If you could step into my shoes for a day, experience all my memories, and go on a journey of the last decade of my life.
I have no doubt in my mind, that you’d never hesitate to take action ever again.
Because what you’d realise, if you could step into my shoes, is that my path wasn’t well paved or thought out.
It wasn’t regimented or contrived.
There was no rhyme or reason.
And it looks nothing like the fear you’ve built up in your mind.
See, people usually stop themselves from taking action because of an idea.
The idea, of what that action represents.
But not reality.
They’ve conflated every step of the journey, success and failure, struggle and breakthrough.
And they’ve compressed it all into the one tiny decision to start.
In your mind, starting, has become synonymous with every possible future scenario imaginable.
You fear the outcome before you’ve even had a chance to start.
But the reality is that that decision means almost nothing.
Not yet at least.
I had a realization recently that I hope you’ll find helpful to hear.
Everything I have in my life today, is the result of the decision to learn one single skill.
Photography.
Everything I have achieved.
Every single person I have met.
Every single dollar I have learnt.
The house and office I am writing you this email from.
The confidence I have been able to build in myself.
The impact I've had on others.
Every single thing I have, was the compounding result of making that one single decision.
I didn’t decide one day that I wanted to build a million-dollar-per-year business.
And then fret over the insurmountable odds of achieving that goal.
I didn’t set out to garner a community of hundreds of thousands of people.
And then fear of the outcome of all that attention.
I didn’t set out with the intention of sharing my thoughts and opinions with the world.
And then fear the ridicule.
Hell I didn’t even set out with the intention of learning how to write like I am writing to you now.
But all of that, and everything I’ve achieved, was a crescendoing consequence of making that one truly insignificant decision.
If you’re scared to start, or you have started, and you’re overwhelmed with the new path unfolding in front of you.
Remember that everything you achieve in the future will be the result of one truly insignificant decision.
That may be the decision to learn a new skill.
Meet a new person.
Try a new format.
Anything.
So take an action today, throw yourself in the deep end.
See what you’re capable of.
And then watch the world reward you for it.
I cannot emphasise this enough.
I hope this helps.
Lesson
Create the content you want, regardless of the results, there's more upside that way.
I was having a conversation with a friend of mine this week regarding his content.
He's managed to grow an audience of over 300,000 followers around a specific niche, sharing tutorial content to help beginners in that niche.
For a long time, he loved it.
But as he's grown and evolved as a person, making this content has started to feel, as he described it:
"Stale and unrewarding."
And when I asked him why he continues to make this content, he said:
"Because it's the safe bet."
To which, here was my response:
"If you continue with this content, let's map out the best-case scenario of this "safe bet."
You might go viral, have a video hit 25 million views, gain 1 million new followers, and where will you find yourself?
In the exact same situation you are right now, but with the added pressure of 1 million people expecting you to show up each day.
You'll feel no different about the content.
You'll still be uninvested in the business which could ultimately create even worse results financially, not better...
...More customers means more potential negative feedback because you're uninvested.
And ultimately, you'll end up with 1 million followers, stuck creating content you fucking hate, with a business that is uninspiring and lacks real significant results."
Not such a "safe bet", after all.
Now lets compare to the alternative.
Imagine if he decides to make the content he actually wants to.
The worst-case scenario is that he never has any of the videos take off, but he slowly converts a small percentage of his current audience over to this new style and manages to leverage the audience he already has into enough brand deals to make a decent income.
After all, brands won't know he built his audience off of other content...
But the best-case scenario?
One or two or six months in, one of these new videos hits.
He begins to gain a new audience for what he actually wants to create.
And a year or two later, he's creating content he actually likes, to an audience he likes, with a business he actually likes.
All upside, barely any downside.
Make the content you actually want to.
This fear of pivoting or evolving isn't based on reality, it's your comfort zone.
It's easier for you to keep making the same content you always have, achieving "just okay" results, than it is to change and try something better.
Resource
I listened to Chris Williamsons podcast with Tim Ferris this week, you can find it here.
Fantastic listen.
Over the last two years, I've become an even greater fan of Tim Ferris. But not because of his content, but because of the things he does.
He fully buys into maximising the sustainability of everything he does, and the results of that are self-evident.
Question
What do I have now that I dreamed of having five years ago?
...
You can reply directly to this email with anything you created, consumed, or thought about this week.
|
|
Thank you once again for spending some of your time with me & reading Inspired Insights.
Talk soon,
|
What can I help you with?
Time to Build
Time to Build cohort seven is opening for enrollments next week! So, if you're ready to build your personal brand and online business in 2024, join the waitlist via the button below.
|
|
Creator Launchpad
The Last Notion Template You'll Ever Need For Your Creator Business. Manage, systemize, and run everything from financial reporting to content planning all in one place.
|