"The Tale of Despereaux" is a story about a mouse who never learned to be afraid.
That's a problem, you see, because mice are supposed to be fearful. Call it a social-cultural self-defense mechanism, perhaps the idea being that scared mice can better avoid danger, the point is, Despereaux was anything but.
Because of this, from the moment of his birth, Despereaux's natural disposition in life is viewed as strange, insubordinate, and most of all, a threat.
"His eyes are open," his mother says apprehensively, as she looks at her new baby boy for the first time.
"He isn't cowering…" she trembles. "He's looking right at us."
The fear in her voice is palpable.
"Don't worry," the tribal shaman / doctor / elder says with hopeful confidence, "he'll learn to cower. They all do in time."
But he doesn't. And not for lack of trying.
Fast forward to middle school…
The other school children had recently passed their cowering test with flying colors. Despereaux, on the other hand, failed the test.
(he thought the drawing of the carving knife was "beautiful," not scary, to the chagrin of his teacher)
"Despereaux, why do you think you're in school?" the headmaster asks the young mouse.
"To learn," Despereaux replies.
"To learn what?"
"To learn how to be a mouse, sir."
"That is correct. And you can't be a mouse if you don't learn to be afraid," the headmaster instructs.
"Oh Despereaux, there are so many wonderful things in life to be afraid of if you just learn how scary they are."
Realizing that Despereaux still isn't quite getting it, and that the school system by itself can't seem to inculcate the type of fear they're hoping for, the headmaster gets his family involved.
Despereaux has an older brother ("as timid as the day is long" according to his father), and so the headmaster recommends Despereaux's older brother act as a guide and mentor in the way of fearfulness.
"Sometimes, they just need to see the older ones do it," the headmaster explains. "No one starts out afraid."
Unfortunately, the plan backfires.
Instead of embracing the fears of his brother (or family, teacher, headmaster, fellow students, and society at large), Despereaux just...keeps doing his thing.
And he ends up doing something that is absolutely forbidden in mouse utopia:
Despereaux interacts with a human being (without a mask or hand sanitizer).
His father, scared about what the Mouse Council would do to him if they found out what happened, hands his son over to the council for trial.
"Destiny is a funny thing," the narrator says, "we go out to meet it, and we don't always know that we are."
So Despereaux goes before the council, and they list out his infractions:
"Refused training as a mouse.
Refused to respect the will and guidance of elder mice.
Repeatedly engaged in bold and un-meek behavior.
Triggered, willfully, not less than 17 moustraps.
Had personal contact with…with…with a human being."
The mob gasps.
"Despereaux Tilling," the eldest elder says in his final declaration, "our laws are here to protect us and our way of life. And when one of our citizens strays from that way of life, he becomes a threat to us all."
The elder proceeds to banish Despereaux to the dungeons of Dor "from which no mouse and no light has ever escaped."
And so Despereaux is remanded to Hovis, the blind threadmaster, who is to lower him down into the pit.
They have one last conversation before the descent.
"So you're the brave one?" Hovis asks.
"I guess," Despereaux says sincerely.
"It's good, it'll carry well down there. Wear it proudly. It's no shame."
He fastens the rope around Despereaux's waste.
"Courage, right?" Hovis asks.
"And truth. And Honor," Despereaux replies.
"Good," Hovis says right before sending him into the darkness...
"But especially courage."
Right now, many people around the world are experiencing darkness.
Doesn't take more than a few seconds of thumbing through Instagram or walking through your local urban downtown to see it:
Despair.
Their posture gives it away.
And when you recognize it, you know what it means:
An everpresent reminder that everyone around you thinks they could die at any moment.
Listen, I get it.
Death is scary. Experiencing a life or death event is physically and mentally draining. It takes everything out of you. Likewise, being in a situation where death feels ever-present can be its own mental burden. Over time, it's exhausting.
And that's true whether you're worried about your own life or someone else's.
Before every security mission I ran in downtown Bagdhad...before every time I stepped in the boxing ring...before every time I jumped out of the helicopter…I recognized the fragility of it all. That in a moment it could be gone.
