Archive of posts from January 2022

Popular opportunity.

We see it all the time.

It’s Google AdWords by 2020.

It’s the BTC bull-run purchase.

It’a BAYC at 100Ξ.

These are popular opportunities, or “pop-ops” as I’m referring to them here.

But there are opportunities everywhere…

Unpopular ones…

And if you can only see pop-ops, you’ll miss all the others.

Nothing wrong with pop-ops, where attention goes, money flows too. But learning to spot not-yet-popular opportunities is a learnable superpower.

How many Picasso paintings would you recognise?

How about, how many could you name?

We all know he was a famous painter, who made great work.

But did you know he created an estimated 50,000 paintings, drawings, sculpture and ceramics during his lifetime?

50,000.

That’s a lot.

Most of us wouldn’t recognise more than 20.

One of the all-time greats… and we’d recognise 0.0004% of his work.

Not everything you make needs to be a home-run. Not everything you make needs to be a huge success. 0.0004% is greatness.

Keep making, friends.

Stressed about the future?

“No one ever loses a life other than the one they are living, and no one ever lives a life other than the one they are losing.” — Marcus Aurelius

Love this quote, written in a way that sticks in your mind so you’re less likely to forget it… the message it’s teaching us is simple:

All that we all have is now; we possess neither the past nor the future. So, to do your best, is to do so with what you have: the Now.

A plan for the day, a day well served, a review of the day for a better tomorrow (should we get to have a tomorrow)… this is what we’ve got.

So why stress about the future?

Trying to get your content shared online?

Not working out to well?

Here’s a question that’s more powerful than we give it credit for:

“Would I share it?”

If the answer is “I probably would”, it’s a No.
If the answer is “No because”, it’s still a No.
If the answer is “I wouldn’t be able to help myself”, now we’re onto something.

Great content doesn’t get shared.

Mind-blowing head-turning holy-moly-look-at-that content gets shared.

The first rule of spreading great content:

Exceed great.

Reading some Plutarch, this stood out:

Spartan warriors who lost their shields received the death penalty, because “the shield protects every man in the line.”

If they lost their weapon, they were fined.

That’s quite a difference in penalties!

But it does draw attention to how important they deemed one’s ability to protect others, and what that meant to them.

The ability to attack wasn’t what ‘protect’ meant to them. To attack was to ‘attack’. No, to them, the shield represented their ability to ‘protect’.

To advance, defeat and conquer was secondary.

To protect — defending your line and introducing a modicum of safety to those in your group — was primary.

Lesson:

Losing your ability to fight is one thing.
But NEVER lose your ability to protect those close to you.

Long-term games give prizes to long-term players. Short-term tactics or problems do not affect the state of play.

Short-term games give prizes to short-term players. Long-term tactics or problems do not affect the state of play.

This is true in business, in trading, and in life.

Make sure you know what kind of prizes you’re looking for, and what kind of games you want to play. They’re not all the same.

When we hear “there’s good news and bad news”, we think that’s bad.

It’s not.

What we should be afraid of is “it’s all good news”.

All good news is hiding something. There’s always a challenge to overcome, always a bit of chaos when things are growing. If it’s not being shared, why is it being hidden?

All good news means no mistakes were made. And mistakes happen when we try to do hard things. No mistakes means no hard things were attempted, or someone is lying.

“Good news and bad news” shows us what’s really going on.

All good news might be bad news in disguise.

This is the reality.

There is too much opportunity.

If you don’t feel this is the case, you need to sharpen your opportunity-spotting skills.

But when you see how much of it there is, you have to remember:

Taking on too much opportunity at once will dampen your ability to show up properly to the ones you’ve already decided to embrace.

If an opportunity is taking a while to roll, piling on more opportunity will only slow it further.

If an opportunity sounds too good to miss, you may miss it anyway because of your diluted attention.

There is always more opportunity…

…so instead of FOMOing into too many at once…

…show us all what you can do with that opportunity.

Do you have big plans for the year?

Are they so big that you wonder how you’ll get it all done?

I find that, sometimes, I have a habit of wanting to “protect” my future-self from situations.

Almost as though I think that person won’t exhibit the same levels of strength, capability, intellect and resolve as the today-me does.

Almost as though I’ve forgotten that, providing a daily discipline of growth and personal development continues, the opposite will in fact be true.

Perhaps this sounds familiar to you.

Here’s what Marcus had to say on the matter:

“Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” - Marcus Aurelius

Don’t protect the future-you. He/she is, if you’re growing, going to be much more capable than you are to meet the challenges ahead.

