Divine Luck looks a lot like a random Medium article
How one article created exponential action
Tom Kuegler wrote the article “This 1 Quality Will Help You Out-Perform Everyone” and it was exactly what I needed in a desperate time.
Let me explain…
There we were, sitting in a room, discussing what my friend Demetria had done since our last conversation about her goals. She is a very talented voiceover artist looking to get more meaningful and steady paid opportunities this year.
The last time we spoke it dawned on us that building her visibility by performing well known books, blog posts, and articles was a great strategy.
Our initial goal was 100 excerpts performed. Once she recorded them we would work on getting permission from the authors to share the audio.
50 would come from books from her personal collection.
50 would come from compelling articles on Medium.
We called it the Road to 100.
Almost two months after the initial meeting — zero recordings.
We were ready to enter the downward spiral of coaching meetings. Demetria explains why she didn’t make any meaningful progress then me emphasizing why it’s critical to just start. Rinse and repeat for 30 minutes multiplied by multiple meetings.
Major Tom to the Rescue
Imagine Space Oddity by David Bowie playing in the background. “This is ground control to Major Tom…”
Sitting there in the excuse cycle, I got a nudge to take immediate action.
All the next steps kind of happened in a blur.
Pulled out my phone. Asked Demetria to record a voiceover of the first Medium article I found. After some tech fumbling, we recorded a ‘one-take’ version of Tom Kuegler’s article.
Here it is for your listening pleasure (no editing):
In an ironic twist of fate, the article was about taking initiative. By taking immediate action and recording it, Demetria’s whole mood changed.
From Excuses to Real Change
You could say we went from the ‘Excuse Cycle’ to the ‘Change Cycle.’ In the few minutes between the excuses and recording the piece by Tom, Demetria’s body language totally changed. She was leaning forward and smiling.
Instead of focusing on all the ‘how are we going to…” Demetria started the see the possibilities of recording her next 100 performances in the next month. In the next week, we are aiming for 33 recordings.
The challenge will be to resist the urge to edit at first. Our goal is to get to 100 recording as soon as possible.
The Conclusion
Everything happens for a reason. At least that’s what the events of this case study might suggest. Another way to look at it is, initiative, or taking those first actions causes the universe to conspire in our favor.
The fun part is if Tom Kuegler doesn’t publish that article do I write this piece? Is Demetria emboldened to take initiative if she performed another article?
I have no idea. Thank goodness Tom, Demetria and myself took action. Imagine what good you could create just by taking the next few actions towards your goals. By total accident, you could be creating opportunities for others to do the same.
Next Steps
Tom has a class that will help you actually earn money writing on Medium. You can check it out here.
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