📈 Want an exceptional life? Be an exception

Read time: 4 minutes

"I'm disappointed in you - I always thought of you as a curious, educated guy."

Ouch. That's what a friend said to me last weekend.

I was back in Europe for a wedding. We were catching up, and he asks what I think about some current global situation.

I tell him honestly - I try not to follow the news too much right now. I’m too focused on building my business.

He couldn't fathom this and told me he was disappointed in me.

If I’m honest, I felt pretty judged.

The thing is, when you're in the early days of building something, you become the brute force that wills it to life.

I am not willing to spend 2-3 hours going down a news rabbit hole. That's literally a quarter of my work day gone.

If I don't work on my business, nothing happens.

And yes I'd love to have more informed opinions on the news but that is just one of my sacrifices.

But try explaining that (or any other quirky sacrifices) to someone with a normal job.

You’re not alone

I'm sharing this because I know you've probably had similar conversations.

Maybe it's your mom worried about how much you're working.

Or friends who don't get why you can't grab drinks on a Tuesday anymore.

You're doing something atypical. Building a business. Growing a brand. Whatever it is, it makes you stick out.

And often, people don't understand when you make choices different to them.

This judgement also feels a lot worse when you don't have clear wins yet.

When you're making $20k/month, suddenly everyone understands your "weird" choices.

But when you're at month 3 with 1,000 followers? That's when the comments really sting.

The truth is, you're trying to create an exceptional life. That requires exceptional behavior.

And exceptional behavior looks weird to most people.

So what do you do?

I stopped defending my choices. 

When someone questions why I work Sundays or why I don't really watch TV, I just say "I'm in a building phase right now."

No explanation. No justification.

Because oftentimes, they're not really asking. They're telling you they're uncomfortable with your choices. And that's not your problem to solve.

Find people who get it. 

This is the most important thing you can do. Join communities where people understand your commitment. Where "I can't, I'm writing my newsletter" is a valid excuse.

And track everything. 

When the doubt creeps in (and it will), you need numbers or small wins to look at. Followers. Revenue. Email subscribers. Feedback from clients. Whatever keeps you going.

You're not weird. You're just doing what 99% of people aren’t.

And that's where your opportunity lies. Keep building.

See you next time,

Will

P.S. If you to learn more about how to build an online business - I’m doing a free live webinar on Thursday 2nd October at 9am Pacific Time with Justin Mecham. We’re going to cover how to turn content into clients in 60 minutes. Sign up for free here.

Will McTighe

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