The best we can do is do the best we can do, and tee up great opportunities for that strong person to sink their teeth into with strength you can only imagine today.

Do you journal? If so, how often?

I’ve made a small change to my process that is helping me immensely…

First, the inspiration:

“We reflect upon only that which we are about to do. And yet our plans for the future descend from the past.” - Seneca

At first glance Seneca is referring to reflecting on more than just your day, but there’s more to it.

He’s also talking about the plans for the future, and the relationship between these things. How can we incorporate both of these to make our journaling more useful?

Incorporating both — preparation for the future and review of the past — helps us to aim before we fire, then reload for the next day:

#1 Prepare: What will I do today that will be better than yesterday? Aim, fire.

#2 Reflect: Did I do as I said? How do I grow from here? Did we hit it? Reload.

‘Prepare’ alone doesn’t help us refine our aim because we don’t assess where the shots land. And ‘Reflect’ alone doesn’t help refine our aim either because our shots weren’t aimed with the focus and conviction the day deserved.

So if you use journaling to help manage your growth (you should try it if you don’t!) then I recommend both Prepare and Reflect.

Is your work an investment, a durable good, or a commodity?

In the past, you knew your category by what you sold.
In digital, you get to choose.

If you sold an investment or luxury (such as a good stock, or prestigious timepiece) the logic is to collect, for its value will increase. Buying occurs due to scarcity and rarity.

If you sold a durable good (such as a car or smartphone) the logic is to upgrade, because its value will decrease. Buying occurs because this one is the new one and belief is that the economy is developing.

If you sold a commodity (such as socks or food) the logic is to consume, because its value is now gone. Buying occurs because it’s deemed necessary.

For instance, a web designer could be any of these things. An investment if their involvement is singularly very impactful, their pedigree useful, and they’re deemed a rare talent. A durable if they’re rebuilding a SMB website with a popular theme that fits current trends. A commodity if they belong to a just-in-time shop who’s cold email landed during an emergency.

You get to choose.

Please start a newsletter.

It doesn’t need to be fancy, elaborate, or perfect.

It doesn’t need the ‘best’ platform, the ‘right’ editorial calendar, or the right ‘growth plan’.

It just needs you, your work, and what you’re up to, so we can all follow along with what you’re doing.

We want to see your work.
We want to cheer you on.
We want to see you succeed.

Please start a newsletter.

There’s a ‘better’ opportunity almost upon us.

There’s a new technology that will obsolete innovations of today.
There’s a big chance that your work might not work.
There’s a better computer coming out in 8 months.
There’s an even ‘better’ opportunity after the one that’s almost here.

We can choose now or later, now or perfect…

…but now exists.
Now lets us make things better.
Now lets us make the next thing possible.
Now might even make ‘the next thing’ our opportunity.

What are you waiting for?

Opportunity is so abundant that even your scraps are a recipe for success.

Kingsford Charcoal has been around for 110 years and enjoys 80% BBQ market share.

It exists because each Ford Model T had 100ft² of wood in it which, over millions of cars, creates a whole lot of scrap wood.

So Ford burned it into porous, microcrystalline profit.

For 110 years.

Makes you wonder: what gold is hiding in your refuse?

When you hear, “Solve interesting problems”, what comes to mind?

Some tell me they think it’s anything but the work they’re doing. This might be an indicator that they’re ready for change.

Some tell me they don’t like it because it’s not what they’re doing and they like their work. This might be an indicator they missed something…

…That “interesting problems” aren’t a grandiose to-do list made by others for you to strike things off from.

They’re things that you find interesting, in your unique intersection of skills, experience, interests and goals.

We need you to solve “interesting problems” because doing so shines a light on the apex of your genius.

For all of us, please: solve interesting problems.

Is freedom important to you?

What kind?

There are 2 types of freedom:

#1 Freedom To
Freedom to buy a fancy car
Freedom to quit your job
Freedom to buy a nice house
Freedom to join any club you like

#2 Freedom From
Freedom from needing to go anywhere you don’t want to go
Freedom from activities that don’t engage you
Freedom from a life dictated by external factors
Freedom from limiting beliefs that govern life

What freedom do you value more?

How can you make your business or project a great bet for customers, staff, and investors?

Great people only need one thing in order to be great:

Time.

Investing in projects with average teams but lots of luck or media endorsements is unlikely to be a great long-term bet.

Investing in projects with a great team may doesn’t always pay off as quickly as you’d like, but it usually does pay off with a long enough timescale.

So the best thing you can do, is be a great person who works with great people, then give it time.

If that sounds like you, you’re probably going to be just fine.

What messes you around?