At moments like this, it can feel like there are only two paths one can take:
Either headstrong ignorance, blindly ignoring threats while you piledrive your way through life…
...or in headless panic, desperately believing everything your told.
Both are pretty terrible options if you ask me.
That's because both are reactions to fear.
And because of that, they miss the real threat.
The real threat is that thing that is ever-present in the story of "The Tale of Despereaux," and it's the same thing you may spot in your own life if you look hard enough...
The real threat is:
To live a life that's less than you're worth.
To throw in the towel before it's too soon...to bury your talents in the ground instead of building something worthwhile......to give up on the altruistic dream of a better life for your family, your community, and yourself, because someone taught you all the wonderful things to be scared about.
So I recommend a third option…the same option Despereaux chose before he even knew he had; the one that seemingly caused his banishment, but in reality, is what ensured he would get through to the end, in spite of the darkness:
Have courage.
Have the courage to draw your own map. (but before you ask someone for help drawing your map for you, remember the wise words of everyone's favorite high school Moral Philosophy and History teacher, Jean Rasczak: "Figuring things out for yourself is the only freedom anyone really has. Use that freedom.")
Have the courage to become antifragile. Start small. Start one day at a time. Grow through trust.
Have the courage to stay on the path. If it's not your concern, it's not your concern. Stay. On. The. Path.
But most of all: have courage.
Because where fear grows, darkness spreads.
And we need a few more lights in this world.
Tom "lighting it up" Morkes
P.s. In spite of what others would distract you into believing, tough times are the best times to get working on yourself, your home, your family, and your work. That includes writing. And that's why I think there's never been a better time to invest in your writing and sharing your ideas with the world. First, because there's no barrier to entry…so if you can read this, you can publish great ideas yourself. #winnerwinnerchickendinner Plus, I think writing is the best way to draw your own map, become antifragile, and will help you stay on the path even when there's an avalanche of shiny pennies coming your way, hoping to block your path. Case in point, If i didn't start this blog and newsletter 7+ years ago I don't know where I'd be right now. Probably play acting 12 Monkeys like my life depended on it. Luckily, I invested in myself and my writing many, many moons ago, and now my ideas have helped thousands of people around the world… Your ideas could do the same. So if you have a book in you (or at least a blog post) that you can't wait to share, but you'd like a path, a plan, and a community to support you along your path, check out the brand new Write Publish Profit 3.0 from Infostack. Over $4,600+ worth of tools and resources for only $49. I've shared this deal 3 years in a row, and this year it's better than it's ever been (and over 95% new, with some winning return contributors, like ProWritingAid, AuthorCats, and more). Click here to check it out. And speaking of Write Publish Profit 3.0 -> did you know "The Tale of Despereaux" was written by Kate DiCamillo, a 2004 Newbery Medal Winner, and that Kate had this to say about one of the books inside Write Publish Profit 3.0: "Revision Power is a writing book like no other . . . joyful, exuberant, witty, and wise. It manages to be many things at once: a celebration of language, an examination of its mysteries, and an invitation for writers of every ilk to pick up their pens and join the party. Wonderful." Click here to get your copy of Write Publish Profit 3.0 which includes a copy of "Revision Power" the book endorsed by "The Tale of Despereaux" author Kate DiCamillo. And that's how you make a blog post come full circle. 💯🐲⚡
Someone asked me the other day how as a small business owner (aka: I only eat what I kill) and father of 3, I'm able to stay calm in spite of the Corona-tine.
(Corona + Quarantine, get it?)
Whatever your thoughts are about the "Novel Coronavirus," the cultural/societal response has had a serious impact on small business owners, with thousands of brick-and-mortar stores being forced to close their doors (and thousands more pulling out massive loans to cover the shortfall, which they, unfortunately, might not be able to afford unless the debt is "forgiven" because even "low" usurious interest has a nasty habit of destroying what it touches…but that's a topic for another time).
So I think the real question is:
How can you and I stay calm, cool, and collected....or as Kipling wrote: "keep your head when all about you are losing theirs" during these turbulent times?
