“Most marketers are fooling themselves. They imagine that the audience size necessary for critical mass is right around the corner, but it’s actually closer to infinity. That, like a boat with a leak, you always have to keep bailing to keep it afloat. If you don’t design for a low critical mass, you’re unlikely to get one.”
“Facebook employs a dozen people to delete abuse and spam from Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook page.”
“Silicon Valley faces a crucial imperative to tell the public about their morally questionable practices they have — unfortunately — learned from the tobacco industry, which is, setting an addiction that is extremely good for business.”
“A breakdown is not merely a random piece of madness or malfunction, it is a very real — albeit very inarticulate — bid for health. It is an attempt by one part of our minds to force the other into a process of growth, self-understanding and self-development which it has hitherto refused to undertake.”
“Hannah is the most competent person in our house, and she’s a puddle. She wants to know the correct answer, what other people would like her to say, but she’s furious if she thinks the right answer is untrue. I want to say: I’ll give you all I’ve got, but I wasn’t that great at being a teenager, and I’m a pretty flawed adult, too.”
“Remember: the only way to get a [good] reputation is to consistently provide value for people over a sustained period of time.”
“No matter what you do, your job is to tell your story.” — Gary Vaynerchuk
Of the 500+ ideas I’ve shared this year in my For The Interested newsletter, here are a few quick summaries of my favorite productivity tips.
Each week I share 10 ideas with my For The Interested newsletter subscribers. Following is this week’s newsletter — sign up here to get future issues.
* * *
They’re like you.
Those people you think have it all figured out? They don’t.
They’re just as confused, insecure, and worried as you are.
Remember that the next time you think you’re not good enough.
Because the first step to becoming who you want to be is to believe you can.
Now, on to this week’s ideas…
You can do a lot of things with thousands of hours of your time.
And just about any of them would be better than spending it “developing your personal brand.”
That’s why I cringed when I read a social media consultant’s bio that referenced how he’s done just that.
Not only is bragging about how you spend thousands of hours on your own brand an odd sales pitch to a potential client (who would likely rather hear about what you do for your clients), but it also represents a common misconception about branding.
Your personal brand isn’t defined by you – it’s defined by your work.
When somebody claims to spend lots of time working on their personal brand, what that actually means is they’ve spent that time chasing meaningless vanity metrics on their personal social media accounts.
That’s not how personal branding works.
How do you actually develop a strong personal brand?
You do work. Great work. Work that gets noticed.
Work that delivers what it promises and makes people want to talk about it.
Without the work, there is no brand. No matter what you say on social media or how many times you say it.
Want to be known? Do great work.
Want to be an influencer? Do great work.
Want to attract clients? Do great work.
I spend no time working on my personal brand, choosing instead to focus on doing great work and creating things of value.
As a result, the time I invest in my newsletter and the work I do for clients frames people’s perceptions of me.
My work is my brand — whether I like it or not — so that’s where I focus my effort.
All the inspirational Instagram quotes, riveting Snapchat stories, and Gary Vaynerchuk-inspired hustle in the world will never define your personal brand the way your work does.
Stop trying to tell people who you are and start doing meaningful work that demonstrates it.
Spend your thousands of hours driving tangible results, proving what makes you unique, and creating value for others.
When you do that, you won’t have to worry about creating your personal brand because your work will have done it for you.
Want more ideas like this one?
Each week I share a collection of 10 ideas like this to help you learn, do, and become better at your work, art, and life.
You can check out previous issues here.