A few “good” reasons to pick me.
Hey Corbett, Caleb & Chase,
No matter who you choose to mentor. I owe all three of you a thank you for the help you’ve already given me, through our conversations, through your content and through your willingness to lead by example. Seriously, thank you.
Wow, I was reading through the applications on the mentorship post, and I’m blown away by what people are doing. You’ve built one of the smartest and most driven audiences around, which is a reflection on you guys. (So handsome.)
I do not envy you the task of choosing just one person to mentor; you’ve received applications from many deserving people. I have an idea about how to deal with this “problem” that will benefit all who applied: just pick me. 🙂
Wait, what? How does mentoring me help other people?
Reason #1: Helping me helps others.
Because the thing I’m building exists to help others. With your help, I can make it even better, even more helpful, and I can do it faster.
I’ve come to believe the Monthly Experiments Project is something really special. Despite being in its infancy, this project is already changing lives.
To be honest, I didn’t originally start this project with the idea that it could become a big thing that helped other people. I started it because there were some changes I wanted to make in my own life. I came up with a plan on how to make those changes (with monthly experiments), and decided to write about the process. Sure, I knew there was a greater potential, but I had zero expectations. I started the project as an experiment.
A weird thing started to happen. The experiments I was doing had a huge impact on my life. In 2012 alone, I stopped being a workaholic, and doubled my business revenue (while working half as much).
I created a habit of writing every day. More importantly, I inspired other people to do the same (and their results blew me away).
I did a few other neat monthly experiments in 2012: I did a 1 month juice fast, tried a 4-day workweek, lived without my car for a month (now I’m selling it), I got rid of many of my extra possessions, and I started to practice mindfulness.
Each one of those things was a monthly experiment. I made one small change, for one month, and that’s it. Sometimes it went well and I created a helpful new habit, sometimes not. I wrote about the good and the bad so that I could be helpful to others. Overall, 2012 was one of the best years of my life, filled with amazing growth and new experiences.
My message is simple: If there is something in your life that you’re not totally happy with, you can change it. Start with an experiment for one month. A month is easy.
Reason #2: Accidental Thought-Leadership
When I did the mindfulness experiment, I had dozens of other people commit to joining me with their own mindfulness practice. I’m not a mindfulness guru, but it didn’t matter. Just because I was willing to say “I’m doing this thing, you should join me.” other people made positive changes in their own lives. People don’t need another guru, and I certainly don’t want to become one (yuck!). But plenty of people could use an honest guy saying “I have almost no idea what I’m doing, but I’m going to try this thing for a month and see what happens. You in?” So far, people have said “yes!”
This is when I started to see the true power of the project. The Monthly Experiments Project isn’t about me. It’s not the “let’s watch John get more awesome” project. It’s about helping other people. I’m not an expert at any of the stuff I experiment with, but I’m expert enough to give it a shot. By the end of each experiment, I’m probably expert enough to write a post for Expert Enough. (Hmmm… lots of “expert enough”s in there–that’s probably a good sign.)
What’s the point? This project has an impact on people. So, if your mentorship helps me reach more people, we’ll have a bigger positive impact than I could have on my own.
Reason #3: I Don’t “Need” Your Help, And That’s Why You Should Help Me
Wait, what? I don’t “need” your help, and that’s why you should help me.
I’ve advised hundreds of other entrepreneurs over the years, and I never once helped someone who “needed” me. Was I helpful? Hell yes! Was I necessary? No. That’s really important.
This is why you should mentor me: I know that my success is up to me. I won’t expect you to make it happen for me. I know I have to do the hard work. I have to create Insanely Useful content that helps other people on a huge scale. That doesn’t scare me, it excites me. I’m going to do it no matter what, but you can help me do it better.
I know my place is in the driver’s seat. I LOVE the driver’s seat. I was born to drive. That doesn’t mean I can’t use your help. In fact, it means your help will go even further. I want you to be my co-pilots, my navigators. You’re further down the road than I am. You know the route because your map is more refined than mine is. That means I’ll listen when you suggest a detour.
I don’t shy away from hard work. In fact, I love doing hard things. I literally climb enormous mountains for fun. I’ve built a successful company already, and I’m going to build Monthly Experiments into something HUGE. You should probably get in on that. 🙂
Reason #4: I’d Make a Nice Poster Child
When I do something, I share it. This is good for Think Traffic. I’m going to build something huge, and be transparent about how I did it. That means I’ll make a good case study. You’ll someday be proud to say, “Yeah, I knew John Muldoon before he won the Nobel prize was an A-list blogger. He was one of my students.”
In all seriousness, because you can’t mentor everyone, you may as well mentor someone who will freely share what they learned. That way, you’d be helping me help others. I’ll be sharing your wisdom with other people. I will be a multiplier on the value you bring to the table.
I also have a history with the Think Traffic brand. I’m honored to have written one of the highly-rated lessons in Traffic School, and to have been the second person ever to join Fizzle. I love connecting with other Fizzlers, and being a helpful member of the community you’ve built. Our mutual success is already intertwined; we may as well make it official. 😉
Did I mention that my next monthly experiment is to go through the Start a Blog That Matters course? I fully intend to crush it and share what I’ve learned with others.
Those are the reasons you should choose me. Here are the reasons I want you as my mentors:
- Relationships. You know the right people. I’d like to be one of those right people. Have your people call my people. Or something.
- Design help. My current design is
a piece ofok, but it’s nowhere near what it could be. I have a really neat design concept in mind, but this is a weak point for me. Chase is my favorite design thinker. Your help in this area will pay dividends. - Objectivity. I have a specific vision for this project. It’s a big vision. I guarantee that it can be made better with your help. I’ve got blind spots. You have a flashlight.
Final thought: I was recently at a private event with Tim Ferriss. He was talking about how he applied the “4-Hour” principles to different things (work, health, learning) to create different books, and it hit me that Monthly Experiments has the same sort of flexibility. It’s a model that can be applied to almost anything. Someday, you’re going to walk into a bookstore and see Monthly Experiments in Health, Monthly Experiments in Business, Monthly Experiments in Relationships, and many many more. With your help, that day won’t be far off.