yann girard - rethinking the now

This is the easy part.

Knowing the opportunity.

Seeing the opportunity.

Understanding the opportunity.

This is the easy part.

Taking action and trying to leverage the opportunity is a whole different story.

Luckily, these days there are a lot more opportunities out there than ever before.

But of course, only for the ones who're not afraid to take action.

Who're not afraid of picking one opportunity after the other until they find the right one.

The one that works.

For them.

Sure, it won't be easy.

And it requires a lot of work.

But it'll probably be a lot easier than doing something you hate for the rest of your life...

Middlemen

It's never been easier to build assets and a reputation online than it is today.

Just like it's never been easier to lose it overnight than it is today.

All of those platforms?

Aren't yours...

All of those followers?

Go through a middleman...

And if the middleman decides that you can't reach your people anymore, then you can't.

The best and most reliable middleman is no middleman...

Worth remembering...

When we got started we all had these big dreams.

Maybe you dreamed about starting a charity one day.

Maybe you dreamed about helping other people find meaning in life.

Maybe you dreamed about making a difference.

About creating positive change.

About ...

It's easy to get started.

But in the face of struggle, of adversity, of goals not reached and wrong exits taken it sometimes seems almost impossible to remember why we've even started all of this in the first place.

Do you still remember?

Playing games

The first thing you gotta make sure when you're playing any game is that everybody knows the rules.

Then you gotta make sure that everybody plays by the same rules.

And one thing that's often overlooked is to ask yourself whether or not we're even playing the same game.

Some of the problems in the world stem from the fact that we don't play by the same rules.

Others stem from the fact that not everybody knows the rules or which rules are currently being used.

Those two are usually the more obvious ones to spot.

And then there are problems where we assume that we all play the same game, but we actually don't.

And those are often the most dangerous ones because they're pretty hard to spot.

They're usually pretty hard to spot because we're often so convinced that our game is the only game worth playing so we automatically assume that everybody else will be playing the same game.

We might sit at the same table, we might look like we played the same game and we might even act as if we played the same game.

But that doesn't necessarily mean that we're all playing the same game.

Nor does it mean that we should all be playing the game.

That we're even capable of playing the same game at the same time...

What's it really for?

There are many answers to that question.

And many variations.

Variations like...

What's my job really for?

What are the things I'm doing in my free time really for?

What are the things I'm reading really for?

Or the things I'm watching.

Or listening to...

What's it really for?

And an even more important question is this...

Are the things I'm doing right now helping me to get closer to what it's really for? 

If you say yes, then keep doing it.

Maybe do even more of it.

And if you say no, then consider to reconsider...

What's it really for?

Too much time

"I didn't have enough time" is a widely used (and accepted) phrase.

"I had too much time" isn't.

Even though "I had too much time" is a lot more common than we'd like to admit. 

Maybe even more common than "I didn't have enough time"...

This is especially true when it comes to the things that really matter.

The things we never end up doing because we thought that we still had enough time left to do them.

Maybe even too much time...

Until these things, the really important things turn into the things we don't have time for anymore.

Until it hits us and we realize..

"I had too much time"....

Time

It'll always take as much time as you have.

Not necessarily as much as you need.

But as much as you have.

If you have too much time, you'll mostly still end up spending all that time.

If you have too little time, you'll mostly end up finishing it nonetheless.

And most of the time the difference between the results of way too much time and way too little time is negligible.

More time might not necessarily make it any better.

It might just eat up more of your time...

You might not have a choice

Today.

Or tomorrow.

Or the day after tomorrow.

You might not even have a choice next week.

Or next month.

Or maybe even next year.

Maybe never...

Because that choice won't just magically shop up.

You have to put in the work.

Today.

Tomorrow.

Next week.

Next month.

And yes, maybe even still next year.

Because if you do, you might end up creating opportunities.

Opportunities that will lead to choices.

Maybe not today.

Or tomorrow.

Or the day after tomorrow.

Or next month.

Or next year.

Maybe never.

This is the only way.

You really don't have any other choice...

