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You've been lied to about work.
You've been told you have to force yourself to do things you don't want to do—even when you're your own boss.
Even the most modern entrepreneurs will tell you that's necessary—at least sometimes.
They don't know that there's an entirely better way to live, serve, and profit: a way that eradicates inner tension.
"Discipline" is popular among people concerned with productivity. It sounds kind of sexy, and it enables them to flex: "look at how often I get up early, go to the gym, eat lean meats, spend 12 hours a day on my business, read books and go to bed on time."
Allow me to shatter the illusion in a single sentence:
That person is doing that stuff because they want to.
In fact, the only reason anyone ever does anything is that they want to.
Let's imagine a common "inner conflict": you're sprawled out on the sofa following breakfast on Sunday. It's raining. Your comfy gym shorts are in the wash. You're tired. You deserve a rest, but you promised yourself you'd work out today so you could skip yesterday. You spend an hour going back and forth mentally, looping on your arguments for and against, trying to find some way to break the stalemate.
Finally, you decide, "I have to force myself. I don't feel like going, but I have to go anyway—these are the moments losers quit, and I'm not a loser." You get up, put on your sh!tty, uncomfortable gym shorts and go.
But here's the thing: you may have had a mental dialogue that sounded like forcing yourself to do something you didn't want to do—but that's all it was: a mental dialogue. In the end, if you got up and went to the gym that means you wanted to go to the gym. You weighed your options, made your arguments and, ultimately, your desire to not feel like a loser won over your desire to stay on the sofa.
You are not two people. There's not one of you who wants to veg out and one of you who wants to work out. There's just a bunch of mental noise, followed by action.
But how does this help you to never work again?
The Enlightened Way to Get Sh!t Done
In 2017, I had a conversation with my monk teacher that I'll never forget.
"If the Buddha was totally satisfied," I asked, "perfectly happy and contented—then why did he walk thousands of miles across India giving all those teachings? He was good as he was, right? What was his motivation? Why didn't he just chill out?"
"Danny," my teacher called me affectionately, "there are other reasons to do stuff than 'because you feel bad and you want to stop feeling bad!'" He smiled. I frowned. "The Buddha gave those teachings all over India because he saw that it was a good thing to do; because he saw that it was wise, kind, compassionate."
This was a total "does not compute" moment for me. I couldn't conceive of the possibility of doing something like that just because I saw that it was a good thing to do. Because the only motivation I'd ever had for doing things was trying to escape bad feelings.
For 2 whole years following that conversation I examined my motivations for everything. I saw more and more clearly when I was being driven by shame, guilt, fear or anxiety. I practised mindfulness in every moment I could and, eventually, I learned to stop generating those bad feelings. But then came another challenge…
"How the f¥ck do I get anything done now?!"
That was a question I struggled with for a further 2 years.
But I kept practising and, eventually, I relaxed enough that the Buddha's compassion was allowed to shine in me, too.
These days, if my motivation for doing stuff was to get away from bad feelings then I really wouldn't get anything done—because there aren't any bad feelings around. The good news is that I've been able to:
- Find my ideal wife
- Start a one-person business
- Earn over $100K through that business
- Take total control of my time and energy
- Guide thousands of other people on their own journey through awakening, business or both
I wake up each morning thinking "how can I help people today?"
I get up between 4 and 6 (even in November when it's pitch black outside) and go straight to my desk.
I write posts like this that help people for free.
I create products and services that help people who want to go deeper for a fee.
All driven by compassion—the naturally arising wish to do good.
And you can do this too—easily.
How to Replace Your Income As Fast As Possible
Step 1: Summarize Yourself
Start a fresh journal entry and answer these prompts in as much detail as you can:
- What is your story? What challenges have you overcome? What victories have you won?
- What do you love?
- What do you hate?
Step 2: Pick One Problem You Can Solve
From that journal entry, circle ONE problem you solved for yourself that you'd like to help other people with.
Don't pay attention to impostor syndrome right now—just assume you can make it work.
Pick a problem people are already paying for help with elsewhere. (If you're unsure on this, ask ChatGPT.)
Step 3: Optimize Your Profile
Now create or adjust your profile on X to reflect that one problem you're going to help people solve.
Start with a bio that mentions a) the problem, b) some social proof (doesn't have to be related—can just be your degree or current job position) and c) what you're working on right now (e.g. systems to help solve the problem).
