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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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It's pretty much impossible to put yourself in someone else's shoes if you've spent your whole life in the same kind of shoes, being surrounded by people with the same kind of shoes, always doing the things that people in these kinds of shoes are doing...
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The moment when the rubber meets the road is often the moment you realize that you're sitting in the wrong car.
And sometimes you realize that you're not even sitting in a car at all.
But just because you decided to sit in it doesn't mean that you have to keep driving it all the way to the end...
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The really hard part isn't coming up with ideas.
The really hard part is to get your ideas out there.
To get them to spread.
And it doesn't really matter whether your ideas are good or bad.
Because no one really knows anymore what's a good idea and what's not.
Only the people, only the market knows...
But of course it's a lot easier to just blame our lack of ideas.
Because that's something we obviously (think we) cannot control.
"I don't have any good ideas. So of course I won't put myself, my ideas and my work out there. I will only do it once I have a good idea. Only a good idea is worth giving up all of this."
Needless to say that there aren't any good ideas.
Or bad ideas.
Because every idea consists of thousands of micro ideas.
And the only way to come up with those micro ideas is to put your big idea out there.
To see what happens.
Because those micro ideas are the things that will push your big idea forward.
Micro ideas are the ideas you come up with when your grand vision fails.
When everything you thought about the world turns out to be wrong.
When nothing seems to be working out.
That's when micro ideas start to happen.
Micro ideas can turn a seemingly bad idea into a good idea (and vice versa)...
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Whenever you talk to someone, disagree with someone, argue with someone or get into a fight with someone, it's very likely that the other person has experienced things you've never experienced.
Things you've never been through.
Things you've never felt.
Things you've never seen.
Things you've never heard.
Just like you've experienced, felt, seen and heard things that no one else ever has.
Which is precisely why it's so hard to really understand each other.
But just because it's so hard doesn't mean that we shouldn't try...
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There's the kind of lazy where you just lay on the couch, hang out and watch TV all day.
And then there's another kind of lazy.
A kind of lazy that's a lot more dangerous.
Because it doesn't feel like being lazy.
It's the kind of lazy where you're constantly doing things.
The busy kind of lazy.
Where you're doing things all day long, but at the end of the day you didn't really do a whole lot.
The kind of lazy where you're constantly busy checking notifications and messages.
And responding to requests.
The kind of lazy that pushes you away from the hard work.
From the important work.
The work that you know you should be doing.
But end up not doing because you're too busy.
And afraid...
And instead this kind of lazy pushes you towards the easy work.
The repetitive work.
The work you've already done a million times.
The familiar stuff.
The stuff where nothing can go wrong.
The kind of lazy that protects you from doing the things that might not work out.
The kind of lazy that helps you to hide from everything you're afraid of.
The kind of lazy that ultimately holds you back from doing all the important things that you know you should be doing.
This kind of lazy is a lot more dangerous than the laying on the couch kind of lazy.
Because it doesn't really feel like being lazy.
It feels like being busy...
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You can win on your own.
No doubt about it.
Or you can win by helping others to win.
One generates more winners than the other.
Which one do you choose?
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"I ran out of ideas."
"I ran out of breath."
"I ran out of time."
"I ran out of motivation."
That's when most people give up.
And that's where the real work starts.
When you ran out of pretty much everything...
An amateur shows up whenever he or she feels like it.
When it feels comfortable.
When it's the right time.
When everything is plentiful.
Unfortunately, this isn't the case so often...
A professional on the other hand shows up all the time.
Even, no especially when they don't feel like it.
When it feels uncomfortable.
When it's not the right time.
When nothing is plentiful.
And that's what makes the difference.
Between an amateur and a professional.
Unfortunately, doing all of the above doesn't automatically turn you into a professional.
But it's a good start...
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In your town there might be just a few really good designers.
Just a few really good writers.
Just a few shops.
Just a few people who know how to run a business.
On the other hand, if you go online there are millions of good designers.
Millions of good writers.
Millions of shops.
Millions of people who know how to run a business...
Everybody can go online.
That's why everybody is online.
And that's why the only chance you have online is to either be among the best at what you do or be the cheapest.
There really is no other choice.
The online world is brutal.
If you provide a generic service or product that millions of others are able to offer, if you don't stand out, then you'd inevitably race to the bottom.
A race you'll never be able to win.
As depressing as this may sound, there's also some good news...
If you do something unique, something that no one else is doing and if you consistently show up, then you'll automatically become the best at what you do and people will find out about you.
The only problem is that it takes a lot of guts.
And time.
And patience.
And persistence.
Something that we're constantly running out of...
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You can jump from one town, city, region or country to the next always offering the same thing, without ever really having to offer anything new.
Or you can try to dig a little bit deeper and figure out what else your customer might be interested in.
After all, once you've given your customer what she wants, it's basically over.
Here's the thing...
A customer that is willing to buy books online is likely to also buy other stuff online.
Just like a customer who is willing to subscribe to your gym might also be interested in nutrition related products or services.
Just like a customer who wants a logo designed from you might be interested in an entire re-branding offer for their entire company.
Just like a customer who is subscribing to a dating platform is likely to also subscribe to or buy other dating/marriage/child related services or products.
It sounds simple.
But of course, it isn't.
Because trying out something new takes guts.
It's challenging.
And it might not work out.
Whereas doing the same thing over and over again is the safest thing to do.
But it's just like they say...
Finding a new customer is a lot more difficult than finding something new for an already existing customer.
So once you have your foot in the door, don't close it.
And instead try to open it a tiny bit more.
Then more.
And then some more...
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