*Typing*

You develop skill in your vocation by doing something that has already been done. You achieve originality in your vocation by doing something that has never been done. Start old. Finish new.

You should approach your pricing like an Omakase Sushi Chef. Do extraordinary work and then charge accordingly. When somebody complains that a 20-course Omakase meal is too expensive, the chef doesn’t grovel for the person’s business. He doesn’t offer free trials. He doesn’t discount his prices. Why? Because the price is the price. If the person doesn’t respect the price, the Chef politely shows them the door. Those interested in doing business with you will see the value in your work and pay accordingly. Be polite. Have patience. Stand strong.

Today you should be thinking about Elon Musk.

Not because you like him (nor want to be like him) but because he understands focused resolution better than anyone else. What makes Musk such a successful operator is that he is less an operator and more a bulldozer. At each of his enterprises, Musk pinpoints the dams, jams and bottlenecks that are hindering his growth. He then proceeds to focus all of his time, energy and resources on clearing them.

Once the problem has been resolved, he whips his bulldozer around and wheels on to the next biggest problem. And so on. Consider this approach as you attempt to change you life in this new year. You will likely start today with good intentions. Eat less sugar. Drink more water. Watch less Netflix. Read more books. Frequent less bars. Run more miles. And so on.

Unfortunately, if you are like the vast majority of people, your good intentions will dissipate like smoke in the air before the end of the year. 23% of folks abandon their New Year’s Resolution by the end of the first week. 43% of folks abandon it by the end of the first month. 91% of folks abandon it by the end of the year.

You abandon your New Year’s Resolution when the problem isn’t well defined. So work backwards. What is the biggest hairiest problem you are up against in your life, today? What is a problem that is so formidable that if you were to knock its head off, you’d mount it on your bedroom wall? Once you’ve defined this problem, fire up the bulldozer and work on clearing the SOB with reckless obsession.

Don’t attempt to simply solve the problem. Instead, overwhelm the problem until it no longer exists.

There are aspects of yourself you will never be able to change with no amount of therapy, courses, self-help books, silent retreats and mindfulness practices. You can spend your life trying to hide, fix or ignore your imperfections. Or, you can see them as something more…

Somebody who is tenacious isn’t always cautious. Somebody who is courageous isn’t always considerate. Somebody who is creative isn’t always collected. Somebody who is prolific isn’t always profound. Somebody who is loyal isn’t always rational. Somebody who is ambitious isn’t always available.

Your imperfections are the cost of your strengths. They’re the price you pay for being who you are.

If you can't be original, be better than the original.