A lot of stuff going on this week! Our regularly-scheduled blog post is below. I'll be taking the next couple weeks off to be with the family for the holidays.
BUT....I've got some exciting announcements!
I made a quick video for you to explain:
If you're interested in the podcast, check out our first two episodes here:
One of the most valuable things I do every quarter is ask a single question:
What 20% of the things I do produced 80% of my joy?
Many of you will recognize this as a play on the "Pareto principle" - the idea that in many cases, 20% of the inputs into a given system produce 80% of its outputs.
20% of your clients produce 80% of your headaches...
20% of your products or services produce 80% of your revenue.
20% of bands get 80% of the listens.
And so on.
This type of relationship is called a power law. They arise in systems where feedback loops occur: a band gets popular, which pushes them up the charts, which makes them more popular, which gets them into more recommendation algorithms, which makes them more popular...and on we go.
In my experience, power laws hold true in my personal life as well. Certain situations or dynamics produce the vast majority of my negative feelings. Certain people are at the root of the majority of my good times. Certain activities produce the most results.
All of this implies a few things:
1.) You're spending a great deal of time on stuff that doesn't produce the results you care about. That means you can cut out most of what you do with little to no downside.
2.) If you're going to spend time improving your life, the place to look is at the few things you do that really move the needle. Everything else is noise.
One of the reasons I focus this kind of analysis on joy specifically is that, as an ambitious person, I find it easy to get sidetracked into optimizing for the wrong thing.
This year, in particular, I fell into that trap. I set myself a goal of "having 5 million dollars in the bank." I then set about figuring out what could get me there: discarding some ideas, adopting others, almost entirely based on whether they would help me make money.
Now, there's nothing wrong with making money. Having 5 million dollars in the bank would be awesome. (Spoiler alert: I do not have 5 million dollars in the bank). That's a perfectly reasonable goal for someone who enjoys making money.
But I don't. I don't care about money much at all. I care about providing for my family; I care about paying my bills, saving for my kid's college funds, going out to eat with my wife, playing the occasional video game, having a glass of wine, staying at a nice hotel when I have to travel for work, buying books, having time to read, etc. These are the various luxuries of life that I enjoy and care about.
But I already possess them. If I pursue the goal of making more money but am forced to work non-stop to achieve it, then I am at a net-negative emotionally even if I am at a net-positive financially.
Ultimately, as Emerson once said, "life consists in what a man thinks about every day." If I spend every day thinking about money, that is what my life consists of - and that kind of life would not make me happy.
We all tend to optimize for the metric that represents the goal, rather than the goal itself. If my goal is to have time to myself, to study and teach what I'm interested in, and to spend time with fun and cool people, then money is a poor metric to measure that goal. It's true: if I build a giant company and get rich, I could sell it and make time to do all those things. I could also do all those things by living simply and never bothering with building a giant company in the first place. Which one gets me to the actual goal the fastest?
This is why analyzing your sources of joy is important: joy is immediate, in-and-of-itself, an experience that precedes the goal. You can experience joy in the process, rather than simply in achievement. Joy is always available. Why wait?
Asking the question this quarter - What 20% of the things I do produced 80% of my joy? - produced a surprising response:
By far, the most fun I had all quarter was teaching my class on General Semantics.
For the past few years, I have been teaching a class in December on the most interesting things I learned that year. It attracts a diverse and fun group of people. The classes are free-wheeling, surprising, and an absolute joy to prepare and present. I look forward to it every year.
This year, it occurred to me: If it's so much fun, why am I waiting till December? Why only do it once?
The honest answer? It never makes any money. I'm a sole-income earner - it feels wrong to spend significant chunks of time doing something that doesn't even pay for itself. Isn't that irresponsible? Shouldn't I be focusing on ideas with legs? Shouldn't I be catering to audiences with money? Shouldn't I be doing something "high ticket" rather than "pay what you want"?
That's when I realized: I'm optimizing for the wrong thing. I've been so concerned about money that I missed what was right in front of me - I was trying to trade money to do what I wanted to do, but I was already doing what I wanted to do.
As a result, I resolved to throw money concerns to the side and do something I loved.
And with that, I'm kicking off Dan's Secret Society.
What is it?
Imagine being a part of a tight-knit community where people value creativity, big ideas, and learning. That's Dan's Secret Society - a community built for friendly, ambitious, and curious people like you.
Each month I teach a number of live sessions centered around a curriculum composed of the most interesting, useful, and impactful things I've learned. Every session is designed to help move you towards what you want - and specifically, towards having a positive impact on the world around you. If you can't make the calls live, no worries - you'll have access to all past session recordings.
What do we cover?
Unlock Deep Learning: Master the art of learning anything quickly and retaining it for life
Ignite Creativity: Break through mental blocks and generate groundbreaking ideas.
Create Impactful Work: Learn how to consistently produce work that inspires and makes a difference.
Build a Career You're Passionate About: Learn how to build and develop a career doing what you love.
Influence and Lead: Develop the skills to inspire others and bring your vision to life.
See Clearly, Decide Confidently: Gain tools to cut through noise, make smarter choices, and act boldly.
Conquer Self-Doubt: Replace limiting beliefs with real confidence.
...and much more!
In Dan's Secret Society, you're joining a learning group and becoming a part of a network of creatives, thinkers, and doers. Members share insights, support each other's goals, and collaborate on projects that make a real difference.
DSS is entirely pay-what-you-want.
Your subscription isn’t just an investment in yourself—it’s a way to support others on their journey. The suggested price is $15, and every dollar you give above that helps fund memberships for those who can’t afford to pay. Together, we’re creating a ripple effect of learning, growth, and impact.
Every dollar you give fuels not just your growth but someone else’s too.
Musician, Business Owner, Dad, among some other things.
I am best known for my work in HAVE A NICE LIFE, Giles Corey, and Black Wing. I also started and run a 7-figure marketing agency.
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Simon Sarris