The first thought might be a particular employee. Or family member. Or market. Or project failure.

But of course, all of those are false.

“Who then is invincible? The one who cannot be upset by anything outside of their reasoned choice.” - Epictetus, Discourses, 1.18.21

We mess ourselves around by creating an environment in our minds where we think we can control things we can’t.

We can’t control those employees, family members, markets or market receptions. We can only really control our thoughts and what we do about them.

When we forget this, it’s us vs the world.
When we remember this, we’re invincible.

It just so happens that a project led or influenced by someone who is invincible tends to be far better off because of it.

Big changes are coming.

In one afternoon, I spoke to tech collaborations for two major shoe brands… to a million dollar ethereum mining facility… to huge new metaverse developments… to innovative education tech… to interviews for a bunch of exciting new hires…

Opportunity is everywhere. Even during global pandemics.

There’s always space in the market for something different, something special, something great.

There’s space for your ideas to thrive.

What are you waiting for?

What’s the path? Is there one?

It’s the same path as for everything else… remembering what’s in our control and what isn’t.

And all that’s truly in our control is our ability to choose.

The market can do all kinds of crazy stuff. So can employees, strategic partners, investors, industry trends, economies…

…requiring a certain customer response is the path to anxiety. As is requiring a certain employee to stay, or an industry to bend in your favour.

Requiring nothing of anything outside of your continued ability to make reasoned choices is the path to serenity.

Keep choosing rationally. Never mind the rest.

Just go.

You have the idea, the ability and the resolve.

You could research more, deliberate more, ponder more, wait for the perfect moment more. Or you could Go.

Execution is the secret sauce people are looking for in their research notes. You only find it by taking action.

What are you waiting for?

Why did our experimental personal development project decide to explore web3?

Here’s the thing.

While the NFT market is crazy at the moment, and everyone has an opinion on whether they’re great or terrible… but they’re here right now.

It’s tricky to see it clearly in January 2022… But if you really look, you’ll see how they could potentially be instrumental in powering the future of rich experiences more complex and elaborate than what was possible before a fully decentralised and immutable technology like this existed.

Web3 tech reveals an API for a person to record their interests and experiences, and use that info to create even more experiences, all without big tech’s walled gardens enforcing false ceilings on potential.

It could be a bunch of nonsense. Or it could be a new era of creativity and innovation. The unknown is why it’s interesting.

Especially to independent creatives.

They don’t like the popular narrative of being governed by big tech.

This reprsents a new area of power and interest for them.

I’ll leave you with this quote from the Tao Te Ching:

“What is a good man but a bad man’s teacher? What is a bad man but a good man’s job?”

There is opportunity everywhere, friends. The more you look, the more you see.

Perhaps it’ll pan out, perhaps it won’t. But it’s here, right now

What’s a ‘worthy valve’?

I just made it up - the concept I want to share with you has no name, so I gave it a name (despite not being very good at naming things!)

This is a one-way valve. It flows one of these two ways:

#1 Toward our work. In this case, we ask ourselves, “Am I worthy of this project or undertaking?” Here, we’re intimidated by the work and wonder whether or not we fit the assignment.

#2 Toward ourselves. In this case, we ask ourselves, “Is this project or undertaking worthy of me?” Here, we’re intimidated by the finite amount of time available on Earth, and want to spend that time only on things we deem truly worth our time.

I find that most ambitious people choose option #1. They wonder if a certain business, project, follower count or financial milestone is possible for them.

But I find that option #2 is the healthier choice. Here we remember that all of those achievements mean nothing to us when we’re gone, and fade with our passing.

Consider making option #2 your default setting.

Time is precious.

Popularity can only be controlled to a degree.

The market decides, and it doesn’t decide rationally.

POGs — small circular plastic discs with pictures on them — were popular in the 90s when kids had access to comics, virtual pets, video games, all sorts of things. Yet we enjoyed POGs so much that schools started banning them due to how disruptive they were.

Select NFT projects — ones that came out of nowhere with no roadmap or proof of work — explode in popularity when other projects have been hard at work for months for a fraction of their market valuation. Despite proof of work, consistent delivery of promises, and better utility.

Things that will be in vogue this year in 2022 — some won’t seem to make any sense. Something will explode in popularity and leave you wondering how it makes any sense when compared to the hard work you’re putting into your endeavours.

It doesn’t have to make sense.

The market decides, and it doesn’t decide rationally.

Nevermind the swells and trends. Focus on doing the best work of your life. Your time will come.

Got a great project you’re working on?

Daring to make is great. But it might be scary to share.

