Helping you build your online biz through marketing, writing, and self-improvement | Content Marketer & Consultant | Left my $90k salary for online freedom
Never would've thought I'd be here.
A year ago I was working a 9-5.
Now I am in Medellin, Colombia building with
@GraemeFScott
and
@darion_rae
There is something so powerful to having hard working, disciplined people around you.
I know my output and mindset has leveled up
My parents called me crazy for walking away from my $90k salary.
But everyday I sat in that windowless cubicle, I felt my creativity dying.
I just couldn't let that be my life.
I haven't "made it" yet, but carving my own path is a bet I'm willing to take.
I quit my $90k job.
I terminated my lease.
I gave away my TV and all my furniture.
I’m living out of a suitcase.
And now… I’m sleeping in a closet.
The craziest part?
This used to be my closet.
I'm tired of being broke.
This is the 2nd year that I can't afford to fly home to have Thanksgiving with my family.
Last year, I was bummed.
But this year, I'm invigorated.
I'm making sure its the last holiday I spend away from my family.
1. TIMING
You need to go to bed (and wake up) at the same time every day
This tells your brain (and body) when to get tired — and untired
This is also called your "circadian rhythm"
Turns out your mom was right — "GO TO BED! IT'S PAST YOUR BEDTIME!"
5 steps that turned my life around:
1) No social media
2) Eating whole foods
3) Taking care of myself
4) Focusing on a project
5) Lifting heavy weights
If you liked this post follow me
@_nickmiller
for more like this!
I gave up an apartment 15 mins from the beach.
Now I'm sleeping on a tiny air mattress in my friend's office.
All to lower my expenses to build my business.
I sleep like a baby on that air mattress.
Yesterday I messed up work for a client.
He called me out on it and I had to eat some humble pie.
And it's the best thing that has happened to my business.
Here's why:
David Ogilvy was known as the “Father of Advertising”
Selling $864,000,000+ worth of products.
Here are 7 of his rules to creating content that sells (for creators only):
1) Stop being original
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the Father of the Flow State, once said:
"Only through freely chosen discipline can life be enjoyed and still kept within the bounds of reason.”
The goal of most morning routines is to get into flow later in the day, but there is one problem...
They
2. LIGHT
Any light in your eyes ~30 mins before you hop into bed is not good.
It pretty much tells your brain that it's still daytime (stupid brain).
This is why it takes you forever to fall asleep when on tinder before bed (that babe can wait til the morning).
I studied Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder.
It completely changed how I approach problem-solving (and life)
Here are the 5 best lessons I learned:
Last month I quit the 9-5 grind to build my business.
I finally had the freedom I always wanted.
But with all that free time came a problem...
Phone Addiction.
Here’s how I conquered it (and how you can too):
It’s crazy how fast things can change…
Yet also stay the same.
Had my last day of work yesterday (more on that later)
And now I’m packing stuff up to move out of my apartment.
I’m finally going all in on this online business stuff.
I have enough runaway for about 6 months.
Do not underestimate the power of X.
In the past 2 weeks alone, I've spoken to:
• Millionaires
• Massive Creators
• People from all around the world
Just reach out to people.
You never know where it will lead.
2) Cut out social media
I used to doom-scroll Instagram as soon as I woke up
But last year I had enough and I deleted every social app (except X)
Now my anxiety is gone and I have more free time.
I now use social media to build my business, instead of letting it use me.
When Steve Jobs resigned from Apple in 1985...
He took with him Apple’s secret weapon.
He said,
"The products, not the profits, were the motivation."
”It's a subtle difference, but it ends up meaning everything.”
And it did mean everything for Apple…
"My passion has been
3. TEMPERATURE
You get the best sleep when your room is nice and cool.
Your body drops by a few degrees when you sleep — and gets a little warmer when you wake up.
This temperature change helps put you to sleep (and wake you up).
Throw on a fan or crack a window — it'll help.
Freedom is an elusive thing.
I thought freedom was not having to work and having all your time to yourself.
But now that I have that (for the time being) I don't feel "free" at all.
Do not underestimate the power of Twitter.
