Niall Doherty's Blog, page 193
November 20, 2018
DtR Weekly #5
DtR Weekly
Momentos, insults, and the McRib effect
Hey there,
How ya getting on? Any good news for me??
I’m well settled in Chiang Mai now and getting back into the flow of things, feeling like my old productive self again
November 18, 2018
Momentos: November 1st – November 15th, 2018
MOMENTOS
November 1st – November 15th, 2018
1
How you spend your days is how you spend your life. I gotta start cutting back the work hours, find it creeping into evenings and weekends too often. I tell myself that it’s temporary, just until I get over the hump, but what if there is no hump to get over? Maybe success isn’t a place to get to, but how you spend each day.
2
Last night in Las Palmas, got a bunch of people together at a restaurant for dinner. Nine of us in total. This is one of the things we love about living here. The community. And of course it always helps to have other Irish and Brits at the table. There’s a banter between us that feels like home.
3
Row 22, seat F. Lights of Morocco out the window and a few thousand feet below. Been a long day. Travel days always are, even when they’re short. But I’m the kind of tired that feels like a nice blanket. Helps that we’ve got empty seats around us, and music from 1975 in my ears. “Time is a jet plane, it moves too fast. Oh, but what a shame if all we’ve shared can’t last.”
Meeting up with some good folks in Malaga (Nomadic Dad on the right)
4
Sometimes you say or do something and you can recall the exact influence of that word, or that gesture. You remember exactly who or what it came from. And you’re reminded how you’re largely a big hodgepodge of everyone you’ve ever met, everything you’ve ever seen, every joke you’ve ever laughed at, every song you’ve ever heard, every place you’ve ever been.
5
Malaga. Originally named Malaka, called Malaca by the Romans, and Malaqah by the Moors. There’s an Islamic fortress overlooking a Roman amphitheater, close to a Catholic Church, a few blocks from the birthplace of Picasso, all built atop Phoenician ruins. We sit in a cafe for a while and look at our phones and talk about stuff we read on the internet.
6
You know you’re privileged when you’re in this fancy town and you want to make a fancy video about how you read so many fancy books but they’re doing construction at the fancy hotel across the street from your fancy Airbnb and so you start sulking and watching YouTube for a few hours instead of getting all kinds of other important shit done.
https://www.facebook.com/ndoherty13/p...
7
Flying to Thailand early tomorrow morning, so that significantly shortens my workweek, giving me less time than usual to make my weekly YouTube video. But Parkinson’s Law kicked in this afternoon and I shot and edited the whole thing in a few hours. Wouldn’t be surprised either if this one does better than videos I spent 20+ hours creating.
8
Testing an app called Timeshifter to stave off the jet lag. You punch in a few details and it tells you when to go to sleep, when to wake up, when to drink coffee, when to stop. Not sure yet if it works, but it has taken some of the stress out of travel. There’s a tempting comfort in being told what to do and when to do it. Kinda like working an old-fashioned 9-to-5 job.
9
Been in Chiang Mai a few hours and already saw a white dude walking the streets with no shoes on. Not sure what that’s about, or why it bothers me so much. Is it some kind of spiritual thing? Do dirty feet or bleeding heels bring you closer to the divine? Does that chap also walk around barefoot back in Denmark or wherever the hell he’s from?
Arriving in Chiang Mai
10
Doing a trial run of a group coaching program for the next few weeks. First call today. I’d never done a proper group coaching thingy before, and it reminded me how everything seems scary and mysterious… until you go and do it. Taking action is a great way to relieve stress and uncertainty.
11
Twice in a few hours this afternoon I had people walk up and say, “Hey, are you Niall?” One told me he’s a big fan (turned out he’d bought my course), the other said he loves my videos. Very nice to hear. Half expecting to check my email now and see someone telling me my videos suck and I should go kill myself.
12
After dark. Plenty of food carts up and down this street. I find a Siamese mammy cooking up a heap of pad thai, get me some on banana leaf and paper plate, sit eating with chopsticks on a plastic stool. There’s an elderly white dude sat chatting with the cook, practicing his Thai, doing himself proud. I listen to Seth Godin talk about the best restaurant in the world, finish my meal, pay the lady $0.91, and go looking for more.
Quick tour of our condo in Chiang Mai.