Here's what I believe:
An affordance is anything that helps you along your way; that moves you in the direction of your aim; that affords you an opportunity to make progress toward your goals.
These are affordances.
An obstacle, conversely, is anything that blocks your path. That gets in the way of your goals. That keeps you confused, frozen, or distracted.
Some affordances are obvious (the aforementioned shovel, water, and family)...
Some obstacles are obvious (anything that restricts access to, or removes, the aforementioned shovel, water, and family)...
No line at Chipotle = affordance.
Getting featured on a massive SiriusXM radio station and blowing the lid off a brand new product launch = a much bigger, much more significant affordance.
The store down the street "runs out" of toilet paper = obstacle.
Experiencing a reality where you're one handshake-from-a-stranger away from death = a much, MUCH bigger obstacle.
So logically, it makes sense that you would want more affordances (ideally the really good ones) and fewer obstacles in your life (especially the really bad ones).
If you're following my line of reasoning thus far, then it follows that the most significant affordance is that which affords you MORE affordances.
(meta, I know)
For example, the electricity that feeds your devices and machines might be considered a "greater affordance" if those things are then used in the pursuit of your goals (with your aim set squarely on your goal).
Or your BELIEF that you can (and will) achieve your goals, no matter what obstacles pop up. This deep-rooted belief itself can be an affordance that creates more affordances (one that opens invisible doors as you take consistent, daily action).
And it also follows that the greatest obstacle is that which creates more obstacles; like a Black Swan event that closes the door to your business (and cuts you off from your network)...or the belief that you're a product of circumstance, that you got the short end of the stick, and that there's nothing you can do about it (aka: victim mentality).
Here's where I'm going with this:
Not only are "things" and "beliefs" obstacles or affordances...
Knowing what's around the corner can save you time, money, and energy.
However, that's only if the information is correct, relevant, and pertinent.
If the information is incorrect, not relevant, or impertinent, "knowing" said information could actually COST YOU time, money, and energy.
(and if the information is malicious, well, then it could cost you everything, and the phrase "ignorance is bliss" becomes even more true)
In the physical world - the certifiable real world that's right in front of you (the one at your fingertips, that you can touch and manipulate) - most of us can figure out what is an affordance or an obstacle from a simple glance (and maybe a step or two around the object and a swivel of the head).
You see the traffic jam and you get it. Obstacle.
You see the strawberries growing and the clear water from the spring flowing and you get it. Affordance.
But when you're "online" looking at "the world" through the black mirror in your pocket, discerning between affordance and obstacle becomes a lot more complicated.
That's because information presented through a screen can be framed, molded, and manipulated to be given the appearance of value, when in fact, it's an illusion; just ask anyone who bought a ticket to The Fyre Festival, or cheered on Theranos, or thought Bernie Madoff was really onto something with his unorthodox accounting methods.
So don't treat it like it is.
Be discerning about what you let in. Shut off any inputs that distract you from your aim. Fearlessly exclude anything that does not help you toward your goals.
That includes the fearbate.
It's true, people will stop asking you out for drinks...but then all the bars are closed now anyway, aren't they?
Get to work, my friend, and continue to fight the good fight.
And, of course, stay frosty.
References: - James Gibson's "The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception." - John Carpenter's "Big Trouble in Little China" - "The Fear Economy"
Started, finished, and shipped from 7,000 feet elevation with my feet planted firmly on the ground | Writing time: 4.5 hrs | Soundtrack: silence (still trending)
Well, there's no escaping it; Coronavirus is here and people are scared.
And because of the decrees, both de facto and de jure, for "social distancing" (aka how I live my life), small business owners everywhere are getting pummeled.
(especially brick and mortar small businesses)
Unfortunately, a lot of these businesses are going to be wiped out.
Before anyone freaks out, this isn't fear mongering. It's a reality.
The businesses that are forced to close right now, some for upwards of 60+ days, still have expenses to pay.
They still have overhead. They still have rent…
If these small business have no consistent, predictable, online revenue stream - or they can't establish one ASAP - they're screwed.
But fear not.
I've been to war in real life and in business (metaphorically speaking).
