Chapter 17 — I am my 1%.
I write well. But I want to write great.
I’m a massive fan of Gary Vaynerchuk. I used to watch his every YouTube video, read most of his blogs, tap through his Snapchat story and keep track of his media company Vaynermedia.
Then I realised that consuming loads of content, no matter how helpful, means I have less time to actually do. So I stopped watching and reading as much of Gary and actually did stuff.
But there was one piece of advice that he always repeated, over and over again, and that was to focus on what you’re best at. Forget the 99% of things you’re average at and be an expert in what you can do better than everyone else. Capture your 1%.
Your 1% can be made up of a few things of course, don’t feel like you have to severely limit yourself. Just sit down and think: what am I truly best at?
You can probably guess that my 1% includes writing, but writing covers a lot of bases. I manage social media profiles well because I can squeeze a convincing story in to 140 characters on Twitter, or craft content on Facebook, Instagram or Medium that moves people to action. If you’re reading this now, it’s because my words on social media made you click the link I shared. Either that, or my past Chapters have kept you coming back for more.
These daily Chapters are helping me improve and better understand my 1%. If I get any more out of this then fantastic, but I have no other goal than to get better at what I do good.
Sometimes though, your 1% can get ignored. You begin to think that being an expert within your 1% isn’t enough. You stretch for that 2%, or maybe even the distant 3%.
I did that earlier this year with Modern Street Talk. I convinced myself that starting a podcast was the right thing for me. That the more I did it, the better I’d get. I talk to enough people anyway, so why wouldn’t putting those conversations in to podcast form be a good idea?
Because I’m a writer, not a speaker. I can speak well, but I write much, much better.
So I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to make a podcast anymore. I don’t want to chip in to that other 99% when I’ve still got so much to improve within my 1%. I can still talk to people, but the content I create after those conversations will be seen with eyes, not heard with ears.
Because I’m a writer. Not a speaker.
Get me in the right frame of mind in a quiet space and my head will overflow with stories and ideas. I’ll scribble furiously on to a pad of paper, likely resembling something closer to a mad scientist than a genius at work. But after a while I’d get to the point where I had something in front of me, ready to be made in to a story.
And then I’d write.
And then I’d fiddle with what I’ve written, and check it a couple of times.
Does this paragraph make sense above this one? Does this paragraph make sense below this one? Does the whole thing flow like I want it to? Will people read it like I want them to?
Only after those questions have been answered will I hit Publish. Never before.
My 1% contains a myriad of tiny, almost unnoticeable traits that make me so meticulous in how I approach writing. And your 1% will too, you’ve just got to pick up on these traits and make them better. Even add more traits if you think that’s what your 1% needs.
I’ve already spoken about the dangers of getting comfortable in mediocrity and settling for what you already are. If you want to avoid that, focusing harder on what makes you great will stop it from happening.
With these daily Chapters, I’m improving what I believe I’m best at every single day. That’s because I don’t want to be good at five different things, I want to be great at one thing.
I am my 1%.
