The Power of Focus

No. 04 — June 16th, 2023

This is The Friday Journal, a weekly newsletter where I provide actionable ideas to help you build a high-performing, healthy, wealthy life and share what I’m pondering and exploring.

Feel free to forward this along to friends!

Today at a Glance: 

• Finding Clarity

• Video I’m watching

• Quote of the week

• Article I'm Reading

• Copy work of the week

This is a 5-minute read, I know it's a long one, So get your coffee ready, and let's start!

Let's get started!

Finding Clarity

When I started my writing journey, I felt overwhelmed and found myself navigating a maze of platforms, from Twitter to blogs, newsletter to Substack, and Medium, but I didn't know where to focus. All I knew was that I had a deep desire to write but lacked direction. The what, where, and how eluded me.

At first, I chased the crowd and followed what everyone else was doing. I thought if I found a profitable niche and built an audience, I would achieve financial and digital freedom. It seemed so simple, with every one proclaiming that the internet held limitless opportunities.

Yet, I soon discovered that theory and practice were worlds apart, and it wasn't a walk in the park as it initially seemed, and that reality hit me hard.

I tried writing about productivity and growth, but I wasn't making any progress, and like any beginner, I didn't have a niche or a specific topic to write about. I realized that I was just copying what others were doing, merely chasing money rather than crafting meaningful content. I didn't have my own unique voice.

I wasted a lot of time on things that didn't really matter, like choosing a platform, picking a website hosting service, and searching for a domain name.

But it was a lesson for me.

I understood that if I wanted to build a personal brand and grow as a writer, I need to focus on my writing itself and the value I could provide to others. I wanted to share my journey of learning and becoming an authority.

So, I made a plan inspired by three main points:

• Educate: Share my own experiences and what I've learned along the way.

• Inspire: Motivate and empower others through my content.

• Entertain: Use storytelling to engage and captivate my audience.

And with this being clear, I scaled down to three main goals:

1. Write on Twitter to build and grow my audience

2. Write on Substack to become better at long-form writing

3. Write a newsletter to connect with my readers on a deeper level

These three pillars would serve as the foundation for my growth. Scaling up could wait—I was in the early stages of my journey, and there was no need to get distracted by trying to do too much too soon.

The key takeaway here is that when you feel lost, it's vital to scale down and re-evaluate. Rediscover your purpose, focus on the essentials, and build a solid foundation before moving forward.

The path to success begins with clarity and intention.

Sam

Video I’m watching 

The Best Way to Answer "So What Do You Do?" ​Link​ 

A video to help at your next networking event:

One of my biggest struggles since stepping off "the track" to chase my own passion for writing and doing something I've never done before is my answer to people who ask me what I do.

The answer is a common struggle and very few people have this nailed in a one-liner answer to this question.

This was a great video with short, actionable advice for coming up with your introduction for your next networking event.

I spent time choosing mine and I'm still building it up, but until now I think I'm going to go with: "I write and turn words into value that leaves an impact"

Quote of the week 

"It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so." - Mark Twain

Twain's words remind us of the dangers of false certainty and the importance of intellectual humility and the need to question our assumptions in order to gain true wisdom.

We need to constantly question and reassess our assumptions because misguided confidence in our beliefs can lead to significant problems.

This quote serves as a reminder to remain open-minded and acknowledge the limitations of our knowledge, paving the way for personal growth and wisdom.

Article I'm Reading 

I read in Ali Abdaal's last week newsletter, a review of a book called “The Soul of Money”, which delves into our complex relationship with money and explores the impact of lack of thinking on our lives & everyone around us.

He quoted a powerful passage that really got me thinking to put the book on my reading list, and I wanted to share it with you too:

“We spend most of the hours and the days of our lives hearing, explaining, complaining, or worrying about what we don’t have enough of. We don’t have enough time. We don’t have enough rest. We don’t have enough exercise. We don’t have enough work. We don’t have enough profits. We don’t have enough power. We don’t have enough wilderness. We don’t have enough weekends. Of course, we don’t have enough money—ever. We’re not thin enough, we’re not smart enough, we’re not pretty enough or fit enough or educated or successful enough, or rich enough—ever.” 

Reading this got me reflecting on the idea of scarcity and how it might be guiding our behavior, especially me.

And that made me want to try to make a more conscious effort to shift my focus to a mindset of sufficiency, where I should make decisions that align with my values and creative vision, rather than making them for the idea of just making money.

This is hard though!

Copy work of the week 

How is my environment influencing my reality

By Sahil Bloom

read on sahilbloom.com 

Question I'm always asking:

How is my environment influencing my reality? 

You are a product of your environment:

• The people you spend the most time with

• The content you consume

• The space you occupy

• The thoughts you allow to linger

Your environment impacts your day-to-day experiences as you walk through life. It can do so positively or negatively.

I'm constantly asking myself this question: How's my environment influencing my reality?

If I'm unsatisfied with my progress in some arena, are there environmental factors at play? Is my environment actually in sync with the reality I want to create?

An honest assessment typically reveals areas of improvement.

While you may not feel in control of your reality, you are in control of your environment, at least in the long run.

There are always going to be short-term challenges that you encounter along the way—Situations that dislocate your actual environment from your desired environment. But in the long run, if you take steady, consistent actions, you can craft an environment in line with your desires.

Key Takeaway: If you take action to improve your environment, your reality will follow.

That's it.

Enjoy your week and see you soon!

Cheers, 

Sam 

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