And today, I'm going to show you a way through the uncertainty.
Below, you'll find 5 ways to generate predictable income online in the next 21 days. Consider this the Coronavirus 2020 edition; stuff that's working now and should work well for you.
If you have any questions, thoughts, or recommendations for what I can add to the list, leave a comment below!
Ready?
Strap on your helmet and let's get to it...
This is for my brick and mortar entrepreneurs who are getting kicked around by all this the worst:
Given that you have a business and you have a databaset of customers, the absolute fastest, simplest, and best way to serve your customers and clients, while generating a profit online, quickly, is through the right affiliate offer.
Affiliate marketing is basically performance-based or commission-based marketing; e.g. you get paid for every sale you refer / generate.
So the question is, if you have customers OFFLINE, how could they be served ONLINE?
For example, maybe you run a yoga studio. People come to your classes in person. You've recently had to shut your doors for an indefinite period of time.
You could, of course, try to stream and sell your "in person" classes online.
But then you might realize your customers don't want to pay full price for a virtual streaming service, so you'll probably have to cut the price…
Unfortunately, cutting the price of your new streaming or online offer WILL NOT HELP, because you can find a million and a half yoga practices streamed online, basically every day.
If you're a guru, you can maybe get away with selling on the premise of your name alone.
For just about everyone else, why fight an uphill battle?
A better solution:
Your customers win because if the platform is established, it's a better user experience than you trying to hack something ridiculous together right now.
You win, because you have to deliver absolutely ZERO, while you have the chance to make a profit, in perpetuity.
#winnerwinnerchickendinner
Here's a screenshot from one of my affiliates who earned more than $50,000 from sharing a simple, proven, high quality digital product, over a 1 week period of time:
Yup, it works.
You just gotta find the right fit. And then put it out there the right way.
(Need help on this? Book a lightning session with me right now and in less than an hour we can figure out the optimal affiliate offer for your list, and maybe even start to line up your promotion)
Most people do the above and stop there.
That's profitable enough, in most cases, if done correctly.
Here's a simple way to ramp things up:
Put together a *30 day challenge* (or for however long your doors are closed for - why not?!) and join along with the customers you referred.
A simple way to do this:
Have anyone who signs up with your link send you the confirmation receipt (confirm inside your affiliate program that the sale was attributed to you), and add them to a private group where you can throw in extra stuff, whether bonuses or perks, providing feedback or support, and much more.
Who knows, this group might take off in such a way that you could charge money for it (but then we'd be getting ahead of ourselves, that's Strategy #4 below).
I know that might sound like a lot to accomplish in 21 days, but hear me out.
Here's the deal:
Amazon is one of the biggest search engines in the world. It's also the #1 digital retailer in the world.
If you're not tapping into this audience, you're missing out.
Insurgent Publishing makes 100% of its income online. We still sell print books, we just have no brick and mortar book store (nor do we try to get our books into stores).
I built Insurgent Publishing to be antifragile, and it seems to be working.
Here's the secret to success on Amazon:
That's it.
The best part about a book; it can be a genuine, passive income generator for you and your business.
I still receive sales of some of my books on my website that I haven't promoted or shared in…literally, years.
That's the power of books, of writing, and of becoming a published author.
If writing and publishing sounds like a lot of work, it doesn't have to be.
Today, you can find fantastic transcription software that makes audio dictation a real possibility (for those who hate sitting down to write). I use Rev.
Design and formatting used to be a pain. It's not anymore.
Now you can get professional cover design and professional formatting of your book (both digital and for print) for next to nothing, thanks to the amazing 100 Covers and FormattedBooks.
100 Covers and Formatted Books helped me put this bestseller together.
Bottom line: creating a professional-looking book costs much less than it's ever cost, and it's much more lucrative than it's ever been.
If you are rearing to go, but don't know where to start, here's a completely free course on how to launch a book to bestseller (based on the strategies and techniques we used to launch bestsellers like: "The 7 Day Startup," "The Art of Work," and many others).
