by David Andrew Wiebe | Feb 28, 2023 | Inspiration
I can still recall returning to Canada as a teenager after living in Japan for eight and a half years.
I had a brief stint as a student in Barrhead, AB before moving to Calgary, AB.
I always got along with my cousin, and I was glad he was around. I was also introduced to some of his friends.
At one point, I observed a bit of a dynamic developing.
I thought of myself as being athletic and physically capable, but my cousin was more so.
I thought of myself as a nice guy, but my cousin’s friend was more so.
So, it wasn’t long before I felt like a third wheel. I felt extraneous, like my presence didn’t even matter.
It’s funny what we make things mean.
I had no scientific basis for this thought. It wasn’t even pointed out by anyone else. There was no consensus. It was a personal observation, no more.
But in that moment, I made up something about my identity. And from that day forward, there have been plenty of opportunities for me to feel like the third wheel, like I’m extraneous and don’t matter.
How about you?
Have you ever felt like there’s nothing redeeming about who you are?
There must be something you bring to the table, though, right?
by David Andrew Wiebe | Feb 27, 2023 | News
I am getting ahead of myself. A little bit. Because v1.0 of the Productivity, Performance & Profits Blackbook isn’t even done yet.
But my most recent customer of the book expressed interest in a physical copy. That’s all I needed to know!
As to when the book will be ready, and what format (paperback, hardcover, or both), I can only speculate. But this is my primary area of focus this year, especially for the next quarter (ending June). So, you can bet it will be top of mind for me.
Don’t forget – by the time you’ve read this, there probably won’t be much time left (or there may not be any time left) to take advantage of the heavily discounted pre-order offer. If you’ve been sitting on the fence, just know that it’s the most painful place to sit. Say yes to standing on my shoulders and seeing further. Or say no.
by David Andrew Wiebe | Feb 26, 2023 | Creativity
Why do I post daily?
I’ve shared about how I’ve probably always wanted to do it, just that I’ve been waiting for the permission to do it.
That’s a lesson. Never wait for the permission to do whatever it is you want to do. Simply go and do it.
But when I heard marketer Russell Brunson talk about how if you published daily for a year, all your money problems would be solved, how I could I not give it a try?
Publishing daily for a year didn’t do that for me… but it wasn’t without its benefits.
After 22 months straight of daily blogging, I took a bit of a break from May to November 2022, but eventually got back on this crazy train. It kept whistling at me.
But I have been feeling for a while that I need to consolidate my business activity. I’ve got too much going on and I’ve probably made it harder on people to follow me than not.
So, I started coming up with a plan. I was starting to think of merging Music Entrepreneur HQ with this site. Honestly, I might still do it. Consolidation is coming in some way, shape, or form. It’s just that it may not look how I originally thought it was going to look.
In evaluating my approach to business and with a renewed commitment to take an inside out approach (instead of the outside in approach I’ve been taking), I figured it might be high time to stop publishing daily and set myself behind a layer, as I did in 2018 – 2019.
I felt this issue of publishing daily also needed to be re-examined. It’s not taking up a ton of time, but it is taking time, nonetheless.
But in listening to Seth Godin again recently, I’ve begun seeing publishing daily through a new perspective. It’s not about traffic or money at all. It’s about sharing observations and being useful to others.
The daily blogging is serving a purpose all its own. It might not be growing my business. But it’s keeping me in the habit of showing up daily and being generous. And that’s enough. It’s serving a purpose all its own.
I don’t need to force this website to become anything more or anything other than what it is. That’s freeing. It’s a relief.
Now I can concentrate on sharing my observations.
by David Andrew Wiebe | Feb 25, 2023 | Inspiration
You should only have two or three conversations that are top of mind. Ever.
If you’re looking for a romantic partner, everyone within earshot should hear you talking about how you’re looking for a romantic partner.
If you want to grow your business, you should be sharing what it is you’re looking to create with everyone you encounter.
If you’re looking for a new home, you should bring it up every opportunity you can.
I’m not talking about taking over conversations or rudely interrupting people. I’m talking about being intentional with what you talk about. Words have creative power.
You may assume everyone else is aware of what’s painfully obvious to you. But you’d be surprised to find how many people simply don’t have a clue, and even assume you’re probably happy with how things are in your life in right now.
It’s counterintuitive, given that the inconvenience of being human is that you’re always going to want more.
Either way, imagine the difference having these conversations would make. Don’t talk about what you think you deserve or what you think you can or can’t have. Only talk about what it is you’re creating.
Talk about what you want everywhere you go. That’s how you create it.
by David Andrew Wiebe | Feb 24, 2023 | Entrepreneurship
Opportunities will come up now and again. They may even be lucrative.
But will they tear you away from what you’re really out to accomplish in the world?
Sure, short-term sacrifices do need to be made every so often based on the lifestyle you want to create. But it can be very difficult to pivot on a dime.
You may be working with the devil right now. But the devil you know is almost certainly more familiar and comfortable than the next devil you will surely encounter.
(Which isn’t to say the devil you know is always better.)
There are times to let go of whatever it is you’re working on in pursuit of something else. Sometimes, opportunities should be seized.
But you won’t seize every opportunity. You may look back and wonder “what if…” But you probably won’t if you were sure it wasn’t meant for you in the first place.
It’s not an easy decision when you’re in the middle of scaling a mountain, when whatever you’re working on right now isn’t quite delivering on expectations. But being torn away from it may not serve you either.
