finnl (@finnl) • Hey

Publications

"The biggest obstacle is going to be yourself" a former mentor told me recently. Truths hurt the most. If self-criticism was a sport, I'd hold the gold medal in all distances. Many overachievers are like this. Whether it's work, relationships or hobbies, our internal critic rages at the slightest imperfection, making us vow to expunge this mistake in the future. Our escape from our own internal judge makes us work harder, sends us to the gym and flushes more money into our bank account. But when you're in a constant sprint, you eventually run out of energy. And while you're recovering, you're an easy target÷—which is when your inner critic inflicts his harshest punishments. We can keep running, chasing the perfection we can never attain. Other people will call us driven—but driven by what? By fear. Accepting that fear and facing my inner critic without flinching is perhaps the hardest thing I've ever done. And I'm still going through it. But for the first time, I'm trusting myself that at the other end of this, something better is waiting for me. I've seen glimpses of it, and I'm excited to see what it is. Wading through this swamp is hard—I'm tempted to avoid and run again, but I won't. = The Daily, April 12th. If you enjoyed this, please Like/RT to make sure others see it.
"If more advice was the answer, we'd all be millionaires with six-pack abs." -Derek Sivers Sometimes, we need a course, book or coaching session. We just don't know how to make that effect in photoshop or how to word that email. So we look it up, find out and do it. But for many other questions, seeking more information is an escape from what you truly need to do. When you wonder whether you should shut down your company, when you're scared to quote that price or you don't know if you want to keep dating that person... You can read about decision-making frameworks and 7-step tutorials all day long. But they won't help you. This type of question confronts you with harder issues. They force you to clarify (most of all to yourself) what your values are, what you care about. They force you to close a chapter of your life or take the scary leap forward into a new one. And no outside consultant can make that call for you. You need to find the answer inside. = The Daily: April 11th. If you enjoyed this, please Like/RT so more people see it.