of success. From then on, he dug up failure stories first, giving himself a sobering dose of realism.

You scan your glossy industry magazines and feel that ‘anyone can do it’—but you’re smarter than that. Start by researching ten failures in your field, then adjust your chances of success by including every flop, not just the winners. Finally, keep a ‘failure list’ on your desktop; every time you consider a new venture, cross-check it against those misfires. You’ll end up with realistic odds, clearer priorities and far fewer embarrassing blind spots. Give it a try today.