Shortly after writing this blog post, I began crafting an eloquent pitch to send to Bill Phillips, an editor at Men’s Health.
Normally, I write in Word, Google Docs, or Evernote. But I had Mr. Phillips’s e-mail address saved in Gmail, so I opted to write it there.
Being a shitty first draft, as Anne Lamott calls it, I included a cliché. It sat inside parentheses—my cue to swap it out for something better during revisions. Good writers hate clichés and I wasn’t going to use one in my first e-mail to Men’s Health.
After finishing the tentative outline, my fingers freaked out and I accidently sent the e-mail.
Without checking for spelling or grammar.
Without formatting the e-mail.
Without fixing the cliché in parentheses.
Without thanking him for his time.
But I hold my head high. Even though I sent a sub-par pitch, the fact remains that it’s sent. And that’s the most important part.
THE HERO
I would be astonished, downright flabbergasted, if you haven’t heard of Nate Green. Because of both the path I walk and my dream destination, I attract a similar crowd. His story is inspiring, no doubt. And you, probably like me, have intentions of tip-toeing in his footprints.
Entrepreneurial freedom. Living the life of your dreams. And generally kicking ass in the process.
Nate calls it becoming your own hero. Hot damn.
Become your own hero.
Now that’s catchy stuff.
You probably look up to Nate and see possibility, just like I do. Let’s not sugar coat it: you want his life. Those footprints he made? You intend on following them.
Well, I have some shitty news for you.
You can’t.
There’s a reason why it’s called becoming your own hero.
Nate didn’t have a path. He made his own. And as soon as a path does emerge, it’s useless.
Don’t follow it.
Nate proved that the ability to navigate the terrain was possible. That’s it. Now it’s time for you to do the same, only with your own trail.
THE JOURNEY
In Nate’s terms, I’m becoming my own hero. I have a long ways to go, as I’ve settled into a middle tier of success. Don’t get me wrong, I live for and love what I do. And that’s enough to keep me going.
But I’m stagnant.
As of this moment, my life is the most efficient and optimized for success as it ever has been. Each day is planned to maximize learning and productivity. And boy do I do a lot of learning.
But today, I think I finally understand.
I’m learning too much.
You can look around my room and find dozens of entrepreneurial books. You can shadow my life and tag along with the websites and podcasts I follow. (I will blog about these more often in the coming weeks.) Every day, however, I’m drifting further away from where I need to be.
Every day I’m coming closer to a pathway.
But that’s not where I, or you, should be.
There’s no adventure on the path. And when we’re there, we’re afraid to stray from it. But you can’t be original by following a path.
Don’t you want to be original?
JUST SHIP IT
Looking to kick off a writing or coaching career? How about this: stop reading about the process. Just stop for three weeks. And during that time, do one thing: ship something.
You can have the best product or idea in the world, but unless you ship it, no one cares.
For two weeks, I’ve had an e-mail in queue to Bill Phillips, an editor at Men’s Health. Haven’t sent it. Haven’t even written it. I’m afraid to, really. And this is the problem that not only I face, but the same problem you face.
We’re afraid to fail.
The path is perfect. You can’t lose if you follow it. And if you travel the woods alone, you might end up nowhere or get lost.
But one year from now, the people who make it through are the ones that just go. The ones that aren’t afraid of failing. Because they are going to
take action. Everyone else will be staring at the path and glancing at the woods, wondering which way to take.
They may even be reading about which way is better. Book after book. They may even be listening about which way is better. Podcast after podcast. They may even be watching about which way is better. Interview after interview.
Paralyzed.
When I e-mailed Lou Schuler last year, I was admittedly fearful. Lou responded with this:
Now ask yourself: If you have to sack up just to email me, what’s it going to take to approach someone who can actually publish your work? And not just approach the person, but approach in a way that makes him take you seriously?
Why Lou, that’s a mighty fine question. And one I still struggle with months later.
Until now, becase I’m not afraid of failing anymore.
I have about five eBooks that need finished. What if they flop? What if no one downloads them?
I have a great website idea in “Become Superhuman.” What if no one likes it?
