How to Make Life-Changing ProgressOn 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:
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,
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:
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:
Rooting for you,
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I help generalists in tech and consulting who are feeling stuck and unfulfilled in their career unlock clarity and confidence to transition into their dream career. We upgrade their mindset, story, and strategy to make career transitions with confidence. Join my newsletter to build your career by design and life on purpose. You're in, right?!
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