yann girard - rethinking the now

Branding isn't about branding.

It's about trust.

You don't actually build a brand.

What you really do is to build up trust.

And it's not about you.

As a matter of fact, it's about everybody else except you.

And the only way to build up trust is to add as much value as you possibly can.

You build up trust for a possible sale in the future.

For a possible collaboration in the future.

And that sale in the future might or might not happen.

Just like that collaboration might or might not happen.

But when it happens, you've already built enough trust.

So that when you launch that book, people will trust you enough to buy it.

Or that online course.

Or that product of yours.

Or that service of yours.

Or whatever it is that you might maybe be selling some time in the future.

Or when you want to put together a podcast.

People who know you and trust you are a lot more likely to come on your show.

Or collaborate with you on a joint book project.

Or your next deal.

Or your next company.

And right now you might not even know what that partnership, that collaboration, that sale, that service or that product might look like in the future.

But it makes a hell lot of sense to already start building up that trust.

Because building up trust takes time.

A lot of time.

And trust has to be earned.

It can't be bought just when you need it.

With no budget in the world...

Going from consumer to producer

This is probably the hardest thing out there.

But it's super important.

Look. The world is ruled and dominated by individuals,organizations, businesses or what not that produce stuff.

In every area of life.

On the other hand, people who consume stuff will never be able to dominate.

Simply because they're busy consuming instead of producing.

Instead of doing.

But doing is the only way to change things.

To have an impact.

Or what not.

And the consumer will always put money into the producer's pockets.

In one way or another.

And the divide between producers and consumers will get even bigger in the future.

And the only way to become a producer is to limit your consumption.

To consume less content.

Less audio.

Less video.

Less books.

Less blog posts.

Less apps.

Less phone time.

Less newspapers. 

Less of everything.

Because less input means less confusion.

Less stuff on your mind and in your head.

And less stuff that holds you back from thinking your own thoughts.

That's the only way.

That's the only way to go from consumer to producer.

And yes, that also includes consuming less of my stuff...

Business people don't have to...

Business people don't have to understand designers better.

They have to be designers.

Just like designers don't have to understand business people better.

They have to be business people.

Just like programmers have to be business people.

And business people have to be programmers.

Just like artists have to be sales people.

And sales people have to be artists.

Just like writers have to be marketers.

And marketers have to be storytellers...

Excuses...

The quality is not so good.

The audio could be a little better.

The video needs a little more lightning.

I'm not good enough.

It's not good enough.

I don't have any more ideas.

No one is watching.

No one even cares.

I don't have time.

I don't have the right equipment.

I don't have enough money.

And you know what all of these are?

Excuses...

Excuses for not trying hard enough.

Whatever your circumstances.

Excuses for not putting in the work.

Excuses to protect yourself.

And I've used each and every one of them in the past myself.

And each one I used lead to another one.

And then to another one.

Until I did not only run out of excuses, but I also completely stopped doing what I set out to do.

It happened to me many times.

Over and over again.

And the only way to crush your excuses is to put you into a position where all you can do is to deliver.

Over and over again.

No matter what.

Where you don't have the time for excuses.

Like putting out one video a day.

Or one blog post a day.

Or one painting a day.

Or one design a day.

Or one song a day.

Or every two days...

Here's why this works.

Or why it works for me...

The pressure of putting it out there, the pressure of putting out one piece of art every single day will wash away all of your excuses.

It will crush them.

Simply because you don't have the time to think about possible excuses.

Or worry about failure.

Or making mistakes.

All you really have is the time to create your piece of art and put it out there.

And nothing else.

Will it work for you?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

It worked for me...

Most people's jobs...

… is to manage the status quo.

And not like we tend to think to change the status quo.

That's not their job.

That's your job.

And no one else's.

Their job is to make sure that the things are done the way they've always been done.

Their job is not to take risks.

Or to reinvent things.

Their job is to make sure that things keep working.

So if you're not satisfied with the way things are going, with the way things are being done, then you've gotta change it.

Because no one else is going to do it.

Especially not the people who are conserving the status quo.

That's why your proposal to the governor won't change a damn thing.

That's why no investor in the world will ever invest in your grand idea.

That's why your wife or husband will probably not take you serious.

The only way to convince anyone, especially the people whose job it is to conserve the status quo, to make sure that things keep working is to show them real world results.

To show them that your grand idea is not just an idea but something that has been proven.

Something that has been proven and validated on the market.

Something with real world and tangible results that are way better than the current results.

That's the only way you'll ever be able to change things.

By changing them yourself.

By doing the really, really hard work first.

And then giving people a chance to hop on the bandwagon.

No one wants to hop on a bandwagon with no people on it that's still stuck in traffic.

On the other hand, everybody wants to hop on the bandwagon where the party is already in full swing.

Take away people's risks of joining a dead bandwagon by getting the party started first.

Because that's what your grand idea, your grand proposal is for most people.

It's a risk. 

Something that hasn't been proven yet.

And people don't like to take risks. ​

So don't just complain.

Don't just have that grand idea.

Don't just send out proposals.

Or letters.

Or what not.

And instead, get that party started.

And if you can't get that party started on your own, then you might not be such a great host after all and your grand idea was probably not worth supporting anyway...

So the other day...

So the other day John, a member over at Coffee (or Tea) with Yann asked me why I hang out so much in South East Asia.

 

And there are a lot of different reasons.