Next, go to canva.com and create a banner featuring a minimalist visualization of the transformation you're offering people. (Check mine for an example.)
Finally, make sure your profile picture matches the vibe. If you're helping people with fitness, show off your physique; if you're helping people with finances, consider a suit.
Make sure all of this looks professional. Compare your profile with those belonging to larger creators. You can't yet match their follower count, but you can match their aesthetic standard.
Step 4: Write Your Pinned Thread
Write your own version of this thread of mine.
Stick to the format like glue. I give you full permission to rip me off. Just remove the stuff that's specific to me and replace it with stuff that's specific to you.
Step 5: Talk to People
Find other creators on X who you vibe with.
Comment on their posts.
Once you have some rapport going, DM them.
Don't "network", just make friends.
Once you've established a relationship, see if they're up for a win/win arrangement in which you share each others' posts regularly.
Step 6: Publish Daily
Write 3 short posts each day about your chosen problem.
If you need inspiration, download twemex and use it to find your favourite creator's best posts.
Like you did with my thread, remove what's specific to them/their topic and replace it with what's specific to you/your topic. Keep the format (because we know it works).
When you publish your posts, send links to your friends and ask for theirs back to help each other get your work seen.
Step 7: Offer Help
Keep an eye out for people in yours or other people's comments who are asking questions or otherwise demonstrating that they might need help with your chosen problem.
Copy the URL of their comment, paste it in a DM to them, and start a conversation.
Don't think of this as "sales". Think of it as asking a series of exploratory questions that help you and your new friend discover—collaboratively—whether you're in a position to help them.
Step 8: Prove Your Worth
Once you find someone who needs help, help them for free.
Tell them up front that this is a new adventure for you, and that the process may be messy while you find your feet. They'll be more than happy to give you feedback and help you to help them.
Repeat for two more people.
Once you've got them the result, ask if they'll record a video testimonial for you so you can demonstrate to other people that there is a solution here for your chosen problem.
Step 9: Start Charging
Once you're getting a result people want, you're worth a fee. This is just fact. If impostor syndrome is still around at this point, just think back to when you still had the problem yourself and ask:
"If I'd had enough cash and someone had demonstrated that they could solve the problem for me, would I have bought?"
I spent over $20,000 dollars fixing my chronic back pain. I couldn't even afford it at the time (I did a payment plan), but it was one of the best decisions I ever made.
If you're still not confident, you can always offer a money-back guarantee.
And if you're unsure what to charge, ChatGPT is your friend.
A very fair starting point is $1000 for a package of 4 calls (though I don't recommend selling your time—it's much better to sell a result). How many $1000 clients would you need to sign to replace your current income? And if you spent your days helping people solve a problem you used to have, would it really feel like working? Or would it just feel like an act of compassion? The time I spend writing, "selling" and coaching is just as rewarding as playing video games with my wife, learning handpan, or eating from the banging sushi restaurant that just opened down the road.
There's a Lot More to All of This
The 9 steps above give you the basic shape of what you have to do, but don't worry if it looks overwhelming.
The students I work with only just manage to stay on the right side of overwhelm—even with my help.
If you'd like some of that help, it's available.
From the 9th of December myself, Brian Maierhofer and Kimia Nora will be guiding a small group of people through the process I outlined above.
They'll receive:
- Intensive one-to-one coaching to make your creator business profitable as fast as possible
- An unreleased, cutting-edge course on how to write threads that go viral every time
- Live trainings and written curriculum material on content, sales, coaching and monetization
- Pre-built and tested Notion systems to guide you through the practical steps of everything we cover
- Access to done-for-you ghostwriting, virtual assistant and content promotion services
- Text support Mon-Fri
- Lifetime access to a community of other committed creators
We're providing one place where you can get everything you need to launch or develop your creator business and be ready to serve your first clients in 60 days or less.
To see if you're a fit for the program, fill out this questionnaire and you'll hear back from us soon. (There are 17 places left as of this post, but applications are coming in fast.)
With love from my desk,
dg💙
P.S. I bashed out this post in just 90 minutes. That's just one example of the power of the principles and systems you'll learn inside the program. These posts regularly earn me $2-3,000 each. If you'd told me that'd be possible for me 2 years ago I'd have laughed in your face.
I did my first $10K month on X selling training in mindfulness—the benefits of which are totally intangible and thus very hard to sell. If I did that, you can do whatever it i
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