Posted by Disrupting the Rabblement on Tuesday, November 13, 2018
13
My least favorite part of being a digital nomad: trying to get settled in a new town. Well, Chiang Mai isn’t entirely new, but here with my lady this time and looking to stay three months. Gotta figure out accommodation, laundry, where to eat, where to work, SIM cards, etc. All while trying to keep the work plates spinning and dealing with some niggling health issues.
14
Settling in here has been a pain in the ass so far, but the cost of living definitely makes it easier. Went to a couple of nice cafes today and ate two healthy and filling meals at the mall food court, plus a mango and yogurt smoothie for dessert. Total cost was less than $11. Hardly makes sense to cook your own meals in this town.
15
About 2,500 years ago Socrates realized that “while so-called wise men thought themselves wise and yet were not, he himself knew he was not wise at all, which, paradoxically, made him the wiser one since he was the only person aware of his own ignorance.” In other words, everyone’s stupid. But not everyone knows it.
Chiang Mai: sucks to be an electrician in this town.
Previous Momentos
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November 14, 2018
Becoming Unoffendable: How To Deal With Insults
Becoming Unoffendable
How To Deal With Insults
Read this article in other languages: Italiano
“Choose not to be harmed – and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed – and you haven’t been.” – Marcus Aurelius
I was at a busy library in London a few weeks back when a quirky, middle-aged lady started chatting to me. About three minutes into the conversation she commented on the grand size of my nose. And then she poked at it once with her finger while laughing.
A few years ago, such an incident would have really upset me. I would have turned bright red and cursed that woman under my breath. Then I would have spent the rest of the day secretly seething, and feeling very self-conscious about my appearance.
But what actually happened a few weeks back was this: Nothing.
What I once would have perceived as an insult had no effect on me whatsoever. The conversation soon ended and I went on about my day quite happily.
Last week in Munich I had another (albeit small) opportunity to take offense, when a German chap mistakenly identified me as an Englishman…
– I’m actually from Ireland.
– Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.
– [smiling] Don’t worry, it’s very hard to offend me.
Tis true. It is very hard to offend me nowadays. In this post I want to share with you the type of mindset I’ve developed that makes me pretty much immune to insults.
And then you can go post nasty accusations in the comments to test me out 
November 4, 2018
Momentos: October 16th – October 31st, 2018
MOMENTOS
October 16th – October 31st, 2018
16
A few years back in Brazil there was a lot of uncertainty in my business. So I started working out a lot more. I think it was to regain a sense of control. I wasn’t sure how I’d earn money that month, but I knew I could bang out a few circuits each day. Right now I’m going through a transition period with my business, uncertainty creeping in, feeling that strong urge to exercise again.
17
On top of the exercise, I’m also exerting more control over my diet. I used to eat super-healthy six days a week and then, if I’d earned it, do a cheat day on Saturdays. Stopped that earlier this year, but have slipped a bit too much now, throwing cheesecake and coffee into my face whenever I feel like it. Time to get back on track.
18
Heard about two things making headlines on a podcast today: that Kanye fiasco at the White House, and that scary IPCC climate change report. Now I consider myself a fairly level-headed person with my priorities in order and not at all interested in celebrity ridiculousness. But of course I went and googled the Kanye thing first. Which tells me we’re all fucking doomed.
Wrecked after a few step sprints
19
After a while you get a feel for who’s going to buy and who won’t. That guy last month who asked for one more week to buy at a discount. Gave him the extra week; never heard from him again. Someone messaged me today asking if my course is any good – the kind of question that doesn’t inspire confidence.
20
Thinking back a few years, remembering some lonely times, longing to meet someone. I’ve since found her, and we’re spending the weekend exploring scenic villages in volcanic craters. I tell her that if we were on a colony spaceship and her hibernation pod malfunctioned and she would be alone for 90 years, I’d definitely want her to wake me up.
21
Thinking a lot about incentives lately. Facebook is broken because their customer is the advertiser, not the user. They’re incentivized to keep the advertisers happy first and foremost. On a personal level, I’ve found myself complaining too much the past few weeks. To correct course, I need an incentive, and I reckon I found a good one.
Stopping by the famous sand dunes at Maspalomas
22
On second thought, there are some very smart people working at Facebook. I’m sure they’ve crunched the numbers and run fancy simulations on switching from an advertising model to a subscription model. If it made sense they’d do it, but apparently it does not make sense. Not financial sense, anyways.
