The lens we see the world through, what matters in the end, and the distinction I've been searching for...

Some hard-hitting moments in this first week of the second 90-day sprint…

I break up my year into four sprints and three phases per sprint. Each one has its theme and focus. This is my third round of this approach, and it’s evolved a bit with every year so far.

• Sprint 1: Volume - write a ton

• Sprint 2: Research - revisit course materials

• Sprint 3: Reflect and refine - apply what I learn

• Sprint 4: Produce - make something useful

I know I’m slow in this game compared to some of you, but it’s the best I can do at the moment.

Here’s what I dug up for you this week…

BlueSky Bit - beware the bubble you reside in

Medium Moment - what do you hope to share with your future self?

Substack Sampling - finally some clarity on writers, solopreneurs, and the hustle

Prismatic Progress:

Ok, a little bit more depth to my opening.

I don’t think I’m a good writer yet. I know I have a lot of blind spots, that my titles aren’t all that compelling yet, and that my niche has yet to gain any traction even though it resonates with me on every level and took me almost two years to figure out.

I’ve read both sides of the argument, that writing is a craft to be cherished and shared by the purists, that writers deserve to earn money (good money) for their efforts from the marketers, that there’s a path forward with both but is ungodly hard for those who have neither skill.

I’m the last one.

People with a STEAM background don’t have any background in marketing, and writing was the last artistic discipline I tackled after the other four. It’s not impossible, and I want to be an example of someone who pulls it off eventually.

Here’s a video from Nicholas Cole that was really hard for me to watch, but it’s worth facing.

As I said at the top, this sprint will be focused on research.