At the very end of this post I’ll share a video of concept that (almost single handedly) cured my perfectionism. 🥂🎥
Massive.
Most people don’t even know what massive means. Their idea of massive is calibrated against their environment. Homeostasis and mediocre mimicry have taken over and keep them locked in a state of low ambition. If you’re read this, chances are I’m referring to you as well. Are you the top of your field? Are you widely recognized? Have you achieved acclaim? Are you as wealthy as you want to be?
You wouldn’t be reading a newsletter like this if you were. Therefore, when I say that your idea of massive can be much more than your wildest dreams, I hope that you’re leaning forward in your chair (or on your phone) and paying attention.
Alex Hormozi once recounted the story of a high net-worth individual who owned multiple companies who came to him asking for advice on his content. He had seen how much content Alex was putting out and felt compelled to follow suit.
Thank you for raising my minimum standard.
When confronted with the question, Alex told him that he and his team were putting out several hundred pieces of content a week. Rather than be shocked by this, his friend (without skipping a beat) nodded his head and said: “Thank you for raising my minimum standard.” People who play at his level understand massive. It clicked immediately and hopefully it’s clicking for you. Think massive. Then think even more massive than that.
Action Steps:
Set enormous goals.
Ask yourself: “Are these really enormous?” (They won’t be.")
Find the freaks/psychos in your industry (🙌🏻) and model them.
People who put out massive volume or who are chasing enormous goals.
Messy.
The number one impediment to do anything is perfectionism. Because of school and societal conditioning we expect (or rather: we demand) that we are good at anything. Ironically: the stupidest, least-self aware people have the least difficulty with this. Chances are, that like I used to be, you are someone who spends more time than they’d like thinking about doing, rather than the doing.
You’re not alone in this. And there is in answer. Get messy.
This is what the truly great ones learn. Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant. JK Rowling. Stephen King. They did the reps. They got rejected. They started out being pretty fucking bad.. They got much better.
Reality check: Do you have any idea how arrogant and foolish it is to think you should be good at something when you’ve never done it before? Let me use a novel as an example. A prolific fantasy novelist was talking how most people get trapped writing one sentence at a time at their start of their “novel” (i.e. a document they will inevitably delete right after their session) trying to get it perfect as they go.
Go back and re-read that. Then think about what’s happening.
Amateur authors get mired in the sentence to sentence picture, and this is what keeps them from ever moving up the food chain. How will you ever learn how to write a plot without progressing past this point? How will you learn to write a twist if you can’t get past the first paragraph?
Instead. Treat writing, and any pursuit in your life as if it’s a process. Everything is art. Everything has a creative process. Even spreadsheets. When you really get this, you will understand why it’s okay to be messy. Why it’s not only okay to suck, it’s literally the only way that it can possibly go. You can’t change reality.
Here’s a useful metaphor I heard recently that you can use. When we sit down to cook and eat, there are no do-overs. I mean there are, but it would be impractical. Unlike a keyboard or a sales email, where you can delete words and play around endlessly. The food is made with real ingredients. Once the cooking process starts it’s hard to go back, and once you’ve eaten it’s gone. The only path forward is another rep.
Note: I’ll link you a really useful video on this section at the end of the article.
Action steps:
Treat everything as a creative process.
Try to finish things in one sitting.
Then start something new.
Continue to expand your field of view.
Keep things messy.
Relish in the chaos.
Action.
Where the rubber meets the road. It’s an expression of the previous two principles. Action that is massive and messy, will win. Because it will get better, and more massive. You will scale up the food chain. You will gobble up new wisdom. And it will fuel more leverage, which will fuel more action.
When you feel you are focused on the problem. Take a page from the Relentless Solutions Focus (great book, but read the chapter summaries at the end–the stories are repetitive and bloated) model and shift your thinking. How can I move this project 1% forward? What is a single action I can take? Then take that action.
You only burn out when a) it’s not fun and b) when you let yourself down.
Again, put your action through a massive and messy lens. Make a ton more reps than other people. You will love yourself for this. You will only burn out when a) it’s not fun and b) when you let yourself down. Conversely: you will become amazed with your own productivity and it will spur you on. Hormozi calls it the proof. Goggins calls it the cookie jar. You need wins. And the way best way to get them is to a) get them quick and b) get a lot of them.
Not doing the thing is the thing keeping you from doing the thing.
Action steps:
Set stupidly high targets, that are still within range.
Hit them every day. Do not deviate.
Post 3x a day. Record 3x videos a day.
Focus on things that are fun.
Keep your promises.
Bonus.
This is an amazing video on the Cult of Done Manifesto. Watch it. You will love it. 🙏
About The Author.
I’m James Maxwell, an essayist and mindset coach. I empower authentic, passionate people to do more of what they love through my long-form written & audio essays, my free course library, and my bespoke 1-on-1 coaching programs. 👨🏻💻👩🏽💻
My passions include reading, writing, rapping, and running. In my spare time I’m an aspiring sci-fi & fantasy author. I’m in love with California (especially LA🌴) and I plan to move there soon. Aside from writing, my biggest passion is my clients.
If you’re interested in working with me 1-on-1 to upgrade your mindset and do more of the things you love, feel free to connect on LinkedIn with a note introducing yourself. I’d love to have a chat. ☕️