And of course, if you have any questions, book a 1 on 1 Lightning Session with me here and I can answer any and all your questions (like how to get a book produced for under $3k, or how to take advantage of Amazon SEO to create consistent sales every day, or how to turn one book into multiple streams of revenue, and much more).
A virtual summit is like an in person conference, but hosted online.
Even better than an in person conference, you have no barrier to entry (geographically, speaking - optimal in these times of social distancing), can grow your email list, and you can make a killing on the backend with proper upsells and downsells.
Virtual summits can be very profitable.
I've coached and/or strategized, organized, managed, and run more than a dozen 5 to 6-figure virtual summits.
The reason they work so well is because they require little overhead, they don't have to be complicated, and you can drive results relatively quickly by leveraging partnerships.
(side note: here's the best system in the world for finding, connecting, and leveraging influential people to market and promote your products for you, including virtual summits)
Virtual summits are one of the best ways to position yourself as an authority in your space, niche, or industry, while simultaneously growing your reach (and most importantly: email list), as well as being a great way to get started selling digital products online (because the product, in this case, basically builds itself).
I used a virtual summit to drum up new coaching and consulting clients.
I called it: $100k Launch School.
The premise of my virtual summit was that you can make a years worth of income in a single month with a good launch.
The reason I bring that up is that my virtual summit helped me not only grow my email list by over 5,000 subscribers (in less than 3 weeks time…something that took me 3 years to do the first time I did it), and make over $20k from ticket sales alone, it also allowed me to book myself solid with clients (virtual / exclusively online) for the last two years.
(hence why I haven't felt the need to run one since, but also why I'm such a big fan)
Crazy, but true.
Here's a short video to help you make up your mind if you SHOULD host a virtual summit
Lastly, if you are going to run one, remember: they aren't necessarily complicated, but there are a lot of moving pieces.
You can figure out the list of things you need to do very easily. Executing in a timeline manner to drive real results…well that takes a little bit more planning.
So if you're thinking, yeah, that's something I want to get into: here's an insanely comprehensive, step-by-step blog post on how to create, host, and launch a virtual summit from scratch.
And if you need more help, of course you can schedule a 1 on 1 call with me here.
A membership site is platform that has a private, members only area. A "premium membership site" then is one where someone has to pay to get access. Simple.
The key here is paying members.
You can get on something like FB, YouTube, or IG right now and start posting free content…but we want to monetize that content.
That's where the premium membership site comes in.
With a premium membership, you get paid to produce and upload content. Remember the yoga studio example I gave earlier? If you were to create your own, that might include daily yoga workout, maybe some weekly meditations or bonus posture clinics…maybe you bring in a guest instructor to interview that person, or include an online community element.
There are a thousand ways to create and run a membership site, hence why it's not my first recommendation…
…but because so many small businesses are built on a business model of selling time for money, typically in person, and often 1-to-1, or 1-to-many…well, a membership site can be a no brainer solution.
For more on running a membership site, listen to this in-depth interview with membership site expert Jen Lehner.
Clarity.fm is a website that connects experts with people with questions.
They have a very simple system that allows your clients to book calls with you. Your clients are charged by the minute.
That might sound strange, but it works out really well, in particular (for me at least) with initial consultation calls.
First and foremost, it helps me avoid tire-kickers. After all, if someone is serious about growing a 6 to 7-figure online business, they won't be turned off by a $5 / minute call. If you're not used to charging so much, start with something lower…but don't diminish your value!
Second, it's painless. You can hook up your own system with a hodgpodge of widgets, which I do have, and still use (mostly for blocks of consulting people can book via my Accelerator Coaching), but it's kinda nice to have a system that works well, and is simple.
So had to give it a shout out here.
Clarity.fm takes a few minutes to setup, and you can be sharing your page and book paid consulting calls in minutes flat.
This isn't quite like the other strategies I've shared, per se. More like a "feel free to overlay this on top of any of the above" type of strategy (or "create your own riff on it and go" type of thing).
Listen, right now, we're in a "crisis" (or at least "crisis-lite").
The fear you've probably felt is that it may get worse.
Everyone is aware of that.
