This is so true and all boils down to a principle you talk about in your book, which to live a little bravely and try new things. Location is a big deal, because our flesh and blood need for safety and security will keep steering us back to familiar territory instead of risking a change of the location of our actual bodies, or even things like where we write, or speak up. Trying something new is such an underrated life hack, and good writer practice.
Very Beautiful. It takes great courage to be a caring man, or woman. Without this, the world would lose its gentle and important subtleties ~ and its beauty. Often shy (and aware) people are uncomfortable with added scrutiny, for they already scrutinize themselves as a result of self awareness and empathy. Captain O has his place and so do you. Thanks.
I don't think anyone ever wants to hear it, but sometimes it's also not the right time.
When I was a kid in the 80s, ninjas were the shit. There were so many movies and books about ninjas. I was going to become one, but the masters are hard to spot.
Today, my ninja fanfic is missing that audience. I missed my window. Now, maybe it'll be back in a year, but it's hard to say.
The trick is being ready to strike when the iron is hot. (I may or may not have a backlog of ninja fanfic on my hard drive, waiting for that moment that it's cool again.)
Great points. And once you find the right place, it all makes sense and you begin to grow a following and revenue. But one key is not to expect everything to happen over night. Enjoyed the read.
I like work mishaps stories! And this sounds like something I would do haha.
Reminds me of the time I deleted my boss's hard drive by accident which included his entire client database, all his biz admin and everything....you can imagine the look on his face when I had to own up....
Michael, I felt this on a soul level. That feeling of nailing it, only to realize you've completely missed the mark? It's like that time I baked a cake for my best friend's birthday, spent hours decorating it, only to realize I'd used salt instead of sugar. The look on her face... well, let's just say it wasn't the sweet reaction I was hoping for. Your story is a hilarious reminder that even when we think we're doing everything right, there's always room for a little... well, driveway mix-up.
Oh my gosh. What a story. I have frequently wondered if I’ve dumped the load I’m set to deliver into the wrong driveway. 🤭
I’ve decided to just keep on filling my truck with the fertilizer for now, and hope that someone will recognize its glory, and ask me “to dump it in that place over there” where everyone can benefit
🫣🤪
My truck floweth over and I’m looking for that perfect location. 😳🙃
So glad you got something out of it Teyani. And nothing wrong with filling your truck for now. I kicked myself for not coming over to Substack earlier as it is the right place to dump my load;) but the collecting of fertilizer in other places before helped with getting moving here.
For a minute there, I thought the friend you were talking about was me. I had been dumping my load in the wrong place for two decades! And then I found Substack. And even then, it took five months of the void before I found the right corner of Substack to deposit my mulch.
Location. Audience. Even timing all matters.
I'm realizing now that as I've watched so many of my friends and colleagues peak in their careers, some early, some not so early, some later...and then there's me...peaking LATE. I like it better this way.
I can attest to the power of platform. After I began posting to Notes in April, subscriber growth increased 7x compared to posting to X alone. There’s no better platform for growing an email list than Substack.
Yes to Substack over X. Same with LinkedIn. I was doing alright there but never felt like home. The audience here is much softer and more rational but every day my Notes feed is being swallowed up with X like posts. Hitting mute pretty fast but can't seem to outrun it.
The "feels like home" part is really a HUGE thing. I can come to substack and just wander around and comment and read, and it just feels like I'm hanging out with friends. On X or LinkedIn, I either get bored or fed up with the same message, or the overly formulaic content spewed AT me. There isn't a conversation happening anywhere else, just substack.
Uh, yeah, I occasionally see X-like posts. When I do, I cringe, "No, not here." I also used to see many remarkably clever posts with hundreds or thousands of likes, but not so much lately. Hopefully, the culture is self-cleansing.
Thanks for sharing this. It brightened my morning. Sometimes those embarrassing moments can be used later as pearls of wisdom. Cheers! (with belated champagne)
So glad it offered a bit of light today. Carol. And yes, sharing embarrassing moments and trying to extract something good is kinda my thing. Hurt a bit at first but finally gotten to a place where I can look back on my life and laugh.
For me it comes down to the energy you feel for a place. Sharing our work should be fun and other platforms like X, LinkedIn etc steal my energy whereas I'm excited to share and log onto Substack. Other than that, it comes down to trial and error but if you find people you enjoy engaging with on a platform it's a good sign.
So true. Through my different experiences, I ended up realizing that in order to change in the long term, you often have to quit your traditional background and the places you're familiar with in order to really decipher what you want to be in life and who you want to be. We often tend to stick to what we know because we feel insecure , yet most of the time it's when we dare getting out of our comfort zone that we really focus on our needs and expectations. And sometimes, you think that you’re in a good place but you're stuck with bad people around you. They'll make you feel wrong and bitter. So finding the right place for the right you is definitely a challenge but it worth it 10000000%!!
This is so true and all boils down to a principle you talk about in your book, which to live a little bravely and try new things. Location is a big deal, because our flesh and blood need for safety and security will keep steering us back to familiar territory instead of risking a change of the location of our actual bodies, or even things like where we write, or speak up. Trying something new is such an underrated life hack, and good writer practice.
Very Beautiful. It takes great courage to be a caring man, or woman. Without this, the world would lose its gentle and important subtleties ~ and its beauty. Often shy (and aware) people are uncomfortable with added scrutiny, for they already scrutinize themselves as a result of self awareness and empathy. Captain O has his place and so do you. Thanks.
