"I don't know" is an answer
Moving without a map, life-changing books, and why you're not selling
This week I had a call with another writer here on Substack, which is something I’m doing more of lately and really enjoying! After chatting about our various projects, he asked what direction I had planned for my work. I told him I couldn’t really answer that as honestly, I don’t know where this is going.
Sensing my frustration, he said: “I don’t know is an answer.”
It was refreshing to hear, even if it sounds obvious. When you're geared towards clarity and security, uncertainty doesn’t feel like an answer. It feels like limbo, like you’re wasting time. Like everyone else has figured out something you’re missing.
When someone subscribes to this newsletter, I ask about their current situation. The most common response is “I want to make a change, but I don’t know how or what.” That makes sense. In traditional corporate roles, the next step is usually obvious: climb the ladder, follow the path. But when you’re building something of your own, there's often no predefined next step.
I’m learning to be okay with that “I don’t know” while taking action anyway. It won’t be solved by endless planning or waiting for the perfect strategy to emerge. You have to move without complete clarity.
I’ve always struggled with the whole “journey not destination” idea for the same reason: I wanted the roads to be signposted and the destination crystal clear. But that’s not really embracing the journey. Road signs might be more spread out than expected, or missing entirely for long stretches. Sometimes you swap destinations or try a different road just to see where it goes.
Either way, you keep moving.
🎤 On the pod
Last week I released an episode with Catt Small and it was exactly the kind of conversation I love having: deep, honest, and full of insights! Catt is an author, blogger, conference host, speaker, game developer, the list goes on.
Catt’s also about to release her new book "The Staff Designer”, so we spoke about her experience writing that, how she juggles all the other projects and passions she has in life, as well as my new favourite word “procrastiworking”. We also nerd out about senior IC roles vs “managerial” roles, as well as her intentional decision making process in terms of which track to follow with her career and how she’s continuing to make those choices.
Listen on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.
💎 Worth your time
Why most coaches don’t sell shit - Love this from
and it applies to more than just coaching. If you want to sell a service or product you have to be super clear and specific about the pain you’re helping people solve, and do this in plain language. I’m not sure this is something I’m very good at yet.12 Life-Changing Books You Haven't Read - If you’re like me then you’re always hunting for interesting books to add to your read list, and I definitely added a few after this video from
.The Muddy Schadenfreude of Burning Man -
is one of my absolute favourite photography newsletters and I loved this visual deep-dive into the world of Burning Man.
Community spotlight: I’d love to feature your creative projects in this newsletter! Whether you’ve launched something new, shipped a side project, or made progress on a creative goal please hit reply and send it my way.
Thank you for the shout out, Michael! Honored to have added some books to your to-read list.