 

The first one being that everything I ever did since I started writing online in 2013 was geared towards being able to live and work from wherever I wanted to.

 

I wanted the ultimate freedom.

 

I wanted to work on whatever I feel like working on wherever I feel like it.

 

And it took me more than three years to get there.

 

It took me more than three years of trial and error.

 

More than three years of experimenting and building multiple streams of income online.

 

As of right now I make 100% of my income online.

 

And I can make it from wherever I want to.

 

All I need is a laptop and an Internet connection.

 

I could even do this in Burma.

 

As a matter of fact, I also stayed there last and their mobile phone internet is pretty damn good.

 

Sure, when the internet dies I'm screwed.

 

We all are.

 

But that's another story.

 

So what that decision back in 2013 also meant was that I had to say “no” to dozens of opportunities.

 

I had to say no to clients that I'd have to meet face to face.

 

Zero consulting or freelancing.

 

I left a lot of money on the table.

 

Multiple times.

 

Multiple six figure opportunities.

 

Because all I wanted to do was to work on whatever I wanted to work on wherever I wanted to.

 

It took me more than three years to get there.

 

It was never easy.

 

And it probably will never be as easy as having a job, showing up every single day and going home with a paycheck at the end of each month.

 

Everything has its advantages and disadvantages.

 

For me the only thing that matters is freedom.

 

So why South East Asia?

 

Because all I want is freedom.

 

Especially freedom of mind.

 

Freedom of worries.

 

I just love to walk around in a place that's totally different from where I'm from and know I'm safe.

 

That nothing is going to happen.

 

No matter what time of the day.

 

No matter if it's 3am in the morning or 7pm at night.

 

I don't want to worry about places I shouldn't go.

 

I just want to wonder around.

 

Whenever I want to.

 

And wherever I want to.

 

Not to mention the amazing food.

 

Or the great weather.

 

Or the beaches.

 

Or the cost of living here compared to my home country Germany.

 

As a matter of fact, just my health insurance back home is almost as much as my monthly cost of living here...

 

So why am I even writing this?

 

I don't know.

 

Maybe John will read it.

 

Maybe he won't.

 

But as you're reading this right here, I know that you read it.

 

So I want to leave a note for you real quick...

 

This post wasn't about traveling.

 

Or living wherever you want to.

 

Or working on whatever you want to.

 

This post is about working hard for your dreams.

 

About getting started, about never giving up, about working harder than anybody else and about being laser focused on your vision.

 

Because that's the only way.

 

That's the only way you'll ever be able to get to where you want to be.

 

Where you have to be.

 

Wherever that might be...

 

P.S. I also recorded a video about it. You can check it out over at Coffee (or Tea) with Yann.While recording it, the sun set. So if you wonder why the video gets darker and darker that's the reason. That's also another reason why I love staying in the region... :-)

Life is too short to not do things...

Life is too short to not fall in love.

It's too short to not fall out of love every once in a while.

Life is too short to not try new things.

It's too short to not stay in your comfort zone every once in a while.

Life is too short to not take risks.

It's too short to take risks.

Life is too short to settle.

It's too short to not settle every once in a while.

Life is too short.

It's too short to not live it.

But whatever you do, do whatever you want to.

And don't do what other people want you to do.

Don't listen to other people.

Ever.

Not even me.

Especially not me...

Thinking big starts with thinking small

If all you do is to think big all the time then you'll miss all the small things.

But it all starts with the small things.

You have to get the small things right to be able to get the big things right. 

Big things are the result of successfully doing the small things.

But if all you do all day long is to think about your multi million dollar business, about your multi million dollar audience, then you won't care enough about your first 5 customers.

Or your first 5 viewers.

Or your first 5 listeners.

Or your first 5 readers.

You'll think that they're not important. 

But as a matter of fact your first 5 customers, your first 5 viewers, listeners or readers are the most important ones. Ever...

Because they're the ones who'll tell their friends about you. 

And then those friends will tell their friends about you.

And on and on and on.

And if you ignore your first 5, 10, 20, 30, 100,... if you don't care about them more than anybody else, then you'll never be able to go to the next 5.

Or the next 5.

Or the next 5.

That's the only way you'll ever get to a million.

5 at a time.

Or two.

Or three.

Or four.

Or any other ridiculously small number. 

Until you reach critical mass. 

When will you reach critical mass?

No one knows.

No one starts at a million.

We all start at 1.

Thinking big starts with thinking small…

It's hard to make anything work out from a position of "I need to"

“We need to stay together because of the kids.”

“I need to do this because my boss told me to.”

“We need to stay together because we're married.”

“I need to see them because they're my friends.”

“I need to get a degree so I can get a good job.”

Versus...

“We want to stay together because we want to stay together.”

“I want to do this because I want to see what I can achieve in life.”

“I want to see my friends because I like spending time with them.”

“I want to get a degree because I want to know more about how the world works.”

"Want to" is always a good place to be at.

“Need to” is never a good place to be at.

It's hard to make anything work out from a position of "I need to".

“Need to” eats away all the fun.

All the happiness.

All the things worth fighting for.

It takes away the hard work.

It takes away trying to work things out.

It takes away trying to figure things out.

When you need to do something, no matter what it is, you will always do just about enough to keep the boat afloat.

Why?

Well, because you need to.

And not because you want to.

But doing just about enough to keep the boat afloat is just not enough.

Never.

Just one unexpected wave and that boat will sink.

On the other hand when you do things because you want to do them you'll always put in more work.

