41 | One Message Changed My Life!
Hi, I’m Yath! Thank you for being here. You are receiving this because you signed up to my weekly newsletter on self-growth and mindful productivity.
Hey friends,
Trying something different this week, here’s a personal story of how I broke into the world of startups/creative work and with that an important life lesson.
So, picture this, the year is 2019, I’m a medical student doing medical student things. Nothing much else. But, I had a lot of ambition and drive within me for design and entrepreneurship. I thought I had no way of accessing these things and so I assumed that was that. Then I did this one thing. It changed things forever.
I asked.
One random day after placement, I jumped onto LinkedIn and found Gogodoc, a medical startup looking to provide easier access to physicians in the UK for private patients (think Uber for doctors). It sounded decent, so I found out who the founders were and sent Charles Bosco (Co-founder and COO) a quick direct message. He also went on to become my lifelong mentor, but here’s what I sent:
Firstly, who sends formal messages after midnight and why are there basic grammatical mistakes in the message? Anyways, to my surprise, he responded with his email address and invited me to send him a short email. So, I did that. This is what I received in return:
An invitation to the WeWork co-working space in Central London, where Gogodoc had their offices. Completely chuffed I attended and got myself a position at Gogodoc. This was the start of something great. I went on to learn so many things and build confidence in ways I could’ve never imagined. I even got an opportunity to interview Dr Alex George (UK readers may relate) and work directly with him on marketing campaigns.
The lesson here is simple: don’t ask, don’t get.
The internet is an interesting place, incredible connections and life-changing moments are just a few clicks, taps, and sends away. Try it for yourself, is there an industry you want to learn more about, a person you want to network with, or a project you want to get involved in? Send them a message. At worst, you may get ignored or receive a simple no. At best, your life could change forever.
After making this realisation, I’ve sent so many DMs to so many people. Some have been super fruitful. For example, in April 2019, I did exactly the same for Ali Abdaal (world-class wasteman and productivity grease monkey) and to my surprise, he responded. We met up in Cambridge and kept in touch since. He even helped me tackle some of my YouTube niching issues earlier on and featured my writing in his newsletter and website as a standalone post. We now work together on his Part-Time YouTuber Academy where he has given me the incredible privilege of being a Peer Supporter.
These events would never have happened if I had not sent a simple direct message. So, if you send 100 messages, one may change your life. But if you send zero, then the probability of meaningful connections occurring will also be zero. With that, I’ll ask you to do one thing, send an inviting message to someone you want to connect with (totally cool and appreciated if that’s me) and let me know how you get along. I’d love to hear your stories.
Our family is growing! 🚀
Today, I’m sending this email to 788 absolute legends. 😎
If you’re new to the family, welcome on board! 👋🏾
Found value? Share it with a friend so that we can keep growing. 🏄🏾♂️
Announcement 📣
Earlier on this newsletter, I wrote about why I’m reading fewer books. 📚
I explained it was to reflect deeper/create my Manual For Life.
Then a tonne of you guys messaged me asking for this Manual For Life.
So, I’m turning it into a legit thing, you’ll hear first as a super subscriber! 💌
This Week’s Quote 🎯
“Your achievement can be no greater than your plans are sound.” Think and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill)
This Week’s Recommendation 🚀
Book 📚 — Do The Work by Steven Pressfield
A great little read on why you should pursue your creative dreams instantly and figure things out as you go along. Pressfield speaks of a resistive force that keeps us from doing and once we overcome this resistance, then only can we achieve great things. We all get caught up in the planning phase and never take action. My single take-away from the book: Act. Then Reflect.
This Week on YouTube 🎥
One question I always get asked is how I manage my time, so here’s how:
That’s all for this week — be safe, be happy!
More of me on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram& Goodreads.
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