These came from a series of Darren Daily’s originally posted January 2022.
- 1. Forget Normal
- 2. Manage your MEDS
- 3. Manufacture Luck
- 4. Live like a Lion
- 5. Eradicate the Negative
- 6. Stop Shoulding Yourself
- 7. Start Small to Go Big
- 8. Give up more.
- 9. Live in 3D
- 10. Stick With Less
- 11. Plan for Rain
- 12. Stay Limber
- 13. Start Before You’re Ready
- 14. Fuck Fear
- 15. Stay in your Genius
- 16. Bring Your Love to Work
- 17. Trust the Gut
- 18. No Regrets
- 19. We are ALL One
- 20. Show More Gratitude
- 21. Pay It Forward.
- 22. My One Word/Strategy for ’22
1. Forget Normal
There is no status quo or normal anymore.
Having a high tolerance for uncertainty will be your competitive advantage.
Do not seek normal. Normal is obsolescence.
My thoughts:
“You’re either Netflix or Blockbuster.” – Me
I’m going all-in on the metaverse. It is the inevitable future.
2. Manage your MEDS
- Mind
- Exercise
- Diet
- Sleep
“Winners are those who have mastered the fundamentals.”
Commit to:
- Watch Darren Daily daily.
- Regular exercise routine you know you can maintain all year long.
- Cut sugar, cut carbs, cut processed food.
- Get to bed early.
My thoughts:
I don’t have a problem getting to DD every morning.
I do have a problem being motivated to exercise.
I do have a problem w/ changing my diet.
I do not have a problem waking up early but I do have a problem falling asleep and so I’m always tired and require afternoon naps.
I don't have anything free to bribe you with.
3. Manufacture Luck
Luck is the outcome of thousands of micro actions.
Habits and disciplines put you in position to “get lucky”
To achieve big goals, focus on simple and easy micro actions.
My thoughts:
Re-read my Compound Effect notes.
Re-read my BMC notes.
Go through Jumpstart again.
4. Live like a Lion
Lions don’t chase squirrels; they reserve their energy for the antelope.
Be courageous. Speak up. Demand attention.
Lead from the front. Do whatever it takes to feed and defend your pride.
Lead with courage and confidence this year. Only give energy to big game payouts.
My thoughts:
I need to figure out what are the little things that don’t get me anywhere and what are the big game payouts I should be focusing on.
5. Eradicate the Negative
If you constantly feed your brain with negative input, your outlook will be negative.
You CAN NOT parse and separate it out with conscious logic.
Our neural net operates in the unconscious background.
Protect the inputs that feed your very vulnerable and sacred neural network with a FEROCIOUS VENGEANCE.
My thoughts:
I feel like I need social media marketing to reach the level of success that I want, but I can’t afford to hire someone to do it for me.
I need to figure out a way to manage social media without having to view social media.
I’ve already cut “general” news and only focus on industry news.
I spend over an hour reading every day. Some non-fiction/educational material (teaches knowledge) and some fiction (teaches empathy).
6. Stop Shoulding Yourself
Any goals or resolutions that you put on your list year after year, just stop.
Put everything through a filter: can, should, must?
Only the “musts” should be on your list.
My thoughts:
Two things that keep ending up on my list are learning new languages (several) and learning to program.
I’ve invested A LOT of money into learning to program buying books, courses, online classes, etc, and it just doesn’t seem to click. Perhaps that is not a superpower I will develop.
Which is really tough because I feel like this would be a huge benefit to my endeavors in the metaverse.
Perhaps art is a better way to go.
I do still believe in long term benefits of me learning languages so I will keep that for now.
7. Start Small to Go Big
Forget all your resolutions and goals. Focus only on small daily actions.
Log them in your journal.
It will be your small, seemingly insignificant, moment-to-moment choices that will accumulate and compound into the massive transformation you seek.
My thoughts:
I still need to build routines.