You'll always try a lot harder to work things out.

You'll always try a lot harder to figure things out.

“Need to” is never a good place to be at.

It's a showstopper.

Whatever your show is.

So whatever you do, always try to keep the show running.

Try to get closer to “I want to”.

And get rid of all the “I need tos”.

One step a time.

Until maybe one day you might be able to only do things because you want to do them.

And not because you need to do them.

It's that simple.

But no one said it's going to be easy...

Are we there yet?

As in “How long will it take me until I make a million dollars?”

As in “How many more years will it take me until I'm successful?”

As in “What steps do I have to take to build a multi million dollar company?”

Here's the truth...

The more you ask yourself (or others) these questions, the longer it'll probably take you to get there.

As a matter of fact, the more you ask these kinds of question, the more likely you'll never get there.

Simply because it's a sign of impatience.

A sign that you won't be able to make it any longer.

That you might maybe never even get started in the first place.

A sign that you're focusing on the wrong things.

When the only reason you're joining the game is to win the price, it's very likely that you're never going to win the game.

Because the game is not about the price.

No game is.

The game is about becoming one of the best at that game.

That's the only way you'll ever be able to win that price.

If you focus on the price instead of becoming one of the best of the best, you'll never make it.

Because no matter how much (or how little) work you put in, the only yardstick of success you'll ever use is the price money.

But the truth is that there are millions of people in that game.

In every game.

In every field.

In every industry.

And right at this very moment there are hundreds of thousands of people in that game who are all way better than you.

Way better than me.

Whatever your game is.

And the only way to beat them is to become better than them.

Smarter than them.

Faster than them.

Or what not.

That's the only way to win the game. 

And the price...

So no matter how much time and work you put in, there will always be thousands if not tens of thousands of people in your field who are way ahead of you.

Who are way better than you.

They'll be the ones who'll win the game.

And they will be the ones who'll take home that price.

So only focusing on that price will kill you.

Sooner or later.

Because no matter how smart you are, no matter how much work you put in, you just can't get to where these other folks are in just a few months. Or years.

No matter how hard or smart you work.

Sure. It might work.

1 out of 10,000.

What about the other 9,999?

Well, we'll never hear from them ever again.

Focusing on results won't get you results.

Only focusing on the things that will produce results will get you results.

Focusing on becoming better at your craft will help you to win that game.

Mastering your game is the only way to winning that game.

Any game as a matter of fact.

And this takes time.

A lot of time.

Most people who are now on top of the game spent years and years getting there.

So what could you do if you don't want to starve to death getting there?

I don't know.

I don't know you.

But I guess a good start is to realistically evaluate your own game.

Where you stand right now.

And how long it'll realistically take you to get to where you want to be.

And whether or not you're able to play the long game.

Physically, emotionally, financially and spiritually...

Your disadvantages are your advantages

We all might be disadvantaged in one way or the other.

We all have that one thing that sets us back.

Maybe even more than just one thing.

And some people's disadvantages might be bigger than other people's disadvantages.

But what your disadvantages really are, are advantages.

When you are absolutely and with 100% certainty aware of your disadvantages and don't try to hide them, then that's an advantage right there.

It's like rocket fuel.

Because you know exactly where you're standing.

You know you have a huge disadvantage.

Whatever your disadvantage is.

You know that you've gotta work harder than everybody else to succeed.

That you've gotta work smarter than most people out there.

You know what it takes.

You know that nothing in life is for free.

That people will look down on you.

And maybe even laugh at you.

You know that no one will take you serious.

But you know exactly where you stand.

And you won't feel entitled to anything.

You know you've gotta fight really hard for it.

And you ain't got nothing to lose.

You can only win.

And that's what sets you apart.

That's what sets you apart from the rest of the world.

Because the rest of the world feels entitled.

But not you.

You know your disadvantages.

You know you've gotta work harder than most people out there.

And whatever your disadvantage is, you always have two choices.

You can either complain about your disadvantages, look at all the advantages of everybody else out there and never take action or you can acknowledge your disadvantages, accept them as part of who you are, use them as your rocket fuel and get down to work.

It's your choice.

It always is and always will be.

Now who the hell am I to be writing about this kind of stuff?

I'm no one.

And I ain't got nothing to lose.

I can only win...

How to stay on top of your game

You can't.

No one can stay on top of their game forever.

At some point you won't be able to stay on top of your game anymore.

Maybe just for a short period of time.

Maybe for a longer period of time.

It will happen.

No matter what.

And that's when most people give up.

I've said this in the past already and I'm going to say it again...

It's not what you do on your good days that will make you.

It's what you do on your bad days days that will either make you or break you.

And most people give up on their bad days.

When you're not on top of your game.

When it feels like you've already said everything that can be said.

When it feels like no one is listening anymore.

When it feels like you can't possibly hit another home run just like that last one.

When you feel like you can't possibly make another song that great.

Or video.

Or blog post.

Or book.

When it feels like the only thing that's going to come next is going to be a lot worse than the last thing.

But that's exactly when you can't give up.

When you should keep pushing.

Simply because no one is able to hit home runs all the time.

No one.

And that's the difference between the people who make it to the top and stay there and people who will never make it to the top.

They know that it takes more than just two strikes to hit just one home run.

Sometimes it might even take an entire lifetime to hit just that one home run.

Alright.

I have to go now.

I‘m busy collecting strikes…

It's not about the things you know...

It's about the things you do.

We all know about pretty much everything.

