September 16th, 2023: Greetings From Taiwan. I wrote this while exploring the beautiful east coast of Taiwan. Here’s a picture from one of my favorite spots north of Taipei: Jiufen - supposedly an inspiration for the movie Spirited Away + This issue is sponsored by Write of Passage. If you’d like to join their upcoming cohort, I highly recommend it. You can “test drive” the course during their
I think maybe part of it is a misconception about what advice really is. When we're starting out (and by "we" I very much mean "me") there's a tendency to treat advice like a How To manual. But really, it's more like a string of scientific hypotheses. Yes, this thing seemed to work this one time for this one person, but so what? Is it replicable for someone in a very different place in their creative lives? It almost certainly isn't, at least to some degree - in which case it's not universally applicable, and can't be treated like a Law. But - we treat so much stuff like Laws. I still fall into this trap - but I'm better at recognising when something's just an idea that is worth experimenting with but not trusting. Which....is almost every piece of advice online, I guess?
So maybe the only goal is to not quit, and that's also the only piece of universal Law? And I'm not even sure that one is unassailable either: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/7/quitting
Great framing - advice should be taken as "pre-made" hypotheses which you can go out and test to see if they work for your situation - but with the knowledge that they should be unashamedly discarded if they don't work for you.
Stepping away from the usual route to from our own unique path is both thrilling and scary. It sometimes feels like being lost in the thick Brazilian mata [jungle], without any premade trails to guide me.
You're absolutely right; what makes this path special is that there's no one-size-fits-all guide. That what makes it so attractive is that it lets us shape our work to fit us as individuals.
But it also calls for a deep self-awareness. We need to understand ourselves on a profound level to figure out what truly resonates with us and what doesn't.
I've always remembered the saying: "If you don't know your path, others will create a path for you." It serves as a reminder to take moments of stillness, tune into my deeper self, and figure out what I truly desire, rather than following the expectations of others or society.
For me, this journey is all about self-discovery and empowerment, helping me become the person I'm meant to be. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! :)
This really resonated with me Paul. I definitely have a tendency to see other creators, 'experts' or people with big followings and try to emulate. But it just results in feeling overwhelmed and a bit lost. Perhaps because I have a misguided belief that there is a 'right' way of doing this, or an even more efficient way. I'm working on accepting that everyone is making it up according to their own circumstances, as you say. Thank you!
Great post Paul. I love the closing "The only goal is not to quit." In my own experience it almost seems you have to stay in the game long enough to read enough conflicting advice that you finally realize it's all made up, and then start walking your own brave, intuitive path while not quitting. Your opening conflicting opinions text block was also hilarious and a revelation to see in all in one place. Even liberating I'd say.
Haha Rick, I love this. I think I'm getting to that stage now as well. I'm a big knowledge 'collector', love to research, follow 'experts' etc, and I think it's to stave off this deep sense of uncertainty. But actually I follow so many creators and surrounded by so much noise that I sometimes can't see the wood for the trees. The only way is to forge my own path, try things and know that everyone else has been winging it too.
* Where to share your ideas and how to do it is far less important than actually just doing the work, which is something that people rarely talk about.
* And even as much as you can figure out about someone, you are always going to be missing something which is why I treat all claims the same way: assume that everyone else is wrong in ways that I don’t fully understand.
This felt like a breath of fresh air in the "create-o-sphere". I've been inundated with so much information, different paths to take and how best to optimize my time and efforts, but what really rang true for me was your emphasis on being that person who publishes writing consistently, regardless of what's "best" to do. I really have found myself being pulled in all different directions, rather than just sitting down and deciding to pick a topic or focus, and write consistently for that.
It definitely is easy to tell others "here's how to do what I did" when you've been writing for ten years, or you built a successful career in tech or something.
For someone starting out (like me) I think the best thing is to just START. It's infinitely better than floundering in stasis.
The most challenging thing about being a beginner is just figuring out where to apply the advice others have given you. Like you said, how their situation could be compared to yours, picked apart, and then analyzed to see how you could benefit from their expertise.
Really great essay! I always like to say "The only person's advice you should listen to is your future self's"
"The much much more important thing is that they didn’t quit". What do you think makes this perhaps a necessary but not sufficient driver? My preliminary thoughts:
- Not quitting affords you "time in the game" having the mindset of not being in a rush means that you approach the problems differently
- Not quitting affords you more time in the game, which by extension increases your "luck surface area". The longer you can play the game, the more opportunities you have to benefit from non-linear positive outcomes
Or do you think that "not quitting" is in fact a side-effect of pursuing a true interest? I'm not sure about that - because I could be really interested in counting blades of grass - but I'm not sure that "not quitting" that will eventually provide value
"More people should write books earlier in their journey.”
It was really reassuring to hear this – my own motivation for starting my writing journey is because I want to share the ups and downs of my journey AS I’m living it, not via a watered-down memoir 15 years later.
Paul – do you have any advice / a previous post where you talk more about this? Thanks so much!
It's counterintuitive because so much of our lives is driven by mimetic desire, inside and outside the digital world.
But it's the logical thing to do.
What's the probability of success if we blindly apply to our life something that seems to be working for some random person living thousands of miles away with a history which we only superficially know?
