the only question worth asking

by now, most people have heard the story of the Mexican fisherman & the American businessman.

basically, there’s a fisherman who lives in a small village, sleeps in, catches a few fish in the morning, takes a nap with his wife, & spends his evenings playing guitar with his friends. it’s a simple life.

one day, an American businessman meets him & gives him well-meaning advice to fish more, buy a bigger boat, then a fleet, then open a seafood business, move to the city, run the company, & eventually sell it for millions.

the fisherman listened to him & asked, ‘then what?’

to which the businessman replied, ‘then you can retire to a small village, sleep in, fish a little, nap with your wife, & spend your evenings playing guitar with your friends.’

usually this story is told with the idea that a simple life is a good life, & it’s used as a dunk on the corporate/capitalist world.

but i like it for a different reason:

both men are right.

in the ‘game’ of slow living, consistency, & peace of mind, the Mexican fisherman is winning.

in the ‘game’ of ambition, novelty, & waking up with a purpose, the American businessman is winning.

i’m not here to argue that 1 path is better than the other.

my whole point is that neither of them would swap their own life for the other’s.

any advice that each man would give, at it’s core, boils down to
‘i wouldn’t live my life in the way you do.’

to which the only correct response is
‘good, you don’t have to!’

this applies to all areas of life:

• entrepreneurs think 9-5ers are wasting their time doing work they hate.
  9-5ers think entrepreneurs are taking stupid risks that rarely pay off.

• parents think child-free people are missing out on real meaning in life.
  child-free people think parents traded freedom for a role they were given.

• renters think homeowners are trapped by a mortgage.
  homeowners think renters are throwing money away.

all of them are right.

& all of them are also wrong.

the only difference between the 2 comes down to whose scoreboard you’re using.

• entrepreneurs optimize for control.
  9-5ers optimize for stability.

• parents optimize for meaning.
  child-free people optimize for freedom.

• renters optimize for flexibility.
  homeowners optimize for peace-of-mind.

there is no universal game of life with win/loss criteria.

each one of us gets the opportunity every single day to choose our own.

which is why the only question worth asking before you judge anyone — including yourself — is this:

what are you optimizing for?

are you sick of wasting your days scrolling instead of creating?

i made 0to1.club for you.

half your screen time + build something real in 7 days — guaranteed.

(oh, & it’s free to join)

try the 7-day challenge (free)

some things i learned

1. your hobbies might suck

   

2. 1 in 8 young men watch porn, gamble, & play video games every day
   given that most of my audience is this exact demographic, i don’t want to just drop this here & say we’re cooked. instead, look at the bright side — you have a chance to get ahead just by fixing a few bad habits.
   
   (if only there was some sort of ‘club’ on the internet to do that… lol)

   

3. the Irish invented honeymoons

   there’s a famous Irish drink called mead (13% alcohol) which is made from honey, water, & yeast.
   
   traditionally, newlyweds crack it open on their wedding night & share it over the next 29-30 days throughout the first full moon cycle of their marriage.

   
   honey + moon cycle = honeymoon

cool stuff i found

1. a daily (mini) spelling bee for nerds
   if you liked Wordle, this is the same sort of vibe in spelling-bee format!
   
   play it for free:
   https://spellbeeswax.com/

   

2. a dying patient wrote a letter to herself
   nothing motivates me more than listening to what people on their deathbeds have to say. it’s almost always similar to this one:

   

3. the GOAT youtuber finally posted again after 5 months!!!
   he’s so smart & handsome (lol). seriously though, this video might be my favourite one i’ve ever made. but i’ll let you be the judge:

that’s all for now!

i’m so so so so so happy to finally be back posting videos again.

it’s been a tough but rewarding challenge building 0to1.club behind-the-scenes these past few months. now i’m excited to tell the world about it & (hopefully) grow it into what i’ve been dreaming of.

taking the first step with anything — going from 0 to 1 (; — can be really hard. but i’ve never once regretted taking action towards my goals.

i hope you do the same.

go make yourself proud this week!

~ liam (:

PS - i do 1on1 calls with everyone inside 0to1.club. so if you wanna chat, jump in!