And if we don't, all we gotta do is to type in a few words into Google and we have the answer.

The information economy is pretty much dead.

Just like the idea economy is dead.

It's all about doing.

About what you do with that information.

About how you execute on that information.

Or your ideas.

It's all about how you turn that information, that knowledge and those ideas into real world results.

How you turn nothing into something.

Today pretty much everybody has access to pretty much everything out there.

What's scarce though are people who are doing.

People who get their hands dirty.

People you can hire and you know they'll be able to get shit done.

Because they've successfully done it in the past.

Over and over again.

And that's what it's all about.

It's about doing.

It's about what you do with the endless stream of information out there.

It's about how you turn your ideas and that endless stream of information into real world results.

It's not about the things you know.

It's about the things you do...

What to do when you're the least productive person in the room

Whenever I enter a room I'm the least productive person in the room.

I'm not sure if it's true but that's just how I feel.

Same thing when I read or hear about all of these productivity gurus and hacks out there.

About all of these people who seem to have it all figured out.

I don't have anything figured out. At all.

Ok. Maybe some things.

And sometimes I wonder if people who are preaching all of this stuff are even doing all of these things themselves.

And if they do, good for them.

But it just doesn't work for me.

I don't have a morning routine.

I don't get up before 6 am.

I don't have to do lists.

And I know.

Most people will now say that I'm not productive because I don't have all of these things.

Because I don't have a morning routine.

Because I don't get up before 6am.

Because I don't have to do lists.

And here's' what I'd say to those people...

“Correlation and causation are two different things entirely”...

At the end of the day there's only one thing you've gotta do to go from the least productive person in the room to the most productive.

And when you do this it doesn't really matter what time of the day you get up.

Or how many to do lists you have.

Or how many productivity apps you use.

Probably THE most important thing to become more productive is to do more of the things you really enjoy doing.

Things that give you energy instead of sucking all the energy out of you.

If you only do things you don't enjoy doing, then you'll never be productive.

And run on low energy levels.

It's as simple as that.

Doing things you don't enjoy doing or maybe even hate doing will over time wear out your body, your mind and your soul.

And if you try to do more of the things you don't enjoy doing in less time than all that's going to happen is that you'll burn out sooner or later.

I don't know if that's true.

I'm not a scientist.

I only write from my own experience.

So maybe nothing will ever happen.

Here's my experience...

Whenever I do something I don't enjoy doing it feels like I have to put in 10 times the effort.

10 times the work.

10 times the willpower.

At the end of the day, even if the day was just two hours, I feel so much more tired than working an entire day on something I really enjoy doing.

When I do something I enjoy doing, time flies.

It's food for my soul.

But here's the truth...

You just can't only do things you enjoy doing all the time.

That's not how the world works.

At east not right away.

We all gotta pay rent.

Pay for food.

Or the kid's education.

Or whatever.

Life is expensive.

Also, doing things you enjoy doing involves doing a lot of things you won't actually enjoy doing that much.

As a matter of fact, when you do something you really love, you'll spend maybe 10% doing it.

And the rest of the time you'll spend doing things you don't really enjoy that much.

Like marketing, sales, copy writing and promoting the stuff you do.

Unless you're a wunderkind and everybody will magically find out about you and your work.

Or you have a few million dollars in the bank.

I would love for people to magically find out about me.

To magically buy my stuff.

Because my stuff is so great.

Because it changes the world.

Because blah blah blah.

Again, this is not the way the world works.

Even though I would love it to work that way.

Where all you gotta do is to put yourself and your work out there and the entire world applauds.

But that's just not the way it works.

Even though that's what most of the gurus out there want you to believe in.

It doesn't work.

I've tried.

Over and over again.

Here's the thing...

We all hate doing things like marketing, sales, copy writing, self promotion and all of these things.

Or at least I hate these things.

But someone's gotta do them.

Because if you don't, well then no one is ever going to find out about what you do.

About your ideas.

About your products.

About your world.

And in case you ever wondered how I can put out so much stuff, how I'm so productive, that's the reason right there.

I do things I enjoy doing.

Things that give me energy instead of taking energy away from me.

That's why it might seem like I'm getting more and more productive.

That I'm getting more and more stuff done.

When the truth is that I get less and less productive every day.

That I get less and less stuff done.

I just get more of the right stuff done.

The stuff that I enjoy doing.

The stuff that gives me energy.

And that's how you go from the least productive to the most productive person in the room...

Money is not for buying things.

Things don't make us happy.

I'm not in the mood...

Most of the time we're just not in the mood.

I'm not in the mood most of the time.

We're not in the mood to go to work.

To do the work.

To go out on a limb.

To send out that CV.

To ask her out on a date.

To go to class.

To go to that interview.

To send out our portfolio.

To have “the talk.”

And on and on and on.

I wasn't even in the mood for writing this.

We're never in the mood for all of these things.

Why?

Because we might fail.

Because we might make mistakes.

Because we might get rejected.

And another truth is that even though we might lose, we might also win.

Big time.

A lot bigger than what we'll ever be able to lose.

We might get that job.

We might get that date.

We might get that client.

We might fix a shitty situation.

And what do you have to lose?

Nothing!

And what can you win?

Everything...

How long will it take you until you're successful?

I don't know.

No one knows. 

But a good starting point is to figure out how long it took the people who are now on top to get there.

That's probably how long it'll take you. 

Give or take a few years. 