"Too big" to talk to.

When we're growing up our parents seem to know everything about everything.

They could never be wrong.

They just knew it all.

Until we realized that they didn't. 

Until we realized that they're just like us.

Trying to figure things out.

And when that happened a whole new world opened up to us.

A world full of opportunities.

A world that we can shape.

Create.

And influence.

Now of course at first our world world was shattered.

But that's the only way to start building something new.

To destroy the old.

And to create something new.

By combining the old with the new.

Unfortunately, somewhere along the road we've lost that insight again.

The insight that the world is full of opportunities.

That we can shape it.

And create it.

Make it.

And influence it.

And instead the world turns into something that just is.

Something that can not be changed.

Where things are just the way they are.

Where everything is fixed.

Where gatekeepers control everything.

Which of course is a lie.

It's the same lie we've believed in when we thought that our parents knew it all.

The same lie our kids probably now believe in/will believe in.

Until they realize we're just like them...

The problem about creative work

Is that it can't be measured.

That it can't be tracked.

That it's unpredictable.

That's it's highly inefficient.

And that it can't be replicated.

To sum it up...

The problem about creative work is that it isn't really work.

At least not the kind of work we've been trained to do over the last couple of decades. 

That's why it's so hard to do.

And that's precisely why it's so valuable...

How to get your ideas to spread

The hard part isn't coming up with ideas.

It's to get them out there.

It's so hard to just get your ideas out there because the moment you put them out there, they'll be judged.

And not only will they be judged, but it's very likely they might not work out.

And not spread...

People might end up not buying your product.

They might end up not hiring you.

They might end up not reading it.

They might end up not listening to it.

They might end up not watching it...

And it's a lot more convenient to just keep protecting your ideas.

Like little babies.

But just like little babies, one day they'll have to get out there.

They'll have to burn their fingers on all the hot plates out there.

Because that's the only way they'll learn how to get back up again.

And that's precisely how to get your ideas to spread.

You have to put them out there.

As soon as you can.

Because they'll never be 100% ready.

And that's why they're always ready...

You can't...

Most of the time you can't change how things look like.

But you can always change how you look at those things...

People who don't want to understand

The problem with people who don't want to understand is that they don't want to understand.

Mostly because they are convinced that they already understand.

Just like we're convinced that we already understand.

No matter the facts, stats, common sense, research or whatever is out there. 

People who don't want to understand won't understand.

No matter how hard you try.

It's as simple as that.

So don't waste your time and energy on people who don't want to understand.

Because they're already convinced that they do.

And instead spend your time and energy on people who don't understand but want to understand.

So how do you figure out who really wants to understand and who doesn't?

That's the trickiest part...

Because the only way to figure that out is to have spent enough time with people who don't want to understand...

And the realization that you probably also don't want to understand...

Only two ways...

There are only two ways to look at life, the world and pretty much everything else out there.

Time is either working for you or it's working against you...

Unfortunately, it's a lot easier to get caught up in the second one.

And a lot harder to keep focusing on the first one...

The optimization trap

It's cheap to optimize.

A lot cheaper than it is to create something new. 

And it feels good to optimize.

It feels safe.

It feels like you're making progress while everybody else is still trying to catch up to you.

The problem is that at one point there's nothing left to optimize anymore.

And then the ones you thought were trying to catch up to you turn into the ones you're now trying to catch up to.

Slowly at first, then suddenly...

How many?

How many ideas do you have in the back of your mind that'll probably never see the light of day?

How many ideas for books?

For blog posts?

Businesses?

Songs?

Trips?

Paintings?

Poems?

How many?

Probably too many....

Slowly, then suddenly

Most things happen slowly at first, then suddenly.

The problem is that we've grown too impatient.

We want everything right away.

Without putting in the work.

And if we don't get it right away, then we just leave.

Love?

Right away.

Success?

Right away.

Satisfaction?

Right away.

Happiness?

Right away.

Most things happen slowly at first, then suddenly.

Give them a chance...

