Welcome to “The Looking Glass”, a weekly newsletter journey of personal growth into mindset, meaning and mastery in work.
#28 – 04 Nov 2022
Hello friend,
Thanks again for being here!
Here’s an insight, a question, and a quote I reflected on over the last week.
💡 Have one up your sleeve
This week was off to a good start. Things were flying along, but then something felt different.
Something I had not felt in a while.
I felt a tickling in my throat.
I was getting sick.
Damn! The first time sick in two and a half years since I had started working from home. We had a baby during this time, so we were extra vigilant in not bringing any sickness home.
(I feel guilty for mentioning this as I know for many, many people, it has been a terrible time of ill health).
Suddenly I didn’t feel like doing anything.
I wanted to rest and recover. But I had a newsletter to write as I am committed to shipping my newsletter every Friday morning.
So far, this newsletter has been easy for me to write. I enjoy doing it. But not when I am sick, and my whole household is sick. I had lost my sense of creativity.
I realised that I should have at least one newsletter up my sleeve! One pre-prepared earlier and saved in the bank in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
I am sure there are areas in your life where you are “flying by the seat of your pants”, as they say. Which can be exhilarating, but there is often no margin for error. If one thing goes wrong, the house of cards can topple down.
Don’t make that mistake.
Have a spare tyre. Back up batteries. An extra pair of reading glasses.
I remember Tim Ferriss quoting a line from his military friends: “two is one, and one is none.” You inevitably lose one and don’t want to be caught out.
Have one up your sleeve.
You never know when you might need it.
❔Can you set up work to be enjoyable?
I spoke to a friend who had built himself into an awkward position.
He had started the business of his dreams. Life goals – check!
But there was one problem.
He was growing to hate it.
One day he realised that this “dream business” was causing all the pain in his life.
The annoying busywork and people problems were taking over his work days, leaving him frustrated and burned out.
It doesn’t really sound like a dream.
But then I asked – does it have to be this way?
And the answer was no. These were circumstances created on his own accord, and he also had the power to change them. He was the boss and owner and could do what he wanted.
Now we can’t cover up every little annoying part of a business, as something unforeseen will pop up that drains us (that’s life!). But it would be nice to get at least 80% enjoyment.
In this case, he wanted:
- Less admin busywork but more blocks of time for creativity, sales and strategy
- Fewer people dramas, more effort on recruiting the right people.
And so we discussed an action plan to make that happen.
Work shouldn’t be a source of misery. It can be a source of joy.
What changes could you make to your workday so that you enjoy at least 80% of it?
What would a workday look like for you, where you went home feeling energised at the end?
💬 A quote to ponder
– On busy calendars being the death of creativity.
Companies exist because the founder had a burst of creativity and then executed around that creativity.
And that creativity started with having an empty calendar.
But over time, that calendar gets filled up, and it gets replaced with a busy calendar.
A busy calendar is the death of creativity.
Naval Ravikant
It might be good for productivity – if you are completely in exploitation mode.
But no company these days can afford to rest on its laurels. Disruption is becoming more and more frequent, and the lifespan of a company is going down.
It’s very important that you are always being creative, that you are always reinventing yourself.
📣 What happened this week
The one-person business
I’ve become fascinated by this idea of being a one-person business (or solopreneur), where you explore your genuine interests, learn along the way, and package up your learnings into digital products/services that help others.
It’s a thought-provoking idea that challenges our preconceived notions about what work is.
The world is changing, and the creator economy is here. Online business doesn’t have to be that dodgy stereotype that comes to mind.
There is an opportunity for brave people to share what they know and get paid for it.
For example:
I really enjoyed making today’s newsletter (besides the sickness mentioned above). It was a pleasure to ponder ideas, research, and put them together for you.
Imagine if I built enough audience to attract sponsors for the newsletter (aligned with my brand/audience).
Then I would effectively be getting paid to do something I love, and I could scale back my day job.
And with that financial and time freedom, I could dive deeper into providing higher-quality newsletters or expand them into YouTube videos to deliver more value for my audience.
What a fantastic world we are living in right now.
There has never been a better time to explore your interests and build an audience.
I hope I am painting a picture of what could be possible for you.
Learn more:
If you are also intrigued, here are a few articles from Dan Koe and Justin Welsh to get your mind percolating on what’s possible:
I have no affiliation with these guys, but I love what they put out and find it valuable.
I’m diving deep into this topic and will start sharing my learnings on social media.
The beginnings of your one-person business
I encourage you to do the same, but with your interests – start sharing content online around your interests and passions.
Who knows where that may lead?
Opportunities will appear once people vibe with what you’re talking about.
But it’s no shortcut to success
This one-person business idea is not as easy as it sounds in theory. It’s a slow burn that requires reinventing yourself and consistently showing up.
There are no guarantees.
Most of the time, you feel like you are talking to no one, but gradually things compound.
There is massive potential in the long run in terms of freedom and fulfilment if you are committed to the journey.
If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share it with a friend, and if you haven’t already, sign up here.
It would be great to have you on board!
Cheers!
