Hello everyone,
This time I’m not checking in from L.A., New York, or Leipzig, but from Hawaii. I’m taking my first real vacation in a long time. I’ll tell you what there is to see here next week.
Before heading to paradise, I spontaneously went to an event that really blew me away: Chris Williamson live. I only knew him from a Modern Wisdom podcast episode where he interviewed Alex Hormozi. It was about a killer theme: 24 Controversial Truths.
One of those truths goes like this: People support you most when you need it least — at the beginning and at the end. When you launch something new — say a fashion brand — the support is huge: fresh idea, fresh energy, everyone’s hyped. And at the end, when the project is launched or wrapped, they pat you on the back. Nice. But not helpful. Because the hard, exhausting part is in between. Doubt, setbacks, a thousand small decisions no one sees. That’s where it’s decided whether you stick with it. And that’s exactly when you need support. But that’s also when you often don’t get it — and have to push through yourself.
Even though I love the podcast, I honestly didn’t feel like going to the event. I’d just had a tough flight lesson and wanted a quiet evening. But my buddy Kelby Kupersmith had tickets and couldn’t make it himself. So I went. And I don’t regret it. The evening started with a short warm-up set from a country musician before Chris took the stage and told his story.
He’s from England and spent years as a club promoter organizing events around Manchester. In 2015 he was on the reality TV show Love Island, which got him some recognition. Then in 2018 he started the Modern Wisdom podcast. At first he had to fight to be taken seriously and not just be “the guy from Love Island.” But he quickly brought on great guests — like Alex Hormozi — that gave the podcast huge value. The show itself was a bit like a best-of from his podcast: how to get better and level up. And I want to share one of those learnings with you. Chris calls it the “Lonely Chapter.”
Imagine you’re a spaceship. You lift off with others, but your engine is just a bit faster, so you drift further from your group. Along the way, you keep finding other ships to fly with for a stretch — until you have to continue on your own again. And every time you fly on alone, you leave your comfort zone and you’re on your own for a while. The ultimate skill is finding people who have the same speed as you. The same vibe, the same mentality. People you can grow with.
That’s what it was like when I moved to the U.S. back then. I had no idea how exactly it would play out or if it would work at all. After several tries and a lot of networking, I’m now rolling with a team that matches my spirit. People who are simply hungry to achieve something.
I thought Chris’s show was truly awesome. And it reminded me how worth it it is to go to an event alone without a big plan. Even when you really don’t feel like it.
That’s it for this week. See you next Friday ✌️!
Benjamin
