Everyone has high expectations of us, when really, we’re the ones who have the highest expectations out of ourselves. We battle underlying feelings of fear, doubt, and uncertainty with grit and optimism, yet we’re driven precisely because those things exist.

In turn, recognizing this is an opportunity. It tells us that the very things that daunt us are there because we yearn for something different, and the only way to tip the scale in our favor is to act accordingly.

We have to accept we’ll never make the right decisions all the time. Instead, we have to live with what we choose, and have faith that they will pan out someway somehow. And if they don’t, it means something else out there is waiting for us.

My point is this: Whatever we expect from the universe is only in direct proportion to what we give to it. When we do the work, when we exert our very best efforts, when we...

Do it now. Don’t wait for permission to make something that’s interesting or amusing to you. Just do it now. Don’t wait. Find a story idea, start making it, give yourself a deadline, show it to people who’ll give you notes to make it better. Don’t wait till you’re older, or in some better job than you have now. Don’t wait for anything. Don’t wait till some magical story idea drops into your lap. That’s not where ideas come from. Go looking for an idea and it’ll show up. Begin now. Be a fucking soldier about it and be tough.

IRA GLASS, NPR

Having ideas are the first step to constructing a perceived future. The next step? Translating that idea into an objective

After hashing out through the ideation process, the next step is to focus on the objective. While ideas are just abstract concepts and inferences existing in a vacuum, to make it an objective is to consider it as a desired result and figure out the pathway from start to finish.

Here is a theorized formula on targeting a particular objective:

1. Identification & Validation. Understand what the objective is and why it’s a good and valid goal.
2. Process formation. Outline the process required to achieve desired results
3. Commitment & Consistency. Create a structured plan of attack on a timely basis, ideally with deadlines along the way.
4. Execution & Persistence. Do everything necessary to make it happen.¹
5. Resilience. Don’t give up.

It’s a simplified procedure...

One of the best things I’ve read on startup entrepreneurship is Mark Suster’s “Entrepreneur DNA” series from his blog BothSidesOfTheTable. He basically gives a list of traits on his perspective of what makes an entrepreneur. He dedicates a post to each one with real-world examples, including his own experience as a two-time entrepreneur, and what he has seen as a venture capitalist. Definitely fired me up when I read it the first time, and it’s one of the few resources I read every so often.

In summary, they are:

1. Tenacity - never willing to give up.
2. Street Smarts - understands customers.
3. Ability to Pivot - changes course if necessary.
4. Resiliency - survives through the setbacks.
5. Inspiration - lead teams and convince others to move mountains.
6. Perspiration - always being on.
7. Appetite for Risk - goes all in.
8. Attention to Detail - grasps everything about the startup and more.
9. ...

John Zeratsky, partner at Google Ventures, shared his “5 Principles for Great Interface Copywriting” and I thought it was invaluable and touches on an element of design that is severely overlooked: writing.

This couldn’t have come out at a more crucial time for us, as we’re re-doing the copy for Bespoke’s iPad and iPhone apps, from buttons, to pop-ups, to FAQs, and more. So far, I learned that it’s a very tedious task and I truly applaud the developers / copywriters / UX designers / content strategists, etc. who make the apps we use on a daily basis appear to be seamless and intuitive without having to use much thought at all.

It’s still an on-going process for us, one that I don’t really consider to have an ‘end’ but more of a continuous improvement, but putting it down on paper, without a doubt, helps a lot.

Copy is one of the most important pillars in the overall user experience...

—Josh Miller, Branch