Every point resonates, but the one that stands out at the moment reading this sitting at my desk for my job....
4. Most people don’t want to go to work. They just don’t know what else to do. - Just waiting for the job to make sense even though I know it won't, but the brain does that trick 'maybe it will'. So here I still sit. This list is just what I needed to read today.
“Most people don’t want to work”because they’re not doing work that resonates with their heart, soul, and mind.
Once we connect with work that truly feeds us on all levels, we’ll actually look forward to “working”.
This happened to me when I was 40. It was an “accident” of fate…and came thru a stranger. (Many positive things have come into my life from strangers.)
I was approached by a man who owned a copy store on the Big Island. At first , he asked if I would work in his business. I said I would try it for a week and let him know. Even before the week was up I knew I could not work there, waiting for customers to come in.
After I told him, he Indicated that I might like to try to start my own business, as a “print broker”. I didn’t know what that was and had never heard the term.
Besides the fact that I was lacking funds, had no industry knowledge, and was resistant to selling because I believe that it meant being dishonest.
He persisted, and said that this was not just selling, but providing a needed “service” to small businesses. Well, that got my attention.
He gave me a very small catalog of business card samples (from a mainland printer that he had worked with), and instructed me to go into several retail businesses in town, and simply ask if they needed business cards.
Even though I was shy, I was able to ask that simple question, with no hesitation. The answers I got went something like this: “Just ordered, but check back in a few months”, “Will need some soon” and the best one “Yes, I’m running out!”
That first day I came home with three orders, and 50% deposits, which covered the printing cost.
The process was fairly easy, since I was just duplicating what they already had. It seemed pretty easy, and something I could do part time, in addition to the 3 part time jobs I was doing. (merchandiser,
co-ordinator for the women’s center, and volunteer).
So, I placed a small classified ad in the local paper, not expecting much response. I posted the low price of 1000 business cards for $30. (This was 1982)
When my phone started ringing off the hook, I said to myself “I must be in business!” I took the leap, and quit my other jobs.
I worked from home the first four years, and hired two women on commission basis, to make calls and take orders.
I was also studying various printing processes and terminology since not every order was simply one color. Some were complex, even three or four colors. Many were just concepts of what was wanted for new projects.
The women convinced me that I needed to rent an office in town, to be more accessible to walk in customers.
I approached a friend who had a business in town, and he shared a corner in one of his 3 offices.
Within 3 months, he gave up his business and moved from the island.
I then had the option of renting the space. It was more than I needed, but somehow I would find a way to afford it.
I leased a copy machine, which was greatly needed by the community, so
people didn’t need to drive into town.
My little business thrived, in spite of my lack of industry experience. I thrived on a personal level because I was helping people save money, while I was discovering my own skills and talents. My shyness disappeared, and my confidence grew.
Aloha Printing & Promotions became known for affordability, quality, and excellent customer service.
But the best part was that I loved what I was doing! I was working with concepts and ideas, which I manifested in the third dimension.
I was asked by an SBA Business advisor, why I got up in the morning.
when I answered “to use my creativity!” he responded with “Wrong answer! It should be to make money!”
(I dismissed him shortly after afterwards.). These reps aren’t entrepreneurs!)
I continued to love this creative work for 11 years, until I turned it over to a partner I’d taken in, prior to moving back to the mainland.
She reduced some of the extensive services, but maintain this business for the next 20 years, until she died.
So, this small business created with no money, no industry experience, and no confidence, thrived and lasted for 31 years. That flies in the face of small business statistics.
I realize that not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. I certainly didn’t think I was. But the key is discovering your innate gifts and talents to find work that you can love.
I always recommend the book “Wishcraft” by Barbara Sher. Although it was written many years ago, it can provide the answers to questions about your innate gifts if you don’t know what they are, or how they translate to work you’ll love.
Printed this out and at stuck it on my fridge. Chock full of priceless pearls of wisdom. And the pic of you and your dog was like seeing pure joy. Thank you.
Hey Tim so the whole thing spoke to me which is why it’s on my fridge now but these were some lines that stuck: Let the pain light you up, not descend you into darkness. The world wants you to be normal. F*ck being normal. That’s when being extraordinary becomes impossible. Busyness is a sign of poverty that will eventually lead to personal bankruptcy. If you want to test a person’s character, take them out to lunch and ensure there’s a mistake with their food.
