Archive of posts from November 2021

Have you ever tried rushing to get something done more quickly?

Did it, on reflection, achieve much of anything, all that much faster?

…Then why not try choosing a fun, sustainable pace, instead?

What if that were to be the path to achieving more in a smaller space of time?

Scars, failures and shortcomings make the work better.

How?

Scars reveal that you experienced something difficult, but were the stronger of the two.

Failures reveal that you tried something difficult, and learned a lesson that will make that difficult thing more likely to be accomplished by you than by someone who had not.

Shortcomings reveal that you have still yet work to do, and that your very best has yet to be experienced by the world.

How could these things be anything but good things for the work you’re about to embark on?

Judging a community you don’t actively participate in isn’t really judging community.
It’s judging what things look like when you’re not around.

Surely that must make it worse, right?

Try actively engaging.
Showing up.
Bringing your skills and your talents.
Over and over again.

Try getting to know the others.
Making friends.
Supporting others.
Sharing in the ups and downs.

Try making things better because you’re there.
Fixing the broken things you find.
Improving the things that benefit from your touch.
And helping others to do the same.

Then judge the community.

After all…

If both options are available, but only makes your life — and the lives of everyone else involved — so much better, why not choose that one?

The energy of opportunity can be our downfall if not wielded properly.

When you see it all around you, the temptation is to chase all of it.

Yet doing so means you catch none.

When you see how great each can become, the temptation is to pile every hour you have into it.

Yet doing so means you lose the ability to see the beauty of opportunity.

Flowers bloom and die, books get bought but not read, family members get lost on long walks that you couldn’t share in the memory of.

Opportunity is in those things too, remember. The opportunity to appreciate the moment, to make memories, and to live a full life.

We should all learn to see and to love the energy of opportunity.

Just remember to also learn how to wield it properly.

Which is more important?

The journey is the ride — the highs and lows – that take you to the destination.

The destination is the goal — the target that you set – that all the work is designed to take you to.

The company – those you journey with – determine whether it will be an enjoyable, fulfilling, meaningful journey… one that brings out the best in you and helps you thrive along the way… or one that steals your life and weakens your spirit.

What if we were to decide which is the most important element…

And what if we were to value that element more than the others?

There’s a piece of work in your future…

One that you’ll collaborate with someone on…

Someone you’ve not met, yet.

But you’ll show up in the market.
In your communities.
On your social platforms.

And you’ll find them.
Or maybe they’ll find you.
It doesn’t matter.

When you meet, the great work may not be immediately obvious.

But it will become obvious as you show up fully to the relationships in your life, and eyes open for opportunity to make itself known.

This great work starts with brave meetings.

Bravely showing up and meeting with others.

What are you waiting for?

The market is where we gather.
A vibrant, organic, chaotic cocktail of energy flowing between buyers and sellers.

A community is also where we gather.
A vibrant, organic, uniform camaraderie flowing between those with shared goals.

We need both.

One to engage in society, bring our skills to bear, and share meaningful work.

And one to find peace, a safe place to germinate new ideas and grow together.

We need you to have both. So you can be healthy, safe, and produce bodies of work that change our world.

We’re counting on you.

You know that really important project you’ve been sitting on?

The one you’d love to make and release to the world, but it’s not the right time yet?

It might be time to take a look at it.

There is no “right time” in space-time.

There is only being mentally ready or mentally not ready.

If you’re mentally ready, it’s time. Now you can execute.
If you’re not mentally ready, it’s not time. It’s never time.

Understanding the difference will transform your work.

You’ve probably heard that speed is a variable of success in your work.

But you also probably misinterpreted the statement.

“Speed is a variable” is not the same as “Going fast is necessary”.

‘Speed’ is knowing the pace at which something moves.
‘Variable’ is an element or factor.

So what it really means is, “Knowing the pace of your movement is an element of success.”

There are times to go fast.
There are times for slowing down.
There are times where no change is appropriate.

All are normally present in healthy, sustainable, resilient work.

Industries are on their knees due to covid…

“My market crashed, who’s going to pay my bills?”
“Our business closed, who’s responsible for this?”
“Who’s gonna pay for all this?”