And if you feel like you don't have that much time, if you feel like you won't be that patient, that you won't be able to put in that much work for such a long time, then just don't get started. 

Because chances are that you won't be able to get there any faster...

Attention is useless...

A monkey can get people's attention.

But do you trust the monkey?

Would you buy something from the monkey?

No, of course not.

Attention and trust are two different things entirely.

Attention can be earned with big budgets.

With the brightest colors in your ads.

Attention can be earned by the one who screams the loudest.

But attention doesn't equal trust.

Attention and trust are two different things entirely.

Sure, you need attention first.

But holding that attention is only possible once you've earned someone's trust.

And trust can only be earned by being honest.

By being authentic.

By not faking it.

By showing up.

Over and over again.

And by being generous.

And no budget in the world can buy this.

Don't be a monkey.

All monkeys are already taken.

Be yourself instead...

If you think you can do more than this...

Then prove it.

If you don't prove it, it means that you can't do more than this.

That you can't do better than this.

That you don't have a lot more potential than this.

If you don't prove it, it means nothing.

And the only way to prove it is to do stuff.

And to not just talk about stuff.

Even if you just prove it to yourself.

You reading this right here is me trying to prove myself that I can do better than this.

That I can do more than this.

I quit my job four years ago exactly because of this.

Because I wanted to prove myself that I could do more than this.

That I could do better than this.

That I have more potential than this.

So did I succeed?

I don't know.

I'm still busy doing...

Seeking the truth

The comfortable truth is all the stuff you want to hear.

The uncomfortable truth is all the stuff you don't want to hear.

One of them is harder to digest than the other.

One of them confirms your worldview while the other challenges it. 

One of them leads to growth while the other leads to stagnation.

One of them gets you closer to your goals than the other.

One of them is more uncomfortable than the other. 

Which one are you seeking out?

You just can't...

You just can't put out great work all the time.

You just can't get everything right every single time.

You just can't nail that video every single time.

Or that blog post.

Or that presentation.

Or what not.

No matter how hard we try.

It's just not possible.

What's possible though is to show up.

Over and over again.

More often and more consistently than everybody else.

Here's the truth...

People won't remember your bad stuff.

The stuff that was just ok.

People will remember your good stuff.

The really, really good stuff.

The home runs.

They won't remember the not so good stuff.

Mozart composed more than 600 songs.

How many of them do you know?

Chances are maybe 2-3.

What about the other 597?

I don't know.

And that's exactly the point...

Another important question

If you’d lose your job today what would you do if you couldn’t apply for another job tomorrow?

It's always a good idea to have a plan B.

And understanding that you might need a plan B is already half the answer...

4 Years Of Unemployment, Here's What I've Learned

01.06.2013...

... was my first day of being unemployed.

I haven't had a job since then.

And when I realized it's my fourth anniversary it was already too late.

Too late to write something great.

I wanted to write something special.

A really great post.

I wanted it to be such a great post that next time we meet you'll give me a pat on the back telling me what a great post this was. 

Maybe I'll even expand it and turn it into an entire book.

Who knows?

Either way.

It took me a couple of weeks to get going.

Which already brings me to my first point...

# BIG THINGS TAKE TIME

Everything I started in the past four years took me a lot longer than I initially expected.

It started in the micro and then in the macro.

I don't even know what that means.

But a lot of smart people say this kind of stuff.

Getting started takes so much time.

But finishing takes even longer.

But that's another story.

When you want to get started every fiber of your body has to be ready for it.

If that's not the case you'll never be able to do great work.

And when I say you, I'm really talking about myself.

That's why I usually procrastinate a hell lot until I get going.

Which is also some sort of natural filter.

People ask me how I'm able to distinguish between the things worth doing and the things not worth doing.

So here's my secret...

If the thing I'm thinking about doing is still on my mind after a week, a month or even years then I know that I absolutely have to do it. 

That I just can't escape it...

So if your mind, your body, your gut, everything is not 100% ready, you won't be able to make it.

Maybe you'll be able to get started.

But then you'll stop.

Sooner or later.

Because you weren't ready for it.

And most of the time, getting ready for that big thing, whatever your big thing is takes time.

A lot of time.

Maybe a month.

Maybe a year.

Maybe even a lifetime.

Who knows?

I don't.

The only thing I know now is that big things take time.

So what are big things?

Things you really care about.

Things that make you proud.

I've now been writing stuff online for more than four years.

And it took me four years of writing to be able to write this post right here.

When I started out I thought it would maybe take me a year or so until I would be financially stable.

It took me three years.

The same thing with my very first book.

I thought it would take me three months to write it.

In the end it took me more than 10 months.

Or my first online course.

I thought it would take me a month to do it.

In the end it took me more than four months...

If I think about it, this might be the multiplier.

If you really realistically with your best thinking believe that it's going to take a year, it'll probably take 3 years.

Maybe even four years.

And when you're not realistic, let's say you believe something really big like a book is only going to take 3 months, then it'll probably take 3 years...

Right now I believe it'll take me another five years to get to the point where I want to be.

So it'll probably take me 15 more years.

Or maybe I'll never get there.

Who knows?

But at least I'm getting closer.

Every single day. 

One tiny step at a time...

# SMALL THINGS TAKE EVEN MORE TIME

Everybody focuses on the big things.

That's why most people get the big things right.

But no one pays attention to the small things.

To the details. 

No one gets the details right.

Including myself...

So the things that really make a difference these days are the small things.