Their reaction will tell you everything you need to know about them. When tragedy strikes and you go quiet, the people who reach out are your true friends. The best moments in my life were completely random. The overly scheduled life is a nightmare.
Thanks again for that wonderful brain and spirit that you have.
It’s using sound or light, frequencies, to take the brain where you choose it to go. One of the brainwave entrainment meditations I use embeds the different brainwave states from “hello world” to “I’m a naked monk meditating in the snow” to “god is everywhere”. I’m a sound technology geek and both collect them and use them in concert to get to deep levels of trance and reverse inter generational trauma, chronic pain blah blah blah.
I literally just tried a brainwave recording for the first time today to get my amped up and stressed out brain to slow down with some binaural beats to get to more relaxed state and listened to recording in 444 Hz to relax. Pretty cool stuff. I love “the image of “I’m a naked monk meditating in snow”
Hi Tim, thanks for this fantastic list of ideas. The main idea I take away from it is to try to live your life by design, not by default. You have to really get to know yourself: What do you want out of life? What does success mean to you? How do you want to spend your time? How would your ideal day look like? Answer those questions by sitting down and writing about it and then work backward to get closer to what you want, step by step.
One of the saddest things I see is that people get infected by external ideas of what they should achieve and care about and then set about to invest their precious time and energy into things that ultimately do not end up mattering to them - especially if the goal is to get rich or to signal high status to peers. These are extremly dangerous distractions.
I find that avoiding getting caught up in societal expectations or chasing status and choosing to focus on your true desires to lead a more fulfilling life.
'Most people move too slowly. Shorten how long it takes to achieve your big goals. An urgent agenda is one that gets done... What’s stopping you from doing it in a year?'
Just yesterday I was on a run, thinking hard about my goals and what I want to achieve and where I see myself in years to come. I set a goal to achieve X in Y years, then thought to myself, why should I wait so long? I want it sooner, so I will work to make it so. It scared me when I thought about it, which means that it absolutely must be done.
Mi día inicio escuchandote, nada es casualidad, era necesario para mi, gracias, me haz hecho el dia, me vitaminaron tus consejos., me dibujo una sonrisa a la esperanza, fe y a mis fuerzas, he suspirado., yo puedo. Gracias Tim D., gracias., lo quise guardar para releer, y releer pues cuido a un adulto mayor y quería pegarlo al refri y a mi cerebro... Al copiar espero no haber infringuido y nada, ya borre todo ok., regrese acá... Para conservarlo ponerlo en práctica y mejorar, releerlo y volveré promise!!!👊🏼
This is a great list - too many good points to name them all. 12 is SO true, 19 is a MASSIVE Substack success tip. Thanks for sharing Tim, I just subscribed.
Fully agree with the busyness one, being busy is often a badge of honour. But are you just being inefficient or actually being productive??
Don't agree with your statement on kids and aligning not having kids with "individualism and selfishness" though. Lots of people done have kids for lots of different reasons and not all of those are because they are "selfish". I would also argue that not having a kid is not more or less selfish than having a kid. Childless or childfree people are perfectly capable of also loving other human beings unconditionally.
This is the best thing I've read in a while. All things that I know but need to hear....again and again. Will definitely re-read.
What point did you like the most Hannah?
Every point resonates, but the one that stands out at the moment reading this sitting at my desk for my job....
4. Most people don’t want to go to work. They just don’t know what else to do. - Just waiting for the job to make sense even though I know it won't, but the brain does that trick 'maybe it will'. So here I still sit. This list is just what I needed to read today.
“Most people don’t want to work”because they’re not doing work that resonates with their heart, soul, and mind.
Once we connect with work that truly feeds us on all levels, we’ll actually look forward to “working”.
This happened to me when I was 40. It was an “accident” of fate…and came thru a stranger. (Many positive things have come into my life from strangers.)
I was approached by a man who owned a copy store on the Big Island. At first , he asked if I would work in his business. I said I would try it for a week and let him know. Even before the week was up I knew I could not work there, waiting for customers to come in.
After I told him, he Indicated that I might like to try to start my own business, as a “print broker”. I didn’t know what that was and had never heard the term.
