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Workpost 12: Deep Journaling

Byjack

I was doing some deep journaling in the form of questions and answers, where I would ask all the questions I have, feel deep in my heart what answer is coming to me, and then asking more questions about those answers.

For example, I will ask myself, what do I do about the anxiety with art? The answer that I feel come up intuitively is to create art which then poses the question, what do I do with art? Then I have the answer, use art to create richness in your life.

I was doing this exercise because I realized at this point in my life, I am so confused on what will happen next and what direction I want to go for my coaching, my career, and my relationship that the best way to serve myself is to get some clarity about what I am feeling and what I want. The faster you make decisions, the faster you progress. I felt that having clarity would make it much easier to make faster decisions.

I had quite a few revelations from this exercise I wanted to note down a few of the most important ones:

  1. I will achieve what I want in the field of AI not by working with others and creating a startup but rather by involving others into my creative process. Remember the energy of anything is possible. Solve difficult problems in practical ways and help people dream again. Change the world for the better.
  2. The long distance relationship does not meet the physical needs of closeness. I will need to dance more to keep in touch with the physical. I want to use emails and video chats to keep connected with my girlfriend on a spiritual level.
  3. I’ve lost a bit of my focus with coaching where it has become too much about the client. Coaching is not just about helping people create amazing beautiful art, but also to create a space of my design. Aka a space where connection theory and flow theory rule.
  4. Use your fear of not having enough money to fuel art that creates more wealth than money can buy (not about the value of the art, but the experience about having stories, music, and paintings so beautiful I may as well be rich).

One more note I wanted to make…I had a new idea with coaching a few days ago. I always wanted to create video clips of my coaching in order to show social media, but I was thinking recently, I can create clips that can be used to share something a package that can be used to motivate my clients (clips of songs created during the session, major breakthroughs etc.)

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My Two Year Plan

Byjack

Here is my dream life:

  • Part time accountant: 2.2k-3.2k
  • Full time videographer: 4.3k-6.4k
  • Full time editor: 4.8k-6.9k
  • Apartment or down payment on house: 3k
  • Art studio 2k
  • Massage everyday: 1.7k-3.6k
  • Therapist 2 times a week: 2.8k
  • High end business coach: 4k
  • Eat out at a nice dinner 3 times per week: 1.2k
  • Fly first class to a destination with a plus one, with a nice airbnb every month: 5k
  • Organic high quality groceries: 1k
  • Nice quality clothes: 1k-2.3k

Total: 28.2k-41.4k

Per Year: 338.4k-496.8k

If I wanted to save 50%: 676.8k-993.6k

Before taxes that would be: 1.091M-1.601M

Meaning each month I would have to bring in: 90.1k-133.4k per month

I realize that this is more of an end goal. To get to the place I want to be right now, I don’t need to make enough to save 50%. That can come later. I highly suspect that having a great business coach, massages, and a therapist will enable me to double and triple my income.

So lets take another look at the numbers. What is the bare minimum I need to get into this lifestyle?

338.4k per year -> 531.8k before taxes

44.3k per month

If we were to operate on the Parrado Principal just for coaching:

  • 80% from group coaching: 355 group coaching clients | 20% from one on one: 6 one on one clients
  • 80% from art coaching: 425.4k | 20% from AI consulting 106.4k

Questions for myself:

  1. What should I focus on first?
  2. How do I divide what I want to do into steps?
  3. What should I focus on, AI or Art Coaching?
  4. Should I even do AI consulting?
  5. Should I try to find a partner for AI consulting? Should I wait until I find a partner to do anything?
  6. How do I want to legally set up my companies?
  7. How do I make my life easier?
  8. How do I market my businesses?
  9. What is something that I’m missing?
  10. How do I make my art coaching business succeed in a way that doesn’t destroy my peace?
  11. How do I maintain my AI expertise? How do I make progress without being overwhelmed and unfocused?
  12. What will make my life more fun while making big strides in my businesses?
  13. Is there something I can start succeeding at today?
  14. Am I aiming at the right goals? Are they too small? Too large?
  15. What can I do today to rapidly speed up my progress?
  16. If I wanted to make a lot of money, enough to live on in the next year, and I wanted to make this money in a month with my current skillset, what should I do?
  17. Is there a small shift I can make that will have a massive impact on my income/success?
  18. What should I be hiring someone else to do? What things will have a good return on my investment, make me money not lose money?
  19. What should I do today that will make me happier and more successful?

