Do you ever get that feeling that you’re just missing something?

And you keep thinking that if you just put your mind to it, you’ll figure it out?

Sometimes it’s something so small – you’re missing just one little thing. One step of the process, one setting that needs to be changed, one Teeny. Tiny. Thing.

It’s a pretty frustrating feeling.

Just a few weeks ago, I was in this exact position. I spent over 20 hours with tech support trying to solve a problem. It was painful. Very painful.

How did a task that seemed so simple become such a huge challenge?

I felt defeated. And I almost cried (seriously).

After 2 weeks, I was transferred to a new support person to see if someone else could solve the problem for me. Within five minutes of troubleshooting, he asked, “have you tried changing this one setting?”

And poof – like magic – the problem was solved.

One tiny setting – the missing link – was all I needed.

I literally squealed with excitement:.

A few days later, I got a really nice message from a succesful designer.

It had a similar theme – the theme of the missing link.

My YouTube videos were exactly what she needed to find a job in fashion and ultimately get her designs showcased on national TV:

Now, I love this story for a few different reasons:

1. Samantha realized that there was a missing link between her current skills and the skills required for the kind of jobs she was interviewing for.  Very perceptive.
2. In a competitive industry like fashion, she knew her skills had to be exceptional to get the job so she worked hard to get there. Very smart.
3. She learned everything she needed to get a job using nothing but my free material. My personal favorite part of the story.

There’s so much value in what she did. Each individual action she took contributed to her success as a designer.

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Let’s break each step down a little further…

1. Realize There Is A Missing Link

Samantha was really perceptive after going on a a few interviews and realizing that companies wanted designers who could create repeats. Instead of thinking “I’m not qualified to do the job” she thought “I just have to add that missing link to my skill set.”

And bam – she learned the skill and got the job.

The first task in getting over a hurdle is to figure out what it is that you’re missing. And I know, sometimes this can be a challenge in itself.  Don’t get overwhelmed, just try and step back from the problem a bit and look at it from an outsider’s perspective.

Or better yet, actually ask an outsider for their perspective.

Because sometimes the answer that’s right in front of your face is the hardest one to find.

I challenge you right now to think about this hard. What are you trying to do? What is preventing you from getting there? What is your missing link?

Once you identify it, take action and do what you need to do to fill it in.

2. Do An Exceptional Job

Samantha knew her skills had to be exceptional. Why? Because the job market was competitive, and if she had incomplete or average skills, she wouldn’t have gotten the job. Above and beyond that, she’s continued to do an exceptional job – and what happened?

Her designs got featured on national TV.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I’m a firm believer in doing an exceptional job.  Otherwise, what’s the point?

When you do an exceptional job, you’re the one that gets noticed.

When you think about it, it’s really a simple concept. The truth is that a lot of people do an average job. Why? Because it’s usually easier.

So yeah, to be exceptional, you have to work a little harder. But I guarantee that the extra work you put in will pay off in a much bigger way.

You will be the one who gets the job.

You will be the one who gets the promotion.

You will be the one who gets whatever it is you are going after.

As long as you do an exceptional job.

Now I realize that we can’t all be exceptional at everything. That’s simply impossible. So as the common saying goes, choose your battles. Pick the things that really matter to you, that really effect your life or that will really take you places – and become exceptional at those first.

Be an exceptional employee or boss.

Be an exceptional designer or developer.

Be an exceptional seamstress or pattern maker.

And then, before you know it, something amazing will happen.

This whole exceptional thing will magically start to trickle into the rest of your life. It will become a habit, or maybe even an addiction.  You will find yourself doing an exceptional job at everything you do – and not only will you feel amazing about it, you will reap the amazing benefits.

I promise, once you put this into action it will spread through the rest of your life like wildflowers.

Does it sound a little overwhelming and like a lot of work?

Listen – it’s not necessarily easy. I won’t lie to you about that. But you know the saying – nothing good comes easy? Yep – that one. Well, turns out it’s pretty true.

So here’s what I want you to do.

Don’t get overwhelmed.

Start with something small, and think about how you can do a better job at that. Make the improvements slowly, one at a time.

You can’t do it all at once, so pick one thing and focus on that. Once you’ve got that one down, add another thing. One step at a time – it’s as simple as that.

Don’t over tweak it.

You know what I mean by this… You’re worried that it’s never perfect. You want your work to be so exceptional that you never actually complete anything, because you just need a little more time to fix a few things.

I promise you’ll go nowhere if you never actually get anything out the door. You need to know the difference between doing the best job you can and being a total perfectionist. There’s a fine line between these two places, and you need to figure out where it is for you. Over time, you will continue to get better, but for now – do the best job you can and move on.

Because there’s no way to grow and learn if you don’t actually complete anything.

3. Learn With My Free Content

I mention that this is my personal favorite because it’s one of my goals to make my free content better than other people’s paid content. (Remember that note above about doing an exceptional job? Yes, I do follow my own advice in everything I do – that even includes my free stuff.)

Samantha telling me this – that my free videos were the missing link she needed to get her first job in fashion – makes me happy.

So. Unbelievably. Happy.

Why? Because I know that I’ve done my job, and I’ve done it exceptionally well.

It’s also because I know that when you have big wins like this – like getting your first job – all from using my free content, you’ve experienced first hand how good my material is. That way when you’re ready to join one of my paid courses, you’ll know – before you even sign up – how amazing it’s going to be.

Time to get to work.

Think about everything I’ve said here. What is it that you’re trying to do? What is preventing you from getting there and doing an absolutely exceptional job? What is your missing link?

I challenge you to figure this out.

And remember, I never said it was going to be easy.

It’s hard. It’s overwhelming. It’s frustrating.

But the results will come. I promise, it will pay off in the end.

I promise, the rewards are well worth it.

Your first job. A better job. A promotion.

Whatever it is you are looking for – if you put in the work, you will find it.