Besides the fact that I was lacking funds, had no industry knowledge, and was resistant to selling because I believe that it meant being dishonest.
He persisted, and said that this was not just selling, but providing a needed “service” to small businesses. Well, that got my attention.
He gave me a very small catalog of business card samples (from a mainland printer that he had worked with), and instructed me to go into several retail businesses in town, and simply ask if they needed business cards.
Even though I was shy, I was able to ask that simple question, with no hesitation. The answers I got went something like this: “Just ordered, but check back in a few months”, “Will need some soon” and the best one “Yes, I’m running out!”
That first day I came home with three orders, and 50% deposits, which covered the printing cost.
The process was fairly easy, since I was just duplicating what they already had. It seemed pretty easy, and something I could do part time, in addition to the 3 part time jobs I was doing. (merchandiser,
co-ordinator for the women’s center, and volunteer).
So, I placed a small classified ad in the local paper, not expecting much response. I posted the low price of 1000 business cards for $30. (This was 1982)
When my phone started ringing off the hook, I said to myself “I must be in business!” I took the leap, and quit my other jobs.
I worked from home the first four years, and hired two women on commission basis, to make calls and take orders.
I was also studying various printing processes and terminology since not every order was simply one color. Some were complex, even three or four colors. Many were just concepts of what was wanted for new projects.
The women convinced me that I needed to rent an office in town, to be more accessible to walk in customers.
I approached a friend who had a business in town, and he shared a corner in one of his 3 offices.
Within 3 months, he gave up his business and moved from the island.
I then had the option of renting the space. It was more than I needed, but somehow I would find a way to afford it.
I leased a copy machine, which was greatly needed by the community, so
people didn’t need to drive into town.
My little business thrived, in spite of my lack of industry experience. I thrived on a personal level because I was helping people save money, while I was discovering my own skills and talents. My shyness disappeared, and my confidence grew.
Aloha Printing & Promotions became known for affordability, quality, and excellent customer service.
But the best part was that I loved what I was doing! I was working with concepts and ideas, which I manifested in the third dimension.
I was asked by an SBA Business advisor, why I got up in the morning.
when I answered “to use my creativity!” he responded with “Wrong answer! It should be to make money!”
(I dismissed him shortly after afterwards.). These reps aren’t entrepreneurs!)
I continued to love this creative work for 11 years, until I turned it over to a partner I’d taken in, prior to moving back to the mainland.
She reduced some of the extensive services, but maintain this business for the next 20 years, until she died.
So, this small business created with no money, no industry experience, and no confidence, thrived and lasted for 31 years. That flies in the face of small business statistics.
I realize that not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. I certainly didn’t think I was. But the key is discovering your innate gifts and talents to find work that you can love.
I always recommend the book “Wishcraft” by Barbara Sher. Although it was written many years ago, it can provide the answers to questions about your innate gifts if you don’t know what they are, or how they translate to work you’ll love.
Printed this out and at stuck it on my fridge. Chock full of priceless pearls of wisdom. And the pic of you and your dog was like seeing pure joy. Thank you.
Thanks Kit. What line stood out for you?
Hey Tim so the whole thing spoke to me which is why it’s on my fridge now but these were some lines that stuck: Let the pain light you up, not descend you into darkness. The world wants you to be normal. F*ck being normal. That’s when being extraordinary becomes impossible. Busyness is a sign of poverty that will eventually lead to personal bankruptcy. If you want to test a person’s character, take them out to lunch and ensure there’s a mistake with their food.
Their reaction will tell you everything you need to know about them. When tragedy strikes and you go quiet, the people who reach out are your true friends. The best moments in my life were completely random. The overly scheduled life is a nightmare.
Thanks again for that wonderful brain and spirit that you have.
I'm doing this while listening to brainwave entrainment so it sinks in deeper. Thank you for the wisdom and life experiences Tim.
What is brainwave entertainment?
It’s using sound or light, frequencies, to take the brain where you choose it to go. One of the brainwave entrainment meditations I use embeds the different brainwave states from “hello world” to “I’m a naked monk meditating in the snow” to “god is everywhere”. I’m a sound technology geek and both collect them and use them in concert to get to deep levels of trance and reverse inter generational trauma, chronic pain blah blah blah.
