Make Something Cool with Alex Sugg

Every critic of mine is required to pass this set of 3 questions. If it meets all 3 requirements, then I will consider this criticism welcome and valuable. I will use it to better myself and grow at my craft. No offense taken.

But, if it fails to meet any of these requirements, it gets thrown out with the trash. (I guess they were just having a bad day..?) I refuse to spend any more mental energy on it.

In 2020, we have access to countless resources and ideas.

This is an incredible opportunity. We get access to learn and see what others are doing and become inspired by it.

But this environment can quickly breed us to lose our own voice, and begin thinking the way others have achieved success is the right way.

You must not forget yourself in the equation. Just because your hero took a specific path, doesn't mean you should. You need to do it your way for it to be honest and connect with others.

Where can you detach from your hero's pathway, and express yourself moving forward?

I am currently undergoing some shifts in how I plan my work and projects.

Usually, I am really good at this, but lately, it's been tough to stay on top of it all. It's easy to let things slide and tell myself that I'll 'get to it' soon. I keep waiting for the ideal environment to fall in my lap instead of forging it myself.

Here is what scares me. All this time I have spent without creating a clear plan for myself has, in fact, been spent.

That time is now gone. I'm never getting it back.

It is a sobering thought when you consider all the time we spend on our phones or working jobs we hate or waiting until the time is right to start our projects.

The clock is always ticking, so waiting costs a premium.

And it's not cheap.

So today, where can you make a clear plan of action? How can you avoid losing any more precious time without good reason? How can you take action and build those ideal environments you've been waiting for?

This morning, I am stumped.

I have no ideas about what to write to you this morning, but I am showing up anyway. Because that is what I have committed to do.

Sometimes, that is all we can do. I am a firm believer in incremental steps being the only way to grow into something substantial.

I don't feel bad about it, because I am a human. Sometimes, other things will take your attention or you just won't have it in you. This is okay.

But it doesn't mean you don't fulfill a commitment. Even if it just means showing up.

If you're feeling low or out of it today, what does just showing up look like? This is not an all-or-nothing game. Bringing a little is better than bringing none.

Monday mornings can be tough. But I don't think they need to be.

This morning, you can prime your mindset to have a great week. No matter what hardships might come, you get to choose how you respond.

So today, start with gratitude. Think about what you do have. For the people you have in your life. For the inspiration, you've drawn from your favorite artists or athletes or whoever you admire.

Be grateful for the life you have. Tomorrow isn't promised, so what will you do with today?

Have a great week.

Let's talk about aliens.

When you think of an alien, do you think of flying saucers? Of a giant head and pitch-black eyes standing on two legs? Does it have remarkable technology? Is it threatening?

The truth is no one has ever seen an alien. (At least, no one can prove they have) But isn't it interesting the assumptions that we make about what aliens would be like if they showed up on earth?

An alien could look and act more like a cute puppy. But that is not what our assumptions tell us.

To bring this home a bit, we all have 'aliens' in our lives. Areas that we assume are figured out, but truthfully, haven't tested it to know for sure.

Here are some examples:

Relationships. You assume someone thinks or believes something, but haven't personally had a conversation with them about it to know for sure.

Projects. You believe that no one will want what you produce but haven't asked your friends for honest feedback on it.

Food. You grew up hating onions but haven't eaten them for years, so you have no idea that your palette has changed from childhood.

Confidence. You assume you can't do something but haven't tried yet.

What are some assumptions you have that need to be challenged today? How can you step outside of yourself to look at these issues more objectively?

What feels like play to you and work for others? What feels like work to you and play to others?

These are essential questions to ask when you're starting a new project. When something feels like play for us, we are more likely to succeed in achieving it. And this inverse is also true; if it feels like work - you will eventually get burnt out by it.

I think a great metaphor is exercise. Bill might assume that going for a run is the best way to get fit. His brother runs a lot and stays pretty fit, so it makes sense that he should run too.

The problem is that Bill hates running. It's a grind every time to get ready and go. It feels like work.

But, if you drop Bill in the weight room and they learn strength training, he may fall in love with this type of fitness. It might feel like play instead of work.

We can tell ourselves elaborate stories in this area too. You can try to say to yourself you love running for a very long time when in reality, it feels like work and always will to you.

This process takes a lot of honesty.

So over the weekend, I think you should reflect on what truly feels like work versus play, and start taking steps toward making the changes you need to play more in your life and projects.

Have you ever looked at what someone else is doing and thought "I could do that too... In fact, I could do it better."?

This is natural. Humans have been bred since the dawn of time to compete for resources. Nowadays, we compete less for wild animals, and more for people's money, time and attention.

The problem with this idea is that if you're too focused on what others are doing, you will begin to lose focus on where you want to go.

If you're driving down the highway, you can peek at the cars around you to see what they're doing. But are you going to stare at the vehicle to your right or left for more than a second?

No. You will crash if you aren't focused on your lane.

So instead of trying to compete with others, a better tactic is to compete with yourself. Can you do better today than yesterday? Can you be more focused or achieve more than you did last week?

Where can you redirect your competitive nature this week toward yourself instead of your peers?

Yesterday, I talked about practicing generosity. Today, I want you to take what you did yesterday and apply it to yourself.

What I mean is, when we are always thinking about ourselves, we sometimes are thinking the wrong way or about the wrong things.

Personally, my obsession is work. I think about work and work ideas non-stop, and I get a lot of my self-esteem from how I perform in my projects.

Obsessively thinking this way is an extremely unhealthy cycle. I've learned this the hard way many times. Life is more than work. It's your health, relationships, experiences, and your work.

If you find yourself avoiding any or all of these things, you need some self generosity. Maybe for you, it's easy to ignore your health, so today, try taking a walk outside. Perhaps you've been avoiding that work project that would make you really happy to try, so you should take an hour off from youtube or tv and work on it.

This is about self-generosity. So whatever you need is a guilt-free practice. Do what you need to do to remind yourself that life is a balance today.

Generosity is a topic I don't see or hear much about these days. To be honest, I think that we are all living in a default 'survival mode'.

And if you live in 'survivor-mode' all the time, you won't be very good at giving to others.

But I believe we miss something meaningful when we focus too much on ourselves. We are made for connection with others, so we shouldn't get so caught up in ourselves that we miss what is happening with those around us.

So today, if you've been really focused on yourself (as I have been), how can you take a moment to give to someone else? This can be in your time, money, or energy. Whatever you think is the right way.

Remember, there can be no strings attached to your giving. You get nothing from what you give except the satisfaction of exchanging dignity, humanity, and love to a fellow human. Which, we all know, can be one of the greatest gifts you could possibly receive.