Articles That Will Impact Your Life
134: Ways to spend your weekend instead of watching Netflix.
Welcome reader! After last week’s more serious topic on how to invest your money (source). It's time to take it easy and share something everyone will benefit from. Bringing you a list of articles that will impact and shift your perspective. Not just your perspective, but we would go so far as to change your mental models. Which should, as a result… Change your life.
The Internet Today Compared To The Past
The days of the "old" internet are behind us: Everyone who follows us already knows our take. The internet has created opportunities for everyone and wealth that few can understand. The same still applies after all these years. The moment you start putting yourself out there and sharing your knowledge is when you begin to make money online. Requirements? There aren’t many. Patience and consistency are the most important ones. Even after all those years post internet peak… The same principles still apply. What is the problem with the internet today? Obtaining quality information. There is a whole ocean of mediocre AI content. Between 2008 and 2012, things were much different. You could look up specific results with a quick Google search and receive in-depth advice (knowledge) on a specific topic. It was also possible to discover gems and interesting figures. Random blogs and forums with experts who would spend hours sharing their craft with others without expecting anything in return. The internet was a much healthier place. If that is the right way to call it. Today? You are getting the basics of the basics. A plain version without any soul or genuine impact. We would even go so far as to say that the internet has become a self-help book of a sort. At least, that’s how we feel. Loads of content meant to serve a purpose… Yet it feels empty and dry. Forgettable is one way to call it.
Internet timeline and growth through the years (source).
Social media and the Pay-to-Play model: What has the evolution of the internet brought us? Fast dopamine and pay 2 play model (source). Far from what the internet was 15 years ago. One could argue that without change, it would be boring. We agree with that. However, the internet used to be much more helpful and less distracting. Luckily, no one reading this falls into the consumer category but the creator one—where all the power of the internet went... To creators. What has this evolution caused? A lower barrier to entry. Before anyone comments, "It used to be easier to achieve X doing Y". Yes, there are cases where this is true. Ads or SEO strategies are great examples for those trying to start their business or already running one. You could never stream yourself programming and making 6 figs a year from that or by posting memes… If we set those extremes on the side. The worst time will have consumers who are not ready to pay the price will have the worst experience. The commoditization of the internet = mediocre content. The same principle applies to everything else in life. Do you want life-changing information but are unprepared to look at it for a few hours each week? Be ready to pay. The internet is moving further towards a P2P model each year.
Reality Check + Wayback Machine: The truth is that there are thousands of life-changing articles on the web. Some you won’t ever be able to find, while others you will. Getting to them? It is impossible with the current SEO structure. Since our post is titled "The articles that will impact your life," it should be clear that we will use a Wayback Machine and go through our catalog and see what we found helpful over the years. Most of you will know what the Wayback Machine is about—while the rest are in for the pleasant surprises. It's worth mentioning for those who don’t already know or never thought about it. Once you find something on the Wayback Machine or anywhere else online. Make sure to save it securely. Use an application like Zotero (source) or download the HTML to your local hard drive using the SingleFile extension (source). Data can be removed from the Wayback Machine (don't let anyone convince you otherwise), so it does not mean it is permanently there if it's on the Wayback Machine. Our advice? Create collections. Develop mental models and keep those valuable datasets for yourself. Build your library. We have lost many posts we would pay to read again because we didn’t follow this principle—don’t repeat the same mistake.
Libraries are the living memory of mankind. – Aldous Huxley
Life-Changing Articles
How one defines life-changing articles: It all heavily depends on where you are in your life. Trying to become better at writing copy? Have problems with anxiety and stress? Starting your business but unsure how to approach it? The life-changing articles are the ones you read at the right moment in your life. That is the best definition. When you find that gem of an article that makes 100% sense. Yet you never thought about it from that perspective. That is a life-changing article you will remember. Everyone reading this will have different articles that will help them—based on where they are in life or their priorities. Below, you can find those who impacted us or made us think about what we were doing wrong.
The Day You Became A Better Writer - Adam Scott
Our comment: The shortest read on the list. Yet the one that makes the most sense. Suppose you are wondering why the newly elected president of the United States has always been popular and well-received when it comes to the masses… This is the exact reason. The day you become a better writer or speaker is when you start removing extra words. This is all the secret there is. It does not necessarily make sense if you have not done this for some time. But when you think about it, it does. Less is more, which applies to writing good copy and speaking in a way that makes others listen to you.
Our comment: Important articles for those trying to build brands and succeed in the attention economy (source). A 2008 article that gained popularity after being mentioned multiple times by Tim Ferriss. One thousand people who believe in you is all it takes for your life to change. This comes with a price, and one can’t deny it. We always put a huge importance on having a strong, long-term relationship with our audience. We can easily recognize those who have supported us from the first day—creating long-term relationships. The article becomes even more relevant when you consider that we all operate in a world full of noise. The fact that anyone can publish something with just a few clicks makes complete sense… This was just something that clicked for us. Leaving you with an interesting take from Kelly himself.