In the past 2 weeks alone, I've spoken to:
- Millionaires
- Massive Creators
- People from all around the world
Just reach out to people!
You never know what it will lead to.
@SeekLifeMastery
We compare ourselves to the successful and happy lives that we see others enjoying online
But we fail to remember that people only post the highlights of their life — never the downsides
"Why aren't people following me?"
It only took me 6 months to realize that I'm just boring.
Well fck it. I'm changing that.
Watch out X.
I'm coming for you.
The hardest part about writing online is seeing my friends quit.
Most don't even say goodbye. They just disappear.
I don't know man... It just makes me really sad sometimes.
Don't give up.
90% of this journey is about sticking around long enough.
It get's easier.
5) Pick a side project
At the time, I was sleeping on a mattress on the floor...
So I decided to build a bed frame.
It gave me something to focus on and I fell in love with the process of creation.
I learned to love the process of building stuff (now I'm building a business)
Twitter can be a very lonely place.
• Your tweet gets no likes.
• You lack direction at times.
• No one wants to follow you.
It's part of the game...
But you don't have to do it alone.
Be genuine and make some real connections.
It'll make the journey 100x more enjoyable.
You are a general.
You have to attack every day like its war.
But no general goes to war without a plan of attack.
Plan with precision, but act with flexibility.
You future depends on it.
$90 made online is worth more than a $90k salary.
How do I know?
Last month I lived for the weekends, hated mondays, and sat in pointless meetings everyday.
Now I'm happy waking up at 6am everyday to do client work.
Building for yourself just makes life so much sweeter.
Maybe I'm just fully immersed in the echo chamber that has become money X...
But is anyone making money here that isn't teaching growth?
Feels like almost everyone I see is monetizing by teaching you how to monetize.
4) Eat whole foods
At the time, my diet consisted of:
• McDonalds
• Junk food
• PB&Js
But one day I realized that I felt like shit after eating that stuff...
So I switched to a whole foods diet
My brain fog went away & I can think clearly again.
Garbage in = Garbage out
3) Lift weights
I gave up on the gym sophomore year because I “didn’t have the time”
As a result, my body started deteriorating (I could barely do a pushup)
Until I forced myself to work out 3x /week for 30 mins.
Now I feel strong and I can think more clearly.
I won’t lie, the money was great.
My $90k salary was a blessing.
I lived in a nice place, ate good food, and could go out on the weekends.
But what does that matter if you’re absolutely miserable?
Life isn’t meant to be lived under fluorescent lights.
Major h/t to
@hubermanlab
!
(He is the GOAT when it comes to health optimization)
Check out his (free) sleep toolkit where he goes into way more detail on sleep:
My parents called me crazy for walking away from my $90k salary.
But everyday I sat in that windowless cubicle, I felt my creativity dying.
I just couldn't let that be my life.
I haven't "made it" yet, but working in Colombia with these two guys is getting me closer everyday.
The one thing I don't miss about the corporate world:
The fake persona everyone puts on.
How people say "good morning" in the break room,
When you know they don't give a fck.
I'd rather be poor than go back to that.
Quitting your job isn't complicated.
It's actually one of the easiest things I've ever done.
You write an email and press send. That's it.
The hard part is getting over all the mental bullsh*t that got me there in the first place.
That took me 2 years of mental turmoil.
Holy heck!
We just hit 400 followers!🎉
So grateful to have you all here on this journey with me.
X has been slowly changing my life…
Through the people I’ve met and the knowledge I’ve learned.
Just want to say thank you🙏
This is just the beginning.
So much more ahead.
Making money is hard.
Getting clients is hard.
Going to the gym is hard.
Writing every day is hard.
Building a business is hard.
Putting yourself out there is hard.
It's all hard.
Get used to it.
Cold DMs is my next frontier.
And it turns out it’s way easier than I thought.
Respect
Authenticity
Plus volume
Is all you need to start sourcing leads.
There are literally billions of people out there
And you’re mad your 50 DMs didn’t do well?
Send more and iterate.
It is easy to say you want to be an "entrepreneur"
I said it for years...
