Hey friends,

We’re now over a quarter of the way through 2024.

Now is a good time to reflect on your progress. Annual reviews are too far apart, whereas reviewing your life once a quarter makes it easier to stay on track. I’ve been away doing mine recently hence why this letter is a little late.

Here are 3 things I’ve learnt which have helped me become a better writer, gain clarity on what to work on and understand myself.

What Makes A Great Storyteller

Everyone talks about how powerful storytelling is and that Steve Jobs was the master. But few give actionable tips on how to tell a story.

Here’s what I’ve learnt:

Everyone has a story. You don’t need to be Steve Jobs. Learning to tell day-to-day experiences in a compelling way really is a superpower. Why? Because people can relate. Instead of coming off as some arrogant guru, you’ll attract people who think the same way.

It’s not just good for business, it’s good for relationships. People buy into people and their stories first.

What makes a great story?

5 things:

1. Intention

2. Obstacle

3. Outcome

4. Raising the stakes

5. A clear moment of change

Chances are you switch off when someone just gives you advice online. But if they tell you the exact timeline of their transformation and how they got from A to B, you’d be interested.

Storytelling is all about the details, which include 

• The outcome

• How you were feeling

• The obstacle in your way

• A clear moment of change

• Why you want to achieve something

• What prompted you to make a change

• The risk of not completing the mission

You don’t need a super high-stakes, white-knuckle story. The best storytellers are the ones who can make day-to-day experiences seem interesting.

My favorite resources for becoming a better storyteller:

Shaan Puri on Write Of Passage with David Parrel.

Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks

How To Get Laser-Focused To Achieve Your Goals

“Focus is a force multiplier on work.

Almost everyone I've ever met would be well-served by spending more time thinking about what to focus on. It is much more important to work on the right thing than it is to work many hours. Most people waste most of their time on stuff that doesn't matter.

Once you have figured out what to do, be unstoppable about getting your small handful of priorities accomplished quickly. I have yet to meet a slow-moving person who is very successful.” - Sam Altman.

The takeaway: what you work on is more important than how hard you work.

Time is an important lever to pull when getting started on something, but it only goes so far. This lesson sunk in when I heard Andrew Wilkinson talk about his recruitment process for CEOs in his multimillion-dollar companies. It was the same process I used for hiring a VA in the Philippines for my real estate company.

Business is hard work, so you may as well work on something easier to scale with some extra 0s on the end on the revenue.

How To Get Laser Focused:

• Taking your time to choose a project which is:

  • Within your zone of genius

  • Is something the world needs

  • Highly leveraged and room for scale

  • Read The Art Of The Impossible to find your edge

• Picking a few key levers to pull every day on your chosen project (Read The One Thing for clarity on these)

• Create a non-negotiable schedule to execute your plan every day (see Maker’s Schedule by Paul Graham)

The Importance Of Persistence

I read an article in the Harvard Business Review about how to play to your strengths. It talks about how to find what you’re truly great at and double down on those skills.

It involves carrying out an exercise to ask some close friends or colleagues to answer some very personal questions.

One of the common themes that appeared for me: persistence.

Exceptional results come from doing simple things day in and day out.

When I reflect back on my achievements, it’s clear that they happened as a result of doing boring work every day.

3 ways to build your persistence muscle:

1. Think in 10-year timelines

2. Focus on showing up daily

3. Work on the boring reps to build your moat

    

The world is great at focusing on the negative and telling us what we need to improve. So I recommend everyone do this exercise to figure out what comes more naturally so you can start playing life on easy mode.

Tom’s Bookmarks 💛

What I’m reading? best resources?

📣 You don’t need millions to be successful. You need 1,000 True Fans.

🧘🏻‍♂️ This tool has been a game changer for implementing deep rest

🎥 Here’s your annual reminder to rewatch Naval on Joe Rogan.

P.S. If you’re interested in having a newsletter like this written for you, then let’s chat.

Thank you for reading Tom’s Letter. I hope you find it valuable. If you did then forward it to a friend or share it on social. If you were a lucky one who had this forwarded to you, subscribe here.

Have a great week,

Tom ✌️

P.P.S. What did you think..