Lights, camera, action! 🎬 Welcome to the 12th edition of “3 Things I Learned Last Week”! I hope you’re as excited as a kid on Christmas morning!
Every week, I dive into the Pandora’s box of knowledge, from books and articles to podcasts, online courses, and YouTube videos. And just like a particularly curious magpie, I bring you the shiniest nuggets I find on this treasure hunt.
So, put on your comfy pants, grab that morning cup of joe, and let’s expand our minds together. This newsletter is best enjoyed shared – you know, like a good gossip session – so feel free to forward this to friends who might enjoy it!
This week’s digest is like a hearty stew cooked from a riveting conversation between Tim Ferriss and Kevin Kelly on The Tim Ferriss Show.
So, what’s on the menu?
- The Power of 1,000 True Fans (Think cheerleaders, not stalkers!)
- Active Optimism vs. Passive Optimism (Spoiler: one is better than the other)
- Stand Out: Don’t Aim to Be the Best, Be the Only (Why be a sheep when you can be a unicorn?)
Ready to dig in?
📣 The Power of 1,000 True Fans
You know how they say, “you can’t please everyone?” Well, Kevin Kelly took that to heart. In his renowned article, he argues you don’t need to be the Oprah Winfrey of your field to make a living doing what you love. According to Kelly, you only need 1,000 true fans, the ones who’ll root for you like their life depended on it.
Platforms like Kickstarter and Patreon are here to give you a leg up, making it easier to connect with these fans and kickstart your passion project. So, whether you’re dreaming of being the next Elon Musk or just want to run a small Etsy shop, starting with 1,000 true fans is your ticket to the big league.
🎥 Watch Kevin spilling the beans on the power of 1,000 true fans here.
🚀 Active Optimism vs. Passive Optimism
Next up, we’re talking optimism. But not just the sit-back-and-hope-for-the-best kind. Kelly emphasizes the importance of active optimism—basically, getting off your couch to improve your circumstances. He warns against treating technology like a magic wand that’ll solve all our problems.
Using the example of the B612 Foundation’s asteroid tracking project, he highlights how we can take matters into our own hands. Let’s learn from the past to hope and actively work for a better future!
🎥 Catch the tussle between active vs. passive optimism here.
🏆 Stand Out: Don’t Aim to Be the Best, Be the Only
Last but not least, Kelly and Ferriss drop a truth bomb: don’t aim to be the best, aim to be the only. They’re all about carving out a unique niche, even if it’s so unique that explaining it to others makes you sound like an alien.
Finding your unique path requires a heavy dose of introspection, a dash of self-awareness, and a sprinkle of courage. But the reward is a career as unique and fulfilling as a narwhal at a unicorn party.
🎥 Watch the duo talking about being unique here.
That’s a wrap for this edition of “3 Things I Learned Last Week.” I hope you found these bits of wisdom as valuable as a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.
Stay tuned for more enlightening discoveries next week, because the show must go on!
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Here’s to another week of opportunity, growth, and happiness—may it be as exciting as a cliffhanger at the end of your favorite show!
Keep rocking,
~ Nathan
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