I’m Ryan. I work to produce value for myself and others. In my view you cannot separate yourself from others when talking about producing value. The commonly held view of profit as some gaining at the expense of others is one of the great misconceptions of our time. This is because the only way to truly profit for yourself is to find a way to allow others to profit simultaneously. The world of voluntary exchange is not a zero sum game, but of win-win, of mutual benefit. I work for the pride of having produced something useful for someone else and the pride of being able to live the life I want to live.
This is why I do Praxis. This program teaches you how to value yourself, think like an entrepreneur, and create value for others. It doesn’t lecture or take the superior position of teacher, but works with you, allows you to teach yourself, and puts you in the position to get real world experience and figure out what really makes you come alive. I believe that the philosophy of Praxis, coupled with the inspiration of all my fellow Praxians, along with my work ethic and vision of being a productive value producer will give me the confidence to take on the world and achieve all my goals and more.
There is nothing we do not do for selfish reasons. And this is a good thing. You create a business that solves a particular problem because you seek pride in having created something, good feelings that come from producing value for others, and the doors that will be opened by the money you get out of it. You sacrifice for your kids because it makes you feel good, you give to charity because it makes you feel good, you volunteer because it makes you feel good.
If you are skeptical then think about it this way; if you don’t get pride, a sense of fulfilled duty, status, or happiness from something you are doing, why are you doing it? This is critical to understand if you are going to successfully create value for other people. To understand that at the end of the day most people are rationally selfish beings, and everyone is in it for themselves at some base level is to better understand what people need and want and how to produce it for them. Don’t ask for favors, don’t ask for sympathy, and don’t rely on credentials over ability. This is how you break the mold.
This is the mindset I constantly try to train myself to have. This is how I selfishly motivate myself to always be better. I write every day to try and provide people with useful information and tips so as to further develop my brand and to show any potential employer that I can think critically and communicate effectively. I read constantly to try and learn from the knowledge of great thinkers and businessmen so I can emulate their success and make myself a more valuable human. I’m teaching myself web design, marketing techniques, and better people skills all so I can better produce value for others and, in turn, for myself.
On top of trying to establish the basis for building my personal brand, right now I am working on a content marketing campaign for my soon to be employer. This entails designing a website and creating blog content. I’m doing this independently and of my own initiative. This project is designed to help me get to know my company on a deeper level and to show them that I can produce value on (before) day one and without any direction or guidance. It will show them I can produce value for them, their customers, and myself. This is my first true shot at breaking the mold and I couldn’t be more excited about it.
My biggest challenge is staying motivated and staying confident that my ideas are valuable. During bad or slow days I stay motivated and productive by writing. Writing out an idea in its entirety, creating a finished product, instantly motivates me to do more that day. I feel accomplished and that feeling pushes me to seek further accomplishment. I cannot stress the value of writing enough and what it has done for me in terms of staying focused and productive.
Create value for yourself. Start with what makes you happy and don’t do things that make you unhappy. That is the only way to truly create value for other people and to become successful in life. To end I will leave you with some of the best words of advice I ever got: just do things (I wrote a blog post about this here). Don’t let thoughts of inferiority sneak into your mind. When you have an idea, develop it, trust yourself. You are important and your ideas are valuable. Have that mindset and your life will be one of happiness and of continuously breaking the mold.