23
Fell deep down the numerology rabbit hole this morning, got lost for a good five hours. Request a numerology report about yourself and it’s easy to believe it. They make you sound awesome. But run the numbers for people like Hitler and bin Laden and you quickly see how full of shit the whole thing is. Well, at least that one particular website. But that one seems to have the biggest following, so probably doing the most damage.
24
If you refused to jump into a river to save a drowning child because you were wearing a $1000 suit, you’d be an asshole. Meanwhile, on any given day you can go online and donate much less than that to save a child’s life. But you don’t do that, do you? Not on a regular basis, anyway. And neither do I. What does that make us?
Meeting up with my doppelgänger Sam Chillcott in Las Palmas
25
Latest video turning into a beast, will probably end up being 25 minutes, all about numerology. I was cutting out photos of Adolf Hitler, Fred West and Donald Trump for it today. Will throw another chunk of hours at it tomorrow and get it finished. No choice really, got that $1000 penalty if I miss the deadline.
26
Watching basketball with ten thousand people. Guy to my right is a younger me, living and dying with every play. I lived and died on the inside though. This guy is wearing it all on his sleeve, jumping up and down, throwing his hands in the air, yelling obscenities at the refs. His team will lose and he’ll go home pissed off. Poor chap.
27
Bought me a new tripod today. Nothing fancy, but a definite improvement over what I was using. Need to start investing in some better video gear if I’m going to take this thing to the next level. I see certain YouTubers looking all shiny and fresh with their slightly blurred backgrounds and slick edits. That’s the icing on the cake, sure, but hey, who doesn’t like icing?
Friday evening watching the local lads take on CSKA Moscow, with their $7 million backcourt
October 29, 2018
Numerologist.com Is A Total Scam – Here’s Why
Numerologist.com Is A Total Scam
Here’s Why
by Niall Doherty Updated: October 29, 2018
The following text appears on the “Terms & Conditions Of Use” page of the Numerologist.com website:
DISCLAIMER: NUMEROLOGIST.COM PROVIDES NUMEROLOGY READING SERVICES FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. THE INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE WEBSITE, OR IN ANY EMAIL OR MATERIALS RECEIVED FROM THE WEBSITE IS NOT GUARANTEED IN ANY WAY.
In other words: Hey, none of this numerology stuff is real, so don’t take it seriously.
Which would be fine, except they have that disclaimer on just one, hard-to-find page on their website.
Whereas you find words implying and often explicitly stating the opposite all over their website and social media.
A few examples (emphasis mine):
As the leading authority for Numerology online, it is our intention to provide you with the most accurate, clear and trusted information available.
Numerologist is your Number 1 online resource for numerology education. Our mission here is to help you make the most of your life and future by providing you with high-quality numerology wisdom and insight.
By intimately understanding your numbers, you’ll uncover many fascinating truths about who you are, how others perceive you, and the unique opportunities that lay ahead.
You’ll uncover the different facets of your personality that combine to make you the person you are, including characteristics you thought no one knew about. You’ll finally make sense of the struggles and setbacks you’ve faced in your life, and how to breeze over them the next time they appear. You’ll discover your most precious gifts and talents, and how to use them to improve your career and relationships. And you’ll know exactly how to wake up every single day feeling blissfully happy.
This report will be like your road map to a happier, more abundant and joyful life.
This is NOT one of those generic horoscope style readings that applies to everyone. Every single interpretation and prediction you’re about to read is generated using YOUR personal numbers and some highly advanced mathematical equations. You see, mathematics is the backbone of numerology and by intimately understanding it, along with complex computer science, we were able to develop a top-secret proprietary software that can process even the most complicated formulas to produce extremely detailed, and shockingly accurate, readings all about you. […] There’s only one copy of this software in the world, and it’s on a cloud-based super-computer that only we have access to.
The information numerology provides can guide you in the direction you were born to take.
If you shift your life so that it is more in line with your numerology chart, things will start to fall naturally into place, and you may find the happiness you have been seeking.
Seeing numbers in a repeated sequences is not an accident. It is much deeper than you realize. Unlocking the code to these numbers can bring your life so much clarity. Once you understand them, you can use them to your benefit.
Numerology is science based on real numbers and mathematical principles that are predictable in nature.
Using only your name and date of birth Numerology can give you guidance on your life’s purpose, relationships, career and even areas you need to work on.
Have you been seeing repeated number sequences lately? These numbers have a deeper meaning, and we’ve created a guide to help you decode their hidden messages for you. There’s a lot of misconceptions about the meaning of numbers, but once you understand that randomly appearing numbers are no accident, you’ll be shocked by what you discover about yourself and your path ahead.
Watch the video at the top of the page for a deeper investigation into Numerology and Numerologist.com.
The post Numerologist.com Is A Total Scam – Here’s Why appeared first on Disrupting the Rabblement.
October 26, 2018
How To Quit Porn
How To Quit Pornography
9 Tips & Ideas To Break The Habit
I used to be addicted to pornography.
By that I mean I couldn’t stop consuming the stuff.
Starting in my mid-teens, it wasn’t unusual for me to spend an hour or two at a time (sometimes longer) sitting in a chair staring at a computer screen, clicking from one pornographic image to another, on a relentless search for the perfect scene to help get myself off.
At one point I’m sure I must have had several gigs of hardcore porn downloaded to my computer.
I was always ashamed of this behavior. I wanted to stop but I never could.
Even when I started having girlfriends in my twenties, I’d sneak a peek at some porn regularly.
About four years ago I began working hard on my self-discipline and willpower. I decided a good challenge would be to try abstain from porn for 40 consecutive days. I managed to do it, and felt so good about myself that I decided not to watch porn ever again.
It’s been more than four years now and I’ve managed to stay true to that decision.
Why Quit Porn?
Since you’re reading this there’s a good chance you watch porn yourself and would like to quit, so I probably don’t need to tell you why quitting is a good idea. You probably feel a lot like I did: ashamed of your porn addiction, knowing that your life would be better without it.
But just in case you’re on the fence, take a look at this talk by Gary Wilson (16.5 minutes)…
Relevant points from Wilson’s talk:
Of all activities on the Internet, porn has the most potential to become addictive.
The brains of heavy porn users actually become rewired (“structural brain changes”).
Porn users are less likely to develop social skills, as they spend more time alone.
Porn users have higher cravings for novelty, shock and surprise.
Porn users experience a numbed pleasure response and willpower erosion.
“Internet porn is killing young men’s sexual performance.”
Men who manage to quit porn report recovery from depression, erectile dysfunction 1 and chronic procrastination.
6 Benefits Of Quitting Porn
For me personally, quitting porn led to…
A boost in social confidence and self-esteem.
Improved imagination.
Better and more frequent sex.
More intense orgasms.
A lot more free time.
A healthier view of women.
Of all the things I’ve tried over the years to enhance my life, quitting porn is easily one of the best. I’m actually struggling here to think of another change that has had such a profound impact.
Okay, so that’s the why. Lots of compelling reasons to quit porn, especially if you find yourself addicted. (Probably no big deal if you only watch infrequently.)
Now let’s move on to the how…
How To Quit Pornography
9 Tips & Ideas To Break The Habit
Let me start by saying that there is no magical one way that will work for everyone. Just like there’s no one diet that’s perfect for everyone, or one work situation, or one exercise routine.
As such, I’m going to throw out 9 different tips and ideas here.
Some have worked for me personally. Others I’ve only read about but sound pretty smart. Feel free to add any additional tips that have worked for you via the comments.
1. Practice Meditation
I’m listing meditation first for the simple reason that it’s one of the best known ways to increase willpower, and quitting porn certainly requires a hefty dose of that. So don’t worry, I’m not suggesting that you go sit on the floor and meditate the urge away whenever you feel horny for some pink pixel action.
Most people don’t have a good understanding of meditation.
You may believe that the whole purpose is to sit still and to try calm your mind, and then you find yourself getting frustrated when your unruly mind keeps wandering.
But the key part of meditation is actually that very practice of noticing your mind wandering, regaining your composure, and refocusing your attention on your breath.
Doing this over and over again strengthens your willpower. Or, as Kelly McGonigal refers to it in The Willpower Instinct, your won’t power. That is, your ability to say no to destructive urges.
I never personally used meditation to help quit pornography, but I do meditate frequently now (usually just five minutes a day), and I can attest that it does help strengthen willpower as described above.
Give it a try. It certainly can’t hurt.
Two resources to get you started:
Headspace – Simple online training that teaches you how to meditate in just ten minutes a day. The first ten lessons are free, and you can repeat them over and over.
Meditation — A Beginner’s Practical Guide – An hour-long video by Owen Cook that’s well worth your time.
2. Start A 30-Day Trial
This is what worked for me, though I extended the trial to forty days before I decided to stop counting.
A 30-day trial is basically a promise to yourself that you’ll take up a new habit or quit an old one for thirty consecutive days. You then do your very best to keep that promise.
This works better if you remind yourself regularly that you’re allowed to relapse after the trial. So in the case of quitting pornography, you can stay disciplined throughout the trial by reminding yourself that, come day 31, you’re allowed to revel in 24 consecutive hours of filthy internet porn.
This is a bit of self-trickery because, most likely, if you make it to the end of the trial, your cravings will have whittled away significantly and you’ll no longer feel such a strong urge to indulge.
Knowing that there’s a finish line is a strong motivator to continue. One day at a time and you know you’ll get there.
3. Allow Yourself A Cheat Day
Stealing this idea from my experiments with the paleo diet.
I felt it would be too difficult to go 100% paleo right from the start. I knew if I tried that I’d likely end up quitting and reverting full-time to a not-so-healthy diet littered with peanut butter and Kit Kat Chunkys.
So I allow myself a cheat day: one day each week where I can eat whatever the hell I want.
The way I figure it, it’s better to eat paleo six out of seven days than to half-ass it every day of the week.
I find that I usually start craving junk food on about day five each week, but it’s easy to resist the cravings because I know I just have to hold out one more day before I can eat whatever I want again.
The cheat day concept can also work well for quitting porn.
If you’re having trouble getting through a 30-day trial, try instead to abstain from pornography six days a week, allowing yourself one day to go nuts and indulge.
After you get the hang of that, see if you can stretch it out to one cheat day every two weeks. Keep extending until you’re only masturbating in front of a screen every February 29th 
October 18, 2018
The Stockdale Paradox
The Stockdale Paradox
How One Man Survived 8 Years In A Vietnamese Prison Camp
Read this article in other languages: Español, Italiano
Admiral James Stockdale
Some of the best lessons I’ve learned about personal development come from a book that isn’t aimed at the personal development market at all. It’s a book about business and leadership, called Good to Great.
Author Jim Collins and his research team spent five years trying to identify the common factors that separated good (or briefly great) companies, from companies which were able to achieve and then sustain excellence for fifteen consecutive years or more.
While reading, I realized that almost all the findings in the book could be applied on a personal level as well.
While I would highly recommend that you get your hands on this book and read it in its entirety, today I’d like to share a part of it that has stuck with me most.
The Stockdale Paradox
The Stockdale Paradox is named after admiral Jim Stockdale, who was a United States military officer held captive for eight years during the Vietnam War.
Stockdale was tortured more than twenty times by his captors, and never had much reason to believe he would survive the prison camp and someday get to see his wife again.
And yet, as Stockdale told Collins, he never lost faith during his ordeal:
“I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.”
Then comes the paradox.
While Stockdale had remarkable faith in the unknowable, he noted that it was always the most optimistic of his prisonmates who failed to make it out of there alive.
“They were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart.”
What the optimists failed to do was confront the reality of their situation. They preferred the ostrich approach, sticking their heads in the sand and hoping for the difficulties to go away. That self-delusion might have made it easier on them in the short-term, but when they were eventually forced to face reality, it had become too much and they couldn’t handle it.
Stockdale approached adversity with a very different mindset: he accepted the reality of his situation.
The Stockdale Paradox – James Stockdale receiving the Medal of Honor
Stockdale knew he was in hell, but, rather than bury his head in the sand, he stepped up and did everything he could to lift the morale and prolong the lives of his fellow prisoners.
He created a tapping code so they could communicate with each other. He developed a milestone system that helped them deal with torture. And he sent intelligence information to his wife, hidden in the seemingly innocent letters he wrote.
Collins and his team observed a similar mindset in the good-to-great companies. They labeled it the Stockdale Paradox and described it like so:
You must retain faith that you will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties.
AND at the same time…
You must confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.
For me, the Stockdale Paradox carries an important lesson in personal development, a lesson in faith and honesty: Never doubt that you can achieve your goals, no matter how lofty they may be and no matter how many critics and naysayers you may have.
But at the same time, always take honest stock of your current situation.
Don’t lie to yourself for fear of short-term embarrassment or discomfort, because such deception will only come back to defeat you in the end.
Living the first half of this paradox is relatively easy, since optimism really isn’t that hard. You just choose to believe that it will all turn out for the best, and everything that happens to you is a means to that end. Simple as.
But optimism on its own can be a dangerous thing:
There’s no difference between a pessimist who says, “Oh, it’s hopeless, so don’t bother doing anything,” and an optimist who says, “Don’t bother doing anything, it’s going to turn out fine anyway.” Either way, nothing happens. – Yvon Chouinard
So you need to embrace the second half of the Stockdale Paradox to really make strides.
You must combine that optimism with brutal honesty and a willingness to take action.
Now of course, nobody likes admitting that they’re fat, that they’re broke, that they’ve chosen the wrong career or that their marriage is falling apart. But admitting such truths is an absolute necessity if you want to grow and improve.
It might feel like you’re taking a few steps backward by doing so, but you can view that retreat as the pull-back on a sling shot: you’re just setting yourself up to make significant progress down the road.
The post The Stockdale Paradox appeared first on Disrupting the Rabblement.
October 17, 2018
Momentos: October 1st – October 15th, 2018
MOMENTOS
October 1st – October 15th, 2018
1
Just had the last call with my coach. Paid him $15,000 for the past six months of coaching. People have asked me if it’s been worth it. I’m not sure there’s an answer to that question. Maybe a year from now there will be. I’ve learned a lot, and I have much still to think about and reflect on. Deep work can take a while to bear fruit.
2
Been going a bit mad on the coffee the past month so taking a week off. Day three today and almost cracked, felt sluggish and wasn’t getting much work done. Then I got pissed off. No way I should be that dependent on a brown drink to be productive. Made myself sit down and rip through some client work. Felt better after.
3
First came to Las Palmas two years ago, and have spent several months here altogether. You’d think I’d know the city pretty well by now, but no. Explored the north of the city this eve, loads of little streets up there I’d never seen. And a castle, apparently the oldest building in the Canary Islands.
Coffee in Las Palmas
4
Full-on video mode today, must get it done by EOD tomorrow or pay a $1000 penalty. Had it scripted out but had to shoot everything and start editing. Got obsessive about it, lost in the flow, time melting away. It was dark when I came out of the trance, nobody home. Not sure I’m even halfway finished. Might have to do the same again tomorrow.
5
Early morning, standing under a red sky, telling her I’m going to quit. It’s been three years since I launched that course. Good results, great reviews, but very poor ROI for me. 123 people went through the sales series this week, not one sale. Something fundamentally broken there. But I’m excited. I reckon I know a better way.
6
Step sprints. Agreed with a buddy that I’d do at least four sessions this month. At a nearby stadium now putting in the work. Thirty seconds to sprint up, a minute to get back down, repeat. Told myself I’d do eleven, but I’ve done twelve. Heaving at the end of it and legs shaking when I try to walk. Feels good, in a strange way.
At the welcome party for Nomad City Gran Canaria.
Posted by Niall Doherty on Monday, October 15, 2018
7
I didn’t grow up in a physically affectionate culture, so it’s still strange for me meeting and greeting people in Gran Canaria with hugs and kisses. Often I don’t initiate, because it still feels unnatural. I know people here a while who I never greet that way, and I feel the air of awkwardness. But if I start doing it now, perhaps that’s even more awkward.
8
Met a guy at a rooftop party last night. Moved to Gran Canaria with his wife and two kids because they determined it was the best place to raise a family. Better than Italy, better than Malta, better than other parts of Spain. Great schools, great healthcare, very safe, warm weather, friendly culture, low taxes… there’s a lot to like about this place.
9
I love these bike sharing programs they have in many cities nowadays. The one in Las Palmas is a bit buggy but still works good enough. Unlocked a couple with our phones this eve and cruised on down to Las Canteras. Walked up and down the promenade for a while, listening to smooth trumpet, sipping a matcha.
Work session at CoworkingC
10
Sitting in the kitchen with herself and this American chap, getting lost in the conversation. Talking about ideas and passions, depth and nuance, the kind of talk that has you vowing to be better, stronger, wiser, more caring, more open-hearted. Been feeling anti-social lately, but it’s not that I don’t like meeting new people. I just don’t like small talk. Thankfully, joyfully, this ain’t that.
11
Live video today was a rant about hustle culture, those people who say you should work hard, always be grinding. When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful! Ah, no. That’s madness. On certain days, we all need that kind of tough talk, but just as often we need the opposite: someone telling us to slow down, take a day off, have yourself a Netflix binge and don’t beat yourself up about it.
