Spent a lot of time this past weekend re-thinking the core mission and purpose of The Canvas Series. Originally it was simply a means to document the ideas and experiments in my journey. But as I engage with more and more of my “tribe”, it has become obvious that this can be so much more. Taking a page from Peter Diamandis, I began asking myself – What is my 10x moonshot opportunity?
As I began to think – ‘What am I striving for and how can I radically impact a global audience?’ – it came down to this concept of one’s “life’s work.” Now, most will challenge , “what exactly is that?” or the classic “not everyone can be Steve Jobs.” And yes – absolutely correct – no one can nor should strive to be Steve Jobs. Whether we define it as someone’s mission, purpose, or their “why” (Thanks Simon Sinek!), it simply comes down to the goal that is the most important to you. In other words, your life’s work will be different from your parents, loved one, or celebrity entrepreneurs. What is something you strive for, every single day – even when it is difficult or other priorities arise? For instance , raising a family, building a business, contributing to environmental sustainability, travelling the world, embracing your artistic outlet, etc.
The next challenge – and arguably the most commonly experienced – is when one’s “life’s work” does not align with their day-to-day structure. For example, your current aspiration is to travel and photograph as much of the world as possible, but you are working a job, paying rent, and living in one city. Or you are deeply invested in the future of our environment but feel “stuck” working in financial services.
At the core, The Canvas Series is on a mission to enable leaders to live out their life’s work, and this will be done by taking a systematic and design-oriented approach to build momentum and drive results.
Astro Telle (Google) has a great quote “It is often easier to make something 10 times better than it is to make it 10% better.”
Why is that? For one, everyone strives to do 10% better, making it a crowded marketplace whereby the “smartest” will win – a game you will most likely lose. Secondly, 10% improvements imply negligible changes to existing solutions, thus requiring far more investment, effort and risk to reach anything of substance. While a 10% improvement guarantees you will not fail spectacularly – hence why most will flock towards it – it also implies exclusion from substantial results. Astro argues that if we are going to invest the time and resources towards an opportunity, why not go-all in?
1) In 1 sentence, what would you describe as the most important goal you are currently striving for?
2) How does this create value for others?
3) Is this relevant for 1 billion people?
4) Write down your vision of a world where this opportunity / problem is being or has been addressed
5) At what point in this exercise did you think it was a “stupid” or “silly” idea?
6) Double down on the “stupid and silly” idea — what about it made you hesitate? Focus on this — this is where most fall off, providing an open canvas for you to create
Would love to hear your perspectives on this , and if you are chasing a 10X opportunity, I’d love to hear your story!
Also, if you have any ideas, thoughts or feedback that you would like to share , or if you want to get involved in some capacity , please DM me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. There are lots of interesting and “out there” initiatives in The Canvas series roadmap and I’d love have you involved.
The Canvas Series is on a mission to enable leaders to systematically design their life to build momentum, drive results, and ultimately live out the goals that matter most to them. Come say hello! Jump over to our website or make a shout-out on Instagram.
Originally published at medium.com