Here’s a different take:

This is one of the joys of a free, open market…

…of a market that changes all the time.

It changes because of world events…
Disasters…
Customer demand…
Competition…
Technical breakthroughs…

…It just keeps changing

That means that there is constantly a whole world of opportunity available to us all.

In a developing market, we have the opportunity to innovate alongside a bull run of excitement and energy.

In a hurting market, we have the opportunity to innovate and take things in new, undiscovered directions.

Whether your market is up or down…
Whether your skills are in demand or decline…
…Remember that constant flux means constant opportunity.

You’re never too late, your failures never last, your chances never run dry.

You need only the eyes to see it, the mindset to embrace it, and the courage to try.

What’s the formula for a resilient business?

Courage = start that business
Wisdom = know how to run it
Justice = know why you run it
Temperance = know when to run it

Combine all 4 = Resilient business

Now here’s the secret:

These four elements are the core virtues as defined by Xeno of Citium many moons ago.

They became the core pillars of Stoicism.

Many more business lessons can be found in philosophy. They’ll transform your business by transforming you.

Dear ‘Negative Self Talk’,

It’s been a good run.

We’ve shared decades together. Good times and bad.

But I’m sorry to say, you’ve been a bit of a downer in my life over the years.

And it’s time to say goodbye.

I’m going to be hanging out with ‘Positive Self Talk’ from now on.

He’s cool, supportive, and he speaks the truth.

All the best in the future,

Adam

Hot new VC startup: Millions in revenue, annual net loss. We see this all the time.

My lil’ company: Stable & fun, profitable every year, exciting projects, a joy to work on. This is rare.

Look after your customers and they’ll look after you as a provider.

Look after your holders and they’ll look after you as a creator.

If you’re not creating, we’d all love to see what’s inside you.

Stable and profitable fun could be right on the other side of your courage.

Whether you love or hate NFTs…

Accelerated community connection is good.
After all, that’s a huge part of what makes NFT collections valuable.

Privacy-powered accountable tech is good.
After all, that’s a huge part of what makes NFT utilities valuable.

Art is good.
After all, that’s a huge part of what makes the NFT itself valuable.

Opportunity is everywhere you look.

You just need eyes to see.

What abuse, loss, and blackmail taught me about “Modern Marketing” and being a creator:

(For context, those are all things that my wife and I have experienced at scale over our lives… they’re personal… but they teach some valuable lessons that will help you on your journey as a creator)

#1 Meet in the narrow

When you realise that things can’t take away your reason, virtues, and principles…the game changes.

You get permission (from yourself) to be yourself & engage those who want your unique approach to solving problems.

Example: I use comics to make abstract concepts simple. Both in business matters, and in personal philosophical matters. Some people don’t like comics. That’s fine. I do them because MY people love the clarity that they bring.

#2 Resilience is key

There are setbacks on a weekly (if not daily) basis.

Your environment is stronger than your will, but your virtues and your philosophy can be stronger than both.

Remember to invest in the development of YOU.

Example: When I overextend myself, I sacrifice time I should spend working on myself.

Then…I don’t sleep as well.
I get anxious about things.
I get stressed about things.

But when I remember to invest in myself, I’m resilient. You are your project’s most important asset.

#3 You are undervalued

No, really. Your potential has yet to be fully realised. That’s a GOOD thing.

When you find an underpriced stock or an NFT that’s about to moon, that’s a GOOD thing, right?

The same applies to you. Get excited about you & what you’re capable of.

Example: When we forget this one, it affects our decision-making skills. It’s a breeding ground for insecurity to thrive. You do NOT need to shill yourself or your work. You simply need to keep showing up with your best work.

#4 Pay the tax

(Not talking about the year-end financial kind) I’m talking about the daily one Marcus Aurelius spoke of.

People will reject you, your ideas, your offers. Some will say bad things about you & your work.

This is the tax we pay for a free market. Show up anyway.

Example: One time, on a video ad where I made a very generous offer to a specific demographic… I had someone comment about my “silly fake accent”! That’s just how I sound!

