TL;DR : No one cares about the unfinished product/skill/you, they want to see the highlight reel not the outtakes.

People (especially girls) don't really want to hear your struggles or your work-in-progress. Partially because it's boring, also because it shows weakness.

  • You: "I'm working on my app, it should be done soon"

  • Chad: "Download my app"

  • You: "I started weight lifting"

  • Chad: *takes off his shirt and everyone stares

  • You: "Yeah this project took me 10 hours to do"

  • Chad: Doesn't mention it and just presents a final product that's better than yours.

Chad had to work the same amount (if not more) than you did, he's just hiding the effort involved, thus making it seem like magic. He's mysterious, everything he does is perfect, he's fucking amazing.

This causes people to think, "If he can do that without trying, imagine what he's capable of if he actually worked hard". And makes them hamster that he's a god.

Now let's cut back to you, let's say you "make it", you made the app, got ripped, and finished a project. It's not the same. You'll seem like a try hard because people had time to evaluate the before and after and make's it look like you're a fake. You tried too hard, you care too much, you're boring. You don't have nearly the same effect because people think that that's not really you.

People like maintaining the status quo, you can't go from zero to hero without causing people some discomfort. Because it forces them to take a good hard look at themselves. You'll make them feel inadequate by comparison. And people will project their insecurities onto you.

Slip under their radar. Don't tell them that you're taking guitar lessons, or lifting 5 days a week. Otherwise when Chad starts playing Wonderwall shirtless, you look like a phony with your shitty chords and DYEL body.

Be the guy that comes out of fucking nowhere. Snip out the shitty parts, and piece together the highlight reel. Then show it to people and watch your hard work pay off.