I love Seth Godin. He's the GOAT, right? Before I even *had* a podcast he said yes to being on my podcast and let me fly down to Hastings-On-Hudson to pester him for a couple hours. (Apple/Spotify/YT).
His blog? Legendary. My friend Agostino introduced it to me in around 2007. And he hasn't missed posting a blog post since and is now up to over 10,000 (!?) straight. (You can sign up right here.) My friend Tim Urban said "Seth Godin, to me, is like—if I have a 'wise man on a hill' in my life? Seth Godin is that guy ... anything that happens in the world I wanna hear what Seth thinks about it, what he says about it." Seth's a mensch. A helper.
Recently Seth turned 65 and on that day he dropped 65 bits of wisdom on his blog under a very humble Seth-like title of "Notes to myself." I reached out to Seth and he said I could share the whole thing with you.
(PS. On the topic of birthdays—mine is in two weeks! I am working on some birthday advice now as I've done the pastfew years.)
Hope you enjoy,
Neil
Notes to myself
Written by Seth Godin
The system can be changed and normal is not permanent
Find the smallest viable audience
Pick your customers, pick your future
Outdated maps might be worth less than no map at all
Reliability is a superpower
There are no side effects, merely effects
There’s usually an opportunity to be of service
Silence is an option, and so is leadership
There is no perfect moment to begin
Shame is a dream killer
Everyone who disagrees with you believes they are correct
The problem with the race to the bottom is you might win
Uncomfortable facts are often the most helpful ones
A good deal is better than a big deal
When in doubt look for the fear
Avoid arguments, embrace conversations
Easy to measure doesn’t make it important
Find clarity about who the customer is (and isn’t)
Genre is a platform, not a fence
Lowering expectations can increase satisfaction
Improve project hygiene
Ask what the system is for
We might not need more time, we simply need to decide
Consider the cost of keeping a promise before making it
Earn enrollment
Helping someone get what they want is easier than changing what they want
Not all criticism is equally valid
Write down the things you’re sure you’ll never forget
Focus on the hard part
Quitting one thing is the only way to find the focus to do the next thing
Perfectionism is not related to quality
Your competitors are actually your allies
Surfing is better than golf
Criticize ideas, not people
Cannibals rarely get a good night’s sleep
Status roles are the unseen force in almost every system
Embrace necessary discomfort
Gratitude is a more useful fuel than anger
Create tension and relieve stress
Imposter syndrome is real, and it arrives whenever we’re doing important work
Solve interesting problems
Offer dignity
Ignore sunk costs
Don’t try to fill an unfillable hole
This might not work
Consistency is more useful than authenticity
People like us do things like this
Simple hacks rarely fix long-term problems
Trade short-term wins for long-term impact
Today’s world is unpredictable, and this is as stable as it will ever be again
Generous doesn’t mean free
Make assertions
Invest in skills that compound with effort
Culture conceals systems, and systems construct our future
Peeves make lousy pets
Reassurance is futile
Take responsibility, demand freedom, don’t seek authority
Ideas that spread, win
Earn trust through action
Become the person your future thanks you for and forgive the past for the mistakes it made
Attitudes are skills
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