Taxes.

#5 You’re in full control

Don’t think you’re not!

As before, no one can take away your reason, virtues, and principles.

There is no failure, only feedback. No criticism, only feedback.

You get to bring Your work to market. No imposter syndrome required.

Example: I’ve started projects that never got going.
You’ve likely never heard of them.

Similarly, I’ve started projects that worked really well. You may even be a buyer of some of them.

We’re in control of what we make and promote. You are absolutely no exception.

“Modern Marketing” is full of lists, guides & rules you supposedly must follow.

But an era of creativity and freedom is coming.

So:
Meet in the narrow.
Build resilience.
Know your value.
Pay the tax
Know you’re in control.

We’re all waiting to see what you’re capable of.

I had to take a few days off writing my daily blog.

More than a few days, actually close to a month.

Life was coming at us pretty hard with health-related matters, and time was allocated elsewhere.

But you know what’s important?

Vulnerability: showing up as you are, even when it stinks.

It’s not always possible or appropriate. But it is in this case.

You’re reading this because I caught back up. Every day missed, accounted for again.

My future-self (as of writing this) is really glad to have things back up to speed.

Especially in light of all the new project initiatives that are kicking off at the moment.

I can’t wait to share with you what we’re working on!

It’s hard to make people want things.

You need to understand what drives a person and how to manipulate their thinking.

It’s difficult, time-consuming and expensive.

It’s easy to make things people want.

You just have to ask them and give it to them.

It’s simple, quick and affordable.

Why do so many entrepreneurs prefer the former?

Chat — and sales — are missing a big opportunity.

Your website has a script on it… a particular choice of words you think will equip others to make a decision.

Your questions (clicks) return answers (pages) and those answers are also scripts, each designed to answer the question with the information site owners have (that you clicked).

Chat — and sales — are not websites. So why do we treat them like they are?

Scripts work for websites. They don’t work for chat. Limited input is a challenge for websites. They’re not for chat.

Chat has unlimited information. Chat gives the opportunity to go off-script and get to know what makes people unique, not just what makes them the same.

Let your website be a website (they’re good at that).

Let your chat — and sales — be human (it’s what people crave).

Growth isn’t linear. Nor is the effort required to grow.

More of what got you here is unlikely to get you there.

Entrepreneurs who “need this advertising campaign to work” didn’t count the cost of growing with PPC.

Creators who “want more fans and more free time” didn’t consider that those goals may not move in parallel with each other.

Enjoying where we are is no bad thing. Neither is wanting to grow.

Just remember to count the cost and prepare accordingly before you go.

Worried someone might steal your big idea?

If it’s big, they won’t.

People only steal ideas they believe are possible.

Google AdWords only had 350 advertisers when they launched.

Bitcoin was created 12 years ago. You could buy coins for $2.

If you need to protect your idea with an NDA, you may not be thinking big enough.

“The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself.” — Thales of Miletus

I was talking with a friend recently who felt they’d forgotten who they were.

Perhaps you can relate to this feeling. You might forget sometimes too. I think we all do a bit in times of change.

But don’t let it drag on: don’t be unsure about who you are. Get clear.

Agnosticism is lazy: You either have faith or you don’t. You believe or you don’t. You are or you are not. You’re pursuing or you’re not.

Don’t be agnostic about yourself.

Know who you are, then show up — everything is easier when you do.

“If I can just download the image file, why would I buy the NFT?”

Is the same as…

“If I can just download a picture of money, why would I work for yours?”

One method produces valuable (like gold or APPL stock, valuable because others think it is too).

The other method doesn’t (and risks bringing your integrity into question).

Value has always been divided into two camps:

1. Valuable to you because you decided it’s valuable
2. Valuable to a group because the group decided it’s valuable

For first is why you keep paintings your kids made.

The second is why people value the Mona Lisa. Or a Cryptopunk.

If you want to make something valuable to your family, make something your family values.

If you want to make something valuable to the market, make something the market values.

This is a really strange post for me to write.

I’m both excited and sad, at the same time.