And not the big things. 

Turns out the small things are really the big things...

# STARTING ISN'T HARD

Finishing is.

Once you've started doing things on your own, without anyone giving you a paycheck at the end of the month you'll soon realize that the really, really hard part isn't about getting started.

Its about not giving up.

About not giving up hope.

About showing up.

Over and over again.

No matter what.

That'S the really hard part.

It's all about finishing.

And finishing is probably the hardest thing out there.

Sure, when a client pays you to finish that project, when you're hired for a specific job and will only see the cash once it's done, then you'll finish it. For sure...

But when you're creating things on your own, when you're putting your work out there and there's no deadline and no guarantee that you'll ever get paid, then it's so easy to give into fear.

To give into the fear that no one will even care.

That no one really needs this.

That no one is going to read this.

That no one is going to buy this.

That's why starting isn't the really hard part.

Starting is just the first step.

Not giving up and finishing is the really hard part.

I don't really know how many books I've started writing during those four years.

I've finished 8. Or 9. I don't really remember. 

And I've probably started more than twenty.

I've also started more than fifteen websites or so.

And none of them exists anymore.

Even this post right here.

Same thing...

I already stopped writing more than three times to check all sorts of other things.

Emails. Facebook. Twitter. Everything...

I even thought about writing something else.

As a matter of fact I even started writing this post yesterday.

But I couldn't finish it.

So I had to continue today.

Why is it so important to finish things?

Because if you don't finish one thing, you won't finish everything...

Yann Girard: "The only way to strive in the 21st century is to create multiple streams of income..." I haven't had a real job in 5 years. I've built dozens of websites, online shops, wrote more than 10 books, created dozens of online courses and invested in tons of different things. Most things didn't work out. But some did. And I've now put together a report with some of THE most important ways of making money online in the 21st century (without having to quit your day job). And you can get it for free today! CLICK HERE to download the report now, (it's free, for now)

 

# MOST PEOPLE ARE EMPLOYEES

This isn't good or bad.

Being an employee has many advantages.

Just like it has many disadvantages.

But the problem is that there will be less and less jobs for more and more people.

So only the best of the best will be able to keep their jobs.

Again, I'm not saying this is good or bad.

This is just the way it is.

But what's bad about this is the fact that most people out there were trained to be employees.

They were trained to follow orders.

To do what they're told to do.

And it's really, really hard to unlearn this.

It took me a few years...

So over time people lose the drive to do things on their own.

To create things when they're not told what to do.

We were trained to live in a system where self starters are punished.

Where doing things you're not told to will always make everyone suspicious.

Your colleagues will think that you're not “on their side”.

Yous boss will think you want to take over her spot.

So we lose that intrinsic motivation.

To put out stuff on our own.

And it's hard to unlearn this.

It took me more than two years.

But that's the only way to survive in the 21^st century.

That's the only way how you get people to notice you.

To put out stuff.

That's how you get people to realize that you even exist.

This puts you on people's radars.

This is what puts you on the map.

And when I say you, that's what put me on the map.

When you have some work to show.

Work that you've created.

All by yourself.

Work that you've created not because you got paid doing it.

But because you're passionate about it.

Because you love doing it.

That's how you go from employee to whatever it is that you want to be.

Whatever it is that we have to do in the near future to be able to pay the bills.

But you need more than that.

This is not enough anymore...

# SALES, MARKETING, BRANDING

If you want to thrive in the 21^st century you've gotta be a jack of all trades.

But not because that's what corporations want.

Corporations don't need jack of all trades.

They need experts.

The best of the best in very specific fields.

So why do you have to be jack of all trades?

Here's why...

You've gotta be ready and get going right away when the shit hits the fan.

When you're out there on your own trying to make a living without anyone paying you to do work for them.

Alright. So let's change topics here real quick...

If you'd lose your job today what would you do if you couldn't apply for another job?

Think about it for a minute or two.

I know it's a tricky question.

And most people wouldn't be able to answer that question.

Most people don't have a plan for that scenario.

But it's a very likely scenario.

For all of us...

Alright. So here's another truth...

You won't be able to pay dozens of people (e.g. experts) to do stuff for you.

Simply because they're too expensive.

And unless you just got a million dollar funding or got a big chunk of money sitting on your bank account then you just won't be able to afford hiring people.

You just can't pay someone to do marketing for you.

Or sales.

Or copywriting.

Or whatever it is that you need help with.

You need to be able to do all of these things yourself.

No matter what it is that you want to put out there into the world.

When you want to build something out of nothing you just can't afford to hire anyone.

Also, it's very likely that your friends have the exact same skill set like you. 

Or they have a different skill set and aren't flexible enough.

But flexibility is THE most important skill in the 21st century.

You need to know how to do all of these things yourself.

So here's why you have to become a jack of all trades (unless, of course you're among the best of the best in your field already)...

You have to become a hunter again.

You have to learn how to hunt in the wild again.

Instead of waiting for that delicious steak you got served every single day just for showing up...

# IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW, YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW

It's easy to believe that you know what's going to happen.

Or what you're going to do.

But at the end of the day it's very likely that you're going to do something else entirely.

Simply because most of the things don't work out the way we thought they would work out.

And that's fine.

That's just the way it is.

If anyone told me four years ago I'd be doing what I'm doing now, living the lifestyle I'm living right now I'd probably thought they'd be crazy.

When I started four years ago I had no clue.

I had no clue about what I'd be doing in four years.

