Jordan Peterson, No Plan B & Niches

Hi friend,

When Jordan Peterson first entered the job market, he was actively discouraged by his graduate supervisor from talking about Carl Jung during interviews (Jung’s psychology was supposedly taboo at the time).

However, Jordan - in typical Jordan fashion - did not listen to this advice and decided to talk about whatever interested him. Jung included.

So, what happened?

Well, as expected, some schools didn’t like this.

But some did.

And Harvard was one of those schools.

Jordan explains, “That’s one of the advantages of being true to your own vision, you won’t get what you don’t want”

You won’t get what you don’t want.

So fucking good.

Near the end of last year I wrote down 3 words that I would like to be described by and one of them was “authentic”.

I’ve always struggled to be authentic. Or at least that’s how it feels. I think it’s because I care too much about what people think of me. For the longest time I would put on a mask and pretend to be a character of myself. I would gladly sacrifice authenticity to fit in. I still do.

But the issue with acting in a way that isn’t true to who you are, is that you attract things that aren’t true to who you are.

The relationships you develop, the opportunities that present themselves, the paths you find yourself on.

They’re what your persona wants, but not what you want.

And as a result, you build a life you don’t want to live just to avoid the discomfort of not fitting in. Ouch.

Here’s the issue.

When you act to fit in, you have internal conflict because you’re not being 100% you. But when you’re 100% true to yourself, you have external conflict because many see you as “different”.

And that’s why it’s so important to be true to yourself.

Because if there’s discomfort regardless of who you are, what’s the point in being anyone but you?

Not only do you attract things that you actually want. But more importantly, you don’t get what you don’t want.

Tried to initiate a deep conversation with someone and got brushed off? You probably crave more meaningful connections than they do.

Spoke truthfully about an opinion at a job interview and didn’t hear back? You probably wouldn’t have hated the company culture anyways.

Told a dark joke on a first date and got ghosted? They’re probably not much fun to be around.

Every time you feel discomfort for being true to yourself, you are one step closer to getting what you actually want in life.

So, be your true self, even especially when it’s uncomfortable.

THE BEST YOUTUBE VIDEO I’VE EVER SEEN

Yup. Officially my favourite YouTube video, ever.

Ali is one of the best YouTubers/filmmakers/storytellers that I’ve ever watched.

He also happens to only have 4K subscribers…

He should have millions, not thousands. YouTube makes no fucking sense sometimes.

I watch a lot of YouTube and very rarely does a video genuinely make me feel something. But this is one of those very rare videos.

As I try to carve my own path on YouTube, I can’t help but look around and notice the success of channels that have niched down further than I have.

But that’s never interested me. And I’ve never been able to articulate why that’s the case.

But Ali just did for me.

If you’re a creative - of any sort - please give it a watch. You may just feel the same way.

A GREAT SONG

Bells of War by Wu-Tang Clan (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music)

There’s just something about a 90’s rap beat. So good.

QUOTE

Vivek Ramaswamy when asked if he would consider a vice president position if he didn’t get elected president in 2024:

WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO

I wrote a letter to my future self, and you should too. Find out why in my most recent video.

Louis and I went over 10 specific podcast episodes that we think everyone needs to listen to. Check it out. It was a fun one.

Until next time, try not to take life too seriously.

Talk soon,

Devin