I believe the key to working on your own successfully is all about your ability to sustain your motivation through the ups and downs of your journey. As you listen to Matt Rudnitsky, he will inspire you to follow your curiosity to fuel your motivation!
His curiosity helped him explore writing as a career path, inspired him to work for himself and is now encouraging him to restructure how his business earns revenue.
He’s the founder and Word Shaman at Platypus Publishing. He helps experts turn their specialized knowledge into books.
He’s also written a couple of books of his own including Smart Sports Betting, the first book he ever published. He made $14,000 with zero marketing!
Lot of great lessons in our conversation including:
- How his sports obsession sparked his passion for writing.
- Why it took him almost 10 years of writing professionally to feel like a writer.
- The value of learning about your heroes at the start of their journey not looking so heroic.
- He shares how much money he’s made at various points throughout his journey as a writer.
Life Skills That Matter In This Episode
- Align your habits
- Reframe your mindset
- Build your community
- Self-direct your learning
- Follow your curiosity
How Matt Works and Thinks
- Wake up time: 7:00 – 8:00 am
- Core work activities + habits: 1) Write regularly. 2) Publish regularly. 3) Reach out to people regularly.
- Ideal work environment: In the back corner a coffee shop where no one can see his screen.
- Book recommendation: Impro by Keith Johnstone
- Regains focus by: Publishing something and getting even just a tiny piece of feedback as a nudge forward.
- 90-day goal: To enroll 50 students in his online course.
Inspirational Quotes
“Writing is such a self-discovery process, it never fails to amaze me.”
“Don’t worry what you’re obsessed with, but if you’re obsessed with something, get to the absolute bottom of this.”
“People just need to see their heroes not looking so heroic.”
Coaching Advice
Even if you don’t necessarily think of yourself as a writer or you think it’s not a skill you need to focus on, Matt gave these reasons for why you might want to up your writing game a bit:
1) The better you become at writing, the better people will understand you because you’re communicating better.
2) Being able to clearly express your thoughts and feelings is the most valuable skill in the world and will help others empathize with you.
Resources + Bonus Materials
Ira Glass quote on the taste gap
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmond Morris
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
Special Offer
Get a free copy of Matt’s book You Are An Author.