peter thiel’s latest:
“Think about what you want to accomplish in the next 10 years. Now figure out how to achieve those things in the next 6 months.”
working through this exercise, admittedly, i intend to accumulate wealth.
this could happen when Distribute.com goes public. or Fomo gets acquired. heck, maybe my real estate property parlays into a duplex.
but the real question is: when? and how do I expedite the outcome?
here’s where i arrived.
helping people, hurting people
you can make money either way, but you make a lot MORE money helping people.
this is something criminals don’t understand — armed robbery doesn’t scale.
meanwhile, if you sell crowbars online and offer free shipping to chicago, you win.
online, offline
my first tech-founder experience was artspot. we helped artists and venues connect and exhibit work.
i had to tread through snow to close deals. i had to hire other people to tread through snow to close deals. offline sucks.
now, everything i do is in the cloud. one line of code handles billing. another handles SEO. more still send welcome emails, feature announcements, etc. it’s too easy. startups are easy.
work life balance
my friend and colleague murphy says, “there is no such thing as work-life balance. anything worth doing unbalances your life.”
in the past 30 days i cancelled netflix, hulu, linkedin, meetup, and skype. for now, books and twitter are my sole entertainment. c’est la vie.
with fewer distractions, i get more done. you play more when it’s out, after all.
mocking the competition
i think ignoring your competition is stupid. since my desk is at wework, i observe daily what “grinding startup culture” is all about. its like this: get to work at 10a, leave by 4:30p.
when you realize the competition is mostly lazy idiots who work at a startup vs a real job because ping pong, it’s easier to focus on shipping great products to customers.
pissing people off
seven months ago i built a chrome extension that re-brands SJWs (social justice warriors) on twitter with a new avatar, and promptly forgot about it.
a few weeks ago, it went viral. thousands of people tried it in 2 hours.
the best part of this hack wasn’t the exposure, but the visceral response. it pissed people off.
when you make people feel something, the emotions flung at you will stoke the fire well into [otherwise] watching netflix time.
health and fitness
i’ve been working out and eating better. i look pretty good.
when you almost throw up on the treadmill every morning, saying “NO” to ice cream and bad friends gets easier.
reading
last year i read about a dozen books. last week i finished three.
non-fiction business, strategy, biography, and philosophy will 10x your decision making abilities if you absorb it, take notes, and apply.
indecisiveness is when you lack the mental framework for a given situation.
stretching
in 30 days i’m recording a new album. did you know i’m a musician?
soon i’ll be writing more about my music career and less about technology.
it’s easier to focus on my cushy job, lifestyle, and social circles where i’m respected. but it’s a lot more fulfilling to bet the ranch.
winning
i try to clock at least 1 win every day.
this could be a customer review, russian press hit, personal best at the gym, whatever.
when you win daily, you remind yourself sacrifice is worth it.
asking tough questions
how will you accelerate your 10 year plans?
email me, i’d like to know.