Why most creators feel empty

Hey,

Week 9.

This week I'm going to tell you something most people won't.

Because it's not sexy. It won't get you followers. And it definitely won't make you feel good about your current habits.

But it's the truth.

You are the sum of what you focus on

Not what you consume. Not what you know. Not what you say you'll do.

What you focus on.

Put your attention on junk → your mind fills with junk → you feel like shit.

Put your attention on creation → your mind gets sharp → you feel alive.

Simple as that.

Here's what this means practically:

If you spend 4 hours "working" but checking notifications every 10 minutes, you didn't work. You scattered your attention across 50 things and got nothing meaningful done.

If you spend 90 minutes writing one thing, phone off, completely there - that's real work.

Most “knowledge workers” don't understand this. They don't have clarity on what actually matters.

But you do.

Reading. Writing. Posting good shit. Going to the gym. That's real work.

These don't give immediate results. But they compound over time.

Stop waiting to get lucky

Here's why you give up on things:

1. You don't get results quick enough

2. You don't find meaning in what you do

3. You don't give yourself time to actually develop skills

So you hope something goes viral. You hope you get lucky.

You don't want to put in the work to ACTUALLY get good.

Let me be clear: You're not going to get lucky.

You're going to get good.

And getting good requires one thing: getting intimate with your craft.

Not doing it half-assed while checking your phone. Your notifications. Your email. Whatever.

Actually treating your work with respect. Showing up every day with the attitude to better yourself. Going deep. Giving it everything you've got.

4 hours of deep work beats 10 hours of distracted "productivity".

How to actually find purpose in your work (so you don't quit)

Here's the problem: If you don't find meaning in your daily life, life feels not worth living.

And here's how you find meaning: Get intimate with your work.

Not just "do" it. Get intimate with it.

What does that look like?

• You approach it with respect

• You come with the attitude to better yourself

• You give it your full attention

• You push yourself to your limit

Here's what happens when you do this:

You connect the dots better → gives you purpose → creates consistency → builds skill → generates results

That's the chain.

But it starts with purpose. And purpose only comes from intimacy with the work.

You can't find purpose inwhat you do if you do it with half-assed effort.

The 1-1-1 method (how to stop consuming and start selling)

Most of you are stuck in consumption mode.

Here's how to break out:

1 Highlight: Copy any concept from a book/video/podcast into your notes app.

1 Insight: Convert it into your own words. Your version.

1 Action: What can you do with this concept right now? Write it down.

This is how you create frameworks.

Frameworks are what people want. Frameworks are what give transformation. Frameworks are what sell.

Do this for 15 concepts = 1 lead magnet ready.

Combine 15 lead magnets = 1 $500 product ready.

Don't complicate things. It's fairly simple.

What actually matters (and what doesn't)

Doesn't matter:

• 0 sales

• 0 engagement

• 0 growth

• Slow follower count

Does matter:

• Did you read today?

• Did you write today?

• Did you publish today?

• Did you send your outreach?

• Did you go deep or stay shallow?

Focus on your deliverables. Daily inputs.

That's what shapes your mind. That's what shapes how you experience life. That's what improves your focus. That's what builds your skills.

Not the end result.

When you focus on daily inputs: a) you have a good experience of life, and b) you get your results eventually.

When you focus on end results: a) you feel anxious, and b) you still don't get results because you're not doing the inputs.

The standard you need to hold yourself to

You're not most people.

You belong to the top 1%. You have the habits of the top 1%.

You understand depth is necessary to excel. You understand Quality = Time × Intensity of Focus.

Even if you think AI could do the work for you - don't let it. Do the hard work yourself.

That's what will separate you from everyone else who's using AI constantly.

You have to be willing to do the hard work.

While other knowledge workers don't have clarity on what matters, you do.

You know that reading, writing, publishing equals real work. You know these don't give immediate results but compound over time.

Don't waver from this path.

How to deal with bad moments

When you're going through a rough patch - whether in business, relationships, or just life:

Focus on the learnings.

Focus on the fact that this got exposed, and now you know about it. Now you can deal with it better.

Don't focus on the negatives. Focus only on the positives.

Find a way to skillfully ignore the negatives that arise in your life.

Not because you're avoiding them. But because dwelling on them doesn't help you move forward.

The one thing that changes everything

If you want to get rid of negativity and negative emotions - immerse yourself in depth.

Do not succumb to shallow work. At all.

Complete immersion is what's required.

Fill your mind with deep work. When you do this, there's no room for the shallow stuff like anger, frustration, comparison.

Want a good experience of life? Focus on depth.

You build focus by diving into depth every day.

Take a walk with no podcast. Read for 90 minutes with no phone. Write with complete focus. Do hard things.

Do this daily, and everything else starts to fall into place.

What I learned this week

1. Who you are is the sum of what you focus on. Choose wisely.

2. Stop trying to get lucky. Start getting good. Get intimate with your craft.

3. Meaning comes before consistency. You find meaning by going deep, not by doing more.

4. Daily inputs > end results. Always.

5. You belong to the top 1% - act like it. Do the work others won't.

Next week

I'm implementing everything I just taught you.

Deep work blocks. No distractions. Full presence.

You should too.

Let's go.

– Vaibhav

P.S. Treat your work with respect. Show up every day with the attitude to better yourself and your craft. Get intimate with what you do. Go deep. Give it all you've got.

Check out my Free Playbook to create systems that enable you to be consistent & build real shit.