How to Make Life-Changing Progress

On September 28, 2023, I joined a webinar that changed my life.

I’d been side hustling for months, but I was fed up with my lack of tangible progress.

Work fires and life priorities always seemed to get in the way.

I spent all my extra time working IN the business vs. ON it.

So this webinar was a beacon of hope…

A founder said he built a $1M business in 2 hours per day from Starbucks.

This guy is Pat Walls, founder of Starter Story, a media company helping people start businesses.

I was like…. wtf was he DOING at Starbucks? And why couldn’t I do it too?

On the webinar, he shared his Deep Work method:

• 2 hours daily at the same time (e.g. 6-8AM)
• At an atypical location (e.g. Starbucks)
• Write tasks on physical sticky notes
• Block distractions & notifications

I thought, THIS IS GENIUS! 🤯

What do you do in those 2 hours?

Work on a single BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal).

When goals feel impossible, you’re forced to think of new and better ways to get there. Focus on solving the 1 bottleneck that will move the needle.

Pat added a time element and accountability to turn it into a challenge: Launch an MVP site in 3 weeks and post it on Facebook. That's how StarterStory.com was born.

I immediately joined the October deep work challenge.

I didn’t suddenly have more time. I rearranged my “ideal calendar” to make it happen.

I committed to 5:30AM wake-ups for 6-8AM deep work, a weightlifting sesh, and office by 10:30AM (normal in tech).

My October BHAG: Grow LinkedIn followers from 3200 to 6000.

This was insane — I’d been intermittently posting 1-3x/week for 3 months with no real system. 50% of my followers were prior connections and the other 50% were from 1 viral post.

The goal determines the process.

I’d post valuable content M-F and engage on the platform daily.

I spent 2 hours/day writing at Starbucks and more time engaging when I had breaks during the workday.

At first, it took me forever to write a post. Even longer to edit it.

Every day, I logged into Slack to document my deep work, got immediate feedback on my ideas on LinkedIn, and built relationships with tons of new people as a result.

By the end of the month,

• I broke 4500 followers
• I received a dozen coaching leads
• LinkedIn featured my content in their newsletter
• I learned how to write for LinkedIn & master the art of consistency

Note: I didn’t hit my BHAG, but was 10x further than if I hadn’t committed.

I got addicted to progress and fell in love with the process.

I thought… holy sheeeit what else could I do with focused effort, a challenge, and community support?!

In January, I set a goal of 50 deep work hours. I hit 55.

In April, I set a revenue goal for the first time: $10,000.

End of the month? I clocked $10,047 (my first $10K month !!).

Now the team is using my story in their upcoming webinar. Crazy!

I'm not special. In fact, I used to be extremely undisciplined.

When driven by a deeper purpose, you’ll make time for your goals.

When you make time, you make progress.

If you’re feeling pulled in a zillion directions all the time… you are alive in 2024.

The world is filled with very shiny distractions.

I know you have huge dreams on your heart too.

Magic results when you:

• choose 1 clear goal
• commit to it for a set period of time
• reflect your priorities in your calendar
• show up every single day
• work on it with a supportive community

To get there, start with:

1) A clear purpose

Align your near-term goal with your long-term vision. If you don’t have a clear purpose and aim, you’re rowing in the wrong direction — heading straight for burnout.

2) Focused effort

Focus by ignoring the shiny distractions. Effort = consistency. Creating your dream life is a marathon, not a sprint.

3) The right support

You need a community of believers. People who cheer you on, hold you accountable, and are also in the arena, building toward a better version of themselves.

That vision for your life isn’t going to create itself. Reflect on these questions to get focused:

• What is your long-term vision?
• What short-term goal in the next 30 days will get you closer?
• When is that reflected on your calendar?
• What are you willing to let go of to make space for it?
• How will you measure your progress?
• How will you stay accountable?
• Who’s on your cheer squad? (Besides me of course. If you want to join my squad in Starter Story, check it out)

Rooting for you,