That one big decision isn't really a big decision.
It might look like one.
But it really is just the beginning of dozens of smaller decisions to come.
Decisions that'll be the consequence of that one seemingly big decision.
Decisions that you never thought you'd have to make.
Decisions that you never thought you'd be able to make.
So if you feel like you've got stuck somewhere along the way, it's possible that you just stopped making decisions and instead just waited for things to happen...
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If you don't know how to build a community of potential buyers before you have your final product, it's very likely that you're also not going to know how to do it once you've got your final product ready. So better to start thinking about it before you start panicking because no one's buying it. A cool bonus: Once you have a community of potential buyers it's a lot easier to figure out what they really want instead of offering them something that you think they might want (but probably don't want)...
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Sure, it's very likely that you're going to disappoint people if you do something you're not so good at, yet.
Just like you're going to disappoint people if you do something you've never done before.
But guess what...
The fastest way to disappoint anyone is to reject them without even trying.
On the other hand, the only way to get better at anything and to have a shot at making people (and ultimately yourself) happy is to start doing it.
But even more importantly, try to make sure you don't disappoint your future self for not even having tried...
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Don't try to start the next Facebook.
Or Tesla.
Or Disney.
And instead try to find the smallest possible thing you can offer (product or service) and then offer it to people who already know that they need it.
Sell it for a lot less than what it's really worth.
But for more than it costs you to produce it or to buy it somewhere else.
Then repeat.
Over and over again.
I know it doesn't sound sexy, but here's the thing...
We all have bills to pay.
And have responsibilities.
And most of us won't raise millions of dollars just like that.
It's a fantasy.
The newer your thing and the less people know that they need it, the more work you'd have to put in to convince them.
And most of the time that means that you'd have to charge very little.
Maybe you'd even have to give some of it away for free.
Because people won't pay much for something they think they don't need.
From someone they don't know.
And if it turns out that it's something they really need, they might come back for more and they might tell their friends about it.
But there's no guarantee for it.
And it takes a lot of time.
And patience.
And money.
Which you might not have.
So better to just offer the smallest possible thing to people who already know that they need it and then go on from there.
But don't get me wrong here.
This isn't about thinking small.
It's about acting small so you don't get lost in all of your big thoughts without even knowing how or where to get started...
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That feeling when you work really hard on something and you finally put it out there into the world and nothing happens.
No one is buying it.
No one is reading it.
Watching it.
Listening to it.
Commenting on it.
Powerless...
It shouldn't be, but it's a horrible feeling.
Because it feels like there's nothing you can do anymore.
You already gave it all you got.
But still nothing is happening...
The good news is that you're not alone.
The bad news is that it's going to take quite some time until something might happen.
Do you have it?
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When was the last time you ran out of time?
Sure, we're constantly talking about it.
"I'm running out of time."
"There's not enough time left."
"I need more time."
But really, when was the last time you really ran out of time?
Probably once out of dozens of times.
So if the fear of running out of time works so well and we actually almost never really run out of time, why not use the concept more often?
If you can't finish (or start) something really important you set out to do and don't have a deadline yet, why not create one?
One that you can't possibly miss.
One where the stakes are so high that you just have to get it done.
The higher the stakes, the higher the probability that it'll get done....
P.S. Needless to say that I wrote this while I was running out of time.
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That date you're not sure about going to...
That new challenging position you're not sure about applying for...
That relationship you're not sure about bringing it to the next step...
That project you're not sure about starting that might not work out...
Would you do it if fear wasn't an issue?
Think about it for a few seconds...
........
Sure, knowing that fear is probably the reason why you're not so sure about it won't necessarily help you solve your fear problems.
But it'll help you solve your "what do I really want?" problems.
And that's something that's a lot easier to work with...
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When everybody has access to the same information then all that information won't get you very far.
So instead of spending our precious time on acquiring more and more information, maybe it's worth thinking about spending more time on how to actually use all that information and create something with it.
You already know enough.
Now it's time to get going...
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If someone asked you to ship something you're afraid of shipping within the next 24 hours, you'd probably say that it's impossible.
That it's not enough time.
And the same thing would happen if you were asked to do it in 48 hours.
Or 72 hours.
Or in one week.
Or in one month.
The problem isn't that you don't have enough time.
Because you never have enough time.
The problem is that you want it to be perfect.
But it'll never be perfect.
No matter how much time you have.
So just do it anyway.
And then do it again.
And again.
And again.
Because that's the only way to break the cycle...
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The bad news is that advertising cost is constantly going up while efficiency is constantly going down.
The good news is that the cost of earned attention (not paid attention) is still cheap in terms of dollars while efficiency keeps going up.
Earned attention doesn't cost you anything other than your time and work.
You need a lot of money to buy attention.
