A while ago, I came across this concept of “invisible work” — the work that often goes unnoticed.

In the corner of the San Antonio Spurs locker room, there’s a quote from Jacob Riis:

That’s what this week’s deep dive is about… the work that leads to the win.

Grow Your Audience Effortlessly

One of my favorite online writers right now is Claudia Stellner (Last time I checked — she’s grown to 26,000 followers on Twitter).

But get this: she’s only 14!?!

Anyway, Claudia packaged her unique knowledge into a full creator blueprint on how to become the person that attracts high-quality followers (and dollars).

Now on to today’s deep dive 🤝

Winners Act Like Winners Before They Are Winners

Legendary football coach Bill Walsh was hired as the San Francisco 49ers’ head coach in 1979. When he took over, the 49ers had won just 31 of their last 86 games and were the worst team in the league with a 2-14 record.

Two years later, they were the best team in football, winning the SuperBowl, and becoming a dynasty, winning 4 titles over the next 10 years.

In his later book ‘The Score Takes Care of Itself’, Bill wrote, “The culture precedes positive results. It doesn’t get tacked on as an afterthought on your way to the victory stand. Champions behave like champions before they’re champions; they have a winning standard of performance before they are winners.”

Are you building championship-level habits?

Success Is A Lagging Indicator

On December 28, 2022, multiple best-selling author Ryan Holiday wrote an article titled ‘All Success Is A Lagging Indicator”. In it he wrote, “Writing is a byproduct of hours and hours of reading, researching, thinking, making my notecards. When a day’s writing goes well, it’s got little to do with that day at all. It’s actually a lagging indicator of hours and hours spent researching and thinking. Every passage and page has a prologue titled ‘Preparation’.”

That couldn’t ring truer. Whenever I sit down at my computer and struggle to articulate my thoughts — I find it’s because I haven’t done enough work ahead of time. As Sebastian Junger wrote, “If you have writer’s block, you don’t have enough ammunition.”

However, I’ve found this to be true for more than just writing. The most eloquent public speakers in the world have spent hours rewatching themselves speak and dissecting what they could’ve done better, the fittest people in the world have put in thousands of reps in the gym, and the most charismatic and confident people have put in more effort into developing themselves.

On that note…

Confidence Comes From Evidence

My brother was reading Atomic Habits the other day. It was laying on the table and I couldn’t help but peek in to read a bit. One passage stood out to me:

You can’t trick yourself into being confident if you’re not worthy of being confident. Being confident, just like creativity, is a lagging indicator of the previous work you’ve put in.

Instead of trying to “hack” your way to confidence…

Build Your Confidence Portfolio

Alex Hormozi, founder of Acquisition.com, wrote, “You don’t become confident by shouting affirmations in the mirror, but by having a stack of undeniable proof that you are who you say you are. Outwork your self-doubt.”

Here’s a useful exercise: every time you do something that aligns with the person you want to become… write it down on your phone somewhere.

Title it: “My Confidence Portfolio”, and keep a running list of every positive action you take.

• I volunteered at the animal shelter
• I drank water instead of soda today
• I engaged in small talk with the barista

Eventually, you’ll have a portfolio of proof that you are who you say you are.

Every Action Is A Vote

Another passage from Atomic Habits:

Habits compound both ways. Having a little extra flab, getting sick, and having writer’s block are all lagging indicators of the work you put in (or didn’t put in).

You Are The Product

In the fall of 2014, Sam Altman, President of Y-Combinator, taught a class at Stanford titled ‘How to Start a Startup’. “Step one,” Sam said, “Is to build something users love.” Sam continued, “At YC, we tell founders to work on their product, talk to users, exercise, eat and sleep, and very little else. All the other stuff I mentioned — PR, conferences, recruiting advisors, doing partnerships — you should ignore all of that and just build the product.”

I’d add: If you aren’t building a startup, see yourself as the product.

Put your head down and chip away at the stone.

Trying to lose weight? Show up to the gym every day.

Want to become a better writer? Write at least 300 words every day.

Lack confidence? Engage in small talk with at least one new person every day.

Every action is one vote…

Every action is one swing…

Every action is one inch closer…

“Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it — but all that had gone before.”

That’s all for this week.

I’ll see you next Sunday,

Jay “Be The Stonecutter” Yang

Previous Sunday Storypreneur Issues

• My thoughts on going to college

• One simple trick to sell more digital products

• Why “productize yourself” is terrible advice for creators

Jay’s Picks

• Make your life better by saying “Thank You” in these 7 situations

• A Billionaire’s Definition of Skill & Talent

• The life of Arnold Schwarzenegger before he was successful

Some Personal News