Entry 18 - Forward Thinking : Backward Planning
I wanted to avoid the cliche motivational lines that are going to be the ‘difference’ for you in 2024 and over the last year I have used this platform to share learnings and thoughts.
2023 felt turbulent for a variety of different reasons. Despite a lot of positives and achievements I am still left with a lingering feeling there is scope for more.
For example, the goal was to publish 20 of these within the calendar year. As you will see from the title, I failed.
There are also fleeting feelings of being misunderstood or misinterpreted in what I want to achieve.
However despite how uncomfortable this may feel I think overall it should be viewed as a privilege.
These feelings force you to articulate better, push harder and grow bigger.
Perhaps the feelings may never subside?
If you can relate to this perhaps these simple reminders may help as you approach 2024.
#1 - Motion Is Always Step One
Starting 2023 I knew I wanted to start creating some form of content.
Content that would help me in both a personal and professional sense but also try and stretch me in a creative sense.
What form the content would take was unknown to me at the time and the plan of how I was going to execute it was non existent.
Despite not knowing how to write or what to write about I knew that there is something to be gained from writing online.
To be honest I am still in a learning phase. We are only at Entry 18 and there is a long way to go.
Yet even in this short stint the twists and turns and creative ideas that I am forced to explore in public and in private would never have materialised unless I had started.
We are all guilty of falling for the trap of planning, plotting and thinking, I know I am.
“Imagining what it would be like if … “
In these moments you are really just feeding the ego without actually getting results.
I am thankful for having started something that I have gained some experience and I can now start to build on.
I can now look at things through the lens of the experience I have gained.
For that I am also thankful.
The key now is to do less pondering and take more action!
We must not forget the power of storytelling.
Just look at how Ciaran Gaffney’s SeanOíche has taken off for example.
For those of you that see themselves as creative and also have the want to express and help others but feel there is an element of imposter syndrome to doing so.
The best thing that I can say is that you should just …
#2 - Show Your Work
In order for you to connect with others you must allow yourself to be seen.
Everything you try should be viewed as an experiment and how you navigate that experiment can be shared. Regardless of its success or failure.
Think about the best documentaries you’ve watched. They go behind the scenes and show the unseen bits.
The story behind the finished product.
Some of the best Brands in the world have been a success as a result of sharing the journey to the top.
Yes the finished product can be great but on an individual level a lot of the time we are the only one that really cares about it.
Sharing a process and your experiences allows for connections to be made and others can often relate to you more.
You just have to allow yourself to be seen or heard.
In any line of work building a level of authority is vital.
However it takes a long time of compounding efforts.
In order to influence people you must show the path you have walked.
All leaders have a voice of reason but in order for you to create your authority, you must find and use your own voice.
How you operate is your own creative expression.
“All advice is autobiographical” (Steal Like An Artist - Austin Kleon)
So don’t be afraid to show what you’re working on and what you’ve come to learn along the way.
#3 - Walk Alone
Not that we haven’t already seen the beginning but 2024 will continue to see the rise and importance of building a personal brand.
Organisations will now look in house to their workers and leaders to produce content and build their own personal brand as a way of marketing.
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This is one of the core reasons why I am keen to experiment and continue to create content online.
Everyone takes inspiration from people we admire. Yet there is a difference between taking inspiration from and trying to copy from.
It is ok to try to mimic and learn from those who have walked before you but the only way of seeing success is to be authentic.
Naval Ravikant often says “You lead by willing to walk alone”.
Now this is not to suggest that you have to do everything yourself and it’s ‘you against the world’.
This is more about trusting yourself and your own way of doing things.
Your own individual perspective.
I read recently that as you learn from others and try to emulate certain things they do you will be met with resistance from your own voice.
That’s your own uniqueness trying to come out and understanding and acting on that is important.
In the realm of trying your own thing you will be met with the fear of being judged differently.
It’s nice to remember that the great leaders of our time didn’t try to conform, they just wished the rest would see the world the way they did.
#4 - Combine Curiosity With Excitement
Now this isn’t quite a “Follow Your Dreams” type message but it definitely has been something that I have fallen back on when I’ve met some bumps along the way.
It’s easy to fall into a rut when the steps forward aren’t clearly defined and there might be some uncertainty about the direction you are going.
However, I believe that this is a reliable principle for guiding yourself forward.
That is to be both curious and excited
In whatever you are trying to accomplish, follow what feels exciting to you.
For example, I even found this to be helpful when looking at changing career paths.
Throw yourself at what is going to test you, force you to learn and force you to grow.
To give you an anecdote, I do a lot of different types of training. Strength, running, cycling, swimming etc.
Within that there is a lot of variety and areas that peak my own curiosity.
I will try different methods or workouts and compete in different events to challenge and feed that curiosity in me.
Taking this approach to a more professional manner, this year I want to continue to seek things that are going to compound and reward me.
I want to take on challenges that appeal to me as an individual and that exposes me to more opportunities to develop.
Don’t roast me too much! ….but it was shameful how many takes this took.
Hopefully down the line and as I continue to progress along this project this will come in handy.
So keeping with the title of this Entry I am thinking long term but working backwards along the steps and skills I will need to get there.
COG - 05.01.2023