Until I realized that entire time I was just a "wantrepreneur"
I was just scared to take the leap until recently.
Now I've finally make my first $$$ online and I don't ever want to look back.
It's Christmas Eve and you're not grinding?
You don't want it bad enough.
You just aren't going to make it.
You clearly don't have what it takes anyways...
Sike — I can't stand people like this.
What is the point of being an entrepreneur if you can't take time off to be with
My informal education:
• Dropshipping → Failed
• Crypto Trading → Failed
• Furniture flipping → Failed
• Clothing Brand → Failed
• Depop Store → Failed
These taught me more about business than any degree could have.
And still, I have way more to learn.
I don't promote myself nearly enough.
In fact, I don't promote myself at all.
I've waited for things to come my way more often than getting it myself.
But this is just not how it works.
If you want something you have to go get it.
@Copywriting_Dad
To take your day (and sleep) one step further:
View sunlight for 2-10 min after waking
Doing this will release the first hit of dopamine for the day (also helps set your circadian rhythm)
(h/t
@hubermanlab
)
Greg Lunt. The Spaces Overlord of X.
He held a killer Spaces masterclass with the Digital Identity community.
(I'm still in shock from all the sauce he blasted us with)
Here is why it was the best masterclass I've ever attended:
Your brand is a culmination of who you are and what you do.
Not one or the other.
Talk only about your craft: you lack personality
Talk only about yourself: you lack value
But talk about both?
You have a powerful combo.
Since I began building online I've:
- Stopped drinking
- Started working out
- Focused on my skillset
People have started naturally falling out of my life.
I was sad at first, but I realized
They made room for the right people.
I don't usually post things like this, but I've had this one sitting in my drafts for too long...
A few months ago I got messaged from a creator with almost 100k followers.
A creator that I look up to...
Correction: Used to look up to.
I knew it was leading to a sales pitch
Spent the last 4 days making 250 cold calls.
I'd never cold called in my life.
The 2nd day I was so nervous I avoided them at all costs.
But the more you do it the easier it gets.
It always comes down to doing what will move the needle.
(Especially if that scares you)
1) Self-care
In the first photo, I was a mess.
I needed
• to shave
• get a haircut
• and probably shower too
But when I made an effort to look good (with the help from some friends)
I started feeling better.
Now when I look in the mirror I like what I see.
The Guru Effect is spreading like the plague.
Their is an abundance of creators teaching creators to teach creators to…
You guessed it. Teach other creators.
But this is actually a blessing in disguise.
Here’s why:
Over the past year I’ve spent over $3000 learning how to
“Uhm… Nick…! Can you come here for a sec!”
I knew something was wrong.
The cut on my brother’s hand was spurting blood like he’d just struck crimson oil.
As I got him patched, I looked down in my first-aid box
Damn it. — Nothing left.
Time for a trip to the store.
"F*ck,
Despite being denied 3 times in the past year for a promotion.
When I quit my job, they offered me a raise to stay.
I laughed because it made so much sense.
They will give you just enough, until they are about to lose you...
Remember your worth.
Getting a degree in aerospace engineering taught me 2 valuable lessons:
1. I can learn anything I put my mind to.
2. I hate doing things I don't care about.
Those 2 lessons only cost $150k+ in student debt.
What a deal.
I defied my parents by quitting my job.
It was honestly one of the hardest things I've ever done.
Defying them was the only way to make my dreams (and theirs) a reality.
Funny how that works.
You may (or may not) have noticed I haven't been active recently.
No, I'm not quitting X.
But I am taking some time to recalibrate.
Rather than post just to post, I am taking a short break to rethink my brand and direction.
I will be coming back stronger than ever.
Don't run across the highway...
(Obviously)
But don't be afraid to take some risks either.
If it doesn't work out, at least you'll have a good story to tell.
But...
What if it does work out?
You will never be original.
But it's ok because no one is. (It's impossible)
You come up with "new" ideas by giving old ones new life.
Take an old idea:
• Apply it to a new market
• Show it in a new light
• Add your spin to it
And just like that you have something new.