The market is saturated

The market is saturated. This term is used to tell you that there is no space for you.

Whether this is something we tell ourselves or something we've been told by others, the principle is the same. Maybe you had access a year ago but now its too late. Maybe you should have a different dream. Maybe you are not good enough. And we believe it. Too many times we talk ourselves out of following our dream because we believe that everyone is already doing it.

I have just finished reading the Alchemist, a novel Paulo Coelho. The book has been on my reading list for over a year and I have been putting off reading it until now. I must say, it came at an opportune time. I could have read the book a year ago and I would not have received what I received from it now. Without spoiling it for the people that still intend to read the book, Paulo writes about a boy who embarks on a journey seeking treasure after having a recurring dream about it. The boy encounters obstacles along the way but learns that one must follow their Personal Legend if one wants to be happy and fulfilled. One of my favorite lines from the book is

And when you want something, all the universe conspires

in helping you to achieve it.'' Paulo Coelho

We all have this Personal Legend. If you are fortunate, you already know what it is. It can be your career, fitness, writing, acting, you name it. That one thing that is always tugging at your heart strings, the one thing you would do even if you were not getting paid to do it. I suspect that one of the things that is holding us back from pursuing that one thing is FEAR. Fear of what people are going to think, fear that no one is going to like it and we will be embarrassed, fear that someone is going to leave a mean comment on our social media post, etc. While all the above are legitimate concerns, the risk of being vulnerable and following our hearts is worth it, is it not? The alternative is going through life and never trying and be riddled with regret. May I submit that if we were all following our Personal Legends, every time someone is brave enough to put their content in public, dare to try something new, we would all cheer them on because we would understand the courage and vulnerability that is required to take that kind of risk to follow our hearts.

The famous quote by Theodore Roosevelt reads:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deed could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short gain and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

The market probably seems saturated because you are getting feeds on your social media timelines that show you what you are interested in. According to an article by Sproutsocial (26 March 2021), social media algorithms are a way of sorting posts in a users' feed based on relevancy instead of publish time. The article further goes on to say that social networks prioritise which content a user sees in their feed first by the likelihood that they'll actually want to see it. Its no wonder that every time you turn your social media feed you are flooded with the one thing you have been wanting to do and have not had the courage to start. Everyone seems to have thought of it first. Unless we are talking about an invention, whatever you want to do is probably not original. With that said, no one has your personality, no one has your vision and no two people can execute something in exactly the same way. There are people that are connected to you. There are people who are waiting for your unique delivery.

In one last attempt to persuade you to follow your dream, remember the parable of the talents? Yup, that one. For the benefit of those who do not know this parable, its in Matthew 25:14-30 in the Bible. The master left his house to travel and before leaving, he entrusted his property to his servants. According to each man's ability, one man received five talents, the second, two and the third, one. When the master returned he asked each man to account for the talent/s they were entrusted with. The first and second servants both put their talents to work and doubled the value of the property. The last man hid his talent, burying it in the ground. The master was obviously not pleased with the man.. go read for yourself what was said to the man :). Do not be like the third man, do not bury your talent, the world needs to see it, the world is ready to see it.

There are 60.04 million (2021) in South Africa, alone, never mind the rest of the continent, the world. The market is not saturated, there is space for you, there is space for us.

G