Life Gives Us Feedback
On The Least Crowded Channel
The concept of “the least crowded channel” is question #7 of Tim’s article.
Alongside the issue of channel competition, there is another question… What’s the feedback I am receiving?
Finally, there are the issues of authenticity and integrity.
Let’s pull them together.
What’s the least-crowded channel?
What’s the world telling me?
Can I be the brand?
Combined, we have the ingredients of a meaningful life, and wonderful niche business.
Feedback
When we can see the above somewhere… it starts to appear everywhere.
What do we mean by feedback?
I started two Substack publications at the same time. One of them has 4x the engagement, subscribers and revenue => feedback.1
After returning to running in July 2022, I raced my first half marathon in a decade. 3rd out of 176 => feedback.
We are approached by a recruiter to do the same job at double the salary => feedback.2
Feedback isn’t always “good news.”
My first marriage lasted a year => feedback.
My employer went bust => feedback.
Deals go bad => feedback.
Injuries happen => feedback.
The world does a good job of telling us how we’re doing. Be open to feedback, especially the uncomfortable kind.
My buddy, Jeff, was at the Half Marathon with me. He gave me some feedback:
You’re willing to be completely wrong on a large stage.
He’s right. Error is a fast way to learn. I do a lot of iteration based on… feedback.
Error is the normal state of our knowledge, and it is no disgrace.
- David Deutsch, The Beginning of Infinity
What’s Our Channel?
Tim writes about using channels to achieve his goals.
I want you to consider things differently.
Start with the end in mind.
Rather than “wins.”
Consider the life you want to create.
What is the “channel”
I’m living in?
Speaking to?
Hearing from?3
Surrounded by?
Tim’s methods work for achieving success. I’ve found they are most effective at creating a life.
My goal being…
An active life, close to nature, sharing experiences with friends and family.
Know what you want to achieve.
The Brand
Where am I being nudged by…
My media inputs
My audience
My commitments, schedule, spending…
This life we’ve created for ourselves.
That we are living inside.
It nudges us.
Do I want to be that person?
Do you want to be that person?
Who would I like to be?
My current life situation helps bring out the best in me.
By the way, the publication with the most engagement isn’t this one. However, this publication is my legacy for my kids. Only I can leave this legacy for my family.
This happened when I was in Asia. I didn’t take the money. I stayed in my current position, with a significant increase. My existing role gave me plenty of time. I used time to create the lifestyle I wanted to live. I’m grateful my younger self valued time over money. He gave me a lot of options.
One of the best things about my niche is the lack of crazies. If we find our approach attracts a lot of angst… it’s not them, it’s our approach.