Here we go:

There are some really big projects coming up soon.

I’ve been planning them for a little while, and they’re starting to take shape.

I don’t want to give away too much information just yet (I’ll share more over the coming days and weeks!) but today, I’d love to share a new focus for our company:

“Become Wiser, Kinder, Stronger & More Mindful in Business & Life with Creative Takes On The 4 Stoic Virtues.”

There are some fantastic (and significant) new bodies of work coming that I can’t wait to share with you.

Your business is going to benefit massively from what’s coming. And you will as a person, too.

Here’s the sad part:

These are going to take a significant amount of time to bring to life. So I’ve made the decision to spin down the daily comic as it currently stands.

It’s been four years of daily blogging and sharing ideas. Four years!

You’ve no idea the trials I’ve faced during those four years and yet managed to keep the ideas rolling…

And the act of producing these posts every day for four years? The effect it’s had on my idea muscles has been profound.

I thoroughly recommend you try it.

The ideas that are coming next are probably in part due to the discipline and transformation brought about by the daily post.

I think you’re going to absolutely love some of the things that are coming next.

Stay tuned and buckle up!

This is normal: • Working on a project, while… • Listening to music, while… • Messaging a friend or colleague, while… • Checking email real quick, while… • Notifications keep popping up about upcoming meetings.

When spelled out like that, it sounds really unfocused.

Almost as though it’s impossible to truly do great work.

And it might sound all too familiar.

This is not normal: • Working on a project, while… • Doing nothing else.

And yet it sounds like a recipe for progress, momentum, and growth.

Why not try that route?

We often focus on the wrong things when we want something:

If people buy from those they trust, demonstrate your trustworthiness… instead of your sales acumen.

If people buy from their friends, equip their friends to share… instead of strangers.

If people like people who show up vulnerably, let us all see the real you… instead of obsessing over post schedules.

The best answer is usually more direct, simple, and more emotionally taxing than the elaborate alternatives we ideate.

Let it be simple.

Let us see the real you.

“Work then retire” is the booby-prize.

What’s the alternative?

Let’s take a look:

#1 Work = sacrificing the now for an imaginary future. That’s how we often use the term ‘work’, and that’s the trade it represents in that context.

#2 Retirement = living in the now, tomorrow takes care of itself. The work is done, provisions have been made, and so one ceases to produce.

#3 Doing work you love = see #2. This needs a word to describe it. I’m not sure what it is if there is one. But creating from this place creates the output, engagement and stamina needed to provide for today and tomorrow with no sacrifice needed.

Are you doing the ‘new work’?

Or just the old kind?

There’s opportunity everywhere.

You couldn’t capture all of it if you tried:

Crypto? There’s NFTs, altcoins, cryptogaming… all with their own niches and patterns.

Marketing? There’s demand gen, lead gen, lead nurture… all with their own tactics and skillsets.

Property? There’s construction, acquisition, syndication… all with their own rules and routines.

There’s opportunity in every sub-category of every category.

Forget fomo: the art of focus is saying No to 1,000 things, so that you can honour your Yes with the care it needs to thrive.

LinkedIn can either be for spamming “leads”, or making “friends”.

One needs “targeted outbound” to consider you. The other doesn’t even need to be asked.

Twitter can either be for promoting your wares as “that guy”, or for contributing to the conversation as “one of the guys”.

One needs muting. The other we look out for and actively share with others.

In each case, both choices require effort, emotional labour, and time.

Why not choose the one that works?

Popular: “Listen to me, I have made something cool, you should want this, act now or FOMO”

Unpopular: “I’ve been listening to you, I heard what you want, and I’ve made that for you”

One is loud and threatens the senses. One cares and makes your life better.

Which sounds more like your marketing?

It’s never been easier to create online.

#1 You can make under your name and let the world follow along. Publishing is free, instant, and access has never been more available to us all.

#2 Afraid to do #1? You can make anonymously and learn by doing without any risk. Publishing is still free, anonymous creativity is broadly accepted, and the access is still there.

No more excuses for not making and shipping.

What are you going to make?