How to record better ideas

/ Stuart Danker / 7 Comments

I’ve found that the best way to record your ideas whenever one passes your mind is to write them in their entirety. Catch the entire gist. Make it easier for future you.

Because distilling an entire thought into one sentence leaves out so much of the original context. Context that ceases to exist once you drench it with the passage of time.

So many entries on my ‘writing ideas’ list felt like great topics at the time, only to sound like a four-year-old’s thoughts later. Some examples being:

  • Sometimes you have shitty morning routines too and that’s okay
  • About alter ego
  • FREE. I know this word seems like spam, but…
  • Even if you have typos you are still going to be accepted
  • Someday you will hate me

The thing about these hundreds of ideas I collect every month is that I can’t, for the life of me, expand on them anymore. I would’ve, at the time of the mental spark, but not anymore. It’s as if an elf snuck into my text file and left inside jokes that only other elves would understand.

I’ve lost all context of the accompanying feelings during the thought-catching phase. And it’s those feelings that make the story, not the words. The failure to capture them in their entirety leaves me with exactly that. Random words.

Again, I gave future me too much credit. “He’ll figure it out,” I thought. “He’s smart.”

Well, who’s feeling stupid now?

At least I’ve learned my lesson. I started this piece with the sentence ‘how to record better ideas’. I closed the file, gave it a second thought, then added a second sentence for the benefit of future me.

One thing led to another, and here we are. Guess I’m not gonna forget this idea now.

People buy you, not the product

/ Stuart Danker / 16 Comments

I subscribed to an influencer’s workout programme once. Not because they offered anything special. But because I respected them as a person.

The programme was priced at USD20, and while I don’t regret making that purchase, I feel like I could’ve easily gotten that information for free.

But that’s not the point. It’s not about how cheaply I could scour the internet for information. They could’ve charged USD50 and I’d still have signed up. The real reason behind my subscription was because I liked them. I liked how they lived their life, and I liked their message.

That’s when it hit me—I buy things for the brand or personality, not just for the actual product.

Because every product available today will have its alternatives: writing courses, diapers, goat blood. Everything that can be sold will be offered by someone else.

The differentiator is who sells it. And that’s where the magic lies. The magic is in each and every one of us. It’s us being ourselves. Hemingway is already taken. So too is Michelle Obama. But you can be you. That’s something nobody else can ever emulate.

Remember that the next time you’re worried about your Etsy store or your online editing services.

The person behind the product is just as important—if not more—as the product itself.

The obstacle is the way

/ Stuart Danker / 11 Comments

We often look at obstacles as impediments to our goals. As the reasons why we can’t do what we want to.

It’s time to stop that. We need to look at it from a different perspective. Instead of an impediment, we need to view obstacles as flavouring.

Want to work out? That’s great. But say it rains on your running day. That’s when you enjoy a rain-flavoured run or, perhaps, more sensibly, a treadmill-flavoured one.

And let’s say you plan to do the groceries before the stores close. But your spouse has the car and is still stuck in traffic. Then, instead of a normal grocery run, you’re going to have to enjoy enjoy one with a dash of Uber riding and a pinch of lugging fresh produce around.

The tasks don’t become harder or easier. They just take on a different flavour.

One added benefit of acquiring new tastes is that they’ll no longer surprise you. And when the same situations present themselves, you’ll know exactly how to match the flavours according to your tastes.

Assuming you’ll arrive at your destination trouble-free is not a realistic path to base your goals off of.

Instead, accept that reaching your goals will require you to wend through forests and swamps, much like a treasure hunter would when maps were still a thing and GPS wasn’t invented yet.

You might opt for the mountain climb rather than the river swim, but you’ll still have to face something on your quest. The only way to not face hardship is by staying still. And I don’t need to tell you what happens when you do stay still.

Besides, the bigger the obstacle, the more badass your story.

Enjoy Reading A Post? Here’s Why You Should Ask Yourself Why.

/ Stuart Danker / 9 Comments

I’ve taken to asking myself why I do things recently, and actually taking the time to scrutinise my actions.

Like browsing the Search tab on Instagram all day. Why? Is it because I just want to kill time? Why that app, specifically? And why the Search tab?

Turns out, it’s because of my self-improvement tendencies. I’m the type of person who thinks consuming inspirational content will help me land that promotion at work. As if watching videos alone will bestow me with the hidden kung-fu skills of life.

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Thanks For Coming To My TED Talk

/ Stuart Danker / 26 Comments
Stuart on stage for his TED Talk

That’s me!

This year has proved to be a productive one, as I’ve managed to land a new job, get married, and—perhaps most surprising of all—I’ve been invited to give a TED Talk.

I mean, it was a TEDx event, so it wasn’t exactly the real deal, but I’ve been meaning to use the TED Talk meme unironically, so I guess I finally get to!

I was flattered to share the stage with people who’ve accomplished so much with their lives, which got me thinking, just what did I do to deserve it? All I could think about was finishing my book.

In fact, so much of my career has stemmed from that sole action in my life. One decision that would alter my writing trajectory.

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