Easy Over Hard
Day 43 of 100 Days to 10,000 Copies
Today is day 45 of 100 Days to 10,000 Copies, my project to launch my new book - Easy Discipline (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Audible).
The Wall
First, A Correction
Before today’s post, here is a correction. Yesterday I wrote:
“Will corporate purchases alone get us to 10,000? Probably. But I don’t want them to.”
That’s a typo. What I meant to write was “Probably not.” In fact, the realist in me should write “definitely not.” Because:
We can probably get companies to buy 2-3,000 books. 10,000 would be insane.
If I could, I wouldn’t want to. I want my readers to be a combination of companies and people.
Theoretically speaking, I can just buy all the books myself just to achieve a goal. There are consulting services that do just that to get authors on the New York Times bestseller list. But that would be cheating and meaningless. One of the most important principles for a self-imposed goal is integrity.
When it comes to personal ambitions, no one else cares. Everyone has their own thing to worry about, and no one is interested in some guy trying to sell books, or trying to build a company, or have a good life.
That’s precisely the reason I, not anyone else, need to care. I can fudge the numbers or take shortcuts. But it defeats the whole purpose.
In life, you are ultimately the only person holding yourself accountable. And that’s why I make a personal point to never lie, especially to myself.
What I Did Didn’t
OK, on to today. Yesterday I wrote about a channel that’s working: corporate purchases. Today I want to tell you about a channel that flopped: YouTube.
Why should you care about my failures? After all, I bet you aren’t trying to launch a book, much less sell 10,000 copies of one. So you can’t apply my lessons directly.
But you’ll see the reverse demonstration of one of the most prominent principles of Easy Discipline. So whatever insanely ambitious goal you’re trying to accomplish, this will tell you what not to do.
13 years ago, I became one of the most prominent YouTubers on the Internet by starting the 100 Days of Rejection Therapy series. It was a crazy time: collecting NOs in the morning, handling media inquiries in the afternoon, and champagne and Peking duck at night.
But when I was done, I was done. I had no idea what I wanted to do next, but I knew I didn’t want to do YouTube anymore beyond the 100 days. I knew I wasn’t going to be MrBeast or Mark Rober, not because I couldn’t have kept going and growing, but because the act of making videos was energy-draining.
When my work and my inner core being aren’t aligned, the pressure of success and the relentless requirement of time will burn me out.
So I quit YouTube, wrote my book, started speaking, and built another tech company.
Looking back, I should have just kept writing books and speaking instead of going back to being a tech bro. Because I eventually found out that the startup founder’s life, just like that of a YouTuber, was equally energy draining to me.
But you know what was the opposite? Writing! It brought me endless energy and joy. I would do it for free. And if I must, I would pay to do it. That’s how addicted to writing I am. And that’s why after all these years, I gave up my tech dream and became a full-time writer, author and speaker.
My life is really rainbow and sunshine nowadays. Not because of the success, but because my work and inner core being are finally aligned.
And that’s why when I tried to do YouTube again after 10 years to market my book, I felt soooooo much resistance.
I filmed one video after another, trying to make the perfect video that’s storytelling, educating and drives sales.
I tried regular YouTube videos that are 12 minutes long, and YT Short videos that are shorter than 1 minute. But none of it felt right. The lighting wasn’t right, the format wasn’t right, my body-fat percentage didn’t look right. Nothing was close to the perfection I wanted. In fact, they all sucked. I hated both the action and the result.
Here’s what I learned the hard way: you can’t manufacture hits on the Internet. The things that are hits are often messy, bold and spontaneous, because authenticity plus craziness are what sell, not planning and perfection.
EASY DISCIPLINE PRINCIPLE - Easy Over Hard
When you have no interest in the action itself, only the result, you fall into one of the biggest traps of human achievement: Hard Discipline.
It means to succeed, you force yourself to do things you hate.
Can Hard Discipline get some people there? Sometimes. But it always costs more than it pays. Burnout, resentment, broken relationships, lost years.
The people who hit the highest peaks long-term don’t grind their way there. They build a life where the work itself is the reward.
Those people use Easy Discipline: they align their work and their actions to manufacture long-term enjoyment and artistry, not the result. The result is often the consequence, not the sole focus.
Could I figure out a way to make YouTube enjoyable again, so I can do Easy Discipline instead of Hard Discipline? Yes. Eventually. But this is a 100-day campaign, not a 2-year project. Speed matters more than completeness. Time was running out.
So I gave up YouTube and moved on to my next move.
This is the thing about a 100-day project. You are hair on fire. There is no time for agonizing over spilled milk. One thing didn’t work, there is always next.
So, there it is: my failed YouTube saga to market my book. I don’t feel an ounce of badness. In fact, I am glad to have experienced my own principle.
You see my writing? It’s spontaneous, messy and la;sdfslfjkasdfles. It feels good.
And that’s what I will continue to do and feel.
For You
Do you want to win, have a hit, and become a star? Is perfectionism killing you? If so, stop it.
Stop trying to make the perfect thing that’s soulless and meaningless. Make art that’s authentic, fun and most importantly, you.
A real hit is not what speaks to an avatar, but to real people, starting with yourself.
Stop shooting for what works. Shoot for what moves.
And asd;lfadslf;a;ldsfjjgr!!