I usually send out my “3 Sunday thoughts” email on Sundays, but yesterday I had an early flight back to Austin so it didn’t happen.
So I’m gonna do it today instead…
These are 3 random things on my mind.
Sometimes they’re about business…
Sometimes they’re about life…
And other times they’re truly just random.
So with that said, let’s jump into the 3 things on my mind this morning…
1. Stop trying to “tell” and do a better job of “showing”
Yesterday I was at a pool party for Labor Day, and while I was there I wound up talking to some guy about his Tinder profile.
This guy was telling me how he was new to Austin…
And how he was finding it tough to meet new people (mostly women)…
So I asked if I could see his Tinder profile.
He was a good looking dude, so I was a little surprised that he was struggling.
But after looking at his profile, it was obvious why he was struggling.
He was doing a LOT of “telling” and not much showing.
For example…
In his bio, he had pretty mundane stuff like…
“I’m hard working, and funny”
Well that’s not what you want.
Cause that won’t stir any emotions in the girl reading it.
Instead of telling her you’re funny, you’re better off simply being funny.
So I showed him an example that one of my buddies has in his Tinder profile that says…
“Two truths and a lie – I have an accent, I’m rich, I have a small (eggplant emoji)”
This is 100x better than simply saying “I’m funny”.
Cause it demonstrates that he’s actually funny.
This is what “showing” is all about.
And “showing” works in copy the same way it works in Tinder profiles.
Lesson being, you always want to be “showing and not telling” in your copy.
Alright, let’s do another one of these…
2. Everything in life is about getting the “reps” in
Back when I was in highschool, I got really into skateboarding my junior year.
Skateboarding taught me that getting good at something is all about the “reps”.
You can’t get good watching videos…
Or reading books…
Sure it helps to have SOME knowledge of what you’re supposed to do…
But the only way to get good at skating is to get on your board and ride everyday.
That’s the key.
And the same thing can be said for pretty much anything…
If you want to get good at the guitar, the same rules apply…
If you want to get good at writing Youtube ads, the same rules apply…
Life is all about the “reps”.
So whatever it is you’re trying to do, make sure you’re getting a lot of reps in.
3. You have to do what’s best for you, even if it it upsets other people
This past weekend I went back to Ohio and I met up with my parents for a day.
I hadn’t seen them since my dad’s retirement party last summer, so it’d been a while…
But for me this is deliberate…
Over the last few years I’ve put more distance between me and my mom.
I wish I didn’t have to…
But being around her is just not good for me.
She’s super critical, controlling, manipulative etc…
And I’m at a point in my life where I just don’t want to deal with that.
If she was willing to change…
And admit her own flaws…
I would 100% be up for being around her.
But that’s not how she is.
So in order for me to not get all stressed out, I simply put distance between us.
We see each other maybe once a year…
And I call her every month or so…
But that’s really all I’m able to do.
Anything more than that and she starts getting too involved in my life and telling me how to do things.
It stresses me out…
And even flares up my Crohn’s disease…
So it’s just not worth it for me to be around her.
Like I said, this was my decision.
And I know she’s not happy with it.
But that’s not my problem…
In the end, I’m doing what’s best for me.
She can be upset all she wants (and if she wants our relationship to change, she has the ability to make that happen by working on herself)
But until then, I need to put some distance between us.
Point being – a lot of times you’ll do things in your life that will upset other people.
That’s fine.
And normal…
The key is that you’re making decisions that are in your best interest.
You’re not responsible for how people react to those decisions. That’s on them.
Make sense?
I hope so.
Cause that’s all I got for ya this morning…
Enjoy your Monday,
– Justin
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