Creating for Yourself, How to Read & Early Work
Hey friends, happy Sunday!
This week has been super busy so I didn't get a chance to write as much as I would have liked, but I did still managed to get two short posts out, Iterate & Aim High, Fail Often.
Now let's get into the Filter!
On Creating for Yourself
David Perell recently published a fascinating short read on why you should Write for yourself.
In the post, he talks about how the best way to build a deep connection with your audience is to write for yourself instead of trying to write for others.
“When I write for myself, I think about what I would’ve wanted to know six months ago. I focus on ideas that would’ve surprised me or saved me time.“
I think you can extrapolate this further and apply it to avenues like podcasts and videos as well.
By creating the kind of things you wish, you’d have known earlier / find interesting you’re solidifying your own learning whilst projecting who you are authentically.
This post reminded me of a great line from “Anything you Want” by Paul Jarvis:
"When the gap between who you are and the projection of who you are (your ‘personal brand’) is as narrow as possible, you ring true"
An example David uses in the article is Tyler Cowen who starts every podcast with a message to his audience: “This is the conversation I want to have, not the one you want to have.”
As someone guilty of overthinking and under executing when it comes to creating, this post really helped to clarify what I should be sharing.
On How to Read
I really enjoyed this post from Morgan Housel on How to Read.
The Idea of reading books front to back is flawed, reading a full book is a big investment of time and most books just re-iterate the same point over and over.
"Most books don’t need to be read to the end, but some books can change your life – means you need two things to get a lot out of reading: Lots of inputs and a strong filter. "
It's easy to get stuck on bad books, I'm guilty of putting off reading because I get stuck on a book I'm not enjoying but recently I've started to read in a different way. I jump in and out of books reading more for insight than the vanity metric of finishing more books and I'm really starting to like it.
“Most books I don’t read past the first chapter. I’m not burdened by bad books” - Charlie Munger
On Early Work
Paul Graham published a great essay this week called Early Work. If you're someone who is or wants to be a creator, founder, or maker then I'd highly recommend you check this out.
In the post, Paul talks about how the biggest thing holding people back from doing great work is the fear of making something lame.
"And this fear is not an irrational one. Many great projects go through a stage early on where they don't seem very impressive, even to their creators. You have to push through this stage to reach the great work that lies beyond. But many people don't. Most people don't even reach the stage of making something they're embarrassed by, let alone continue past it. They're too frightened even to start."
He then explores how the people around you play a huge factor in whether you pursue a creative endeavor and why most people dismiss new ideas because most people secretly want you to fail.
"But there is another more sinister reason people dismiss new ideas. If you try something ambitious, many of those around you will hope, consciously or unconsciously, that you'll fail. They worry that if you try something ambitious and succeed, it will put you above them. In some countries this is not just an individual failing but part of the national culture."
Paul later comes to the conclusion that the best way to approach an idea is as an experiment:
"It will be easier to try out a risky project if you think of it as a way to learn and not just as a way to make something. Then even if the project truly is a failure, you'll still have gained by it."
If you haven't read any of Paul Graham's essays yet I'd recommend you check them out - it's incredible how much life-changing stuff is out there for free on the internet.
Tweet of the Week
Favourite Quote of the Week
"Never forget why you’re really doing what you’re doing. Are you helping people? Are they happy? Are you happy? Are you profitable? Isn’t that enough?" - Derek Sivers
Final Notes
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Have a great Sunday,
- Stephen