But you don't need a lot of money to earn it.
All you need to earn it is tenacity, perseverance and patience.
So if you can't buy it, why not try to earn it..?
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... what are you likely going to regret that you didn't start doing today?
And then just start doing it today.
Step by step.
Day by day.
Little by little.
But not because you'll succeed.
Or because it'll make you rich.
Or famous.
Or happy.
Or change your life.
Because it probably won't.
But just because 10 years from today regret might eat you alive...
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Not seeing means you don't have to take action.
Not listening means you don't have to change.
Not knowing means it's not your fault.
Ignorance works today.
But it rarely gets you closer to becoming the person you want to be tomorrow...
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The other day I took a look at one of these free local newspapers that comes once a week or so.
It seemed pretty thick and heavy, but when I tried to open it dozens of small brochures for local supermarkets and businesses fell out.
And all that was left of this thick and heavy newspaper were just a few thin pages.
As it turned out, all that the free newspaper really did was to be the cover for all those ads.
And inside the newspaper were maybe 5 or 6 different stories spread over the few pages that were left.
The rest of the pages were full with even more ads and classifieds.
We all know that traditional media is dying.
Just like many other traditional industries are.
Some faster.
Some slower.
And it's always about the same thing...
If you're under pressure you can decide to either level up or to level down.
The only problem is that leveling up requires a lot more time, work, energy, resources and creativity than leveling down does.
But if you're already under pressure it sometimes feels like it's impossible to put in even more time, work, energy, resources and creativity.
And it's a lot easier and a lot more tempting to just put in less.
That's why most people, businesses and organizations tend to level down under pressure instead of up.
The problem is that leveling down will always lead to your demise.
Sometimes sooner.
Sometimes later.
It's a race you can't win.
Leveling up under pressure on the other hand gives you a chance of survival.
Even a chance to thrive.
Maybe your only chance...
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What are the things that keep you up at night?
The things you'd be willing to fight really hard for?
The things you'd be willing to give it all you got?
The things you'd be willing to sacrifice it all?
Try to do more of that...
Bit by bit.
Step by step.
Day by day.
Because everything else will probably be left undone.
Including yourself...
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With more tools than ever before that help us to speak up and to take action, merely speaking up and taking action isn't enough anymore.
Because everybody is now able to speak up and to take action.
That's why more people than ever before speak up and take action.
Just like more people than ever before are now being left unheard and ignored.
So if you feel unheard and ignored it doesn't necessarily mean that what you have to say doesn't matter.
It probably does matter.
A lot...
What it means instead is that it's probably not your turn, yet.
So when's your turn?
Whenever people want to hear what you have to say.
So when's that?
Probably when you've already left that stage that you were busy building all of these years...
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The comfortable truth is the truth we want to believe in.
Because it lets us off the hook.
The 10,000 rule is comfortable.
It lets us off the hook.
Because who in their right mind can spend 10,000 hours practicing?
On the other hand, the uncomfortable truth is usually the one we don't want to believe in.
Because it puts us on the hook.
The 10,000 hour rule is uncomfortable.
It puts us on the hook.
Because people have successfully done it before us...
What's your uncomfortable truth?
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How many posts do you have to write to go viral?
How many songs do you have to record to have a hit?
How many times do you have to show up until people will start to notice?
I don't know.
I don't have an answer for that.
No one really has....
But what I do know is that this is #1507.
And that some years I wrote longer posts.
While other years I wrote shorter posts.
Sometimes I wrote posts that took 130+ minutes to read.
And other times I wrote just a sentence.
But that doesn't really matter.
What matters is that over time many small things will lead to one big thing.
Let's see what the next 1507 will bring...
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You can be the person that creates stuff, that puts it out there, that might (or might not) change some people's lives and that might (or might not) have an impact.
Or you can choose to be the person that always says I had the exact same idea years ago, but never really started working on it.
Or you can choose to be the person that says I could have done the same thing but a lot better, but never really did anything.
Or you can choose to be the person that criticizes each and every one out there, but is afraid and hides from criticism.
Or you can choose to not care about all of these things at all.
The good news is you have a choice.
And once you've made that choice, it's a lot easier to follow through.
Not easy, but easier...
Who do you want to be?
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Everybody you meet is busy fighting their own demons and problems.
And it doesn't really matter how big yours are.
Because everybody will be convinced that they're fighting the biggest demons and problems out there.
Just like you are...
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Sometimes shortcuts turn into detours.
And then those detours turn into a path.
A path we just keep walking on.
Because as long as we're walking, it feels like we're making progress.
Unfortunately, that progress usually doesn't have anything to do anymore with our original path.
Those detours won't get us anywhere.
Other than maybe a place we never really wanted to go be.
Just because you keep walking doesn't mean you're getting closer to your destination...
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