78 Comments

Thanks for writing this Tim. Resonates a lot with where I am right now - laid off from big tech, determined not to be reliant on someone else money (and opinion), starting to apply for jobs because that is what everyone else is doing - first automated reject landed already. Wanting to build my own thing.

Expand full comment
author

AI makes the job application process so bad.

Expand full comment

Correct. It dehumanizes it. We need humans hiring each other because we have empathy. Machine's dont.

Expand full comment
author

Never thought of it that way J.K.

Expand full comment

Hey JS, nice to meet you my friend. I am very sorry to hear yr news.

If I can be so forward as to offer some good advice to a new friend, Why are you doing whatever everyone else is doing, JS if you keep doing that you are going to get the exact same results they will, zero, average, maybe, maybe not.

Stop, turn around and walk the opposite direction and read my advice below...

Do whatever you can from now to Learn How To Sell, and I mean really Sell, read about it, learn it, b'c when you achieve that yr life will never be the same again, yr life won't know so much happiness and contentment, I'm deadly serious JS, start now, b'c from that point forward you will never want for anything. You will have the Super Human ability to earn money whenever you want, just by the Power of yr Word. Superman wouldn't stand a chance. ;)

It's that's simple JS, this is the single most powerful and respected human skill you can ever learn, forget the degrees, Learn it, Do It, Live It! We are all here, so never hesitate to reach out ok.

But I will say this to you JS, with lots of friendship, unless yr serious or desperate and I mean bottom of the barrel stuff, you will Fail ok, I won't sugar coat it for you, but once you've done yr time, do the reading, really feel it, you will have that powerful skill for Life, for any yime or product you so choose, and please believe it b'c it's all around you everyday, the awesome power of that skill, but it's got to be yr Obsession (thank you TD), liking it won't cut it ok, it's like Business JS, Normal or Average is not good enough, it never has been, so it needs yr Dedication and Obsession to power it and give it the life it needs, If, and if you want to.

All the best JS. Kiwi ;)

Expand full comment

The replay link is going to a missing page and dumps me into a Notion signup. Can you fix? Would love to see the newsletter replay. Thanks.

Expand full comment
author

We'll fix Paul. Sorry.

Expand full comment

Holy shit, Tim Denning. I’ve been down this road and nobody’s ever described as well as you’ve done here. Well done, sir.

Expand full comment
author

Thanks Adam. Care to share your story here?

Expand full comment

Yeah, after you finish that field, park the tractor at the farm and don’t plan on returning. I won’t need you anymore. 

Reality set in on the drive home as his words penetrated my spleen. Tears leaked from my sockets as I began doing the maths.

How long will our forty grand in savings last?

Twelve years. Twelve crops. That farm was my world. My identity. It was gone quicker than a fart in the breeze.

How could he do this to me? 

For years, that farmer promised me the moon. Since he didn’t have sons, he would hand the farm over to me, or so he said. He needed just one more crop, one more season under his belt. After that, he would retire and start his succession plan. 

That was back in 2010. It was 2016, and I still didn’t have an acre to my name. Farmer kicked the can until he’d made enough to retire and then walked away, leaving yours truly with nothing but a shit sandwich. 

Why didn’t I get anything in writing? 

When I got home to share the devastation with my wife, she shared news of her own. She was pregnant. 

Oof, now, how long will that forty grand last? 

I’d soon find out, not very damn long. 

For the next six years, I bounced. A job here and a gig there. It didn’t matter where I went or what I tried. Automotive Service Advising. Car sales. College. Crop scouting. Uber. Lyft. Door Dash. 

All the things. Nothing stuck. 

After the divorce and bankruptcy in 2020, I began looking at myself and the patterns that seemed to follow me.

Maybe it’s me. Perhaps my life’s problems are because of me.

One day, two angry customers in the service department tore into me about a mistake the parts department had made. That’s the day something inside me snapped. 

No more. I’m done with this shit. I am done with settling for mediocrity, and I am done with the scraps. Done with the last thought of the day and the first of the morning being about the garbage job I had no interest in keeping.

I walked out that day. Done. 

I jumped and trusted that the universe would catch me. And catch me, it did. 

I went to work. I faced the things I didn’t want to meet. I got comfortable being uncomfortable.

I returned to my agricultural roots, farming and co-owning a seed company with my best friend.

I started writing, and in January of this year, I published my first work on Medium.

After six months of chasing claps and the boost, I washed my hands of Medium and followed an Aussie fellow, something called Tim Denning, over to Substack, where I send out a weekly newsletter about what I love: farming.

None of this would have happened if I still had that job that I let define who I was.

I had to travel through the seven circles of hell for seven years to discover who I was and what was important to me.

Getting fired was the best thing that ever happened to me.

Expand full comment
author

What an epic story Adam. I read it 3 times. Wow just wow.

Expand full comment

This is awesome man.

Expand full comment
Oct 12, 2023Liked by Tim Denning

how come I can't open it.. Is there any other way to watch the replay?

Expand full comment
author

We'll fix Mau. Sorry.

Expand full comment

I've just signed up for your newsletter, and I too can't get access to the replay.

