yann girard - rethinking the now

Created it for you...

As an entrepreneur you create your job. As an employee you take your job from someone who created it for you. Big difference...

Understanding the problem

You're probably scared. Or don't know what to do. Or how to do it. Or you feel like you don't have enough resources. But whatever it is, try to figure out what the real problem is and start working on finding a solution. Because if you don't really know and understand the problem, you'll never be able to find a solution...

Interesting or perfect

You can either be perfect, interesting or invisible. The problem about being perfect is that there'll always be someone who's better, faster, nicer or "more perfect" than you. The problem about being invisible is, well, you're invisible. And the problem about being interesting is that there's no clear path. No benchmark. And zero guidance. There's just you. Your journey. And yourself… So what's it gonna be?!

Problem solution

If you don't really know and understand the problem, you'll never be able to find a proper solution...

As many as you possibly can

Coming up with ideas isn't really the problem. Even coming up with good ideas isn't really the problem. The real problem is figuring out how to execute those ideas. And the only way to figure out how to execute ideas is to execute as many as you possibly can. Good ones and bad ones. Especially bad ones...

Detailed plans

It doesn't really matter how much you research. Or how detailed your plans are. What matters is how fast and how often you're able (and willing) to change your mind…

Maybe...

Maybe you're not as good as you think you are at telling people what to do. Maybe you're just lucky that they know what to do and how to do it...

At first...

At first, you define the things you do. But over time, the things you do will define you. Keep that in mind...

Four steps to success

Getting started is the first step. The second step is to not lose hope. The third step is to not give up. And the last step is to keep going. That's pretty much about it...

Think again...

Safety and stability are some of the most expensive things out there. They will not only cost you time and opportunities, but they will also cost you most of your freedom, your flexibility and your independence...

Know more

Pretty simple: The less you know, the safer you'll play...

You'll suck.

You'll suck at everything you've never done before. Maybe your first 10 attempts will suck. Maybe your first 50. Maybe your first 100. Maybe even more. No one really knows. What matters is that you keep showing up. And don't just give up...

Always selling to...

You're always selling to people. Even if you're selling to companies. Keep that in mind...

Start before you're forced to...

Change is hard. And takes a lot of energy. That's why real change can only happen from a position of power. When you're feeling strong. And not when you're feeling weak. So don't wait too long. And start before you're forced to...

Where everybody else is...

Never underestimate the stuff that everybody else ignores. Because the really good stuff can only be found at the edges. Where no one else is. And not in the middle. Where everybody else is...

Nothing left...

Running out of ideas doesn't necessarily mean running out of ideas. What it often really means is that we just ran out of things to do that we already know how to do. But that's something else entirely...

While others call it stupidity

Some people call it wisdom. While others know that it was gained through making a lot of stupid mistakes and all the lessons that came with them…

Losing your own money

The best and probably only way to really learn and understand something is when there's the possibility that you can lose your own (and not someone else's) money...

As much as you possibly can

It's not about doing as much as you possibly can. It's about how much you're able to do by doing as little as you possibly can. Density beats quantity. Always...

Much more predictable...

Optimizing something that already exists feels safe. And predictable. And easy. And relatively cheap. Creating something new doesn't. That's why rarely anybody’s doing it. Even though, in the long run, it'll be much safer, much more predictable, much easier and much cheaper...

Everybody else...

It's usually everybody else's fault. But it's always worth remembering that we're also part of someone else's "everybody else"...

So rare...

You can study business for many years and never really know a damn thing about how a business really works. Just like you can learn a language for many years without ever being able to properly speak that language. Learning without doing is useless. Just like doing without learning is useless. It's difficult enough to do just one of the two. Let alone both of them at the same time. That's why it's so valuable. And rare...

It still is...

The right thing to do is rarely the easiest thing to do. But it's still the right thing to do...

Doing nothing...

Once you've succeeded in doing something that you thought was impossible, you realize that everything is possible. But the problem about realizing that everything is possible, is that you realize that everything is possible. And when people realize that everything is indeed possible, they often want to do everything. And when you want to do everything, you usually end up doing nothing...

All about...

It's not about the things you know. Or the things you say. Or the things you believe in. Ultimately, it's only about the things you do...

The easiest thing...

