Third time’s the charm. Welcome to another installment of Pursuing Progress, a weekly newsletter written by me for those chasing self-improvement in their lives.
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If I were to describe this past week in a word: adjustment. WashU kicked off their 2020-2021 school year and I’ve just completed my first week of senior year. While I’m grateful for where I am, I can’t help but fantasize about a ‘normal’ school year — going into a physical classroom, eating at the dining halls, playing soccer, going to parties, bumping into people everywhere — it’s not quite the same. Although it’s nerve-wracking to be in my final year of college, I’m excited to grow through this change.
Speaking of change, this week will bring more of that. I’ll be flying to Austin to work with Robbie Crabtree and Kyle Bowe on developing Robbie’s Performative Speaking course. Am I anxious? Yes. But I’m learning to channel this anxiety into excitement. It’s similar to the nerves you feel before an important game. Up until the whistle blows, you’re jittering with nervous energy. But as soon as the game begins, you’re sucked into the moment, letting the energy flow through you. This weekend will be my first game as a member of the PF team, and I am ready to blast off.
Enjoy the rest of Pursuing Progress,
Sean
1. Minimum Viable Creativity
As creators, we experience the constant struggle between “perfect” and “good enough”. Whether it’s a new article, newsletter, podcast episode or online course, we are always striving for perfection. In his article, Ryan alludes this process to a start-up’s release of its minimum viable product (MVP). The point of the MVP is not perfection — it’s to begin the process towards perfection. Getting a product out there for others to interact with is the easiest and most efficient way to create feedback loops. It’s like having beta users to test a new app. Companies will release an okay product for a few people, get feedback, then use the feedback to improve the product. Using this feedback as fuel to your fire accelerates the rate of progress to perfection.
This process can be applied to creativity. Don’t aim for perfection on your first go. Instead, strive for “good enough” which will allow for more prolific content creation. The more you create, the more feedback you will get. The more feedback you get, the better your next creation will be. Don’t let something that’s not perfect stop you from creating. Nothing is ever perfect anyway.
Favorite Nuggets:
“The goal is not to produce low-quality work, but only at the quality needed to get progress started and get the feedback you need to turn good into great.”
“Producing quicker creates more content and creates flywheel momentum for your platforms, increasing the odds that what you’re producing will catch on.”
“Using an MVC mindset is exactly how to break free of this mood swing. Pointing to elements of your work that match each point on the pyramid is all you need to feel better about launching.”
Curious Crumbs:
What’s stopping you from prolific creation?
If you’re a creator, what advice would you give to those who are just starting?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Drop your knowledge bomb below!
2. Them Gritty Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets came back to beat the Los Angeles Clippers after being 3-1 down in back-to-back series’, making them the first team in NBA history to overcome those deficits. Basketball is my favorite sport to watch and this playoff bubble has been a pleasure to follow for the past month. What’s been more special is seeing the world’s top athletes embodying one of my favorite attributes of athletes: grit. Jamal Murray has been an absolute dawg during these playoffs and his mindset is second to none.
In his post-game 7 interview, Murray said this:
“We built this team from the ground up, we’ve been through the trenches, and that hard work is paying off. Everybody counted us out and it’s fun to silence everybody. We play for each other and it shows in our energy, how we talk, how we celebrate, how we react, and how we take action.”
It’s inspiring to see athletes talk about their team like this. Always serving each other. Working for the guy next to you. Checking in on them. Fighting together. Competing together. Crying together. Partying together. There is nothing quite like team sports.
3. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Eric Jorgenson published his long-awaited book titled “The Almanack of Naval Ravikant”. Essentially, it’s a compilation Naval’s story and his teachings consolidated into a digestible medium. I’m about a quarter of the way through and have seen plenty of Naval that I didn’t know and lessons I can apply in my life.
Here are some I’ve come across so far:
“Naval is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, and he’s also one of the most courageous. Not in the “run into the fire without thinking twice” sense, but in the “think twice and then tell everyone they’re focusing on the wrong fire” sense.”
“When I talk about specific knowledge, I mean figure out what you were doing as a kid or teenager almost effortlessly. Something you didn’t even consider a skill, but people around you noticed. Your mother or your best friend growing up would know.”
Grab your free copy here, it’ll be well worth your time and attention.
In case you missed it:
[Freestyle Friday] Tried something new this week and it almost went poorly…
If you’ve made it to the end, thank you. Your time and attention is important to me and I’m grateful you’ve spent it with me.
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Until Sunday.