You don't need to aggravate it, but you can be honest about where you're at, what you're doing, and why you're making your services PAY WHAT YOU WANT…
Because if you can make a compelling case for:
All of a sudden, pay what you want pricing starts to not just work, but make a lot of financial sense.
There's really too much to cover with this one, so best if I direct you to my completely FREE Pay What You Want ecourse:
And that wraps up 5 ways you can start making a predictable profit online in the next 21 days (with a bonus 6th strategy, because I couldn't help myself...you could implement PWYW pricing so easily right now, if you mean what you say and know what you're doing...so look into it!).
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions on things I missed but that are legit ways to make predictable income online, share below. Let's use this a space to share and support one another (you can even plug your own stuff, just don't be grabbler).
Stay frosty.
Tom "social distancing before it was cool" Morkes
p.s. if you liked this blog post, you'll love my book "The Art of Instigating" - the paperback costs less than a meal out that you can't have right now anyway. Click here to pick up your copy (and one for a friend) today!
Started, finished, and shipped on a mountain homestead, deep in the heart of the Rockies | Writing time: 12 hours | Soundtrack: silence (a trend!)
Whatever "social media" was intended to be, in the last few years it seems to have begun an inexorable decline into what it always had to become:
A 24/7, always-on, personalized fear machine.
All you have to do is look into the "black mirror" in your pocket, and you'll see what I mean.
How many scrolls, swipes, or taps does it take to find your first piece of bad news?
While writing this, I decided to run my own experiment.
I started by opening up a new browser (Firefox).
On the homepage, I'm greeted with Firefox's standard homepage settings: a search bar, as well as a list of articles they state are "Recommended by Pocket."
Pocket is a robot.
Here's what Pocket is recommending today:
Sorry Pocket, but after browsing your recommended reading list for the last minute, I think I'm going to need a cold shower, not a free fake farm so I can ignore my real farm.
And if you're thinking "but Tom, that's curated based on what you read. You're the culprit!"
…I opened the browser with a cleared cache, VPN'd, not connected to Pocket.
If I had been connected (signed in and synced up), and if I were playing the game they wanted me to play (engaging with their content; clicking, sharing, liking, whatever), the fear bait would only get more personalized.
But here's the thing:
Even if the fear gets more personalized, it doesn't get any more real.
I'm not saying the crazy rare disease didn't strike; or that the grandmother is just a narrative hook to generate more interest; or that some homes may, in fact, be doomed…
These things might be factual…
…but even if they are, they have no impact in or on your life beyond what you allow.
As in, you have to CONSENT to letting this information into your head, and you have to CONSENT to letting it affect your aim, your attitude, your work, or your life.
But if you don't give consent…if you ignore, delete, simply opt out…all of it vanishes, as if it never existed in the first place.
On the side mirrors of my car there's text that reads:
"Objects in mirror are closer than they appear."
The purpose is to help you avoid a deadly accident by reminding you that what you see…isn't exactly what you're seeing…and to adjust your behavior accordingly.
I think every device with a screen that can access the internet should have its own label:
"Objects on screen are not real and are intentionally designed to spike your cortisol levels."
Don't get caught in the fear trap. It's not real.
What's real is right in front of you; your friends, family, and loved ones, the people you serve, and the meaningful work you do, day in and day out.
Now that you know this, how will you show up?
Stay frosty,
Tom "thoughts" Morkes
p.s. this was originally going to be 3 reasons you should be excited for 2020, with reason #1 being that life is a lot better than it looks online…but I realize I gotta establish some foundational things before I move forward. My interest this year is in taking an ecological approach to marketing and sales, and I'll be using this newsletter to put out new ideas to better codify my thinking. Who knows, it might turn into my next book. Your feedback, questions, and insights are appreciated!! p.p.s. Recently, several people have asked me to help them launch products / set up affiliate marketing campaigns / create and implement referral programs for their brands, etc. Straight up - I don't do project bids. I also don't do 'initial consult' calls. If you want my help, you can book an Accelerator Coaching time block or Lightning Session right here.
Started, finished, and shipped from high up in the Rockies | Writing time: 5 hrs | Soundtrack: silence