Start Stupidly Small

How To Defeat Perfectionism, Embrace Progress

Sep 15, 2024

This issue is an experiment.

I felt a little uncomfortable sending it because it feels so different from what I would normally write.

But the funny, meta-noticing of it is that being able to do something uncomfortable, something that you have no idea if it’s going to be good, is the whole point of the issue.

I’m outside of my comfort zone. Maybe it's time for you to do get out of yours. 🤘

You've got ideas. Big ones.

But they're stuck in your head, aren't they?

And they're not stuck there because you're busy.

Let's call out the real culprits:

Fear of judgment: "What will people think?"
Fear of failure: "What if my idea is terrible?"
Fear of wasted effort: "What if it doesn't pan out?"

These fears are real, and they're powerful.

But they're also holding you back. Holding you back from shaping the future you want to create.

Let me share my secret weapon: I've mastered starting stupidly small.

It's not just a skill; it's a superpower.

It's how I've launched ideas, improved my writing, and brought projects to life despite those nagging fears.

Here's why it works:

When you start stupidly small, there's less to judge.
When the first step is tiny, "failure" is just a blip.
When you're moving fast and small, nothing feels wasted.

I don't sit on ideas. I don't overthink.

I just start small, stay small, and iterate fast based on feedback.

And now, I'm challenging you to do the same.

Here's how we're going to silence those fears and kickstart your future fluency:

Every day for the next week, you'll write ONE sentence. That's it. One stupidly small, future-focused sentence.
I'm giving you 20 prompts. Pick any 7.
Spend 2 minutes max on each sentence. This isn't about perfection; it's about training your brain to act fast and think big, starting small.

Ready to conquer your fears and level up your future fluency? Here are your 20 prompts:

The tiniest change I could make to my business today that might have big future impact is...
In 2030, the most valuable skill in my industry will be...
If AI could solve one small problem for me tomorrow, it would be...
The most underrated tech trend that could explode is...
My quick and dirty productivity hack for tomorrow is...
The smallest skill I could start learning today for future benefit is...
In a world without traditional offices, my team will thrive by...
The next mini-trend in my field that could become huge is...
To keep my business human in an AI world, the first thing I'd do is...
My biggest "what if" about the future of work is...
The most basic inefficiency in my business that needs addressing is...
In 5 years, the way I make decisions will be different because...
The simplest tech tool I wish I was already using is...
The smallest outdated belief about success I need to unlearn is...
The easiest valuable connection I could make right now is with...
The most annoying tiny task I'd love to automate is...
The smallest opportunity in the changing work landscape I could seize is...
To lead through chaos, the first small thing I'd change is...
The tiniest pivot that could future-proof my industry is...
In a world of constant change, I find stability in...

This challenge is free, but your commitment isn't.

Email me at startsmall@crca.fyi with the subject line "FEARLESS AND SMALL" to get started. I'll send you daily reminders and maybe even share some of the most impactful sentences (with permission, of course).

Remember, this isn't about crafting a masterpiece.

It's about silencing that inner critic, conquering your fears, and taking action.

It's about training yourself to spit out ideas fast and furious, then iterate based on feedback.

Don't just watch the future unfold. Shape it.

One stupidly small, fear-defying sentence at a time.

Are you ready to face your fears and embrace the power of starting stupidly small? Prove it. Email me now.

🚀 3-2-1 Lift Off!

People ask me for recommendations of things often. Usually it’s things I’m learning, tools or frameworks I’m using or ways I’m working.

As a result, this is the 3-2-1 model I was using when I first started writing:

3 Essential Reads
2 Practical Tools & Tips
1 AI Prompt (this one is new, but I think you’ll like it)

3 Essential Reads

How to stay calm without any hacks. I’ve really enjoyed Slow Escape’s newsletter.
Stop trying to find your Ikigai. Dave Kang has been writing about being a generalist. His work is great reading for anyone looking to embrace future fluency.
5 Secrets to Writing AI Prompts That Get Results was written by my team after lots of learning through prompting AI. It’s a great resource for getting started with learning how to prompt.

2 Practical Tools

Obsidian is one of my favorite tools, I use it for all of my personal knowledge management and task management.
Perplexity.ai has replaced Google as my search engine of choice.

1 AI Prompt

Take one of the prompts I gave you at the beginning of this issue and go to claude.ai

Paste this in (choosing the prompt you want to use) and let it guide you to a clear, well organized paragraph of what you’re thinking.

Here's a writing prompt I've been given:

Here's how we're going to silence those fears and kickstart your future fluency: 1. Every day for the next week, you'll write ONE sentence. That's it. One stupidly small, future-focused sentence. 2. I'm giving you 20 prompts. Pick any 7. Or use all 20 if you're feeling ambitious. 3. Spend 2 minutes max on each sentence. This isn't about perfection; it's about training your brain to act fast and think big, starting small.
The tiniest change I could make to my business today that might have big future impact is...
I'd like you to ask me a question one at a time that will help me answer this question. After 7 questions, I want you to take everything I wrote and turn it into a clear, well articulated idea.

This is a great way to use AI to help you start small. As I’ve said before, AI is a great collaborator for idea generation.

Remember, the future is not just something that happens to us, it's something we can actively shape.

By staying fluent in the skills and mindsets of tomorrow, we're better equipped to pull the future we want into the present.

[[Chase]]

P.S. Did anything stand out to you or is there anything you wish I went deeper on? If you found value in what I wrote, could you let me know and send me an email to futurefluent@crca.fyi? It gives me a little boost and lets me know if i’m on the right track.