I just thought I'd be writing books.

And that I'd either be successful or not.

And when it wouldn't work out I'd just try something else.

I'd just try things until some things would work out.

No matter how long it would take.

No matter what I'd have to do to be able to get there.

To get where?

Where I want to be.

Where I have to be...

I was ready to sacrifice it all.

A good job with a great salary.

Stability.

Safety.

A possible future family.

Everything...

But why would anyone sacrifice all of these things?

Why would I be willing to sacrifice all of these things?

I'm glad you asked...

[Related: 10 Ways To Double Your Income (without having to quit your day job)]

# PURPOSE

No matter what you do, there's gotta be a purpose.

Something that's bigger than you.

Something that's really, really hard to describe.

I can't even describe it properly myself.

Something like you want to help other people.

Or you want to have an impact.

Or whatever.

You know all of this new agey kind of stuff.

But it's true what they say.

If you get up in the morning and the only answer you can give to the question “why am I even getting up?” is money, then it's just really, really hard to make sense of it all...

Then it's just really, really hard to keep pushing.

To not give up.

To get back up again.

And it doesn't really matter how you get there.

As long as you always have a proper why.

As long as you know why you're doing all of this.

Why you're going through all of that pain.

And the misery.

And the failure.

And the constant ups and downs.

If you don't have a proper why, then you'll give up sooner or later.

Or you'll go crazy.

Or get depressed.

Or what not...

Putting yourself and your work out there, creating things, creating your art or whatever it is you're doing without a purpose will always feel meaningless.

Especially when no one seems to care.

When no one seems to even notice.

When you feel like giving up.

When it feels like you can't possibly keep doing it.

That's why you need to have a why.

A why that will help you to go through the tough times.

The numerous doubts.

The ups and the downs.

Something that helps you to get you up in the morning.

Something that's bigger than you.

Something you're willing to fight for.

No matter how big or small the progress.

No matter how big or small the steps.

And again when I say you, I'm basically talking about myself.

# UNLEASHING YOUR POTENTIAL

Here's something I realized early on in my “career”.

Maybe I'm wrong about this.

Maybe I'm right.

I don't know.

No one is ever going to unleash your potential.

No one is ever going to realize how talented you are.

Or how special you are.

Not your boss.

Or your friends.

Or your kids.

Or your spouse.

Or a mentor.

No one.

The only person who will ever be able to unleash your potential is you.

And no one else.

No one can or will help you with this...

If you keep waiting for people to realize how talented you are, how gifted you are and how special you are, you'll probably be waiting your life away.

And if you think you have what it takes, if you think you deserve more than this, if you think you can change the world, then I challenge you to prove it.

And if you don't prove it, if you never do anything, well then you're probably not that special after all...

# THE LONG GAME

You gotta have patience.

If you don't have patience then nothing is ever going to work out.

Want to become a successful author?

Want to become a successful entrepreneur?

Want to become a successful musician?

Then study the past.

Study how long it took the people who are now on top to get there.

Read everything you can find about people who have achieved what you want to achieve.

Read their biographies.

Learn everything about their lives.

About their failures.

About their struggles.

About their successes.

Read about what they did when they felt like giving up.

But most importantly, figure out how long it took them to get to a place of success.

And if you don't have that much time, if you're not patient enough, then don't even get started...

So how much time do you have?

How much time do I have?

A lifetime...

# IT'S OK TO HAVE NO CLUE

When I started out I had no clue about what my vision was.

I had no clue what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

I didn't have any clue about anything.

And that's ok.

Some people have more clarity.

Some people have less clarity.

I didn't have any clarity at all.

I still don't have 100% clarity.

Or know what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Simply because the rest of my life is a pretty damn long time...

And you're going to change over time anyway.

We all change over time.

And if we don't, well then that means that we're not growing anymore.

That we're not moving forward anymore.

That we're standing still.

So the only way to figure out what your vision is, the only way to get more clarity, the only way to figure yourself out is to do things.

Over and over again.

There really is no other way...

# COMBINE THINGS

So here's the thing...

The only people who will ever be able to make a living doing what they love, what they're good at and what they're passionate about are the best of the best. The top 0.1%.

So what about the rest?

What about you, me, all of us?

Well, we don't really stand a chance.

Unless we're able to find our own niche.

And the only way to find your own niche is by combining all of the things you're really good at.

The things you're passionate about.

And then you'd be the best of the best, the top 0.1% in your own field.

Simply because there won't be any other people out there who are doing what you're doing.

Who love the exact same things that you love.

You'll be unique.

You'll be the one and only...

# DON'T QUIT YOUR JOB

But whatever you do, don't quit your day job.

Keep it for as long as you can.

Keep it until you've gained enough momentum so whatever it is that you're doing completely replaces your income.

Or put enough cash in the bank until you have two or three years of expenses in the bank.

And then go ahead and quit your job.

And then four years from that day you can write down what you've learned being unemployed for four years...

Alright.

I guess that's enough for today.

I'll save the rest for the book.

Will I really write a book about it?

I don't know.

Big things take time.

A lot of time...

[Related: 10 Ways To Double Your Income (without having to quit your day job)]

It's true what they say

If you get up in the morning and the only answer you can give to the question “Why am I even getting up for this?” is money, then it's just really, really hard to make sense of it all...

Memories...

They are who we are.

We are them.

They are us.

And it's so easy to get lost in all the good memories.

Or the bad memories.

