this cost me my degree by a 0.5 credit

if someone followed you around 24/7 for a week, would they think you’re serious about your goals?

last week, my answer would be ‘probably not.’

see, i put off writing this newsletter every single day, until monday afternoon came and it felt ‘too late’ to send it out to you. sorry about that.

but as much as i wish it was a one-off mistake, it’s not.

because this week, i got an email from my school that basically told me i’m a 0.5 credit away from graduating in the spring as planned.

it’s my own fault, and even though it’s not the end of the world — i have a temporary certificate to work until i graduate in the fall — it’s still a dumb situation that could’ve been avoided with one thing: urgency.

if you know me, you know that that the word ‘hurry’ isn’t in my vocabulary.

it’s a good thing 99% of the time. i’m never stressed, things always get done in the end, and i love that i can always find the time to be sit back and smell the roses in the process.

but as a lot of you are probably groaning right now (hey mum!), there’s a time and place where a bit of urgency is needed. which leads me to this week’s big idea:

if not now, when?

this year, for the first time in my life, i’ve woken up most days with no obligations — just a super light grad school schedule. yet, somehow, i did less as a content creator (ew) with an empty calendar than i did with a full one. but why?

the only answer my brain keeps coming back to is urgency.

urgency isn’t just about running around like a chicken with it’s balls cut off — that’s the expression, right? — it’s about knowing when to hit the gas instead of coasting.

too much urgency results in this neat little thing called anxiety, which i probably wouldn’t recommend. but without any urgency, it’s really easy to just let time slip through your fingers while you convince yourself, ‘i’ll do it tomorrow.’

i don’t know about you, but tomorrow doesn’t give a shit about my plans. it just shows up, whether i’m ready or not.

so this week, i’m flipping the script. deadlines are deadlines, starting with this newsletter. it’s definitely not perfect, but it’s in your inbox at 7am on monday morning, because i decided that now beats never every single time.

but if you’re the type of person who reads a newsletter that’s literally named after a dick joke, i bet you’ve got something in your life that you’re putting off too. a project, a conversation, a dream — whatever it is, you gotta be real with yourself.

as my friend Ziyaan says, ‘tomorrow never comes.’

so what can you do to start now?

what can you do today that would convince that imaginary person following you that you’re serious about your goals?

i don’t care if it means you ignore the rest of this email - put your phone down, and just get started in the smallest way possible.

if not now, when?

now feels like a good time to remind everybody that i’ve been working 1 on 1 with a few people — 100% free, no upsells — to help them stop waiting around and start building a life they can feel good about. it seems to help them as much as it helps me. you can sign up for free here, and i’ll reach out to you personally:

free 1 on 1 coaching

some things i learned

the average American human is fatter than the average American pig.
US male BF% = ~25%
US female BF% = ~40%
US pig BF% = ~15-20%
the codependent problems test.
do you actually want to solve your problem, or are you (maybe unknowingly) depending on it’s continued existence? for example, complaining about a sports team you like is a form of entertainment on its own. if your team won every single game and trophy each season without ever being challenged, why would you care? complaining is just a (shitty) form of entertainment.

cool things i found

this video of kobe fired me up.
‘wasting your time doubting whether you’re going to be successful is pointless.’
this article about high agency became an instant favourite of mine.
high agency is a trait/skill that the author of this, George Mack, explains wonderfully in so many different ways. my favourite was this image, captioned ‘high agency in a meme:’
i’m like, 10 years too late to this song — but i love it.
right now i’m going through a bit of an alt rock music kick. i can’t believe i never gave it a chance before.

anyways, that’s all for this week! thanks again for tuning in (:

~ liam

P.S. — i uploaded another video on youtube. i took a lot longer to make it than i wanted to, but it resulted in what i think is my best work yet.