№ 05 Professional & Ambition
Download PDF

For the perpetually almost-ready.

Permission isn't coming in the mail

Certainty is a myth and you're waiting for permission that will never come

The Stoic Principle

You are not waiting until you are ready. You are waiting until the fear gets bored and leaves. It will not. The job is to start with it sitting right there on the couch.

The Stoic Support

"How to people become great at things? They start."

Ryan Holiday  |  The Obstacle is the Way

Stoic Steps for Radical Resilience

Five steps for the first 90 minutes of a thing you have been avoiding for nine months.

  1. Make the decision smaller

    'Start the business' is too big. 'Buy the domain' is small. 'Email one person' is smaller. Pick the smallest unit you can finish in 20 minutes. Today.

  2. Ship the ugly version

    Greene says the failure of never trying is worse than the failure of trying badly. Ship something embarrassing. The thing you are embarrassed by becomes the thing you build from.

  3. Find one person who is two steps ahead

    Not someone famous. Someone who started six months before you. Buy them coffee. Ask the dumb questions. They were just there. They remember.

  4. Set a budget for not-knowing

    'I will not know what I am doing until June.' Calendar it. Constant mid-attempt anxiety is what kills the attempt. Acceptance buys you focus.

  5. Track effort, not results

    Results are a lagging indicator. Effort is the only thing under your control. Count reps. The reps will eventually produce the results. Or they will not. You will find out.

Want this on paper or to share with a teammate?

Download the PDF ← Browse all 40 guides