My intuitive answers:

  1. What should I focus on first?
    • You want to focus on the fundamentals: sleep, meditation, food, emotional processing
    • The stronger the fundamentals are, the more you will be able to handle anything
  2. How do I divide what I want to do into steps?
    • Picture some of your immediate goals that make you feel excited, give you energy, make them small enough to understand, and work on meeting those goals first
  3. What should I focus on, AI or Art Coaching?
    • It depends on what you want to do, to create a large business, AI makes more sense
    • For creating a smaller business, focus on Art Coaching
  4. Should I even do AI consulting?
    • Yes of course, there is a really good business opportunity here
    • If you mean at the same time as Art coaching, the answer is it depends, you will have to pick a priority
  5. Should I try to find a partner for AI consulting? Should I wait until I find a partner to do anything?
    • No you shouldn’t wait, you can start by yourself
    • Yes, you should look for a partner while you are looking for clients, you are developing a network for both
  6. How do I want to legally set up my companies?
    • Depends on how easy it is to change, the benefits of separating them, etc.
  7. How do I make my life easier?
    • Stop doing everything alone, work with other people
  8. How do I market my businesses?
    • Ask other people for ideas
  9. What is something that I’m missing?
    • You are missing a business coach/mentor
  10. How do I make my art coaching business succeed in a way that doesn’t destroy my peace?
    • You write about your challenges and experiences, to approach the business like an opportunity for personal growth
  11. How do I maintain my AI expertise? How do I make progress without being overwhelmed and unfocused?
    • The best way is if you could connect the art coaching with AI and AI with art coaching, if you could find a way for them to be symbiotic, that would be the easiest way
    • The other way is to find a simple and easy way to make money from AI
  12. What will make my life more fun while making big strides in my businesses?
    • I think maybe posting about your process/journey on social media
    • Hosting events and meeting people
    • Speaking at events
    • Creating strong boundaries for doing other things unrelated to business
  13. Is there something I can start succeeding at today?
    • Yes, focus on the fundamentals, they are the most important part
  14. Am I aiming at the right goals? Are they too small? Too large?
    • I think you are focused on the right goals, but maybe it is too early to be thinking about timelines, just create a bunch of attainable goals and work through them with no timeline in mind
  15. What can I do today to rapidly speed up my progress?
    • Meditate
    • Sleep as much as possible
    • Find a mastermind
  16. If I wanted to make a lot of money, enough to live on in the next year, and I wanted to make this money in a month with my current skillset, what should I do?
    • Teaching people would probably be the best way, that is probably your strongest skillset at the moment
    • Probably not the best use of your time for your goals
  17. Is there a small shift I can make that will have a massive impact on my income/success?
    • Yes, write down goals and look at them everyday
  18. What should I be hiring someone else to do? What things will have a good return on my investment, make me money not lose money?
    • Finding a good video editor or social media manager
    • Marketing is key and you need to work with people to get good at it
  19. What should I do today that will make me happier and more successful?
    • Remember your mission(s) and focus on them
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Water In the Basement

Byjack
Water in the Basement

There was water in the basement today

My mom handed me a garbage bag

To throw away things

That we couldn’t wash

The saddest thing

Was a cardboard sculpture of myself

Because I knew

It was sodden and sad

Paper hair plastered on the side

Like a sad version of a bad hair day

I remembered when it was new

When my art professor told us about Chris Gilmour

The sculptor who used cardboard instead of stone

Intricate cars and motorcyles

Precisely detailed in warm brown

And gave us the assignment to create a sculpture of ourselves

But my sculpture

Wasn’t like Gilmour’s at all

It was all messy cardboard

Hot glued together

It didn’t look like me

But it felt like me

When I looked into the eyes

I remembered the way I felt

My mind was all stars and night and imagination

Some part of me

Is afraid to let it go

It’s a familiar sad feeling

Like what I felt when I let go of the girl I loved

Only

This time

The person I’m letting go of

Is the person

Who made the sculpture

Years ago

When I look at this sculpture that I made in wood and mixed media class, I remember what I felt in college. So young and full of promise. That I could be anything, do anything. That I didn’t have to think about the rest of my life. Part of me always wants to go back. And it is hard to admit that that part of my life is over.

I think about this when I wait for nighttime. It is nighttime when I will see how things are going to unfold. I hope she will show me her vulnerable side, her emotional side again. The parts of her that I knew I needed in my life when I first met her. But I know, I cannot force her to be that person for me. That there is a possibility, that she won’t. That she will be closed and I’m so sad that I may have to say goodbye to the person I was when I was in love with her.

Workpost 80: Recovery and creativity

Byjack

Today I feel like pretty weak and tired from doing a 5k in the morning. But I want to go to jiujitsu later today as well.

So today is going to be a time of hyperrecovery. I need to keep breathing and cough up some of the congestion that built up in my nose and lungs.

Today my main focus is building a landing page that will help increase sales, as well as finishing my business cards.

My strategy for recovery is going to be water and sleep. Lots of naps and water.

Core Beliefs 3

Byjack

Today I was talking to someone who thought that reprogramming your core beliefs and I’ve given this some thought.

