Life has changed dramatically for all of us in 2020 and it’s unlikely those changes won’t continue. I just watched a video that summed up my current dilemma perfectly. When to bloody Publish! You can view the video from Jack Conte, Founder of Patreon, here. In it, he discusses the critical difference between Finishing and Publishing.
Jack explains its a vocabulary problem that leads to this because the reality is creative work does not finish the same way we finish a meal or a sporting event. There is no clear final end to the creative work. Instead, it could and can go on forever. So how then are the most prolific creators “finishing” their work?
These prolific publishers are working to publish and not working for pleasure. As Jack explains in the video below by working to publish you are focused on results, giving back and contributing to the world. It’s not about making it perfect for you, rather it’s about creating something that others can engage with. I actually touched on this in one of my published posts on my newsletter back in July.
” I want others to leverage the creative word because that’s what it is and it’s not just for me to hold in my head it seems far more enjoyable to share and be built off that’s how the greatest things are achieved. [With]many coming together for a coming mutual effort.”- Myself
So with that in mind, I want to clearly publish what I am going to be focusing my heart soul and everything else I have at my disposal for the next 3 years. Poker. Specifically I have made it my goal to “be regarded as the player you least want sat at your poker table by 2023”
This all came to light a few weeks ago when a friend shared this video with me as I continued to be in turmoil about what I did next with my life. You see, 3 months ago I lost my job working as an investment manager for a Sports Tech Fund and I took it incredibly hard. There was nothing that could be done; the company, like all of us, had to take a drastically different direction in their business strategy for the COVID and Post COVID World. It was a company I put my heart into and so I felt apart of it and if anything I wanted to be apart of the process to help it survive the COVID situation. But alas it was not meant to be.
After that tough situation, I had to take some time to heal and also to relax and find myself again. I hadn’t taken a proper holiday from the role in the 18 months I was working there and had 3 weeks lined up away in April and May anyway.
So by this point in late August, I had explored quite a few paths. Computer Science Degree, MBA, Investment Manager roles, starting a consulting business for startups on their processes and no-code tools, and probably a few other ideas I put some time into before dropping off because of lack of passion.
And then I watched that video before bed and woke up in the morning and sent this to my mate the morning after.
Since then it has been all about executing and putting the pieces in place to make this happen!
The first step was to cut out all the fucking noise. The top performers in any space are rarely the most talented. Instead, they consistently put in the work. It’s that fucking simple. They work harder than anybody else. Don’t get me wrong there is a need for athletic ability in some capacity. You can’t be 5ft 3 and compete in the NBA. But actually you fucking can! Remember Mugsy Bogues? Did he found a way and how was that? Confidence Belief Determination Resilience and Hard Fucking Work.
Cutting out the noise for me was dropping most if not all of the other opportunities I have in my life right now, which was hard for me. I have always tried to do many things at once because I felt each contributes to others but for this, to compete with the best in the world some day. I know I need another level of focus.
The Second Step was creating a clearly definable and measurable goal. In 3 years time, I can easily poll the top players in the game and find out if I have achieved my goal of being the most feared. Also, just a good time to jump in here and say currently I am seen as one of the players they want most at their table because I am not currently educated on the changes to the game fundamentals over the past 8 years… (when I last studied and played the game at anywhere close to a professional level )
The third step is publishing this. Putting my goal out in public and learning in public. I will use this blog to record my regular learnings over this time both specifically about Poker but more importantly about high performance. You see I am fortunate enough through my time in the Sports Tech Space to be privy to the forefront of innovation for our physical and mental health and I aim to leverage that access to some of the top sports scientists to really take an analytical approach to put myself in the best position for the hard work I do in studying the game itself coming to fruition.
You see that was something I have and continue to learn as I spend time with high performers and the minds that have created extremely high performers. The separation is rarely down to one person having the physical ability to do so and another not. Instead, it comes down to the mind and being able to execute and pull the trigger on the correct play often facing injury failure or death.
In fact, we saw a great example of exactly this here in the NBA Eastern Conference finals. Now don’t get me wrong this takes extremely gifted physical ability to make this block happen. But I would argue many NBA starting players could also make the same physical play. But instead, it was down to one thing. The mind. He had the determination to put the fear of injury or embarrassment behind him and make that play.
The fourth step, well I am figuring that out as it goes but publishing this at this time just seemed like a must because I have seen so many people I look up to publicly voice their goals and publicly learn in public. So this is me taking that leap and seeing what happens.
For now the Fourth Step for me is get better every single day.