The easiest thing in the world with the biggest impact? Changing your mind. The hardest thing in the world with the biggest impact? Changing your mind. You choose...

When everybody needs you

To be free, the goal isn't to be completely independent. The goal is to be diversified. Because you'll always depend on someone. Sometimes it's a boss. Sometimes a client. An investor. A user. A reader. A viewer. Or a listener. True freedom isn't when nobody needs you. But when everybody needs you...

 

The problem

If you want to learn skills that will help you to become less dependent on a job, don't expect to learn those skills at any job. Expect to learn those skills in your spare time. Because no one is going to pay you to learn skills that will help you to become more independent. If anything, you'll get paid to become more dependent. But defnitely not less...

It's too short.

Life’s too short to not fall in love. To not fall out of love. It's too short to not try new things. It's too short to keep trying new things. It's too short to not take risks. It's too short to keep taking risks. Life's too short to have someone else tell you what to do and what not to do...

Get it over with...

Life lessons can't really be taught. Not by reading books, watching videos or by listening to podcasts. Unfortunately, the really important stuff can only be learned the hard way. So better get it over with as soon and as early as you possibly can...

Work worth doing

It's hard to do the kind of work that no one told you to do. But it's the only one worth doing. Because it's the only work that only you can do. And no one else...

The hook

Your friends, your family and pretty much everybody out there wants you to fail. But it has nothing to do with you personally. And everything with the people themselves. Because if you can do it, that means they can do it, too. And that puts them on the hook. And nobody likes being on the hook...

Yeah, why not?

If you feel like you could do better in life than this, then why don't you just do it...?

Will it be worth it?

If it takes a lot of time, effort, patience and perseverance, it's probably worth it. If it doesn't, it's probably worthless....

The sum of your fears...

The size of the gap between what you're doing and what you'd be capable of doing, can easily be explained by the sum of your fears and the number of your excuses...

The work they put in

"All great ideas have already been taken." Until you realize that most great ideas started out very differently from what they are today. None of them started out great. It's the people that made them great. And the work they put in...

Lying to yourself

If your product sucks, it doesn't really matter how much or how little you charge. No one's going to buy it. Just like if you have a great product, it doesn't really matter how much or how little you charge. Because everybody's going to buy it. Now of course, the tricky part is recognizing which one of the two you have. And then to not lie to yourself about which one you really have...

Very likely

When you do stuff that works, you're blind to the things that don't work, yet. Unfortunately, the stuff that works today is very likely not going to work anymore tomorrow. And the stuff that doesn't work today is very likely going to work tomorrow...

Reaching everybody

Everything that's big today was once small. And everything that's popular was once unknown. And the things that reach everybody today, reached almost nobody back then. Keep that in mind...

Weak ties

It's not about what you know. Or who you know. In the end it's all about who knows about you and what you do...

Nothing in common

It takes twelve years to get your high school diploma. Four years to get your bachelors. So overall, around 16 years of education to get a decent job. So why do people think that starting a company and being successful will happen within a year or two? Starting a business has nothing to do with the things that are being taught in school...

Who you could be

Who you are today is the only thing in the way of who you could be tomorrow...

The next level

The only way to get to the next level is the willingness to risk everything you've achieved while reaching the last level...

Mediocre products

If you think you have a sales problem, you probably have a product problem. Because a really good product or service will never have a sales problem. On the other hand, a mediocre product or service will always have a sales problem. Keep that in mind...

Ignorant

The real problem usually isn't that people ignore the facts. Or that they're stupid. Or ignorant. The real problem is that most people just don't want to change their minds...

Much later

We tend to expect the good stuff to happen much earlier than it usually does. Just like we tend to expect the bad stuff to happen much later than it usually does. Act accordingly...

Speeding things up

If you feel like you're not moving fast enough, consider eliminating all of the other options you have. This should speed things up. A lot...

No matter how good you are...

You might think you're an artist. Or a designer. Or a writer. Or a singer. Or a painter. But what you really are, is a marketer. And a seller. Because if you aren't, then no one is ever going to find out about you and what you do. No matter how good you are....

But no money...

Just a few years ago, most of the skills worth learning needed a lot of money. Today, most of the skills worth learning take balls but no money...

The easiest thing to do....

Many times, the easiest thing to do turns out to be the hardest thing to do. And the hardest thing turns out to be the easiest thing to do....