5 lessons from 2023 (#4 will SHOCK you!!)

Hey y’all!

Nothing too crazy today. 

Just 5 big lessons I’ve learned over the last year of writing online.

1\ Everyone is a marketer

I used to have this cognitive bias against sales and marketing. Typical engineer stuff. 

But, after reading about marketing from people like Naval Ravikant and Seth Godin, learning to write, and sending newsletters every day, I realized something: everyone is a marketer.

For example:

• Personal appearance -> The way you dress communicates your identity and values to people that see you. You are positioning your personality with your look.

• Building relationships -> You curate and present information about your makeup (skills, experiences, and goals) when you want to build relationships.

• Finding a job -> You're selling your skills, experiences, and personality to companies, letting them know why you're the best person for the job.

So, if we all do it, it makes sense to be intentional and get better at it.

2\ Be authoritative

To get followers, you have to establish yourself as an authority. Remember, the C in C-suite stands for confidence.

You need verbal competency and prowess. A powerful voice. This is why rappers are so popular. 

Lean into your best personal traits. Work on sharpening charisma, integrity, and interpersonal skills. This is referent authority. People will follow because of who you are.

And, you need specialized knowledge and expertise in a particular area to back it up. People respect and follow the guidance of experts. Not just powerful vocal cords and prose.

This realization has transformed my writing in the last several months.

3\ Once you lose momentum, it’s over

If you gain ANY amount of momentum, latch onto it.

There've been so many instances where I lost that initial momentum and the idea/project crashed and burned. 

The engineering firm, consulting business, HR software company, etc.

And most of the time the problem was that my attention and focus was split between too many fronts. 

So, now when I feel things start to take off, I double down.

Your time is finite, apply it to the stuff that’s working.

4\ Retirement isn’t for me

It’s the getting, not the having, that makes you fulfilled. 

Gaining knowledge.

Making money.

Getting fit.

There’s no stopping point for any of those things. It’s a constant process. 

The people I admire most in life never stop working. 

They found the thing they want to work on forever and they never stop:

• Warren Buffett

• Carl Icahn

• Paul McCartney, etc

These guys love what they do. They aren’t going to retire. They found what they love and they don’t stop.

And I won’t either.

5\ Lean into the “weird” parts

There’s only 1 you. And you aren’t in public high school any more. 

Stop worrying what people will think about you. They probably suck anyway.

I spent so much of my life trying to hide the “weird” parts of me: I got married when I was 19, don’t like watching sports, etc., only to find that people don’t care. At least the people that I want to be around anyway. 

So, stop trying to hide.

The right people will love your authentic self. 

And that’s it!

I’m so excited for the lessons 2024 will bring, and to share it with you!

Swanagan

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