It's so easy to get lost in memories of a time where everything seemed better.

Just like it's so easy to get lost in memories where everything seemed bad.

But whatever we do, we should always try to make sure that we never get lost in those memories for too long.

That we never get lost in the past for too long.

No matter how good or bad.

And instead we’ve gotta make sure that we’re always creating new memories.

Good ones and bad ones.

To be able to feel right now.

To think right now.

To create right now.

To live right now...

The greatest excuse of all times

"Easier said than done."

Everything that's hard is easier said than done.

That's why easier said than done is such a great excuse.

It might be the greatest excuse of all times.

It puts you off the hook.

Every single time.

And you know what?

Everything you see out there today was once considered to be easier said than done.

Was once considered too hard to be done.

Until someone came along, put in the work and just did it...

Don't be that radio.

What we say we want and what we end up doing are two different things entirely

We want organic, healthy and clean food.

But we're not willing to pay $10 for a piece of chicken in the supermarket.

We are against child labor.

But we keep buying brands that produce their stuff in countries that are known for exploiting people.

We say we want to have an impact, that we want to change the world.

But we're not even capable of changing ourselves.

What we say we want and what we end up doing are two different things entirely.

So does it even matter?

Maybe it does.

Maybe it doesn't.

What it does though is that everything we say and will ask for in the future will be just like that radio that runs in the background that's being ignored by everybody else.

So in the end when we really want something, when we're ready to make a real commitment and move forward, then no one will take us serious anymore. 

We'll have turned into that radio that runs in the background that no one listens to anymore.

That everybody ignores...

Don't be that radio.

Ignore trends...

Trends predict a future that seems feasible right at this very moment.

That seems possible right now.

Trends predict incremental change.

But what they never predict are the game changers.

Trends never predict radical change.

Simply because radical change is unpredictable.

That's what makes it so radical and disruptive...

Trends also don't predict things like the iPhone.

Or Facebook.

Because these things aren't even considered trends. 

They're just a combination of existing things that were already out there.

They are yesterday's news.

So what do trends really predict?

They predict that some companies, websites and media conglomerates are going to spend a lot of time, money and resources on these things...

Are you proud of this?

Is the only question you should ever ask yourself.

You shouldn't ask yourself whether people will like it or not.

Because there will always be people who won't like it.

You shouldn't ask yourself whether someone else could have done a better job.

Because there will always be someone who could have done a better job.

You shouldn't ask yourself whether it's perfect or not.

Because it will never be perfect.

Whatever you do, whatever you create, whatever you put out there, the only question you should ever ask yourself is this...

“Am I proud of this?”, which goes along the lines of "Did I do the best I possibly could?"

And if you say “no” then go back to the drawing board...

Work on getting better.

Give it all you got.

One step at a time. 

Am I proud of this right here?

Yes, I am.

Is it perfect?

No, it's not.

Could someone else have done a better job?

Yes, of course.

But I'm proud of it nonetheless.

Ok, I have to go now.

I have to work on getting better

One step at a time.

See you tomorrow...

We all gotta keep dancing...

Doing new things is probably one of the toughest things out there.

No matter how big or small these things are.

I struggle with it every single time I'm doing something I've never done before.

And instead I constantly go back to doing things that are familiar.

Things I've already done before.

Things that are easy.

Things I know.

Things where nothing can go wrong. 

Where it's safe. 

Look. There is no such thing as "flow".

Flow is when you only do things you're familiar with.

When you never do new things.

When you're doing the same things over and over again. 

When you never leave your comfort zone.

But then again.

I'm no scientist.

And I have never read a single article about it.

So I don't know anything about it. 

Still, sometimes I think to myself f*ck you flow. 

And everybody who writes or talks about it.

And I'm asking myself "have you people who are writing or talking about "flow" ever done anything that's outside your comfort zone? When was the last time you did something new? Something hard? Something challenging?"

Doing new things is hard.

Doing the same things over and over again is easy.

Either way...

It's hard for me to intellectually understand what's going on (that my lizard brain wants to hold me back) and at the same I just can't fight it.

It's like I know exactly what I should be doing but I just can't.

It's like my mind and body are trying to sabotage me.

It's like they've signed an agreement to trick me out of doing new things. Hard things. Uncomfortable things. Things I might fail at...

So instead of finishing that thing that should take any sane person an hour or two, it takes me an entire day.

Or maybe even two.

And instead of working on it and getting it done (or starting it) I go outside and get a coffee.

Or an icecream.

Or I take a nap and pray that I have more willpower after that nap to fight it.

Needless to say I never have enough will power.

Also, hoping and praying is never a good strategy...

So most of the time I just go back to doing things that I'm familiar with.

The things that are relatively easy for me now.

Like writing this right here...

Still, there's no other way.

There's no other way to grow.

To bring me to the next level.

To bring you to the next level.

To fight my inner laziness.

To fight your inner laziness. 

I have to wrestle with it.

I have to dance with it.

Especially when I'm not in the mood to dance with it.

The only way to get what you want in life is to do more of the things you don't necessarily feel like doing. 

And it's ok if you lose a battle every once in a while.

As long as you keep pushing and don't give up.

As long as you keep dancing with it.

As long as you keep wrestling.

No matter how big or small your progress.

You've gotta keep dancing.

I've gotta keep dancing.

We all gotta keep dancing.

Or else at one point we will all stop dancing.

And a world without people dancing would be a very, very sad place.

We all gotta keep dancing...