The World Doesn’t Care About Your Drone Shot

These notes were originally posted, in a somewhat different form, on David Squires’s LinkedIn account. Follow David on LinkedIn.

TOO MANY OF US get stuck before a project even starts.

The concept’s there. The fire’s real. But we simply can’t start. Not yet. There’s a skill we need to master first. A tutorial to finish. A book everyone swears is essential. Or that perfect piece of gear — the one that’ll finally make our work look legitimate. And then there’s something else. And another thing after that. Repeat cycle indefinitely.

At some point, we have to tell ourselves that it’s time to actually DO the work.

For myself, the term I use is:

“Time to stop organizing the pencils.”

“Organizing the pencils” is the jewelry retailer who’s been dreaming for a year about launching a YouTube channel — but first, you need the ring light. Then the Bluetooth mics. Then the transition pack. Oh, and that Facebook course where the guy promises the secret to hitting a million subs. Maybe even a drone? Wouldn’t a drone shot of you standing in your store doorway be INCREDIBLE?

And off you go, Googling drone prices.

That’s classic pencil-organizing. Sharpening those pencils to perfect points. Making sure those erasers are pink and square and eraser-fuzz-free. Tapping and patting your pencils and thinking about how BEAUTIFUL they look, all lined up on the table like that, and what INCREDIBLE work you’re going to do once you pick one of those pencils up …

You can waste days, weeks, even YEARS in this state.

Organizing your pencils is the absolute opposite of the Pareto Principle. This is you doing 80% of the work for 20% of the value. And actually, it’s probably closer to 97% of the work for 3% of the value.

What you really need to do is simple.

Tell yourself: ENOUGH. It is TIME.

Then pick up the damn pencil and start your work.

The world does not care about your drone shot.

Instead of sponsoring a 5K race locally, why not try a 14K race? IMAGE: GENERATED BY ENVATO AI

Brainstorm: Sponsor a 14K Running Race

I was on a run the other day — not a good run, actually; more of a “why do I do this to myself” run — when I had a brainstorm:

A 14K run is the PERFECT sponsorship opportunity for a jeweler.

Think about it. It’s exactly one-third of a marathon (an actual, if less common, race distance!), but more importantly, say “14K” to any human and their brain goes straight to jewelry. It’s just sitting there. Free real estate.

Running season’s coming. Go for the gold.