  • It can be cringe if it isn’t genuine (forcing yourself to believe something that isn’t true)
  • It isn’t actually meant to be mindless affirmations but rather trying to get your mind to see a more balanced version of the truth. 
    • Ex: We are bad and our emotions do push other people away sometimes. But it’s not all the time. When you have a core wound, it’s something you are deeply afraid of and look for evidence for instead of looking at things clearly.
    • For example, if you believe you aren’t attractive, if ten people say you look good, and one person says you are ugly, you will believe the ten people are lying and the one person is telling the truth without being rational or logical about it. It doesn’t mean you aren’t ugly to some people, it just means it’s not as simple as you think it is.
    • If you successfully reprogram, you will take negative things less personally.
  • Reprogramming your subconscious means countering your habits of looking for evidence for the opposite of what you believe so you can see the fuller picture.
  • It can also be cringe if it is very surface level (mindlessness listing out five things)
  • Perhaps I want to take a more artistic approach and revisit different memories that contrasts against my core beliefs that takes me back to the feelings

Today I’ll do a little poem.

Zubats

It was nighttime in the art studios

Brandon’s smiling face

Shiny in the lights from above

He told me that the zubats were talking

And that he asked 

Jack or Michael

Jack of course

He told me that they said

Even though

They thought

I was a bit too arrogant

Workpost 71: Reseting

Byjack

It’s somehow very comforting to have these work posts, as if I’m not completely alone while completing these tasks. Not just alone with my todo list.

I think its time to do a full todo list cleanup. Try my hand at every single item and see how far I can get.

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Sales All the Way Baby

Byjack

So I’ve been thinking a lot about, well sales. This video sums it up pretty well.

I have been focusing on a lot of things recently, coaching, youtube, France and my girlfriend and on top of all of that, work and my day job in AI consulting. I recently decided to say fuck it for everything but three things:

  1. My girlfriend and relationship – we don’t have much time together and I want to enjoy it
  2. Exploring France – again not much time, amazing opportunity to relax and explore
  3. Going crazy as an AI Consultant and bringing in a crazy amount of business

My relationship is going pretty good, and for France I don’t want to think about it, I just do whatever I want. So let’s focus on the last thing.

I want to do exactly what Mark Cuban said. I want to be the best-performing salesman at my job. I want to take that experience to build my coaching business. I want to use my success to do consulting like I do coaching and have a lot of fun. I want to use my success to request more pay.

I want to learn how to master content creation. Build a social media presence. Build my connections. Get the reputation and respect that I’ve always felt I deserved.

The main conundrum I’ve been facing is this:

  1. How much information do I give away?
  2. If I give away tons of free information, what are they hiring me for?
  3. If I give away free 30 minute sessions, does that mean I will never talk to them ever again?

After some meditation, I came up with the following thoughts:

  1. I can give away everything
  2. For focusing on their specific problem. The most difficult thing is not to come up with a solution it is to come up with a solution to the right problem (just like coaching)
  3. No, I can always talk to them again. In fact, I can give away unlimited 30-minute sessions. However, it isn’t about the 30 minutes in the session that costs me a lot. It is the 30 minutes of research that I need to do before the call. It is the structure of writing out a plan for them that is costing me more.
  4. I can always have more conversations with less prep or even more 30 minute conversations with them.
  5. In the future, if they pay for consulting, they are paying me to invest more deeply into their solution. That means more research outside of the calls. That means more knowledge of their product and aligning my goals with theirs (just like in coaching).
  6. If I wanted to sell educational products, the cost for me and the added value for them would be in the way I packaged the information. Not the information itself. For example, a special website, platform, a book or an app.

There are three parts of a solving a problem:

  1. Having the knowledge
  2. Transferring it to someone
  3. Using the knowledge to solve the problem

When you create free content, you are mostly some #1 and some #2. I use a lot of my current knowledge + a little research + some production (design, videography, writing).

When I get on random calls with people, it is a little #1 and a little #2. I’m using my current knowledge with no research, and trying my best to transfer it to someone on a call.

When I get on “free” high value calls with people, I’m doing some of #1 and some #2 and a tiny bit of #3. I do a lot of research, use my current knowledge, trying my best to transfer the knowledge, and might even implement a small deliverable (like a roadmap, plan, strategy, or diagnosis).

When I’m doing consulting for them, I’m doing a lot of #1 and a lot of #3 with some #2. I’m doing tons of research, using my own knowledge, leading the charge on actually solving the problem (either building it myself, finding the right solution to buy, or hiring the people needed to build it), and doing a bit of education.

When I’m selling an education solution, I am doing a lot of #1 and a lot of #2. I’m doing tons of research, and spending a lot of effort on transferring the knowledge.