We Crave Magic

The hard way to earn those codes is experience. You struggle through a problem, follow conventional wisdom until you prove it’s not working, make all sorts of mistakes, and then, eventually, stumble onto a solution that succeeds. It’s agonizing, but sometimes it’s the only path available.

- Rand Fishkin (Lost and Founder)

It is the unexplained, unpredictable, unexpected occurrence or experience that blows our mind.

Even in science - with its evolution, persistence, and incremental improvement - the trial-and-error and all the mistakes only build up to the moment just before the breakthrough.

The breakthrough is the magic.

Once we experience that, the journey that led us there suddenly matters less.

We often try reduce magic down to a science. But there is no perfect recipe to guarantee the repeat of that magic.

This is true for building a business just as it is for happy relationships. Both require hard work, discipline and persistence (amongst other things), but this doesn't guarantee magic or success.

Where does this leave us?

Learning to enjoy the journey will make us less dependent on the hope for magic.

The other part is accepting that magic is magical. And no amount of science can guarantee it.