Unlock The World’s Creative Potential

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Here I am, fretting about brand purpose and monetization again. But I’m trying to work backwards again. Most brands work backwards: they make a mediocre product for a general segment of the population, then try to figure out how to market it, and set the price for the best possible profit.

I call this working backwards because it serves the master, not the masses. It’s interruptive, not inclusive. I don’t want to fall into the trap of backward branding—take what I’ve got and spin it for a specific audience. That will suck all the joy and authenticity out of it.

What I do want is to connect with people—people who like (or challenge) what I’m creating. I want to strike up a conversation about the necessity of art and creative expression. Dreaming is vital to our health and survival, both literally and figuratively.

I want people to understand that a shared daily creation will change their lives. Even with a small, niche, unmonetized audience.

It shouldn’t start with the money. If money is your motivation you will never be content. As Tony Robbins so often says, it’s not the money you are longing for but rather the things you imagine you can do with that money. Focus on those things you want to do. Don’t let the means trump the goal. Even unclear or fuzzy goals are something to move forward with. Focus on the money and your journey may slow or even stop altogether.

I’m not saying you can’t have [nice things] or make money. I’m just saying it shouldn’t be primary. It should be a by-product of your creations. (Unless, of course, you design money and work at a mint.)

After reading (part of) Bold by Peter Diamandis, I felt compelled to discover my MTP, or Massively Transformative Purpose—the thing that could drive and sustain me through just about anything; the thing that acted as a thread throughout my life, a recurring theme. I came up with this:

Unlock the world’s creative potential

I look at my current projects and assess whether they get me closer to my MTP or further away. This focus transcends money. It helps me ask tough questions about my career as well. Am I moving forward?

Momentum is everything—and All-Day Breakfast is my daily warm-up, my meditation, my creative workout. Its purpose is to keep me awake and alert and accountable, creatively. It is not designed to make me rich and famous, nor should it be.

That would put everything in reverse.

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PSST! My personal mission is to unlock the world’s creative potential. Every time you recommend or share an article, more people get to see it (and I feel happy). ❤=😀