November Progress Report
“Letting go means you’re shedding, you’re becoming”
I’ve missed this. I’ve skipped out on the October one and something felt amiss. So here I am; so much has changed in the last 2 months.
OBJECT LEVEL (what did I do?)
Self-feedback:
November was the second month of my learning bootcamp. It was also when things were set in motion: I enrolled in an established online course on personal + professional development and got to see firsthand how a great course is managed; I wrapped up resources to launch a website dedicated to empower career changes through a learning plan; I started talking to potential clients in EdTech for content marketing + consulting work.
This month was also when I realized that rather than pure instructional design, I want to merge writing and course design to create transformative experiences for other people, whether it’s improving classroom learning or upskilling individual careers through learning.
I’m satisfied with my current progress and believe I’m only halfway there in terms of pushing myself to reach even higher aspirations.
Here’s where I’m at for goals:
This month’s goal:
The goal was to make $1K from writing. I figured this was a good way to push my boundaries, especially since I wanted most of my time to be dedicated to writing.
How I did:
I made $0. I went through it all — everything that I thought I should do: reaching out to blogs for guest posting, connecting with contributing writers at huge publications, etc. During the first half of the month, it felt like I was on track with meetings and opportunities lined up in the pipeline. Slowly, they faded away due to delays or lack of fit.
Yet as I look back, the value from this month was not only more than $0, but also more than $1K.
From a solely accounting perspective, this month includes: the $50 offered by a stranger to whoever followed up by asking (I did). The $200+ worth of audiobooks that a friend let me borrow. The $730 conference that I’m slowly but steadily asking sponsorships for. The $1K+ worth of online course materials that a friend shared through a casual conversation about our goals.
These are possibilities that I could’ve never came up with or predicted at the beginning of the month. It’s only through being in exploratory mode and pursuing what interests me that these opportunistic challenges and successes were made.
At the end of the month, I also started talking to a company that I really like to explore content creation opportunities, instead of running around on a hamster wheel churning out one-off posts for scattered blogs.
This was a huge mindshift for me.
Not only in terms of being able to think more long term, but also being able to shift from an employee mindset into an employer mindset. At the beginning of the month, I placed so much emphasis on money as a metric because it was an area I always felt insecure about, surrounded by the 6 figure salaries of people around me, especially engineers.
Rather than being inspired by it, I felt like it was a standard I had to catch up to, and yet so far out of reach. It felt like a weakness. I ended up measuring my worth around that.
This month, I realized that money is just one measurement of value, among many. For example: quality of time, happiness, etc. In these additional areas, I feel so abundant. It’s also a more accurate representation of how my life is like.
And rather than being tied to a limit, I want to think bigger about how I can bring massive value to others.
It’s time to amp it up.
Snippets from insightful posts:
- The real value of money: Money is seen as a market valuation of our competency; however, it’s only a container for storing value, not the value in itself. Other forms include time, knowledge, happiness etc. Money is form of exchange for experiences between two people (ex: fine dining). True value is when we earn it through and spend it on positive experiences
- Daily system of productivity: The biggest obstacle to high output is not being clear on what to work on next. Here are steps to be more clear: 1) do evening reviews that plan tasks for the next day based on long term goals, 2) tag tasks by time needed and priority, 3) plan out calendar, 4) design morning routine, 5) segment calendar into activity batches
- Art of asking: The act of asking in itself opens up to vulnerability and uncertainty. Asking is a gift, with no conditions
- High stakes intimacy: Patterns stop when emotions are truly felt: 1) I recognize this emotion, 2) I express and allow it, 3) I can be with it, 4) I can love it and embrace it
PROCESS LEVEL (how did I do it?)
Belief updates:
- Thinking about creating value in the world in terms of how to create experiences for others. How do I and others, use money to buy experiences and buy away experiences? (Money for food buys nutrition and buys away hunger)
- My metrics for success: if I’m enjoying the process, if this is something that only I can make, if I’m combining my unique strengths
- From traveling, I realized that the world is my oyster. I’m in a position where I can seek out opportunities and transform them to reality
- When factoring in value: time and happiness is also part of the equation
- When I’m afraid to ask something, usually it’s something to do with my self-worth: that I don’t deserve it or the other person will say no because I’m not worth it. Using avoidance as a strategy exacerbates it; using rejection therapy has helped me become much more comfortable with asks (thanks Alton)
- Life is 10x easier with a productivity system: taking the Building a Second Brain class has helped me gain so much clarity on how to use my existing knowledge to accelerate returns as well as life priorities
- Fully cleaning my glasses has allowed me to see a crisper world (thanks Thomas). Taking the second screen protector layer off my phone has allowed me to have clearer conversations with others. Using nice headphones has immersed me in a world I’ve never known. I wonder what are other little steps that I can take that would make a huge difference in my life?
- What is one sentence that you absolutely have to tell someone if you won’t ever see this person again?
Books read:
- The Prosperous Coach*
- The Coaching Habit*
- Rumi: The Book of Love
*started using audiobooks during commutes, and it’s been surprisingly great
Currently reading:
- The Net and the Butterfly
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- Six Pillars of Self-Esteem
Intense emotions felt during:
- the familiar yet novel taste of chemistry
- learning music theory
- chasing sunsets
- savoring the taste of noodle soup with bean sprouts; tsingdao with claypot
- the blushes of red on our cheeks from laughing
META LEVEL (why did I do it?)
- I traveled because I had the time, and was curious what that time could afford me (I later discovered: incredible experiences)
- I started conversations with an EdTech company because I really believed in their mission and wanted to experiment with the employer — client mindset
- I asked for help because I was curious about what was available to me, if I only asked (I later discovered: the world)
Goals for next month:
Inspired by Tiago Forte’s P.A.R.A. system, I’ve broken my monthly milestones into specific goals I want to achieve and areas I want to keep up the standard for.
Projects:
- Writing: finish 12 projects in 12 months, December progress report
- Business: launch website and prep for ZTL in January
- Side income: finalize contract details with companies
Areas:
- Video: one monthly video, one travel recap video (Thailand)
- Dance: practice 3x a week
Thanks for reading! This is #8 of my monthly progress reports. You can check out the previous one here:
