Coding | Technology | Workpost
Similar Posts
Workpost 63: Extreme procrastination
Byjack
I’m struggling with some extreme procrastination where I don’t want to work at all.
Let me try to process.
I feel like there is no point and I feel overwhelmed. I feel it in my chest, this invisible resistance.
I feel scared to shoot more videos, it brings up fear in my heart.
I guess anything I do I can break down into a process instead of doing everything all at once.
Workpost 19: Rejection
Byjack
I am slowly getting back into things. After completely messing up my bedtime, getting it back, getting sick, losing my bedtime again, I am finally getting back into the swing of things.
I want to refocus on the things that I set out to focus on: Health, AI Consulting, Art Coaching.
I want to have an 11-12 PM bedtime, journaling at night, morning walking meditation, and morning todo list and blog post.
Today on my morning walk I contemplated rejection.
You know I always felt that working on yourself made you more prepared for life in general and I always felt my fear of rejection was holding me back from a lot of things in life, initially from getting a girlfriend, but later from being a life coach.
Recently I had the experience of meeting with a client for a free session for which they were super impressed by but when I sent them my rates, they did not respond. This immediately triggered the rejection wounds within me. I also just had an artist interview who was late to our conversation, did not agree to the full hour, and did not want to schedule another time to complete our conversation which triggered rejection wounds within me.
I feel scared that if I ask for things, people will reject me. I’m afraid it will be awkward to talk to them afterwards, I’m afraid how others will view me after getting rejected.
This morning I came up with a couple of nuggets to handle and process rejection:
- Take up space: there is a part of me that wants to hide when people reject me. I want to take up as little space as possible. This concept is doing the opposite. I deserve to be here like everyone else. Take up space! Make the ask!
- Enthusiastic yes: I don’t want people to feel pressured. I am going to follow the philosophy on the Prosperous Coach. It’s either an enthusiastic yes, or its a no. Maybe is a no. And tell them that. If they are not sure, they know where to find you.
- Slow down: I realized this new revelation in Valorant has implications in life too. When I feel stressed about rejection and awkwardness, shame, and judgement, slow down. I usually try to speed up, to move past it. Slow way down, focus on what is going on before charging ahead.
- Stay busy, focus on the process not the outcome: one thing that I noticed, when I’m busy doing what matters, I won’t care as much about anything else. I want to focus on health, coaching and consulting. Don’t let anyone’s rejection take away from that. It’s like what they say about cold calling. Focus on the process, not the outcomes (focus on improving your process for cold calling, not for the outcome of every call).
Workpost 75: Recentering
Byjack
It’s been a few days after my deadline of September 12th.
I haven’t created business cards for my art coaching business. I haven’t learned the principles of javascript or front-end development or created a game.
The other day a friend was asking me about how to start a side gig and I had so much to tell him, yet these days I’m feeling a bit down and undermotivated.
A few realizations are perking me up a little.
Realization 1: My coaching program is not overvalued.
I want to charge $25,000 per year for my coaching program to help someone create a masterpiece. Before even pitching it to anyone, I felt like this was too big of an ask, I should lower my rates etc.
But as I thought about it deeper a few things occurred to me:
- I will be spending a lot of time with a client. I plan on spending 2 hr every other week with clients on formal coaching sessions, but that’s not it. My entire professional attention and all my skills are aimed at helping my clients succeed. So outside of formal coaching sessions (in person if I can manage it). I will be taking calls emails, and setting up times to do virtual sessions. My goal is not to be a doctor you see for checkups or an art class you regularly go to. My goal is to understand your art inside and out, and be a true partner, mentor, strategist, and guide in your process. I think $25,000 for a year is an absolute crazy steal for that.
- I’m not focused on getting clients that are poorer or don’t really have the funds. That would be both unethical and a bad fit. I already offer another class that can satisfy that demographic of people where it is more like a regular class, albeit a somewhat vetted and serious class (and not serious at the same time). I’m focused on the people who have the money and the passion to back it up, and we can spend some time to do something special. For someone retired with several millions of dollars, this will be nothing to them as long as they want it enough.
Realization 2: The process is complicated, but I have my blog
The whole point of this blog is be a place where I can incrementally work on works of progress and get better at things over time, instead of getting the final version all at once. If I don’t use this blog, I can also use my google drive, google docs, and slides to draft out things step by step and track overall progress in the blog.
AI Consulting – Day 1/21
Byjack
Some more thoughts about my brand for AI Consulting:
- I want it to have a Youth Venture feel
- Anything is possible
- Warm and supportive and inspiring community
- I want to incorporate these ethe:
- Never compromise on your vision
- Move humanity forwards
- Be science fiction (either in philosophy or technology or both)
- Inspiring thoughts:
- Make every business like a Youth Venture business
- Social enterprise
- Founders feel purpose in what they do
- Dream big, prioritize vision
- Ship fire manual
- AI that pushed the limit of what is possible
- Creates our science fiction
- Make every business like a Youth Venture business
Workpost 43: Resilience (17 Questions)
Byjack
My questions:
- How to find a good business partner?
- How to live an entrepreneur/unemployed life?
- How to approach taxes as an entrepreneur?
- How to approach risk?
- How to build a support system?
- How to handle rejection?
- How to approach financial risk in a smart way?
- How to rebuild from nothing?
- How to deal with people looking down on you?
- How to get hired/search for a job?
- How to turn off work?
- How to minimize work effort/stress/inefficiency?
- How to process awkwardness?
- What are different selling methods?
- How to sell in a way that I feel myself?
- How to gain from/work with/ benefit from the American system?
- How can I be more resilient?
My intuitive answers to the questions:
How to find a good business partner?
- Write down what the ideal business is like
- Imagine all your favorite parts
- Imagine all the parts you need help with
- Write down your values
- Think about where a person like this (values + good in the areas you are weak + interest in your business area) would like to do/hangs out
- Ask close friends if they know someone like this
How to live an entrepreneur/unemployed life?
- They are different questions
- For the entrepreneur
- Without a company, you need to build a company around you
- Need to hire help/services to help automate different parts of life
- For the unemployed
- Now is the time to look for help
- Look into government assistance, help from family and friends
- To decide which one you are:
- Unemployed when you no longer have ability to make money
- If you have savings + some cashflow you are an entrepreneur
- If you have no savings and negative cashflow, you are unemployed
- You can be an entrepreneur and still work a job to increase your cashflow
How to approach taxes as an entrepreneur?
- Find a CPA that has experience working with entrepreneurs
How to approach risk?
- Risk is actually really simple
- Risk value = probability of success x value of success
- The higher the risk value, the more worth the risk, compare that with the resources the risk requires
How to build a support system?
- The easiest way are people who want to live in a similar world as you do
- People who’s goals align with yours
- The easiest way to ascertain this is just to ask people
- You can also try to go to places that are included in your vision for what type of world you want to live in
How to handle rejection?
- Repair the ways in which you rejected yourself
How to approach financial risk in a smart way?
- Get good at estimating risk value and investment
- If the risk value is $100,000, and the investment is $90,000 then the risk is likely worth it
- If the risk value is $100,000 and the investment is $10,000 then the risk is definitely worth it
How to rebuild from nothing?
- Know your strengths
- Know what people want
- Sell yourself
How to deal with people looking down on you?
- Repair the ways other people have looked down on your in the past
How to get hired/search for a job?
- Think about the jobs that will be easiest for you to get
- Based on the interviews and discussions, adjust closer to what makes you happy
How to turn off work?
- Create a viable plan for when pending work will be addressed
- Write down the plan and execute when you are ready
How to minimize work effort/stress/inefficiency?
- Focus on creating clarity at all times on what is expected and when
- Set boundaries around respect and time
- Make sure that the goals are specific and small enough to complete one at a time
How to process awkwardness?
- Find reasons why awkwardness is a good thing
What are different selling methods?
- Relationships sales – they like you
- Technical sales – they like the technology
- Pressure sales – they don’t want to say no
- Trust sales – they trust you
How to sell in a way that I feel myself?
- Trust sales + technical sales sounds most like me
How to gain from/work with/ benefit from the American system?
- Sell to the rich
- Hire people who are good at what they do
- Outsource tedious stuff to other countries or AI
How can I be more resilient?
- Spend time getting up when you fall
- Specifically focus time and effort on healing from painful experiences
AI Gaming + Art Coaching Days 60/63
Byjack
Ok, we are in the home stretch for the first part of this business experiment.
The first big question I set out to solve is what is my lead magnet for art coaching? I know that I want to offer some free intro sessions, but it is now apparent to me that I want to do other types of lead magnets with people as well because I can’t do a free intro session with just people at the farmer’s market or at a conference (potentially at a conference but I’m not so sure).
Here are the potential lead magnets I have so far:
- Prompts for dream creative projects
- Artist masterpiece problem diagnosis
- Free 1 hr Masterpiece planning call to determine creative project, project timeline, and plan
- Free 2 hr coaching call after intro call
The second question I am pondering, is how do I make money off of the AI business?
I guess the answer to that, is that it doesn’t really matter if I make money off of it (at least initially), I just need to get good at dev because that in itself will make me money if I want to.