I literally just tried a brainwave recording for the first time today to get my amped up and stressed out brain to slow down with some binaural beats to get to more relaxed state and listened to recording in 444 Hz to relax. Pretty cool stuff. I love “the image of “I’m a naked monk meditating in snow”
ooooooooo wow
Iawake.com “infinity” is what I’m listening to this moment. With another one simultaneously from frequencydestiny.com.
"I'm busy" can lead to personal bankruptcy." Well said, Tim.
Busyness is a pandemic right now
Not too thrilled about the fake god comments.
I looked over them and found this article to be on point.
What didn't you like about that comment?
I believe in God but I do understand how sitting there without taking any action is like running a lamp and wishing for it.
Thrilled about the “fake god” comments!
These are great! I would add: Finding out you will be a grandparent is even better! (Than being a parent).
Interesting. What's good about being a grandparent David?
Hi Tim, thanks for this fantastic list of ideas. The main idea I take away from it is to try to live your life by design, not by default. You have to really get to know yourself: What do you want out of life? What does success mean to you? How do you want to spend your time? How would your ideal day look like? Answer those questions by sitting down and writing about it and then work backward to get closer to what you want, step by step.
One of the saddest things I see is that people get infected by external ideas of what they should achieve and care about and then set about to invest their precious time and energy into things that ultimately do not end up mattering to them - especially if the goal is to get rich or to signal high status to peers. These are extremly dangerous distractions.
Well said Simon.
I find that avoiding getting caught up in societal expectations or chasing status and choosing to focus on your true desires to lead a more fulfilling life.
'Most people move too slowly. Shorten how long it takes to achieve your big goals. An urgent agenda is one that gets done... What’s stopping you from doing it in a year?'
Just yesterday I was on a run, thinking hard about my goals and what I want to achieve and where I see myself in years to come. I set a goal to achieve X in Y years, then thought to myself, why should I wait so long? I want it sooner, so I will work to make it so. It scared me when I thought about it, which means that it absolutely must be done.
Number 30 is my favorite
30. You should be embarrassed by who you were 1 year ago. Otherwise you haven’t grown enough.
Thanks for the post.
All comments are good but point no 16 is outstanding as we work very hard to obtain success BUT alongwith that comes a ton of pride.
If one cannot digest success and stay humble possibly the other points however good cannot bring one up.
Mi día inicio escuchandote, nada es casualidad, era necesario para mi, gracias, me haz hecho el dia, me vitaminaron tus consejos., me dibujo una sonrisa a la esperanza, fe y a mis fuerzas, he suspirado., yo puedo. Gracias Tim D., gracias., lo quise guardar para releer, y releer pues cuido a un adulto mayor y quería pegarlo al refri y a mi cerebro... Al copiar espero no haber infringuido y nada, ya borre todo ok., regrese acá... Para conservarlo ponerlo en práctica y mejorar, releerlo y volveré promise!!!👊🏼
This is a great list - too many good points to name them all. 12 is SO true, 19 is a MASSIVE Substack success tip. Thanks for sharing Tim, I just subscribed.
Fully agree with the busyness one, being busy is often a badge of honour. But are you just being inefficient or actually being productive??
Don't agree with your statement on kids and aligning not having kids with "individualism and selfishness" though. Lots of people done have kids for lots of different reasons and not all of those are because they are "selfish". I would also argue that not having a kid is not more or less selfish than having a kid. Childless or childfree people are perfectly capable of also loving other human beings unconditionally.
Tim,
May I ask what you use for your voiceovers? Or may We aspiring Tim Dennings ask what tech you use for your VOs?
And it looks like you use your own voice. If you used a text to speech app, what would you use?
Best, Steven Palange & Many of your Fans.
Not knowing what to do and doing it anyway stuck out for me.
This society we live in doesn’t tell you how to work for yourself and what that entails mentally, emotionally and financially.
Instead we’re raised to follow grades, promotions and little rubrics of external validation, always asking someone for instructions.
It’s taught us to feel lost when we’re given freedom.
So, thank you for inspiring more people to take their leap into the unknown. Cause screw instructions, actually. 🔥🔥
Living life is more important than a career. Reverse the order.
And everything about working for employers.
That hits really hard. It's so true.