I want to make this blog more personal. More me. More about my own dive into the wilderness. What if no one cares?
But now it’s different. If my eBooks flop, great. If no one likes my website, awesome. And if no one cares about my content, fantastic.
I’m no longer chasing success. I’m chasing two things: value and failure.
You can’t fail if you’re not in the game. So as long as you fail, you’re fighting for something. And the most valuable currency either given or received is value. No one cares about muscle mass. But everyone cares about how muscle mass makes them feel. That’s value.
This philosophy shapes from two things: a small passage from a Seth Godin speech and a stanza from a Jonny Lang song.
Seth Godin:
Do you care enough to ship something into the world that might fail? Do you care enough to get laughed at? Do you care enough to put yourself out there and have it not work?
…
And this voice in the back of your head, the one that’s saying, “No no no, don’t listen to him,” that’s your compass. Every time it tells you you’re on the wrong track you know you’re doing exactly the right thing.
Johnny Lang:
It would sure be nice to go triple platinum,
But there’s no guarantee it’s ever going to happen.
And if I can only reach one set of ears,
I know that I fulfilled my purpose here.
Don’t try to be Nate Green 2.0. Trust me, I’ve been there. It won’t work. Even worse, you, as a person, won’t matter. You will be a copy. And when you’re gone, no one will care. You might be able to make a quick buck, but don’t you want more? Don’t you want to do things that extend beyond the confines of currency?
Be yourself.
By all means, have mentors. They are integral in your development. But be yourself. Make your own path. And do something people will remember.
Now, if you excuse me, I have a few e-mails to send.
Great motivational post Anthony.
It’s easy to imitate someone else when you’re trying to following in the path of your heroes.
I’m guilty of it. But defining your own successes are definitely where the rewards are at.
C.
Thanks Clint, appreciate the reply. Yeah, your OWN success is the important part there.
I heart you.
I’m smarter than our Skype conversations would lead on.
It’s just that I had to take a few days to reflect. And I think it’s clear. Scary. But clear.
I just wanted to say that I have found your posts about working everyday inspirational. Now I make art, read, workout, smile and tell my girlfriend I love her everyday. I want to thank you, because this philosophy has improved my life.
This is awesome, Mike. Incredible awesome. I’m glad I can be such a positive influence. It’s guys like you that keep me doing what I do, so the feeling is mutual. Thanks.
Which post are you referring to?
He probably means a combination of these:
http://anthonymychal.com/2012/03/fitness-sunday-funday-325/
http://anthonymychal.com/2012/03/become-superhuman-the-world-of-redbull-essense-and-emotional-blogging-advice/
Loving these posts man.
You for sure know a hell lot about training but nothing is better than something that comes from the heart.
I am the same way when you explained how you were learning too much. It’s extremely easy to get sucked up into information especially if it’s extremely interesting. Taking action is more important than learning. I guess the best way to explain is how when Martin Rooney says that you’ll learn more under the bar than studying about it. Someone else, (I think Brian Tracey?) said that it’s not a coincidence that the most successful people have their own library of books in their home. These same people are also action takers and extremely productive.
The “Just Ship It Section” reminds me of how Pat Rigsby says “you get paid for DONE”. Nothing will ever happen if you never get it out there, even if it’s not perfect. I thought of this just a few weeks ago when I ordered my t-shirts. Had to handle a lazy business partner, horrible customer service, and my own doubts. My shirts didn’t come out exactly the way I wanted them but I was so frustrated that I just said “fuck it. This isn’t ever going to happen if I keep stalling” and I ordered the shirts right then and there.
You wrote “We’re afraid to fail”. Always wondered, do you think it is that we’re afraid to fail or afraid of what we can become and we just keep refusing the idea which leads to fear of failing? Is fear of failing even the same as fear of rejection? I’m just talking out loud now haha.
I really like the bit about Seth Godin and Jonny Sang and Nate Green 2.0. Going after what you want, doing things your way, and making yourself memorable.
Like how Brendan Bouchard says: Live, Love, Matter.
Anyways, great blog post man. I really hope you “ship” your ebooks ASAP haha.
