Enjoy this 338-word “Micro-Interview” with marketer, Josue Valles.
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Thanks, Josue.
Let’s get started:
1) "Do you have a work routine?”
My only "non-negotiable" is 3 hours of deep, focused work from 7:00 am to 10:00 am.
That uninterrupted morning block is sacred.
2) "What do you wish you'd known about your work when you first started?”
Ideas weigh.
Your job is not to be creative, clever, or win awards. No. Your job is to find proven ideas.
Creativity won't overcome a weak idea but...
..in many cases, a strong idea will succeed despite a lack of creativity.
In other words, find the right idea, and you're 90% there.
3) “What did your biggest professional failure teach you?”
You play at the level of your lower standards. To be better at anything, you must increase the threshold of what you deem acceptable. The "secret to success" is making "great" your default.
4) “Has anything helped you shorten your craft's learning curve?”
Yes, I reverse-engineer the learning process of those who I admire.
Instead of reading general information about a given topic, I look for the best person in that field and try to find the 20% of information that has given them 80% of their results.
What books do they read? What programs have they enrolled in? What practice routines do they adhere to?
If you want to learn to play the piano, look for people playing the damn piano and learn from them.
5) “Do you have a book recommendation?”
Mastery by Robert Greene.
I fell in love with that book.
My favorite quote:
"In order to master a field, you must love the subject and feel a profound connection to it. Your interest must transcend the field itself and border on the religious.”
The world needs more people who love what they do.
6) “Any parting piece of advice?”
Fall in love with the process, and detach yourself from the results.
The right inputs will always lead to the right outputs.
So, focus on the inputs — the habits, systems, and rituals.
Don't worry about whether you'll achieve your goal tomorrow, next week, or next year.
Instead, ask yourself, "What can I do today to make progress?"