Thank you. Captain O does has his place. By the end of my summer there we got a lot like waffles and syrup.
I don't think anyone ever wants to hear it, but sometimes it's also not the right time.
When I was a kid in the 80s, ninjas were the shit. There were so many movies and books about ninjas. I was going to become one, but the masters are hard to spot.
Today, my ninja fanfic is missing that audience. I missed my window. Now, maybe it'll be back in a year, but it's hard to say.
The trick is being ready to strike when the iron is hot. (I may or may not have a backlog of ninja fanfic on my hard drive, waiting for that moment that it's cool again.)
So very true about "also not the right time."
Great points. And once you find the right place, it all makes sense and you begin to grow a following and revenue. But one key is not to expect everything to happen over night. Enjoyed the read.
Thank you Maryan. And right on about finding the right place.
I like work mishaps stories! And this sounds like something I would do haha.
Reminds me of the time I deleted my boss's hard drive by accident which included his entire client database, all his biz admin and everything....you can imagine the look on his face when I had to own up....
Wozzers. I can sense a post from you about that.
Michael, I felt this on a soul level. That feeling of nailing it, only to realize you've completely missed the mark? It's like that time I baked a cake for my best friend's birthday, spent hours decorating it, only to realize I'd used salt instead of sugar. The look on her face... well, let's just say it wasn't the sweet reaction I was hoping for. Your story is a hilarious reminder that even when we think we're doing everything right, there's always room for a little... well, driveway mix-up.
haha. I've done the salt and sugar mix-up as well. Thanks for the memory and glad this on resonated.
I loved it, Michael and I'll be curious to read your book. Thank you so much for words I needed to hear right now.
So glad you liked it Jo and massive thank you for checking out the book as it means a lot as I try to get it moving. Have a great weekend.
Thanks Michael. To you, too.
Oh my gosh. What a story. I have frequently wondered if I’ve dumped the load I’m set to deliver into the wrong driveway. 🤭
I’ve decided to just keep on filling my truck with the fertilizer for now, and hope that someone will recognize its glory, and ask me “to dump it in that place over there” where everyone can benefit
🫣🤪
My truck floweth over and I’m looking for that perfect location. 😳🙃
So glad you got something out of it Teyani. And nothing wrong with filling your truck for now. I kicked myself for not coming over to Substack earlier as it is the right place to dump my load;) but the collecting of fertilizer in other places before helped with getting moving here.
Great ! Thanks for your advice. Good Day !
Thank you for taking the time. Glad you liked it.
For a minute there, I thought the friend you were talking about was me. I had been dumping my load in the wrong place for two decades! And then I found Substack. And even then, it took five months of the void before I found the right corner of Substack to deposit my mulch.
Location. Audience. Even timing all matters.
I'm realizing now that as I've watched so many of my friends and colleagues peak in their careers, some early, some not so early, some later...and then there's me...peaking LATE. I like it better this way.
Funny I have a draft about timing in the vault somewhere. And yes, to peaking late. Makes it all the more fulfilling.
I can attest to the power of platform. After I began posting to Notes in April, subscriber growth increased 7x compared to posting to X alone. There’s no better platform for growing an email list than Substack.
Yes to Substack over X. Same with LinkedIn. I was doing alright there but never felt like home. The audience here is much softer and more rational but every day my Notes feed is being swallowed up with X like posts. Hitting mute pretty fast but can't seem to outrun it.
The "feels like home" part is really a HUGE thing. I can come to substack and just wander around and comment and read, and it just feels like I'm hanging out with friends. On X or LinkedIn, I either get bored or fed up with the same message, or the overly formulaic content spewed AT me. There isn't a conversation happening anywhere else, just substack.
Uh, yeah, I occasionally see X-like posts. When I do, I cringe, "No, not here." I also used to see many remarkably clever posts with hundreds or thousands of likes, but not so much lately. Hopefully, the culture is self-cleansing.
Thanks for sharing this. It brightened my morning. Sometimes those embarrassing moments can be used later as pearls of wisdom. Cheers! (with belated champagne)
So glad it offered a bit of light today. Carol. And yes, sharing embarrassing moments and trying to extract something good is kinda my thing. Hurt a bit at first but finally gotten to a place where I can look back on my life and laugh.
Great story Michael and awesome application
Thank you Heléna. Means a lot. Have a great weekend and thank you for stopping by.
Wow this was fun. Remind me to refer you to delicate from here on out.
I've been called worse. But either way, please don't;).
This is a great reminder! Do you have advice on how to find your where?
For me it comes down to the energy you feel for a place. Sharing our work should be fun and other platforms like X, LinkedIn etc steal my energy whereas I'm excited to share and log onto Substack. Other than that, it comes down to trial and error but if you find people you enjoy engaging with on a platform it's a good sign.
Thank you 😊
So true. Through my different experiences, I ended up realizing that in order to change in the long term, you often have to quit your traditional background and the places you're familiar with in order to really decipher what you want to be in life and who you want to be. We often tend to stick to what we know because we feel insecure , yet most of the time it's when we dare getting out of our comfort zone that we really focus on our needs and expectations. And sometimes, you think that you’re in a good place but you're stuck with bad people around you. They'll make you feel wrong and bitter. So finding the right place for the right you is definitely a challenge but it worth it 10000000%!!