One is close, hah! Writing takes a long time.
I don’t know about your philosophical question, either. I’ve thought about that, but I think it’s just more that we’re afraid of what we won’t be.
What if I get the job and I don’t like it?
What if I write Bill and he gives me a job I can’t handle?
Those kind of things. I don’t think we fear success. We fear the bumpy road to success. No one turns down free money. But everyone turns down money when it’s tough to get to.
This is really motivational. Im amazed with the your ability of realising all these stuff. This also mad me realise there are alot of things that i need to learn about myself.being my own hero.Im sure i havent learned as much as u have, but even at this stage, i am also a bit paralyzed.thanks for the inspiration.But we should not be afraid to fail provided we’ve already taken things seriously and be smart about it, and not just rushing without thinking, right?
Yannick, it takes time and anguish. Many nights spent thinking and obsessing over these things.
Don’t be afraid to fail regardless. Most people in the world aren’t as qualified as you think. But they have the cojones to take action. So take things seriously, but take things. Period.
Just don’t send an unedited e-mail to a potential employer.
I completely agree. Seth Roberts says essentially the same thing about science–if you never experiment, ala his favored n=1 method, you’ll never even have an observation let alone correlation or causal finding. As for writing, if you do it as often as you read, you’ll be turning out pro copy even in an off-the-cuff email, on a regular basis.
The ebooks, if you use amazon or sell directly, would reach an audience already accustomed to reading first-time/new/unsigned authors and seeking them out over going to the physical store and buying a big name. Win both ways.
This is my favorite post so far on this blog. I would stand, hoot/holler, whistle, and possibly throw money in your direction if this were an in-person speech. Kudos, man. I seriously needed to read this. I’m WAY too caught-up in “what’s the best way to do this?” when instead of actually DOING SOMETHING, I have been thinking about “how to do something.” Not just for a few minutes. For hours. This was a huge kick in the pants for me, but a needed one. So–thank you. I look forward to you breaking through that middle tier, sir. Keep cranking out content like this and you totally will.
Thanks Daniel. Appreciate that.
Do ME a favor: just ship it.
” If my eBooks flop, great. If no one likes my website, awesome. And if no one cares about my content, fantastic.”
I care. Good content that reaches only handful of people is much more valuable than shitty or sub-par content that reaches the masses.
Ah, much love. I’m glad that you care. Really, it means the world to me. Even more so, your opinions about my content. Really, really, thanks.
Anthony,
Excellent read. I am with you at so many levels: projects that need finishing, sites that have to show up, personality to express, …
And I too have pressed send when maybe I shouldn’t have. But I sent it.
Keep it up. Check things off the list one at a time. Progress!
Thanks Troy. Things tend to work out as long as you take the action. So I’m glad you’ve pressed the send button. It’s the biggest hurdle for most.
Great post, buddy. I was reminded of this quote when I read it.
“Envy is ignorance, Imitation is Suicide.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ah, thanks Doug. Ralph is an interesting man. I think I owe it to myself to re-read Walden soon.
Keep working hard are getting better and helping more people reach their goals and doors will open. You are doing good work and it will happen in time.
It still floors me that guys I looked up to as idols for years in the fitness industry, read all their work, and when I first met them in person I was in awe that they said hi and asked me about MY training. Wow.
I soon realized that they were not THAT different from everyone else, EXCEPT they spent years upon years working on their craft. Getting better. Failing. Getting up, failing again, getting better, and were very successful. It was the continuous effort and massive action taking that separated them.
There will never be a replacement for just being really really good at what you do. I know people in other non fitness fields that are complete and utter pricks, but they are the best in the world at what they do –and stay in high demand. I don’t agree with that method, but when you are that good, people will put up with a lot.
Fail forward as fast as possible. There will NEVER be a replacement for APPLIED knowledge. Learn and then find the fastest way to apply what you just learned. Even if it was wrong, you will figure it out quite fast. Take calculated risks.
Keep it going
Rock on
Mike T Nelson PhD(c)
Thanks Mike. At this point, I’m not sure how calculated my risks are. But they are risks I’m willing to take because it’s better for everyone this way. April should be an interesting month.
