Good Sunday 🌞!
Sunday Beam has usually been filled with behind-the-scenes work and inspirations, but I don't want you to think that things are always perfect. I'm not perfect, I'm learning along the way.
So this week I want to get deeper into my feelings and share it with all of you. It is as important to share my struggles because I know that many of you reading might be facing the same.
This week let's talk about:
- 😖 My reaction to a negative comment on #BuildingInPublic
- 😞 My family & some friends don't understand what I do
- 🤫 I sum up 5 misconceptions about #BuildingInPublic
👺 A negative comment on #BuildingInPublic
As someone who is constantly talking about #BuildingInPublic, I almost feel that I have to stand up and defend.
At first glance, it feels like a tweet like this is directly discrediting the work I've been doing to promote #BuildingInPublic.
But when I take a step back, it doesn't bother me at all.
Firstly, it is because I know there are always two camps of people for everything. How they feel about certain things is entirely based on their experiences with it. For example, some people love going to Paris, but I didn't have a good time last time I visited, so I never recommend people to go. In this case, he probably has a lot of "bad examples" around him to make him feel that way.
Secondly, I've learned that no one can get 100% support. Even the US president only needs a little more than 50% to win the election. As long as #BuildingInPublic is helping me to become a better person and helping my work, I don't have time to care about the other 50% of people who hate it.
Instead, my one way to handle is to choose to focus my energy on things that actually contribute to my plan and goals. All the other things are noise, and I'm ignoring them. 🎋
Do people really brag about glories or only talk about mistakes after they've succeeded in correcting them? I don't think so. Lately I've seen the most vulnerable tweet thread ever. 👇👇👇 A lot of us are purely sharing struggles with no "make up" on. These are the people I want to be around.
😞 People around me in real life don't get it
Okay, people on the Internet are easy to handle. I simply just ignore them.
But what about people in real life?
Lately, my family and friends are asking me what I'm working on after stepping down from running a startup.
For them, running a startup (company) is very easy to understand. There is a team, an office, and some customers. This is enough familiar information so they don't ask more questions.
However, now that I'm sitting in my office room at home every day in front of my computer, they have more questions about what I'm working on. They're not familiar with this model. The mystery of making a living while staying at home is intriguing to them.
My struggle comes from explaining what I'm doing and my grand plan. Because the more I share, the more questions come up. Audience building, info products, courses, MRR, Twitter - what? How does that work? 🗯
Families tend to be alright because even though they might not fully understand, they're still very supportive. When it comes to friends who work corp jobs, this gets tough.
They try to put on their corp working hats and evaluate my business model. The thing is - they've never started anything.
When this type of conversations happen, it is hard to not feel a bit pressured and frustrated.
Again, I choose to save my energy to focus on the bright side. I remind myself that I have a plan and I know what I'm doing. And that people who do great things are usually people who fight against the mainstream voice. At least my wife understands me and is fully supportive (thank you, I know you're reading 😘).
This reminds me of the hardest part of entrepreneurship. It is likely not figuring out what people want and building the right product. It is the distraction, noise, or even discouragement from our surroundings.
Do you ever feel the same around you? Love to know how you're handling it. 💪
💭 Still concerns around this mindset
In the last 2 months, I've been talking to a lot of people about #BuildingInPublic. There were lots of questions and concerns that came up in our conversations.
I thought it'd be helpful to list down the top 5 misconceptions and address them so that I can help more people get over the fear and get started!
👉👉👉 Article: 5 Misconceptions about Building in Public
💡 Inspirations
The Part Time Creator Manifesto
Since COVID happened, more people are taking their work online and most are becoming "content creators". Lots dream about doing it full-time and make crazy earnings like the Youtubers or Course Instructors we know. The truth is, a lot of us will become the creator middle-class. This means we will need other income source in order to make a good enough living. It is a good reminder so that we're not placing all our bets in one thing, spread it out.
One of the best #BuildingInPublic guide lately
David lays out how you can build something in public and increase your chance of success. This is gem! 🔮