How to think more clearly
Giving yourself the space to think your own thoughts
👋Hello, my friend. I’m coming to you live from Kiawah Island in South Carolina this morning where we are trying to soak in every last bit of summer before school and sports resume next week. I don’t think I’m ready for it…but it’s happening regardless. Anyhow, here’s what I’ve got for you today:
The latest episode of the Intentional Wisdom podcast - featuring Nicolas Cole
Some thoughts on how to think more clearly - possibly the most important skill to have in life
A few additions to your content diet
And a favor to ask. I’m trying to dial in my own content strategy and I want your opinion on what I should focus one. Will you fill out this anonymous one-question survey for me please? Link here.
On to the good stuff…
Today's newsletter is brought to you by my friends at Athletic Brewing Company. You probably already know that I'm a massive fan of Athletic. Believe it or not, tomorrow marks 1-year of zero alcohol for me! More to come on that soon. But just know this: Athletic has been a major part of making that a reality.
I'm a big fan of both the quality and variety of the non-alcoholic brews they have on offer - everything from IPAs and goldens to extra dark brews, sours and hazys. In fact, I brought a massive cooler of Athletics to Kiawah with me this week. Great beach and golf course beverages, if I don’t say so myself.
Try Athletic Brewing Non-alcoholic Brews for yourself.
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Near beer. Exclusions and conditions apply.
Athletic Brewing Company. Fit For All Times.
Ep.24 - Nicolas Cole - The Why & How of Audience Building
Have you ever considered developing an audience? Most people I meet are experts in one field or another. But almost none of them - especially in my age group - have built an audience based on sharing their expertise. I wanted to record this episode with author/entrepreneur, Nicolas Cole, as a tutorial for anyone who might want to consider going down this path. I’m biased, as this is something I do myself, but I have seen dozens and dozens of people achieve a ton of professional and personal success by building audiences. This is everyone from doctors sharing medical knowledge, to authors who want to find their next readers, to parents who feel like they’ve got tons of value to add based on their own experiences.
In this episode we cover the WHY & HOW of Audience Building, including:
How to identify your “niche”
What platforms to publish on
How building an audience leads to unexpected opportunities
And a ton more…
If you get a chance to listen or watch this one, hit me up on email or Twitter @gregorycampion and let me know what you think. I want to hear from you on this.
How to Think More Clearly
How much time have you set aside for yourself lately to think? If you’re like most people, the answer to that question is zero. In an age of over-stimulation, excessive information and extreme aversion to boredom, most of us don’t spend much time in our own heads, thinking our own thoughts.
I’m as guilty as the next person. I struggle with what can only be described as an addiction to Twitter. Most days when I’m driving or running, there’s a podcast in my ears. And if I’m on the couch, chances are I’m splitting my attention between the big screen on the wall and the small screen in my hand.
If you’re like me, we’ve got a problem. We’re in consumption mode almost all the time. We’re not exploring our own minds. We’re only taking in the ideas and thoughts of others. So when do we think our own thoughts?
Not too often, if we’re honest. In the shower? Yes. But that’s mostly because we don’t want our phones to get wet. On a walk? Perhaps. But only if you’re capable of resisting the urge of your favorite podcast, that audio book you’ve been meaning to get to, or the work call you probably shouldn’t miss.
In short, for all of the wonders of unlimited access to information that the modern world provides, we ironically have almost no time built into our schedules to actually think our own thoughts. To really figure out what we want. What our next move should be. How we should react to that situation that’s stressing us out.
We’re arguably concentrating all of the most important decisions in our lives into those few short, passing moments when our phones aren’t dominating our attention.
So what is the solution?
Writing.
“Writing?” you ask.
“Yes. Writing.” I say.
Why writing? Because writing, my friend, is thinking.
When I interviewed the great author Kevin Kelly on my podcast, we both agreed on one idea: That we do not know what we think until we write it.
How can that be? Don’t you need to know what you’re going to write before you write it?
No, you write it to know what you’re going to write. You write it to know what you think.
In my conversation with Nicolas Cole, I let out an audible “Ahhhh” as he explained to me how the countless executives he ghostwrote for came to value their time with him more for the space it gave them to think than for the final written product.
In his case, the overscheduled executives that were his clients spent most of their waking our hours working IN the business. Jumping from one meeting to the next, from one Zoom call to the next business lunch. But they never stepped back to work ON the business. Were they approaching their days the right way to begin with? Were they chasing the right goals?
Stepping back to write (or even to be interviewed by a ghostwriter) can give one the mental space to do what we so lack the discipline to do otherwise:
To think our own thoughts.
And a wonderful thing happens when you decide to shut off the outside world even for 30 minutes. You find out that you do have thoughts. Really interesting ones, actually.
And you start to gain clarity. On your priorities. On those things that are stressing you out. On what your next move should be.
To me, this has become an essential practice. I realized long ago that in order to process my emotions, I needed to write. In order to make the next career move, I needed to write. In order to make any big decision or just to deal with the daily up’s and down’s of life… I needed to write.
When my dad died, I wrote for hours on a transatlantic flight with tears streaming down my cheeks the entire time. When my son faced health problems last year, I wrote a piece for this very newsletter. And as soon as I feel stress or unhappiness or like I’m coming up against a wall, I have the same solution: I write.
For me, the writing not only helps to provide clarity of thought, but it is a release valve. A highly effective form of therapy.
The point is not necessarily the writing itself. The point is the thinking. Maybe you think you’re a terrible writer or would rather do anything but write.
Well, try this: The next time you’re driving in a car by yourself for 30 minutes or more, pick an app that does dictation and speak to your phone for a half hour about everything that’s on your mind.
I can almost guarantee you that by the end, you’ll have more clarity on what it is you actually think. And probably less stress as well.
I’m not trying to turn everyone into a newsletter writer. I don’t want to put myself out of business, after all.
But if you come away from reading this today with one idea, I’d like it to be this:
You have incredible thoughts, ideas, and even emotions swirling around in your head. But you’re not giving them any time or space to come out. Figure out a way to change that and you might just be surprised with how positively it impacts your life.
Content Diet
(Okay, to be honest, I kind of feel bad about providing content suggestions now that I’ve just recommended you go listen to your own thoughts…. but I’ll do it anyhow).
Marc Andreessen on Joe Rogan - Where Artificial Intelligence is Going
I know, I know. People have views about Rogan. But this is an excellent conversation and Andreessen, as founder of one of the largest and most successful venture capital firms in the world is as informed as just about anyone on where this is all going.
David Senra on David Ogilvy (Confessions of an Advertising Man)
I’ve been listening to a lot of Founders Podcast lately. I’m a big fan of David Senra and the gems he pulls from all of these biographies are great. Ogilvy was a force of nature! My day job is in marketing so it’s table stakes to understand the greats like Ogilvy. Wow, that guy knew how to build a culture and how to SELL! I took away a lot from this one.
And a few honorable mentions…
We’re currently watching Hijack on Apple TV. I’m currently reading Barbarian Days based on a recommendation from Girdley and others in my social feed.
And finally, here’s the full YouTube video of my conversation with Nicolas Cole:
Thanks for reading. And one final reminder to please fill out my one question survey (link here) if you haven’t done it already.
See you in two weeks!
Greg