You might find it interesting to read “The Hero’s Journey.” I think the conclusions are too broadly drawn and far too broadly applied, but it’s become almost cliche wisdom in screenwriting circles.
Basically, every hero goes through the same sort of journey, albeit with variations. You’re presented with a challenge (Luke, come with me to Alderaan), and initially refuse it (I have to help my uncle!). Then you accept it (I want to be a Jedi like my father…), walk the road of trials (Mos Eisley Spaceport… you’ll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy), gain allies and powers (Fast? She made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs), and confront evil (I’m Luke Skywalker! I’m here to rescue you!). And evil kicks your butt. (“Strike me down, and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine” “NOoooooo!”)
Yup, You lose. (We have to get these plans to the Rebels!)
Then it gets better, you enter a Dark Night of the Soul (“What am I gonna do without Obi-Wan? He was our only hope…”). Reading hagiography (the study of saints) it’s amazing how almost all of them have a severe crisis of faith. Mother Theresa’s lasted for years.
Then you take the “leap of Faith”, which is not a blind jump into the abyss. It’s trusting in yourself, your allies, and God (or The Force, in Star Wars “Close your eyes, Luke. TUrn off the targeting computer”), and you go on.
You confront evil again, and this time you win. Parades, hurrahs, all that jazz.
And finally, you either return to the village with the magic ring (“Great shot kid! That was one in a million!”), or head onto the next battle (The Empire Strikes Back). Or, in some stories, you become the new Mentor, and the next hero’s journey will involve gaining you as an ally. (As it would seem you’re apt to do in real life, as a trainer)
It’s interesting stuff, when you apply it to real life and see how all these legends and stories tend to mirror the real structure of things.
The Writer’s Journey, you mean? Yeah, I’m actually reading it now hah!
<3 Star Wars
Great article, Anthony! While I hope your chances aren’t completely ruined with Men’s Health, I’m excited to hear about the other magazine that approached you after. All the best, buddy.
What I’ve come to find, in this world, is that your chances aren’t ever ruined. We just believe them to be.
Fear is an interesting beast; too often we fear things that don’t exist.
That’s a great quote, Troy. Thanks for sharing.
Great job,
It is often stated “be your own Man” but who ever really sits there and self-reflects about the meaning of such a broad statement.
For me it means honoring our introspective and intrinsic voice, and taking outside influences or inspirations in only to reflect upon what is in us already.
Obstacles in life are where we prove our metal, and though many may face similar barriers, it is unique to the person on how it is approached and overcome.
Best, live primal
Brandon
Brandon, just as a FYI, not to be a grammar guard, but I think you mean “mettle.”
Thanks for the comment. Wholesomely appreciated. I like the bit about reflecting on the self. It’s all about the self.
Damn, spell check!
On fear of failure… reminds me of this line from an essay by Paul Graham
_____________________________
And if you’re ambitious you have to keep them separate: you have to make a conscious effort to keep your ideas about what you want from being contaminated by what seems possible. [6]
It’s painful to keep them apart, because it’s painful to observe the gap between them. So most people pre-emptively lower their expectations. For example, if you asked random people on the street if they’d like to be able to draw like Leonardo, you’d find most would say something like “Oh, I can’t draw.” This is more a statement of intention than fact; it means, I’m not going to try. Because the fact is, if you took a random person off the street and somehow got them to work as hard as they possibly could at drawing for the next twenty years, they’d get surprisingly far. But it would require a great moral effort; it would mean staring failure in the eye every day for years. And so to protect themselves people say “I can’t.”___________________________________________
source: http://www.paulgraham.com/love.html
Congratulations on crossing that mountain. Few acknowledge that it even exists, let alone dare to begin the hike. (blame it on genetics! blame it on your teacher! blame it on that witch who cursed your ancestors 300 years ago! Just accept your fate and be complacent, cry the sheep.)
Thanks Cam. This quote is awesome and I appreciate you sharing it. Nice to see a new face, too. Welcome to my little club and I hope to see you post more frequently. But I’m definitely going to check out Paul’s website a bit more in depth. Thanks!