Dear Andre, (2 Min Read)

This week I did something counterintuitive.

I attended the Forward Event—a personal branding conference specifically for mortgage brokers and real estate agents. You're probably thinking, "Daniel, why would you be there? That's not for you."

Here's the thing: That's exactly why it worked.

Because the conference was so specific about who it served, it actually made it easier for me (someone it wasn't directly for) to attend. I knew I'd get massive value from the personal branding insights, even though I'm not in real estate.

This taught me something powerful about communication...

The Power of Being Specific

When you're specific about who you're writing to, other people can still listen in on your conversation and extract tremendous value.

That's why I write this newsletter to you, Andre—a 24-year-old who wants to:

• Start a business

• Travel the world with freedom

• Find and marry the girl of his dreams

• Build a great relationship with God

• Overcome perfectionism, fear, and self-doubt

• Live a life of courage and creativity

I can write these things because I was you at 24.

And here's what's beautiful: If you're 41, 65, or 73 reading this, you now know I'm writing to a 24-year-old. I trust you'll take what applies to your stage of life and discard the rest.

I write because:

Three Takeaways from the Conference

1. The Courage to Be Disliked Chris Doe reminded us: Don't be a personal bland—be a personal brand. Part of that means being meaningfully different (not just to stand out or be dramatic, but because it’s who you are).

2. Embrace What Makes You Unique For me, this conference highlighted something I hadn't fully embraced: my love for museums, art, photography, and creativity as a whole. Even though I've visited museums worldwide and spent my life generating and testing ideas, I hadn't fully expressed this digitally.

3. Discovery Never Stops What's beautiful about this, Andre, is it feels like I'm discovering more of who I truly am. I hope as you think about these things, you discover more of who you truly are.

Your Action Step This Week

There's almost always sacrifice required to have the things you long for.

Ask yourself: "Is there an event, place, or group of people gathering who would inspire me toward becoming more of who I want to become?"

Choose to be in that place, around those people.

I dive deeper into this concept in Chapter 7 ("The Power of Spaces") of my book Just Start. If you haven't read it yet, grab your copy here on Amazon.

Talk soon, Daniel

P.S. There's a whole other section I wanted to share about "What's Your Porsche 911 or iPhone?" but I'll save that for next week. Hit reply and let me know—are you putting yourself in spaces that inspire growth?