Wa’il Ashshowwaf has lots of advice on how to get unstuck in your career. He’s learned that working even harder is not always the best method for getting yourself unstuck.
He is a serial entrepreneur and advisor to several startups. He’s the founder of Stuck in the Sand, a company dedicated to giving startups the tools they need to take action.
He’s also the co-founder of Reyets, an app that helps people understand their civil rights on demand when they have an encounter with law enforcement. You can get access to the beta version of the app by email Wa’il at wail@reyets.com.
Lot of great lessons in our conversation including:
- Instead of resisting uncomfortable situations, why Wa’il embraces them.
- The two types of failure, one good and one bad.
- The most common forms of getting stuck for first-time entrepreneurs and how to get unstuck.
- His approach for building apps from the ground up, including advice on hiring developers.
Life Skills That Matter In This Episode
- Embrace discomfort
- Self-direct your learning
- Build your community
- Reframe your mindset
How Wa’il Works and Thinks
- Wake up time: 8:00 am
- Core work activities + habits: 1) Always be moving forward. 2) Reassessing what they accomplished previously and what they’re doing next. 3) Having a vision of where they want to be and where they’re going.
- Ideal work environment: At night either at his desk or in his home office.
- Definition of success: If he’s content and enjoying life.
- Book recommendation: Startup Mixology by Frank Gruber and The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
- Favorite productivity tool: Todoist and Airmail
Inspirational Quotes
“I help startups build and create to get launched, I build and create my own startups, and I try to have fun doing it.”
“If you don’t enjoy what you are doing, you won’t do it very well.”
“Every time I’m uncomfortable, it’s probably because I’m learning something new.”
“I don’t care if you have the best idea in the world. A great plan doesn’t mean anything. I’d rather have a C plan and great execution.”
Coaching Advice
If you have an idea that you’ve been sitting on, Wa’il advises these actions to get going on it:
1) Write down your idea on paper, no more than 2 or 3 paragraphs.
2) Share your idea with someone and get their feedback on it.
Resources + Bonus Materials
Special Offer
Related Episodes
Design Your Lifestyle Around Your Work With Craig Chavis (164)