A lot of the small choices I make are good due to the mindset shift I’ve had over the last couple years, but I need to make it a priority to set up routines for the stuff that I know will improve my life.
8. Give up more.
You’re doing too much.
You need to delegate more.
Quit everything that is not in your superpower.
We are designed to be world-class in only 1-3 things.
Delegate the rest.
My thoughts:
Going back to number 6…I need to figure out these things. What should I be doing? What should I be giving up? How can I do what I’m best at and still be involved in the things I want to be?
Right now I can’t afford to delegate so do I need to either Automate or cut out entirely?
9. Live in 3D
- Life in 1D is if you’re only focused on what affects your life.
- Life in 2D is when you see things through the eyes of others.
- Life in 3D is when you can see from the big grand scheme of things.
If something is bothering you, ask yourself: In 20 years, will this matter?
If it won’t make your eulogy, let it go.
My thoughts:
I don’t think I have a problem with living in 2D but I definitely need to step up to 3D and start asking myself “in 20 years will this matter?”
In the recent past I’ve written down what I want people to say at my funeral. I need to make sure I’m sticking to that.
10. Stick With Less
The pandemic taught us to live with less.
Don’t re-clutter your life. Protect your less is more lifestyle.
My thoughts:
I don’t think I’ve recluttered but I also don’t think I really cut back during the pandemic. I was already a homebody with too many projects half started or half finished.
I need to keep simplifying and decluttering.
11. Plan for Rain
Businesses who were prepared for disaster thrived during the pandemic regardless of mandates, etc.
Plan for the worst and hope for the best.
Prioritize the funding of your personal savings accounts and you business reservers NOW.
My Thoughts:
My biggest goal for this year is getting out of debt and the goal for next year is to build up 12 months of living expenses in savings.
12. Stay Limber
Those who are most adaptable survive.
Help others thrive.
Be the one that is the most adaptable to change.
Chang is coming!
Stay flex. Stay limber. Expect Constant disruption. Be agile. Adapt quickly.
My Thoughts:
I don’t think I have a problem with this one. I keep my business small (just me and Upworkers) so that I can do whatever needs to be done to keep up with the times.
13. Start Before You’re Ready
The truth is: you’re never ready and you’re gonna suck when you start.
Just start. Then get ready. Figure it out along the way.
Doing is the best practice and prep. Mistakes are your best teachers.
Start. Now. Before you’re ready.
My Thoughts:
This is something I need to work on. I spend way too much time preparing for things before I do them.
14. Fuck Fear
Fear is an illusion.
The only antidote to fear is stepping into it.
Fear is your only obstacle.
Stop pussyfooting around already. Step up, say Fuck Fear, and step into it.
My Thoughts:
Lately I’ve been considering doing things that I’ve always feared, like skydiving, just to desensitize myself to fear.
“Fear is the mindkiller.” – Dune
15. Stay in your Genius
Our uniqueness is our strength.
Based on our interests, life events, etc, what has all of that built us to uniquely do? Life has prepared, trained, tested us to do something. What unique problem can we solve? What unique story can we tell?
Find and double down on your unique genius.
My Thoughts:
I’ve been trying to find my unique genius for years now. Still working on that.
I really think my strength is in writing and communication, but there are so many other things I want to do with that that I think will enhance it.
I just can’t tell if I’m wasting time on those things or if the additional skills will fuel my unique genius.
16. Bring Your Love to Work
The joy is in the journey, not the destination. There is no destination.
“Winners value the process. The day to day journey. Losers over-value the destination, the reward. And under-value the process, the work.”
Choose to bring joy to everything that you do.
Find intrigue in the improvement of everything.
You don’t have to love your work. You have to choose to bring love to the work.
My Thoughts:
Definitely something I should be working on more.
17. Trust the Gut
Our intuition speaks to us.
Trust yourself. Do as you are told by you.
