Why you accomplish less than you want...but more than you think

In this issue: what's "blocking" you from success, how to elevate bar graphs, the impact you can make in a year, and the Swan Paradox.

šŸ¤” INTERESTING

An unfortunate truth:
Good judgment comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgment.

I used to write this in on the first page of each journal I would gift to my filmmaking students.

The biggest lessons are a result of making an expensive mistake (expensive in time, moneyā€¦heartbreak).

The earlier in our lives we make these mistakes, the more time we have to enjoy the compounding benefits of the lessons they teach.

What people "miss" about success.

True definition of failure.

šŸ“Ā DESIGN

A simple trick to elevate the impact of a bar graph:
Substitute the bars in the graph with a symbol.

Version 1

In version 1, I clarified this idea I had about how deeply you have to understand something to teach it. It got the message across but one of my core creative practices is to keep pushing.

How can I make this:
ā€¢ clearer?
ā€¢ more insightful?
ā€¢ more memorable?

Thatā€™s when I came up with version 2 to add another layer of nuance to the visual: substitute the bars with books.

This technique comes from my filmmaking background and I call it: superimposition. Itā€™s one of the tools I teach in my Thinking in Visual Metaphors course.

šŸ”®Ā ENCHANTINGĀ 

Join the conversation on LinkedIn

People overestimate what they can get done in a day and underestimate what they can get done in a year.

šŸ§ Ā ANALOGY

If you think others have it figured out while you're still struggling, remember this:

The Swan Paradox:
It takes an obscene amount of effort to make what you're doing look effortless.

And the key thing to remember is to stay afloat, the effort's ongoing.
It's what it means to be consistent.

You'll drown if you rely only on burst efforts.

Pace yourself.

šŸ¤“Ā WHAT Iā€™M READING NOW

I read Zen Pencils by Gavin Aung Than a few years ago as an e-book but nothing compares to reading it on paperback.

If youā€™re never had the pleasure, Gavin takes inspirational quotes, poems, and speeches and visualizes them in comic form. It blows my mind the level of creative craft that goes behind each panel.

Dream The Impossible Dream Volume 2 is just as good as the original.

Rate this week's newsletter:

Your feedback helps shape the best visual newsletter possible.

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Say hi šŸ‘‹šŸ» on Twitter or LinkedIn

If you'd like to join the 14,414 subscribers getting Visual I.D.E.A.s straight into their inbox, subscribe below:

Thanks for reading! Reply any time with feedback or questions.

I made this newsletter with beehiiv, my favorite tool for easily creating and growing a newsletter.

When youā€™re ready, Iā€™ve built a course to teach Thinking in Visual Metaphors: Enrollment is open now!

*By making a purchase through any of our affiliate links, we receive a very small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps us on our mission to provide quality visuals and education. Thank you for your support!

Join the conversation

or to participate.