You’ll still be you

Matthew Dicks is the author of “Storyworthy“, and I was honored to have him on my podcast a few months ago to discuss the book. He’s a content machine, and there is a lot that we can all learn from him.

In a recent blog post of his, he explained how he’s built the career that he has — and there were no shortcuts. Here’s the short version of what he shared:

Work like hell.
Make things.
Then keep making more things.
Maybe find some like-minded people to help.
Never stop.
Be patient.
Be relentless.
Hope to get noticed.

This can only happen if you love the work that you do; otherwise you’ll burn out. While preparing to go on a recent vacation, he had the following exchange with his wife:

Elysha just planned our summer vacation. While showing me the Airbnb, she said, “And look. You can work here,” pointing at a table in a nook off the kitchen.

“Work?” I said. “I’ll be on vacation!”

“Yes,” she said. “But you’ll still be you.”

And she’s right. I won’t schedule any meetings. I won’t film any videos. I won’t sign any contracts. But I will still climb out of bed at the crack of dawn and write. Maybe answer some email so I don’t fall behind. Design some stickers I’ve been wanting to own. Probably revise the manuscript of my next novel.

While I’m not nearly as consistent or prolific as Dicks, I feel the same way. I’m typing this from the kitchen table at our Airbnb in Italy and it’s the same as him. I…