Minus one to zero

You may be familiar with 0 to 1. There are lectures and a book of that name by Peter Thiel that talks about creating something entirely new and finding value in unexpected places.

How about -1 to 0?

That's a term now made popular by the good people at SPC. It describes that experience a lot of us have gone through without the best words to describe it:

It is when you figure out what you want to dedicate the next 5-10 years to work on next.

And not only the what but also how you want to work. What form will it take? How exactly will others interact with this thing?

It is when you list out all the things you could do next and decide to narrow down what you actually will do. It's where you find the conviction to do that thing you just decided. It is a time to put aside the accolades from the past and start anew - with the eye of a newbie.

For many, this is tough. For others, not so.

In an age where you are capable of being so many things, and solving so many problems, deciding to narrow and focus on a few problems seems like the better thing to do.

Doing this requires saying no to some really good ideas, so you can focus on great ideas. It requires deciding if what you are solving is really a slog, an important quest, or something others are willing to wait on you to solve regardless of how difficult it is.

It also requires you to ask and genuinely answer if you are the best person to do this. If you feel some level of imposter syndrome, it may be good to decide if you are willing to remain an ‘imposter’ for the sake of getting this problem solved.

And if it takes longer to get to point zero, do what you would to gain more perspective and clarity.

Keep talking to people.

Keep listening and asking questions.

Take what you are learning and keep doing your own iteration.