Earlier I read this really awesome and very important chapter from Tools of Titans about Ryan Holiday’s insights. It’s a little long, but I highly recommend you take just 10 minutes to read it. It’s something that we’ve always talked about as well, but they way Ryan explained it makes it even clearer.
It’s a game changer for those who get it. I edited it a little to make it clearer and added a bit of my own notes from my own experience.
Inspiration is for amateurs—the rest of us just show up and get to work… things will grow out of the activity itself and that you will—through work—bump into other possibilities and kick open other doors that you would never have dreamt of if you were just sitting around looking for a great ‘art idea.’”
Excerpt From Tools of Titans
Similar to what we’ve shared many times, it’s about showing up and doing the work instead of just waiting for signs of inspirations. Decide. Then get to work. ?
“‘It’s not about ideas, it’s about making ideas happen.’ I’d put it on every college campus in the world. During our youth, we are wonderfully creative and idealistic. . . . Truth is, young creative minds don’t need more ideas, they need to take more responsibility with the ideas they’ve already got.”
Excerpt From Tools of Titans
“Scott helped me refocus, to use his language, on “systems” instead of “goals.” **
Scott writes about this extensively in his book How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life.
I didn’t know what I was practicing for, exactly, and that’s what makes it a system and not a goal. I was moving from a place with low odds (being an out-of-practice writer) to a place of good odds (a well-practiced writer with higher visibility).
“The second part of my blogging system is a sort of R&D for writing. I write on a variety of topics and see which ones get the best response. I also write in different ‘voices.’ I have my humorously self-deprecating voice, my angry voice, my thoughtful voice, my analytical voice, my half-crazy voice, my offensive voice, and so on.
Readers do a good job of telling me what works and what doesn’t. “When the Wall Street Journal took notice of my blog posts, they asked me to write some guest features. Thanks to all of my writing practice, and my knowledge of which topics got the best response, the guest articles were highly popular. Those articles weren’t big moneymakers either, but it all fit within my system of public practice.
“My writing for the Wall Street Journal, along with my public practice on the blog, attracted the attention of book publishers, and that attention turned into a book deal. And the book deal generated speaking requests that are embarrassingly lucrative. So the payday for blogging eventually arrived, but I didn’t know in advance what path it would take. My blogging has kicked up dozens of business opportunities over the past years, so it could have taken any direction.”
Excerpt From Tools of Titans
Tools of Titans