12
First day of talks at Nomad City. It’s nice to kick back and enjoy something like this and have no responsibilities, just stroll from talk to talk and chat with random people. I spoke at the first Nomad City two years ago, and it’s come a long way since then, now at the best venue in town, companies like Google and Evernote on the agenda. This way of working is only getting bigger.
At Nomad City in Las Palmas
13
One thing I’ve relearned this week is to be careful with the “How are you?” question. So easy to ask it by default, even when you have no interest in the answer. And so easy to give a default answer – “Good, you?” – instead of stopping to check in with yourself first.
14
Started reading a novel last night. Finished it this evening. That’s 39 books so far this year. Two tips for reading more books. First: spend more time reading books. Second: skip, skim and abandon. No need to read every word, every paragraph, or even every chapter. Speed through the fluff and slow down for the good stuff.
15
Told my students today that I’m shutting down the course. Lots of kind words and support. A couple of cancelled payments. And a definite sadness hovering over me. I know I gave it my best shot and helped a lot of people, and I’m sure good things will come from this change, but it still sucks to be packing it in after three years.
Sunset from Las Canteras.
Posted by Niall Doherty on Monday, October 15, 2018
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October 15, 2018
Riskiest Assumption Testing vs. Minimum Viable Product
The Fastest Way To Test Your Business Idea
Riskiest Assumption Testing vs. Minimum Viable Product
by Niall Doherty Updated: October 15, 2018
A question from Adil on YouTube:
I’m looking to do some freelancing in web development and possibly turning this into a full-time thing, so your videos really do help.
I speak fluent English, but I have relatives in Switzerland and I think the potential to focus my efforts there could be very rewarding. The only issue is the language barrier ( French + German ) but I have a retired uncle who’s willing to help out on that. Since I live in Africa, even earning $2,000 a month would be quite enough to live comfortably and since everything’s so expensive in Swiss, I’m thinking I could be able to charge clients more if I was able to get enough work there.
He’s basically asking here if he should target clients in Switzerland for his freelance web development business.
And I replied:
Hard to know if it’s a good idea or not without trying it. I’d recommend looking up “Riskiest Assumption Test” and use that approach to quickly figure out if it’s worth pursuing or not.
So let’s talk about Riskiest Assumption Testing and how to use it, because it’s a tool that can save you from wasting a lot of time and energy when building your online business.
Here’s the plan:
First, I’ll give you an example of Riskiest Assumption Testing (or RAT for short)
And then we’ll dive a bit more into the theory.
Sound good?
Alright then…
Riskiest Assumption Testing – Irish Pubs Example
Two years ago I was living in Berlin in Germany for a few months when I had the best idea ever.
Kinda like this
I realized that a great niche for my web design business would be… Irish Pubs!
Think about it:
I’m Irish
I’ve been a web developer for many years
Irish pubs are everywhere
And Irish pub websites are generally pretty crap
I mean, clearly, my idea was a winner, and I was going to be super rich.
Kinda like this
But here’s the thing about ideas:
You never really know if an idea is good or not, until you actually test it out in the real world.
So the first thing I did when I had my brilliant idea was sit down and list out all the assumptions I was making.
And the biggest, riskiest assumption I was making, clearly, was that Irish pub owners would be willing to pay someone to build them a better website.
If that assumption was true, then brilliant, I’d be off to the races.
But if that assumption was false, then my idea wasn’t worth anything.
The next step then, after identifying that riskiest assumption, was to test it.
And it dawned on me that the quickest way to test whether or not Irish pub owners would be willing to pay someone to build them a better website… was to go and ask them.
So that’s what I did.
I hopped on my bicycle and cycled around to all the Irish pubs in Berlin and I spoke with the owners, and those conversations went a little like this:
Hey Mr. Irish Pub Owner, would you like a new website?
Ah no, we’re grand thanks.
Yeah, wasn’t a great response 
October 7, 2018
Momentos: September 16th – September 30th, 2018
MOMENTOS
September 16th – September 30th, 2018
16
I reckon Wikipedia is the best website on the Internet. The amount of information is incredible, of course, but also how they’ve amassed that info. One of the best testaments to humanity I can think of. Oh, and today I learned on there that when Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded, the executioner lifted her by the hair for everyone to see. Then her wig came undone and her head fell on the floor.
17
Zapped today despite getting plenty of rest over the weekend. Was going to do a 24-hour fast but cracked in the afternoon, needed to get some food in me. Managed to do a good chunk of video editing, though not super satisfied with how this one’s coming out. But that’s probably just the tiredness talking. Everything seems worse than it is when you’re low on energy.
18
30-day challenge with the live videos complete. Today was 31 actually. And I’ll keep going, no sense stopping now. The whole reason I’m doing these is to increase my rate of failure. Watson talked about doubling it. I’m 10x-ing. Throw more ideas out there, see what sticks, what has legs, what’s hankering to be born. To have a few good ideas you first need to have a lot of ideas.
Las Alcaravaneras beach in Las Palmas
19
History of the workplace. Hunter-gatherers didn’t “work,” not in the traditional sense. Agriculture was the start, the farm was it. The industrial revolution moved us into factories. Blue collars became white and we sat at desks in big buildings, then got squeezed into cubicles, then dropped into open offices. Now we can increasingly work remote, free to roam once again.
20
It’s after midnight and I’m standing alone in the kitchen, knees bent, arms above my head, listening to Linkin Park. Been in this position for a few minutes, starting to sweat, legs getting shaky. Live call on my laptop, can see three other men doing the same thing, one at the beach, one in his living room, the other some place dark.
21
Been offered the emcee job at the Grow Remote conference in Ireland next week. Okay then, let’s do it. I’m a bit out of practice with the public speaking, but excited for the opportunity. Spent some time today visualizing how I want it to go, seeing myself up there all calm, confident, assertive, having fun.
No place like home
22
In the sky listening to Ruairí interview Chuck gets me rethinking taxes. I haven’t paid in eight years. Haven’t had to, since I’ve kept moving every few months, never stayed any place long enough to be a tax resident. Wasn’t breaking any laws, accepted the trade-offs, felt fine about it. But perhaps there’s more to it than that.
23
I don’t always have the energy for it, but when I do it’s fascinating to just sit and talk with people about the work they do. Even people you’ve known for years. If they’ve been at it a while, they’ve easily put in 10,000+ hours, which makes them expert. Learned a lot chatting with a farmer today about hay and straw and silage and how much meat you get from an average cow.
24
One of the best things about travel is the perspective it gives you. For example, you hear people in Ireland complain how corrupt the government is, but you’ve seen and heard much worse than what goes on here. And a quick check confirms that Ireland is indeed one of the least corrupt countries in the world. For the most part, it’s a great country to be from and live in.
At the Gap of Dunloe in Kerry
25
Visiting Cobh. Lots of history here. It was the Titanic’s last port of call. Spike Island in the harbor was once known as Ireland’s Alcatraz. And many ships have met their end in nearby waters, most famously the Lusitania, a passenger vessel sank by a German torpedo during World War I. Almost 1200 people died, many unidentified and buried in mass graves just outside the town.
26
Stressful week, keeping up with emails and freelance work and the video stuff while preparing as best I can for this conference and trying to be a good boyfriend and squeeze in seeing a few sights while we’re here in Cork and Kerry. Times like this I need to remind myself that I don’t have to do any of it. No, I get to do it. I choose to do it. And I can choose not to at any time.
27
West of Killarney, beyond the lake and over the mountain, there’s the Gap of Dunloe, a narrow winding road through the valley. Tourists can’t drive it. You have to go by foot or trap or bicycle. Almost had the whole place to ourselves this eve, strolled through for a couple of hours, admiring the views, ignoring the smells.
Panel discussion at the Grow Remote conference
28
So here we are. The first ever remote working conference in Ireland. My first time as an emcee. Running the show for six hours in front of 100+ people at a fancy hotel. I introduce the speakers and moderate the panels. The latter has me sitting down with 3-4 folks at a time with no idea who they are or what questions to ask. Glad it’s me and not someone else.
29
Got back to Gran Canaria this eve after twelve hours and two thousand miles of travel and was excited to jump on another live video. Talked about the Seinfeld Strategy: if you want to get good at something, do it every day, don’t break the chain. These Momentos are an unbroken chain of 2,041 days. 42 consecutive days now for the live videos.
30
Sometimes I come across a YouTuber with 100k subscribers and watch one of their videos and come away unimpressed. But I try take it as a good sign: if they’re at that level, it’s only a matter of time for me. Or maybe not. Maybe I’ll never get there. But I’ll keep trying.
After all the excitement at Grow Remote yesterday, meself and herself had a nice quiet picnic at Ross Castle in Killarney.
Posted by Disrupting the Rabblement on Saturday, September 29, 2018
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