My Thoughts:
I’ve been getting better at this lately, but it’s definitely something I need to keep in mind at all times.
18. No Regrets
For every decision, ask:
- Will I regret trying?
- Will I regret not trying?
Make a list of things you could never regret doing.
Make your NO REGRETS list and spend more time on things you never regret and no time on things you do.
My Thoughts:
My best friend’s wife is a pastor and she speaks to a lot of people on their deathbed. I asked her what they tell her. One thing she said was “they often say they wish they worked less to spend more time with their friends and family.”
I want to build a lifestyle where I don’t say that on my deathbed.
19. We are ALL One
Stop playing a Zero SUM game.
It’s not us vs them.
Our differences are mostly illusions.
We are all one interconnected species.
Divided we will die. United, we might live.
My Thoughts:
I’m happy to hear Darren say this because I’ve been getting really down about it lately.
Online I see a lot of the word “evil” being used to describe anyone who’s not right-wing (whatever that means anymore).
I’ve been to bars where people yelled “Democrats go home!” and other such things.
I’m not a Democrat myself, but I know those people wouldn’t want me there either.
And I know the vice versa is going on out there, too, even though I haven’t seen it.
But I have friends all across both the political and religious spectrums.
Sometimes I do struggle with it, but overall I don’t think I have a problem seeing us all as one.
I hope more people become like that.
20. Show More Gratitude
A lot of people helped us get to where we are.
Appreciate them for it.
It will enhance the day for every person you say thank you to.
Gratitude is the most magical force of all.
My Thoughts:
I need to make sure I am writing down at least 1 thing I am thankful for each day.
And I definitely need to tell the people around me that I am thankful for them.
21. Pay It Forward.
I am not here to consume. I am here to contribute.
I am here to be a net positive. Not a net negative.
Never only consume. Contribute back (and more) everything you’ve been given and everything you gain.
My Thoughts:
This is definitely high on my priority list, but I need to remember I’m not doing it for me.
I do struggle with knowing “helping people will come back around to me” and it makes me feel less altruistic about it.
I need to stop thinking I’m doing it for me and make sure I am doing it for them.
22. My One Word/Strategy for ’22
“Leverage”
The use of something small to gain a very high return.
Find the 1% of activities, tasks, functions, resources, that deliver a 4000% return on capital, time, energy, effort.
Apply to 10 specific areas to life.
Measured and held accountable.
- People – No longer tolerate average performance. Great people are great leverage. A least 20x their cost.
- Goals – Set 3 goals max, banner goals, when achieved make this year the best year ever.
- Projects – Not all ideas are good. Many cost too much. Fast, Easy, Profitable? Do them one at a time, with excellence.
- Relationships – Focus on the few most important, deminish the rest.
- Fitness – Focus on just a few, do them consistently.
- Focus – Focus on what you will eat, not what you won’t eat.
- Environment – Optimize your work environment for high performance and sane living. Increase concentration and deep work. Do the same for home environment for the sake of mental + emotionally calm.
- Learning – Double down on a few things that get me towards the banner goals.
- MOO Methods of Operation – Quarterly, Monthly, Weekly, Daily. Massively improve output. Daily = Routine, Email Rules, MVP Jam sessions.
- Self-Care – “There’s nothing more pitiful than a ready and willing mind…but an incapable body.” – Jim Rohn
My Thoughts:
The one of these that will affect me the most this year is “Projects”.
I’ve known for years that I am a man of too many projects.
This year, I won’t be that way.
I’m going to be following the 37Signals/Basecamp strategy of small projects completed in 6 weeks, and then a week off.
As long as I have a day job, I’ll still be working on that week, but in the future when I’m on my own again, I will be treating that 7th week as a “Small Scale Sabbatical” – https://sabbatical.blog/about/.
Garrett Mickley
I've been working in digital marketing for a decade and a half, and I'm ready for a career change. This blog is my journal.
I don't have anything free to bribe you with.