Expand full comment

Your #3 is my life story to the letter for the past 4 months. The part where you were blindsided in a meeting room and walked out crying gave me PTSD lol.

I haven't yet reached the part where I make a million. But I'm here...with a newsletter 😁

Expand full comment
author

I certainly get emotional about it Kristi when I think of it. It'll be with me forever. It was cold and heartless.

Expand full comment

Same. It was like stripping away every piece of confidence I thought I had.

Expand full comment

Keep doing it!

Expand full comment

This story reminded me of a time in my life.

- Scapegoated

- Demoted

- Laid off

I've cried at work, I hated that. But that's just the path I took to get to where I am.

Here's to ugly beginnings!

Cheers.

Expand full comment
author

Did it lead you to great things Reginald?

Expand full comment

I had to think about this. The answer is yes! I may not have everything I want (yet), but I want everything I have.

Expand full comment

Hey Tim. is anyone having trouble with the Link to yesterdays Newsletter class?

It says the page is missing or doesn't exist when i arrive at Notion from clicking yr link.

thanks

cheers Kev Borg

Expand full comment

me too.

Expand full comment
author

We'll fix Kiwi. Sorry.

Expand full comment
Oct 12, 2023Liked by Tim Denning

This one really hit home for me Tim!

Was fired from my last salary job which forced me to improvise and go it alone down this entrepreneurial road.

12 years later, with a bunch of iterations, business is growing and am finally putting out my first newsletter (bought your Email course over a year ago, then Twitter after that)

This article convinced me to not rely on my own business and to now create via writing.

THANK YOU!!!

Expand full comment
author

Love these stories Chris. What's been the hardest part so far?

Expand full comment
Oct 12, 2023Liked by Tim Denning

The same old story Tim, TIME!!

Wife and a 5yr old, operator of my business, personal fitness…

Although by applying Ben Hardy’s principles from “10X Is Easier Than 2X” I am steadily working myself out of the business to focus more on my needle-moving 20%, writing and content.

Loving the process though!!

Recommendations welcomed

P.S.

Thanks so much for the reply!

Expand full comment
author

Awesome Chris. Benjamin Hardy is a friend. Where do you write?

Expand full comment
Oct 13, 2023Liked by Tim Denning

Only written a few episodes on YouTube.

Have opened Substack & Medium accounts but haven’t published on them yet.

I will have something up on them by Monday Tim, I promise!!!

That’s amazing you and Ben are friends, why does that not surprise me!

Expand full comment
author

Go faster Chris haha

Expand full comment

Help! The link isn't directing me to the reply 😭 I coudn't attend live #crisis

Expand full comment
author

We'll fix asap. Sorry.

Expand full comment

This makes a lot of sense Tim.

Expand full comment

Me, “You’re not the boss of me!”

Also me, “Well, actually, I am.”

The power of self empowerment 💕

Expand full comment
author

Haha so true Patti.

Expand full comment

Hey TD, good to see you again, I hope yr well.

Just letting you know the Link is working fine, thanks for following that thru,

much appreciated and just watching the Q&A at the moment.

All the best, chat soon.

Kiwi

Expand full comment
author

No probs Kiwi. Are you going to start a newsletter?

Expand full comment

Hey TD, Yes I am and I have a lot of work to do, not to mention writing over the next couple of weeks, so i will be sticking to you like ****.

I have my topics down and working on the level 2 structures so it makes some sense to readers and a plan in place to follow, which as you already know plays havoc with the OCD... ;).

Have a good nite TD, and chat soon.

Cheers Kiwi ;)

P.S. Thanks for the ebook, great read, very close to my heart.

Expand full comment
author

What are level two structures Kiwi?

Expand full comment

This is a strong message, Tim. Starting a weekly newsletter made me feel so good - the Medium algorithm won't screw me up anymore. I have just 35 subs but I'm gonna keep growing online along my 9 to 5.

Expand full comment
author

Love the attitude Denis. Do you write anywhere else other than Medium?

Expand full comment

Just started a newsletter on Substack and post on Twitter.

Expand full comment
author

How are you finding both platforms? Pros/Cons?

Expand full comment

Substack: Cons: My audience is growing a little too slowly. Pros: This is MY audience. There's no algo that'll screw up my views/reads.

Twitter: Cons: Short-form content lacks depth. Pros: A lot of people are on Twitter. The outreach is potentially huge.

Expand full comment
author

Sounds like Twitter and Substack go together quite nicely then. Substack have new features coming to help you grow your audience faster.

Expand full comment
Oct 13, 2023·edited Oct 13, 2023Liked by Tim Denning

hi Tim, thank you for the content. I'm a new subscriber today because of it.

The replay link appears to be broken. When might that be fixed? that replay is a major part of why i subscribed.

Expand full comment

Thanks for being real Tim

The link isn't working- could you please repost?

Thanks

Expand full comment
author

We'll fix Janet. Sorry.

Expand full comment

The link doesn't take me to the replay...

Expand full comment
author

We'll fix. Sorry.

Expand full comment

Np

Expand full comment