The long game is invisible (until it isn't)

My newsletter was just nominated for an award against Bloomberg!

For years I wrote into the void.

Only recently have I started greeting a quarter-million people each morning in their inbox.

Writing as a craft has excited me so much the last decade because the whole time I have seen a clear path toward excellence.

That’s not to say I was, am, or will be excellent at anything. But one consequence of optimism is a willingness to bet big on long odds and show up over and over without results.

When I published my first blog in 2018 I carried the same unreasonable belief I hold today: “I’m a few reps away from a serious breakthrough.”

Today I’d like to think that this belief is slightly more reasonable than it was then. I’ll only know in retrospect.

When I started writing I was not good, but I held firm that only practice stood between myself and competence. As a result, I’ve never had trouble with enthusiasm or interest.

Some close to me would likely make the case I’ve had the opposite problem — I can find it hard to slow down output or pace myself.

But why slow down if excellence is waiting on the other side of some undetermined number of reps? Not knowing makes it that much more enticing.

The trouble with progress, of course, is that it’s invisible until it isn’t. It’s like walking through fog, each step feeling aimless until at last you emerge and realize how much ground you’ve covered.

It’s as if one day, without quite knowing when or how, suddenly you find you are somewhere rather than nowhere.

What people call success is just patience finally paying off. What looks like talent is the tip of a very deep iceberg of effort.

In writing every day I've learned that the world rewards those who trust themselves enough to keep moving forward.

That trust has led me here: My financial newsletter, Opening Bell Daily, has been nominated for Best Markets Newsletter of the Year by StockTwits, next to three other newsletters including Bloomberg(!).

If you’ve ever found my work valuable, please consider voting for Opening Bell Daily in this poll.

Naturally I’m optimistic about this nomination — it’s a great sign for our small but mighty media startup that’s less than a year old.

As you might guess, I will continue to persist no matter who wins the award.

Thank you for your support.

You can cast your vote here.

Phil Rosen,
Co-Founder, Editor-in-chief, Opening Bell Daily