project_log: 027

Yo.

I've been piecing together a manifesto for Over-Stimulated this week. A letter to myself to frame future decisions. A short essay, representing the vision I have for OS.

I decided to do this after I was complimented on being "intentional".

It reminded me of a time when I wasn't intentional. A time when I just flowed through life taking what I could get. A time when I was making decisions based on the opinions of others. A time where I felt unambitious because deep down I didn't want societies version of 'Success'.

An example of this was when I decided to build a web development agency. I'm embarrassed to say this, but the real reason was so I could tell people I had employees and that my revenue number was going to be higher than it was at the time. That's it. It was all based on the opinion of others rather than something I actually wanted.

Going about this business stuff without a clear frame is the easiest way to end up living someone else's dream. People pluck a vision off the shelf like they're grocery shopping then wonder why they lack purpose. They see others doing something on twitter and immediately think "that's what I'll do." Without any consideration of their current situation or the shit they want.

This was me.

Looking back, I wish I'd known about these two questions from Sahil Bloom.

They'll make you think if your current vision is your own (or if you just plucked it off the shelf like younger Will):

1. Do I want the winning version of this thing?

2. Am I willing to pay the price to get that winning version?

The first question hits on my experience above. I spent no time thinking about what the winning version of a web development agency looked like. I didn't consider how it would affect my key value of independence. If I'd thought about this for just a second, I would have spotted that having the consistent pressure to bring in clients and make payroll is not what I wanted.

And just to be clear, there's nothing wrong with this approach. I'll probably change my mind in the future. But for the stage of life I'm in, I don't want it.

The second question forces you to be honest with yourself. My brain seems to warp reality and romanticise things. It skips over the part where you eat shit and just serves the pretty vanity metrics you can flaunt online. That's not reality. There's always a price to pay to get to where you want to go. It'll be in different forms like lower income, less free time, stress, pressure, etc. The goal is to identify if this is worth it to you.

If we look at the current vision I have, the winning version is helping people crush on the internet without being "Busy". I consider winning when I've helped 500 people either save a shit load of time or make more money to feel more financially secure.

Am I stoked with the winning version of this? Fuck yes. And am I willing to pay the price of lower income, writing a weekly newsletter on a Sunday, dedicating the hours from 6am to 8am to building software for these people? Again, fuck yes.

That's the feeling I want you to experience. The feeling of having a vision YOU created. Not someone else's you've just plucked off the shelf.

But what if I've read this far and realised I'm climbing someone else's mountain?

First off, congrats. Pausing and actually thinking about this shit while every corp fights for your attention is admirable.

The way I overcame this was by forming my own frame/vision for the business I'm trying to build. Especially around the people I'm trying to help.

I've personally done this by answering three questions:

1. Who values what I do?

2. Who do I like spending time with?

3. Who has the capacity to pay me?

Let me break these down with a real example. Say you're a freelance designer.

Who values what I do? This isn't about finding people who think you're cool. It's about finding people who have a problem you can solve and genuinely appreciate when you solve it. For a designer, it might be small business owners who know their current branding and site looks like shit and it's costing them clients. They're not just looking for "design work". They understand that good design directly impacts their bottom line. AKA they value design.

Who do I like spending time with? There's no point creating a vision where you're spending time with people you hate. You'll have a shit time. Our designer might get energised working with ambitious restaurant owners who are passionate about their craft. Versus corporate clients who want everything approved by a board. Choose the people that light you up.

Who has the capacity to pay me? Answering this might sound like you're more focused on money over helping people. You're not. You need to survive. For our designer, it's restaurant owners making decent money who can invest $20K in rebranding. It's not the new freelancer looking to get a portfolio designed for a couple thousand.

I wrote another article about matching the business type to the customer. This'll help you overcome the "I want to serve freelancers but they can't pay me $10K" problem. You can check it out here: project_log: 023

When you nail all three, it feels fucking good. You're helping people you care about, doing work that energises you, in a way that's sustainable. You're climbing your own mountain.

To recap

Don't pluck your vision off the shelf.

Pause and ask yourself:

1. Do I want the winning version of this thing?

2. Am I willing to pay the price to get that winning version?

If you answer yes to both, congrats.

If not, realign and create a vision based on the people you want to help using our three questions above. Then make change.

I don't mean to end this on a negative note, but do you know what the most commonly expressed regret on people's death beds is? It's wishing they had lived a life true to themselves, rather than following societal expectations.

Create your own vision and just be you.

Talk soon.

Will.