When a potential client asks if you’ve worked with other people who do what they do, what they’re really wondering is:
“Will you understand me?”
Everyone wants to feel understood.
No one day in your life makes you a success and no one day in your life makes you a failure.
Your brand is ultimately defined by what you do - not what you say you are.
Don’t use the term “etc.” in your writing.
Say what the “etc.” actually is.
I just set a deadline for something and then at the same time set a different drop dead deadline.
Which means that first deadline wasn’t really a deadline - it was pointless.
AI isn’t my competition because what I’m selling is me.
“Do what you want” is a more effective strategy than people realize.
You don't have to do ALL the things
I think one of the reasons people get so overwhelmed by all the advice hurled at them is because they get caught up looking for the “one” way to do things. Oh, this person said I need to do this. Oh, that works - I should do that. Oh, I’m making the mistake that person warned about. There are INFINITE ways to succeed. Once you realize that, you put less pressure on yourself to do all the things all the time.
Every yes to something is a no to something else.
When someone gives you a compliment and a suggestion you can take the compliment and leave the suggestion if you want.
People overestimate the value of a follower and underestimate the value of a relationship.
My newsletter is SO good.
I’m writing it at the moment and I feel that so strongly that I just had to say it somewhere so I’m saying it here.
I hope you feel a fraction of the excitement I feel in my writing in your own writing.
The me I am is not the me I was nor the me I will be.
The most common way non-marketers (and unfortunately many marketers too) go wrong is they optimize for the wrong things.
They assume more of one thing (views, impressions, clicks, etc.) will automatically lead to more of what they want (sales, leads, etc.).
It usually doesn’t work that way.
Listening to podcasts on more than 1x speed is a cry for help from people who don’t realize they need it.
The fear of sounding like AI has so warped some people that they’re choosing to write poorly on purpose.
It’s insane.
I’m not going to stop writing the way I write because some computer might write that way too.
If people think what I write was written by a robot, I’ve got bigger problems.
You can’t make someone do something until you can make them feel something.
Every “yes” forces you to say no to something else.
Every “no” creates space for you to say yes to something else.
Everyone who learns this lesson learns it the hard way.
One of the most valuable things I learned as a journalist was how to ask good questions.
At the time, I had no idea it was a skill that would ultimately help me well beyond my journalism career.
The better the question, the more valuable the answer.
Even with questions you ask yourself.
The easiest way to create content
Here’s a tip to make content creation easier: Go browse your sent emails folder. You’ll find stuff you’ve said to people, questions you’ve answered, conversations you’ve started, and problems you’ve solved. All of that can be turned into easy, effective content - sometimes you can literally cut and paste it. Chances are you’ve already created a TON of content…you just don’t realize it yet. 😉