So this was one of the first times that I actually listened to a full episode of Dan Koe’s podcast. I have been aware of him for a while, but I have just never really resonated with his topics. To be honest, I am not sure what “grabbed” me about this particular episode. I think that it was actually the title. For the past month, I have been working on the big rocks related to a shift in my own life, and how I can use the experiences that I have lived to help others grow in their own lives. Because of this personal work, I have been diving into the oceans around the “Creator Economy” and what that all means.
Koe starts off this episode by talking about some of the great influential thinkers of the past and how he thinks that they would gravitate strongly to the mediums provided through Social Media. I found this to be an intriguing concept, and the idea of these monumental thought leaders embracing and sharing their views on Twitter was somewhat jarring.
He then shared a quote from Justin Scott, "The further removed an influential figure is from their time in history, the more mythical they become. People stop perceiving them as a person and begin to see them as something more – as the arbiter of certain ideas, concepts, and philosophies. They no longer live in the mind as someone who lived, but as an archetypal concept that feels as if they always were.”
This was then followed up by Koe’s own view that today’s creators will eventually be seen the same as these monumental thought-leaders from our past. The difference though will be that today we have platforms that will eliminate saturation and invisibility. Each individual can speak and share from their own lived experience and will arrant students and audiences that resonate with the same. The result is that multiple people can speak on the same topic, yet attract followings that are distinct and unique.
My key takeaway from this was that to be a thought leader, you need to be both a Consumer AND a Producer. You need to be both because, as Koe said “Ideas grow through iteration. If you don’t write thoughts down and share them, you will not be able to iterate.” Social media platforms allow Creators to iterate in public, and to constantly interact and respond to their audience. Koe says, and I agree fully, that we are currently in the second renaissance, and that we will see new thought leaders emerging left and right.
So how do you do this? How can you create that path? Koe says to dance between your desired future (vision) and your despised future (anti-vision), and he then details several steps that will help you to build your legacy in this new digital world.
You need to Identify What You Need To Do: specifically, the idea breaks down to this - as you experience life, you need to
Be conscious and Observant of those who are around you.
Take mental notes of the lives that you do NOT want to live.
Study the habits, patterns, and ideas of those you find successful.
Continually add “brush-strokes” to the vision you have of your own ideal future.
Solidify the path to actualize your dream: basically MAKE A PLAN! Visions remain dreams because individuals fail to create actionable goals. Make a plan and then work the plan. If you need additional skills, then work that into the plan and make the time to gain them - endless information is available online these days.
A Habit Forming Heuristic —— this was probably one of the most valuable sections for me personally. This is a question to ask yourself, and a way to ensure that you are continually making progress on your goals. Koe says to question everything that you do, and the reason is this, If you don’t know WHY you are doing a thing, then WHY ARE YOU DOING IT? For me this was a true light bulb moment — this idea of intentionality. Any task or activity can have value, but too often I fall into the trap of “vegging out on Netflix” or “doom-scrolling through social media” or any other task that I do simply because I have no conscious intention behind it. For me, and my ADD “squirrel-brain”, this is a way for me to keep myself focused on the longer-term goals that are not directly in front of me, while also allowing myself the freedom to experience life as it occurs around me. I have his quote, “There are no wrong actions, only actions without intention” taped to my workspace now.
Ultimately the remainder of the episode focuses on the perspective that you can bring to your audience as a creator, and how engaging with your audience will bring you success in newly any endeavor that you choose to pursue. The underlying message is one of value — if you bring value to your audience, you will develop trust. If you have their trust, then you will be able to develop any number of products that your audience finds valuable. Essentially, the more your ideas spread, and the more resonance that you develop, then the more trust will grow, and eventually the more that success will come to you.
Podcast version:
Written Version:
https://thedankoe.com/letters/generalists-are-taking-over-the-world-in-the-digital-golden-ages/
Published on May 28, 2023