Overcoming Perfectionism, Hunting the Antelope and Patience

THIS WEEK’S WIN
Leveling Up…
For those who read yesterday’s essay - I know it wasn’t perfect.

But that was the point - the goal wasn’t to write a good piece.

The goal was to get over the hurdle of publishing something you think is imperfect - and also, to pick up the momentum I lost back up.

Honestly - I’ve been trying to write a long-form piece of essay for about 3 weeks now, but I could barely start writing, let alone finish them.

You wouldn’t believe how proud I felt yesterday while scrolling through the pages I’ve written in Google Docs.

And although that could be a win itself…

The next morning, I woke up to this message from a friend:

Moral of the story:

The imperfect work you publish will always do more for you than the “perfect” work the world will never see.

3 HIGH-IMPACT IDEAS
1) On Finding Your Life’s Work
If you look at any great performer of any kind (artist, athlete, or entrepreneur), most of them found their life’s work by trying to scratch their own itch.

Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons started writing songs as journal entries to deal with his depression.

Conor McGregor started boxing because he was bullied.

Tim Ferris started his podcast as an excuse for having 3-hour conversations with people he admires.

If you’re not sure what to do with your life, ask yourself:

1. What’s my biggest bottleneck in life? What’s hindering my growth the most?

2. What is a project that can help me solve that problem?

3. (Bonus) How can I bring others to the journey?

2) Amateurs vs Pro’s
We all have voices inside ourselves trying to sabotage us.

The voices telling us we’re not good enough, we’re not qualified to do what we’re doing.

Steve Jobs had that voice. As well as Kobe Bryant. Or Madonna.

The only thing that separates them from those who didn’t make it is the subtle ability to ignore those self-sabotaging voices.

3) Mouse vs Antelope
Before you sit down to work, ask yourself:

Am I hunting the mouse of the antelope?

Mouse is the project that feels easiest to do. It’s the shiny object syndrome holding you back from what truly matters:

Antelope.

Antelope is the big project - the one you feel resistance towards. But it’s also the one that will move you the farthest.

(s/o: Tim Ferris)

Also, remember what Chris Williamson once said:

FAVORITE QUOTE