The 4 hour work week

You can run a company that has a working product, an established customer base, a sustainable cash flow and capable employees on a 4 hour work week. But it's pretty much impossible to build one on it...

A good cover

Good books almost always have good covers.

But does that mean that a good cover will make a good book?

Of course, it doesn't.

But in many situations in life we act as if it does.

We get fooled by the people who want to sell us the "cover".

Because we like to get fooled.

We take the shortcut.

Because we like taking shortcuts.

The shortcut that every book has a good cover and that a good cover will consequently make a good book.

Unfortunately, it doesn't.

What makes a good book is a good writer...

The theme doesn't matter

Just like the font doesn't matter.

Or the picture.

Or the animation.

Or the template.

Or the design.

Or whatever...

What matters is that you do the work.

Everything else is just a distraction.

A distraction that's holding you back from doing what you initially set out to do.

Here's the thing...

You can worry about all the other stuff once you've built a habit of shipping your work.

Once you've started the difficult journey of shipping your work and mastering your craft.

But that will only start once you do the actual work and keep doing it.

And not all the fluff around it.

And once you've done that, once you've successfully built the habit of shipping your work, then you can work on all the other stuff.

But if you start the other way round, if you start with all the fluff, then you'll never ship your work.

And you'll never build a habit of shipping your work.

And instead you'll constantly be busy tweaking things that don't need any tweaking at all.

Because it's so easy to get caught up in all the tweaking and forget about what really matters.

Tweaking is a lot easier than shipping.

Tweaking doesn't have a deadline and can go on forever.

Shipping has a deadline.

That's why it's so scary.

Because at one point you just have to put it out there for the whole world to see and to judge. 

And the only way to get over that fear of shipping your work is to tun it into a habit.

There really is no other way...

Time

You can't save it.

You'll never be able to get more of it.

You can't buy it.

You can't invest it so it multiplies.

And once it's gone you'll never be able to get it back again.

It's your scarcest resource and your most valuable asset.

So what are you going to do with it that lasts?

Today is a good day to think about it.

Because there's still some time left... 

The numbers...

It's very likely that the numbers are against you.

That you've got a lot less experience.

A lot less traffic.

A lot less fans.

A lot less success.

A lot less friends.

And a lot less of pretty much everything...

But some time ago the numbers were also against them.

Some time ago they were the ones with a lot less experience, a lot less traffic, a lot less fans, a lot less success and a lot less friends.

But now they aren't anymore.

The thing is that we all have to start from a similar position.

A position of a lot less.

A position that can turn into a lot more.

If you're willing to do a lot more...

How to put out stuff every day that doesn't suck...

You just can't.

No one can.

And no one should.

And this is the first step to showing up.

Over and over again.

You gotta get rid of the fear.

The fear of having to be perfect every single time.

Because there's no such thing as perfect.

No one can hit a home run every single time.

The only way to hit just one home run is to hit as much and as often as you can.

Even if you're a professional you won't be able to hit a home run every single time.

The record for most consecutive home runs is four.

And only six people in the history of baseball have ever hit four consecutive home runs.

And this doesn't apply to baseball only.

It applies to pretty much everything in life...

Doing work you don't enjoy

When you do work you don't enjoy doing everything will feel like a never ending uphill battle.

That's why the only way to be more productive is to do more of the things you enjoy doing.

That's probably the best productivity hack out there. 

Doing more of the things you enjoy doing...

It's as simple as that.

The only problem is that it's almost impossible to only do work you enjoy doing.

As a matter of fact, to be able to do more of the things you enjoy doing you actually have to do a lot more work you don't enjoy doing that much.

At least for a while...

Most people think it's the other way round.

You just do more of the things you enjoy doing and the things you don't enjoy doing will just disappear.

Unfortunately, they won't.

It might look like they're disappearing but in fact they're quietly multiplying...

Don't get stuck

It's always a good idea to start with the small stuff.

Because not only will it help you to build up confidence along the way but it will also help you to get better at it...

So instead of applying for that dream job right away, try to apply for the not so great ones first.

