12 Things That Will Never Go Out of Style… And Why | 12Thirty1

For the life of me, I could not figure out what I wanted to write about this morning. I have a content bank that I go into and check out when I need some inspiration… but nothing was sticking out to me.

Nothing felt compelling enough this morning (sometimes that happens and it’s ok!).

I hopped on LinkedIn to see what was going on and (as per usual) Justin Welsh’s post stopped and made me think. He listed out 12 things that will never go out of style and suggested that we pick only 2 of these 12 and tackle them starting this week.

At first glance, these all seem very, very obvious. But it’s the “why” that brings every one of these to life.

Justin’s 12 things that will never go out of style:

So let’s dive in.

Making money

Of course — a bit obvious and I don’t think this needs an explanation. If you like food, water, and a roof over your head, making money will never go out of style. 🙂

Being consistent

I’ve heard “showing up is half the battle”, I’ve heard “showing up is 90% of the battle”, and I’ve also heard “showing up the battle”.

The last one is my favorite.

Showing up IS the battle. And I would know. Consistency is one of the things that I struggle with the most. I start so many different things, but I don’t see them through. If I don’t see my projects through, I’ll never reap the rewards that are waiting for me on the other side.

I need to stay consistent and keep pushing forward. We all do. We’re all going to f*ck up… we’re all going to have bad days. Even those days where we’re not operating at 100%, just showing up is setting the habit of showing up (I hope that made sense).

One quote that sticks in my head about all this is “90% of being a dad is showing up” (or whatever it is — might be “100% of being a dad”…)

Just being there isn’t considered showing up. So many fathers (and mothers too — I’ll never be a mom so I’m going to stick with fathers for this one)… So many fathers are not physically at home, but they continue to SHOW UP and SHOW OUT every. single. day.

They provide for their families, and they’re always emotionally and intellectually available when their family needs it most. Showing up isn’t just about being there, physically.

Once you master the habit of showing up, put your seatbelt on. It’ll be a fun ride.

Ignoring doubters

I need to take this one to heart. I have been giving too much attention to the doubters out there. Whenever I publish anything online, I just feel like there’s an army of people who are waiting to chew me up and spit me out.

This is incredibly irrational of me, I’m understanding this more and more as I get older.

I’m taking good energy away from myself every time I pay any mind to this phantom audience of doubters and keyboard warriors.

Instead of giving that good energy away, I need to focus on putting that energy where it counts. Inward. Me.

We all need to take a step back when this happens. It serves no good purpose to worry about the folks who are there just to shove the branch in your spokes. It doesn’t do anyone ANY good to pay attention to the doubters out there. Even Mother Teresa had doubters. And I’m not Mother Teresa.

Taking small risks

Taking risks is a way for us to separate ourselves from the pack. Generally, people are risk-averse, and taking risks puts us in a category where most people won’t ever be.

Investing — even into a Roth IRA — is. But it could pay off, big time, if you remain consistent. You could set yourself up beautifully by maxing out your Roth IRA every year.

(Best to deposit $500 per month into it and just consider that one of your “bills” to start — time is on your side the most… today)

Sure, there are riskier examples, but this one puts it into perspective and has a lower barrier to entry than, say, purchasing a self-storage business.

Risks DO pay off. But start small. Know what you can handle but always be on the lookout for opportunities.

Executing on ideas

I have a thousand different ideas that pop into my head every day (or so it seems). But none of this matters unless you act upon them.

Steve Jobs and Tony Fadell were not the first people to come up with the idea of the MP3 player, but had they not executed their idea of a revolutionized MP3 player known as the iPod.

Had that idea stayed inside their heads, we probably wouldn’t have the iPhone today (or the iPhone as we know it today).

Just having a good idea isn’t enough. Everyone — every single person — has good ideas but few actually take action.

Execute your ideas or they’ll stay inside your head forever.

Understanding time

First thing that comes to my mind here is time management.

Time is the greatest asset an individual can have.

You can acquire all the knowledge in the entire world… but it won’t do you much good if you’re already 105. (Bit of an extreme example, I know).

If you’re 25 years old, you have an entire lifetime ahead of you to learn as much as you can about the things that matter most to you. Plan and manage your time (and make sure you plan to enjoy your youth too).

Sit down each Sunday and plan what you want to accomplish for the week ahead. Set that goal for yourself. Manage your time. Get sh*t done.

Understand that time is finite and you will never get it back. Take advantage of the time you’re given. 🙂

Being self-sufficient

You gotta be able to look after yourself (if you’re physically/mentally able). I understand there are some folks out there who simply cannot be self-sufficient, but I’m not speaking to those people right now. I’m speaking to the person who IS able-bodied and able-minded but chooses to be self-sufficient.

No one cares more about you than you do. No one is going to look after you with the ferocity and love that you should have for yourself. (I’m guilty of this.)

If you’re working a 9–5 right now, think of ways you can add income streams. Doesn’t have to be much at all… you just need to get started. You need to start thinking about ways to become self-sufficient. It’s the only way to guarantee your own security.

Playing the long game

The guy I think of when I hear this is Nic Peterson ( Facebook Page / Facebook Profile). Nic is one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever come across online and he shares his knowledge paying ANY bullsh*t engagement “hacks” like a tremendous amount of people do. Nic is just out here sharing raw intelligence.

You’ll always come out on top playing the long game. Longevity always wins.

A company focused on its brand will always outlast a company focus solely on lead generation.

Helping others achieve

I’m realizing this more and more… and more.

If you help others get what they want, you’re going to get what YOU want. Seems a bit selfish, but it’s true! 🙂

If you help others, they’re going to be (sometimes) deeply compelled to return the favor. It’s human nature.

What skills/knowledge do you have that can help others advance? Give it away for free and, when called for, sell your knowledge. Some folks are earning $100k+ per month just packaging up the sh*t they know and selling it online.

Learning autonomously

Be willing to learn. Be excited to learn.

When you’re forced to learn, you don’t absorb as much. You start checking boxes just to be “done”.

You get to choose the things you want to learn about. They should be exciting to you, make you more money, or become a better person.

(Yes, I understand there are some cases where you learn more about “X”)

Accepting responsibility

This is really just being an adult here.

Accept responsibility for your actions. Both the bad and the good.

If you do something worth anything, take the credit. Learn to take the compliment! 🙂

And learn to take responsibility when you f*cked up. There’s always a chance to learn + grow in these cases. It sucks and it’s tough to do, but you’ll always come out a better person on the other side.

Meeting interesting people

“Your network is your net worth.”

“It’s not WHAT you know, it’s WHO you know.”

I’ve seen both of these statements get scrutinized, but they’re both true. The more people you know, the more opportunity you have.

The more interesting people you get to know, the more interesting things you’ll get to learn.

I can do small talk, but I don’t enjoy it. I prefer getting past the walls and getting into the vulnerability of a person… where we both open up to each other. I prefer the heart-to-hearts over talking about how cloudy it is outside.

And, because of the Internet, you don’t have to be an extrovert to meet interesting people either.

Wrapping up

This felt good to write. Mostly because I need to take my own advice and this will be good to re-read over the years.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to discuss today, but Justin’s post on LinkedIn sparked this for me. And for that, I’m grateful.

Originally published at https://12thirty1.com.