Perhaps because you don’t know if you can pull it off. Perhaps because you don’t know if others will think it’s crazy.

Daring to share is important too, it’s the first step toward shipping.

If you’re lucky, you won’t know if you can pull it off – that’s because you’re stretching yourself and doing work that will make you better.

And if you’re lucky, others will think you’re crazy – that’s because you’re trying to change the culture and make things better.

Dare to make. Dare to share. We need people like you to be brave.

Somethings are easy to predict.

If you’re a CRO, optimising a website for conversions has patterns and rhymes based on audience data.

…and then there’s the absurd ideas that just hit the market right and skyrocket in performance despite not working yesterday.

If you’re an SEO, optimising an article for long-tail search terms has patterns and rhymes based on the trailing indicators of past work.

…and then there’s a term that hits the culture that you weren’t expecting, creating unreproducible surges of traffic to your work.

If you’re building a brand, there are market trends you can follow to help guide you to positive niche reception.

…and then there’s the irrational idea that takes off and wins the hearts of waves of people because it just vibes right.

We’re not logical. We invented logic. We’re irrational, emotional creatures.

Please, use the data available to you. But remember to embrace the beauty of how random we are as a species.

It’s full of opportunity if you dare to be different.

What do you think of nonsense?

It could have more utility than you realise:

Cookies in the apartment complex foyer are nonsense. Yet they make visitors feel warm and a little more ‘at home’, which is the point.

Wearing full chef’s whites in a chain restaurant is nonsense. Yet it makes you feel like you’re being looked after by an expert who knows how to operate more than a microwave, which is the point.

Taking shoes off at the airport is nonsense. Yet it makes you feel like security is being taken seriously and that you’re safe, which is the point.

Sometimes, things that aren’t pragmatic, inherently useful to the fulfilment of a product order or service, or even conventionally sensible, are the point.

If, of course, the point is to give those you serve a wonderful experience that they’ll tell their friends about.

Remember when people had hobbies?

Before they decided to live a life of overworking themselves then crashing on the couch with some below-average TV shows?

The hobby is ready for a refresh.

Your paintings don’t have to live in a cupboard, they can live on Etsy or OpenSea. Your skills don’t have to develop accidentally and sporadically, but with the support of an abundance of free online training.

The thing you want to make may be something others want to make too. You could make it together, from across the world, in real-time. Others might even like to buy it.

Hobby used to mean “something you do for fun that has no market value”.

Now it just means “something you do for fun”.

I wonder if it’s time to ditch the question, “so what do you do for work?” and replace it with “so what’s your hobby?”

Are you a curious person?

You were once when pursuing your line of work… But are you STILL a curious person?

From Walter Isaacson in “The Innovators”:

“Curiosity. Pure, passionate, and playful curiosity about everything. Steve Jobs was curious about calligraphy and coding, while Da Vinci was curious about art and anatomy. They wanted to know everything about everything that was knowable. Ben Franklin wanted to know about science, the humanities and poetry. Even Einstein wanted to understand Mozart at the same time that he studied general relativity. Curiosity leads to an interest in all sorts of disciplines, which means you can stand at the intersection of the arts and sciences, which is where creativity occurs. A wide range in curiosity allows you to see patterns exist across nature and how those patterns ripple.”

Curiousity is nurtured in empty space reserved for it to be explored.

Once explored, it lets you see around corners and more accurately predict the future.

Sounds useful, doesn’t it?

You may already have one.

It’s a crypto wallet.

A place where identity, taste and status are signalled to the world. Better than a description or bio where you can write whatever you like, it’s a full-colour record of your ticket stubs, supported projects, priorities and interests.

Are you someone who chases after digital luxury? What kinds?

Or someone who benevolently supports budding entrepreneurs and artists? What kinds?

Or someone who uses others as stepping stones to what you want?

Or someone who has been a member of a particular club since the beginning? Which clubs?

Or someone who donates time and/or money to good causes? Which causes?

We can tell by looking at your online personality mood-board, as I’ve been endearingly referring to it.

There’s no path to follow or right/wrong way of filling your mood-board.

But what’s there will reflect on you. It’ll help us get an idea of who you are.

Worth thinking about.

Loyalty programs.

Reward schemes.

How often do these things ever make you like a brand more?

Or share it with others?

Loyalty programs don’t make people loyal. They make people hunt for deals.

Loyalty comes from community. Togetherness. The celebration of “us”. Community.

When there’s community, the brand is the standard bearer that represents “us”.

When there’s no community, the brand is the logo next to the discount sticker.

Goodbye, loyalty programs. Hello, community and a heart of service.