I felt like I sat staring at a wall in my room for four years.
It’s not true. During that time, I tried many business ideas and learned a lot. But no matter what I tried, I never seemed to be able to get ahead.
Towards the end, I overthought my ideas to the point of sabotaging them before even starting. I don’t want anyone to ever feel this way…
That’s why I prepared a list of what I learned. Implementing one of these ideas could cut those four years in half.
1. Do Anything to Move Forward
Going for a walk every day sets me free. Moving your body forward will move your life forward. Walking is a compound activity for me. I listen to audiobooks to learn. I also record social media content and create newsletter outlines.
2. Don’t Give Up Too Soon
So many ideas I worked on either became successful or could have been successful. When I was 18, I remember having a teeth whitening website that started gaining traction. It earned a whopping $52 in commissions. I quit because I had my eyes on millions. I gave up too soon. This was during a time when ranking on Google was easy. Had I not given up, I could have been the authority on teeth whitening—you never know.
3. Double Down on Your Winners
I coach many people on growing their online presence. One of the most common concerns they express is repeating themselves. I then showed them all the large creators who had created the same video many times. Most people need to hear something more than once.
4. Pay Attention to Your Hunches
My dad told me about Bitcoin in 2011, thanks to his super nerd friend who is probably on a boat in Dubai now. Back then, Bitcoin was around $13. I had a strong hunch it was a great idea. Had I followed that hunch, I might also be on a boat in Dubai now. Actionable Tip: When you have a hunch, educate yourself on it. Education would have gone a long way for me.
5. Commit to Learning One New Skill Per Day
My YouTube channel had 40k subscribers for over four years. To break free from this, I started learning one new thing about YouTube every day. I would also test that one change on my channel. Over the next few years, I grew my channel to over 800k subscribers.
6. Don’t Sacrifice Your Health
I got fat! I sat in my room for four years, eating my sorrows away. I also got older at the same time. Getting older makes it hard to lose weight. Stay on top of your health.
7. Experiment with the Opposite of What Experts Say
Sometimes, they (including me) have no clue. Or they are talking from their perspective. I do things on YouTube that the “experts” say will fail. Just because someone says something, it doesn’t make it true. It also doesn’t mean the rest of their information is useless. Trust but verify has created massive wins for me that “don’t work.”
8. Some Will Dismiss an Idea as Bad
They’ve never tried it. Like #7, you have a unique perspective. Many people will tell you your ideas won’t work because they can’t see them for themselves. You might be a genius, but you’ll never know if you don’t try. Actionable Tip: Trust your unique vision and give your ideas a shot, no matter what critics say.
9. Embarrass Yourself—It’s a Superpower
I learned this one from the founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely. In an interview, she said she embarrasses herself. This is a superpower. As a person who used to care too much about what people think, this exercise will help you move past that. Embrace the cringe.
10. You Are Making Everything a Bigger Deal Than It Is
I am also a chronic worrier. Everything I thought was a big deal has yet to be. Or at least the things I made a big deal of had no real long-term impact on my life. To quote some smart old guy, “Sh*t happens.” If constant failure has taught me anything, I can get out of almost anything quickly. Sometimes the added pressure of crippling financial ruin is what we need to get started.
11. The Obvious Answer is the Answer
There’s a marketing trope: As marketers succeed, their work gets more complex. Finally, they five-headed the whole operation and returned to simple marketing. Simple works. I love the complexity and making things more difficult for myself. My content is best served by simple marketing or basic advice. Reading “Obvious Adams” changed my life.
12. Say No MORE
For all you people-pleasers out there, it’s okay to say no. When you say yes to everything, you lower your value.
13. Don’t Be a People Pleaser
The hardest lesson I had to learn about people pleasing is no one trusts you. No one trusts people’s pleasers. Remedy for people pleasing:
– Start asking people for things. Right now, ask someone for a dollar.
– Do something that’s only for you.
– Send something back to a restaurant. For example, you people-pleasers will eat mayonnaise even if you hate it.
– Tell someone you can’t do something, but don’t apologize.
This isn’t about being selfish or being a jerk. You can do all these things kindly.
Extra Credit:
Here’s my top productivity trick. I learned this from Peter McKinnon: Write a list of eight tasks to complete today. They should move you closer to a goal. Cross each task off as you finish. See how many days you can do all eight tasks. This simple method has revolutionized my productivity.