If you lived in any of the 2 million small towns on Earth you might be the only one in your town to crave death metal music, or get turned on by whispering, or want a left-handed fishing reel. Before the web you’d never be able to satisfy that desire. You’d be alone in your fascination. But now satisfaction is only one click away. Whatever your interests as a creator are, your 1,000 true fans are one click from you. As far as I can tell there is nothing — no product, no idea, no desire — without a fan base on the internet. Every thing made, or thought of, can interest at least one person in a million — it’s a low bar. Yet if even only one out of million people were interested, that’s potentially 7,000 people on the planet. That means that any 1-in-a-million appeal can find 1,000 true fans. The trick is to practically find those fans, or more accurately, to have them find you.
This article is not about the money… It is about the opportunity + community + understanding less = more.
1 Weird Trick To Make $70,000/day - Malan Darras
Our comment: Imagine having more articles like this available with a basic search, and the internet would be much better. It feels a bit outdated concerning ads and how this space works now). This article serves as a great reality check on appreciating things once they start rolling up. More so now, when everyone on social media pretends to be something they are not, Flexing rented cars, posting fake revenue screenshots, and wearing luxury watches from the 1970s that hardly qualify as a luxury anymore—it was a great read that influenced us, and how we treat this—it is easy to start taking things for granted after one point. Something you want to avoid. Every win, no matter how big or small it is. It is a win.
Taming the Mammoth: Why You Should Stop Caring What Other People Think - Tim Urban
Our comment: We believe this is the article most people won’t finish due to its length and perceived dullness. What is the deeper meaning of it? It is a powerful one. It should help you realize that the only person you should prioritize and do things for is… You. Leaving it up for you to read this and reflect on it—the younger you are, the more importance you should give to this article. Another recommended read from Tim - The Tail End.
Reflections on Palantir - Nabeel S. Qureshi
Our comment: This is not a life-changing article in any way. Yet, if you have ever hired anyone to assist with your business or work under you, there are many lessons here. Palantir has created one of the most innovative ways to refine talent and assemble a team of highly effective individuals. What is interesting about Palantir is how articles like this describe building their teams. How they send their employees to the clients, and their position regarding work. This is a unique approach and one worth studying. To put it another way, what is their role in the bigger picture? It is neither a startup culture nor a corporate structure. It is an efficient hybrid that makes their employees understand every business process—giving them enough space to solve the problem. Since there has never been more uncertainty (source) about what the future will look like when it comes to working for someone else. Palantir's approach to building employees should be studied and implemented. More so if you run your own business or hire others to work for you.
There’s a lot to unpack about this model, but the key idea is that you gain intricate knowledge of business processes in difficult industries (manufacturing, healthcare, intel, aerospace, etc.) and then use that knowledge to design software that actually solves the problem. The PD engineers then ‘productize’ what the FDEs build, and – more generally – build software that provides leverage for the FDEs to do their work better and faster.
The Incredible 90-Second Stress Cure For World-Class Executives - Kapil Gupta
Our comment: We are unsure how we got info about this website, but it was likely from one of the Naval articles. Kapil Gupta is an executive coach with interesting takes and an impressive background. The 90-second stress cure is an underrated read that anyone operating in a corporate environment (source) or running their own business (source) should understand. Not only understand. But also use daily routine. There is a provocation throughout the whole article that makes you think. If you attempt to manage stress, it often results in more stress. As with many aspects of our lives, it is one big cycle when you think about it. The advice in the article is practical and can be put into action immediately. Must read.
$1 Million, 10 Years, Zero Excuses - WSP
Our comment: Mentioned multiple times on our Twitter as one of our favorite articles. Best way to put it? Game changer. That is everything we have to say about it.
“The Dumb Get Confident While The Intelligent Get Doubtful” - Chris Haddad
Our take: The more you think about this marketing article, the more sense it makes. It offers an angle and perspective you never thought about. Want to promote your product and win over others? Combine Scott's article above with the angle from Haddad, and apply the general principle to your life. This article confirms that it's not necessarily the most intelligent people who live the best lives—quite the opposite. Chris Haddad is an incredible marketer and one worth following.
Ten Step Nightlife Preparation Routine - G Manifesto
Our comment: Far from a life-changing article, but seeing the copy style and the message being delivered is something that not many authors could pull off. Michael Porfirio Mason - G Manifesto… A legend and someone who did wonders for the internet during its golden era. This article is another classic that will make you both laugh and wonder about his other works. Another creator has disappeared from the scene. The story is that G had enough after all those years, becoming mean and making rude comments. The rumor was that he was running an affiliate network and devoted his time to it fully. This is a solid guess based on how many affiliate links are on the website. If you’re young, there's a good chance you will spend hours on his site. Zippos. Suits. Heists. Machete.
First things first, I have a good day. I go to the boxing gym or get a good workout on. Then, after getting some work done, I go for a good open ocean swim. This helps clear the head no matter what you did the night before. Then I usually swim some underwater laps in the pool. I typically get a little sunset walk on as well to clear the mind. Or I get a second work out at my boxing gym.
Our comment: There is not much on the website, but what is there is pure gold. Another website from that golden internet era. Where everyone was doing their own thing and being completely creative. Beautiful art. Provocative writing. These are the signs of the creative genius behind it who fully embraced affiliate marketing. If you are seeking inspiration or something to spark your imitation. You know what to do.