From the Front Porch
I got really into sewing during COVID. Not quilting or anything practical. I just wanted to make things with my hands that weren't digital.
Bought the best sewing machine I could buy. Took classes at a local shop when they reopened. Watched YouTube tutorials. Spent hours in my garage trying to make... anything that didn't look like a disaster.
First month? Everything I made was garbage. Crooked seams. Uneven hems. I couldn't even sew a straight line.
Second month? Still garbage. I'd spend two hours on something, step back, and realize it looked worse than when I started.
I'd finish a project, look at it, and immediately throw it in the trash. Not even worth keeping as practice.
I almost quit. Multiple times. I'd sit there thinking, "I'm 44 years old. I'm not going to suddenly become good at this. I'm wasting my time."
But I'd already bought the machine. Already paid for the classes. So I kept going.
Month three, still nothing I'd actually use. Month four, same.
Then month five, something shifted.
I made a bag. Not perfect, but... functional. I actually used it. Then I made another one. Better. Then I fixed a jacket that had been sitting in my closet for a year.
But here's what really changed: The focus I developed sitting at that machine for hours carried over into everything else. My patience increased. My attention to detail sharpened. I stopped rushing through things just to get them done.
I wasn't just learning to sew. I was rewiring how I approached problems.
The sewing compounded into better work. Better conversations. Better decisions.
But for four months, I had zero evidence any of it mattered. For four months, it just looked like an expensive hobby I was bad at.
I almost quit at month three. The compound effect showed up at month five.
How much have you abandoned right before it would have changed everything?
A Hard Truth
Compound energy is a liar.
It tells you nothing's working. It shows you no progress. It makes you feel like you're wasting your time.
Then one day, everything you invested shows up at once.
The problem? You quit during the silence.
You stop three weeks before the return. You give up right before the compound effect kicks in because you can't see it building.
You're not bad at building momentum. You're just impatient with invisible progress.
Every investment has a lag. The bigger the potential compound, the longer the lag. That's not failure, that's how compound energy works.
It doesn't give you progress reports. It doesn't show you the work it's doing behind the scenes.
It just asks you to keep investing when you have zero evidence it's working.
Most people can't do that. That's why most people never see the compound.
Today's Shift
The Compound Patience Framework:
Step 1: The 30-Day Minimum
Nothing compounds in a week. Give any energy investment at least 30 days before you evaluate if it's working.
Not 30 days of perfect execution. Just 30 days of showing up.
The sewing didn't work in week two. It worked in month five. But if I'd quit at week three, I'd never know.
Step 2: Track the Inputs, Not the Outputs
Stop asking "Is this working yet?" Start asking "Did I do it today?"
You can't control when the compound shows up. You can only control whether you keep investing.
Track what you can control: Did you show up? Did you put the energy in? That's it.
Step 3: Trust the Lag
There's always a gap between investment and return. Always.
The bigger the potential compound, the longer the silence.
That's not a sign it's not working. That's a sign it's building something bigger than you can see yet.
Stop quitting during the lag. The return is coming. You just can't see it yet.
What's Next
Tomorrow: Energy Boundaries - You've identified what compounds. Now you need to protect those investments from people who want to spend your energy for you. We'll show you how to guard your energy gains without becoming a selfish asshole, and why protecting your investments is the most generous thing you can do.
Bottom Line
I still sew. Not as much as I did during COVID, but enough to keep the skill sharp.
That bag I made in month five? I still use it. Reminds me that most things worth building don't show results when you want them to.
They show results when they're ready.
Stop quitting at month three. The compound is coming.
— Damien