Instead of building that multi billion dollar business, start selling simple and easy stuff first.

Instead of waiting for that one big shot that will change your life forever, try to take as many small shots as possible.

It'll all help you to build up confidence and improve your skills.

But don't forget why you're doing all the easy stuff first...

To build up that confidence and to get better at what you do so you're able to tackle the big things, the real things.

It's easy to get stuck playing small somewhere along the way telling yourself that it's just temporary.

But it'll only be temporary if you take that confidence, take that leap, level up and at one point move on to the real thing...

How long?

How long did it take you to find out about that new artist, writer, singer, podcaster, blogger [insert whatever is currently the newest thing to do] that's currently exploding online?

Probably just a few seconds.

And how many years have they usually been doing what you're now seeing them doing right in front of you?

Chances are that it looks like they've just started yesterday...

But they've probably already started years ago.

Years before anybody even knew they existed.

Years to master their craft.

So if you're still anxiously waiting for that big breakthrough after you've now been doing what you're doing for a few weeks or maybe even months, then ask yourself this...

"Am I willing to put in the work for that long?"

If not, then you might want to reconsider...

Because the world needs to hear what you have to say.

But unfortunately (or fortunately), the world only listens to people who've put in the work and have already been around for a while...

Moving forward

It's hard to stop a moving train.

Or a bus.

Or a car.

Just like it's a lot harder to stop someone who's running than it is to stop someone who isn't.

Someone who isn't running, who isn't moving forward (or sometimes backwards) is easy to stop.

Easy to distract.

Easy to confuse. 

And easy to convince to keep standing still.

To not start moving.

To not change.

That's why it's so important to keep moving. 

No matter how fast or small you're moving forward.

As long as you keep moving, it'll be almost impossible to stop you.

P.S: The single biggest thing stopping us from moving forward are usually we ourselves...

Most of our time

The thing that's taking up most of our time are the inner battles that we're constantly fighting with ourselves.

The battles about whether or not we should move forward.

About whether or not it's good enough.

If it's the right thing to do.

If it'll harm us or help us.

If we're strong enough to keep pushing through....

For most of the things we do, the actual work doesn't really take that much time anymore.

What takes up most of our time is to decide.

And to then not doubt our decisions along the way...

The real thing

A good logo doesn't make a good book.

A good writer does.

Just like good marketing doesn't make a good company.

A good product does.

Just like growth doesn't mean a whole lot.

Happy customers do...

Unfortunately, it's very easy to mistake one for the other.

To get distracted by the quick thing and forget about the real thing.

Simply because the quick thing is always quicker and cheaper than the real thing.

Sure, you probably need both.

But only one of them can exist without the other...

New ideas

The hard part isn't coming up with new ideas.

The hard part is to get the old ones out there into the world and out of your system so you have enough space for new ones.

The more ideas that are still stuck in your head, the more you'd be thinking about those and the less space you'd have left to come up with new ones...

At the end of the day it doesn't really matter if it's a good idea or a bad idea.

If they're still stuck up there, they'll take up space.

Space that's needed for new ideas...

And those new ideas are built on the ashes of old ideas.

And the really hard part is to bury your old ideas and fall out of love with them...

I'm not going to do this for very long...

Either because it'll work relatively quickly and then we can move up that ladder and do something better or because it won't work out right away and then we can move on to something better.

Unfortunately, most of the time none of the above holds true.

And instead it'll always take a lot longer until we can move up that ladder just like it'll always take a lot longer until that thing is clearly not working out anymore.

So we end up spending most of our time stuck in between.

In between jobs.

In between relationships. 

In between cities.

In between thoughts...

Always waiting for that big breakthrough.

Which, of course will never come because we're too busy spending our time, energy and resources on "in between things" believing that they're just temporary.

Which, of course they aren't.

Because they take about the same amount of time, energy and resources the "real things" take to successfully pull them off.

At the end of the day, the easy stuff and the in between stuff takes the same amount of time, energy and resources the hard stuff, your real stuff would actually take.

However your real stuff might look like...

So why not do that right away?