Mimetic desire can work best I think for things that have stood the test of time. Marriage and babies could be examples. But not sure we have enough data on being a YouTuber
This was a fun read. Thank you. :)
I think maybe part of it is a misconception about what advice really is. When we're starting out (and by "we" I very much mean "me") there's a tendency to treat advice like a How To manual. But really, it's more like a string of scientific hypotheses. Yes, this thing seemed to work this one time for this one person, but so what? Is it replicable for someone in a very different place in their creative lives? It almost certainly isn't, at least to some degree - in which case it's not universally applicable, and can't be treated like a Law. But - we treat so much stuff like Laws. I still fall into this trap - but I'm better at recognising when something's just an idea that is worth experimenting with but not trusting. Which....is almost every piece of advice online, I guess?
So maybe the only goal is to not quit, and that's also the only piece of universal Law? And I'm not even sure that one is unassailable either: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/7/quitting
Great framing - advice should be taken as "pre-made" hypotheses which you can go out and test to see if they work for your situation - but with the knowledge that they should be unashamedly discarded if they don't work for you.
This is why contradicting advice can exist
Stepping away from the usual route to from our own unique path is both thrilling and scary. It sometimes feels like being lost in the thick Brazilian mata [jungle], without any premade trails to guide me.
You're absolutely right; what makes this path special is that there's no one-size-fits-all guide. That what makes it so attractive is that it lets us shape our work to fit us as individuals.
But it also calls for a deep self-awareness. We need to understand ourselves on a profound level to figure out what truly resonates with us and what doesn't.
I've always remembered the saying: "If you don't know your path, others will create a path for you." It serves as a reminder to take moments of stillness, tune into my deeper self, and figure out what I truly desire, rather than following the expectations of others or society.
For me, this journey is all about self-discovery and empowerment, helping me become the person I'm meant to be. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! :)
This really resonated with me Paul. I definitely have a tendency to see other creators, 'experts' or people with big followings and try to emulate. But it just results in feeling overwhelmed and a bit lost. Perhaps because I have a misguided belief that there is a 'right' way of doing this, or an even more efficient way. I'm working on accepting that everyone is making it up according to their own circumstances, as you say. Thank you!
Great post Paul. I love the closing "The only goal is not to quit." In my own experience it almost seems you have to stay in the game long enough to read enough conflicting advice that you finally realize it's all made up, and then start walking your own brave, intuitive path while not quitting. Your opening conflicting opinions text block was also hilarious and a revelation to see in all in one place. Even liberating I'd say.
Haha exactly. Don’t quit long enough to realize everything’s made up
Haha Rick, I love this. I think I'm getting to that stage now as well. I'm a big knowledge 'collector', love to research, follow 'experts' etc, and I think it's to stave off this deep sense of uncertainty. But actually I follow so many creators and surrounded by so much noise that I sometimes can't see the wood for the trees. The only way is to forge my own path, try things and know that everyone else has been winging it too.
You go Joseph! Makes sense that "winging it" would have to be the precursor to flight.
Yes exactly!
yep, keep going!
love these points:
* Has anyone asked me to write a book?
* Where to share your ideas and how to do it is far less important than actually just doing the work, which is something that people rarely talk about.
* And even as much as you can figure out about someone, you are always going to be missing something which is why I treat all claims the same way: assume that everyone else is wrong in ways that I don’t fully understand.
This felt like a breath of fresh air in the "create-o-sphere". I've been inundated with so much information, different paths to take and how best to optimize my time and efforts, but what really rang true for me was your emphasis on being that person who publishes writing consistently, regardless of what's "best" to do. I really have found myself being pulled in all different directions, rather than just sitting down and deciding to pick a topic or focus, and write consistently for that.
It definitely is easy to tell others "here's how to do what I did" when you've been writing for ten years, or you built a successful career in tech or something.
For someone starting out (like me) I think the best thing is to just START. It's infinitely better than floundering in stasis.
The most challenging thing about being a beginner is just figuring out where to apply the advice others have given you. Like you said, how their situation could be compared to yours, picked apart, and then analyzed to see how you could benefit from their expertise.
Glad this resonated! I sense there is an early phase of creating that is about just doing stuff and trying stuff.
Really great essay! I always like to say "The only person's advice you should listen to is your future self's"
"The much much more important thing is that they didn’t quit". What do you think makes this perhaps a necessary but not sufficient driver? My preliminary thoughts:
- Not quitting affords you "time in the game" having the mindset of not being in a rush means that you approach the problems differently
- Not quitting affords you more time in the game, which by extension increases your "luck surface area". The longer you can play the game, the more opportunities you have to benefit from non-linear positive outcomes
Or do you think that "not quitting" is in fact a side-effect of pursuing a true interest? I'm not sure about that - because I could be really interested in counting blades of grass - but I'm not sure that "not quitting" that will eventually provide value
not quitting alone is not going to lead to anything
and this is why you still need to pay attention to *what works*
"You can only win a game of one." I def agree, hence the name of my blog :)
"More people should write books earlier in their journey.”
It was really reassuring to hear this – my own motivation for starting my writing journey is because I want to share the ups and downs of my journey AS I’m living it, not via a watered-down memoir 15 years later.
Paul – do you have any advice / a previous post where you talk more about this? Thanks so much!
Yea! Here https://think-boundless.com/blog-to-book/
Thanks for sharing the process so thoroughly – I've bookmarked this and will definitely be coming back to it in the future :)
It's counterintuitive because so much of our lives is driven by mimetic desire, inside and outside the digital world.
But it's the logical thing to do.
What's the probability of success if we blindly apply to our life something that seems to be working for some random person living thousands of miles away with a history which we only superficially know?
Not high.
Mimetic desire can work best I think for things that have stood the test of time. Marriage and babies could be examples. But not sure we have enough data on being a YouTuber