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<!DOCTYPE HTML>
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<head>
<title>How Daniel Wallen Thinks About Life</title>
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<h1>The Operational Manual to My Mind</h1>
<h2>How Daniel Wallen Thinks About Life</h2>
<p>
Exercise is great, but your brain is the most important muscle in your body.<br><br>
No pressure to become a philosopher. That said, ponder the important stuff.<br><br>
Self-reflection will build mental connections that lead to better life decisions.<br><br>
Soon, you’ll have a mental framework that guides your decision-making process.<br><br>
To see what I mean, read the operational manual to my mind (#3 is odd but effective).<br><br>
Note: this essay was the result of deep meditation and retrospection.<br><br>
Then I added depth + actionable steps. And changed to a second person POV.<br><br>
Want to see the mental model I use as a moral compass? Scroll below…<br><br>
</p>
<h2>1. Change what you can. Accept what you can’t.</h2>
<p>
Circumstances restrict your ability to move.<br><br>
In time, any obstacle will fall. But it takes a while.<br><br>
Accept the job you need now. Build the business you want later.<br><br>
“Later” doesn’t mean procrastinate forever. It means be patient.<br><br>
Hustle is important, but it’s not about an endless stream of movement.<br><br>
Hunters and fishers spend most of their day waiting. Life works the same way.<br><br>
Detectives and private I’s follow 100 trails to nowhere before they close the case.<br><br>
Accept the fact any outcome demands an unknown amount of time and frustration.<br><br>
Meanwhile, leverage your skills and talents in a way that attracts paid opportunities.<br><br>
</p>
<h2>2. Pause, breathe, and think before you speak.</h2>
<p>
A code or mission should inform every decision you make.<br><br>
Decisions include how you respond to any form of correspondence.<br><br>
Apply this reasoning to phone calls and in-person conversations, too.<br><br>
Whether it’s a friend or business partner, listen to their words and tone.<br><br>
Reflect for a second and structure your response to fit the precise context.<br><br>
If there’s potential confusion, rephrase and ask follow-up questions to confirm.<br><br>
They’ll appreciate your effort to understand and share details you should know.<br><br>
Don’t forget to breathe. Deep breathing helps you focus and live in the moment.<br><br>
</p>
<h2>3. Schedule a daily panic session (seriously).</h2>
<p>
In a perfect world, you’d never panic. We don’t live in a perfect world.<br><br>
Bad things happen to good people. Risk can be minimized (not eliminated).<br><br>
You’ll run into difficult people and stressful situations that rattle your nerves.<br><br>
Deep inhales + slow exhales = the way. For brownie points, add a brief pause.<br><br>
Swallow the stress and promise yourself: “It’s okay, I will deal with this later.”<br><br>
Open a small timeslot – 5-15 minutes – where you’re free to panic and worry.<br><br>
“Pause” negative emotions until you can deal with them in a positive fashion. <br><br>
</p>
<h2>4. Be your own priest and/or confessional.</h2>
<p>
Nobody’s perfect. You’ll say or do the wrong thing. Feelings will get hurt. Oops.<br><br>
In business, this stuff is easy to avoid with sanity and systems or processes.<br><br>
Conflicts are harder to avoid with friends, family, and romantic partners.<br><br>
There’s no red tape or corporate rules to guide the language you use.<br><br>
And you need to talk through certain issues, uncomfortable or not.<br><br>
Heated discussions are appropriate, but do your best to be cool.<br><br>
Don’t select a phrase designed to be hurtful (borderline evil).<br><br>
Stay calm and civil. Focus on the facts and relevant details.<br><br>
Theory is easy. Application is hard. Read: you’ll mess up.<br><br>
Apologize, but be gentle with yourself. You’re human.<br><br>
Forgive yourself of any perceived sins every Sunday.<br><br>
</p>
<h2>5. Focus on foundational principles first.</h2>
<p>
Tactics are useless without a solid strategy.<br><br>
Strategy must be informed by an awareness of foundations.<br><br>
Fat loss is a good example. It doesn’t matter how complex your workout is.<br><br>
If you aren’t in a caloric deficit, the best routine ever invented can’t save you.<br><br>
The same theory applies to websites. Content is more important than web design.<br><br>
A beautiful website with bad copy will lose to an ugly website with good copy.<br><br>
Identify the biggest levers to pull and prioritize them above all else.<br><br>
</p>
<h2>6. Document everything you do in depth.</h2>
<p>
Systems and processes give you superpowers. They provide an ability to clone yourself.<br><br>
Run a business that requires you to collect email leads? This is a good starting point.<br><br>
Create a training manual with detailed instructions and outsource that activity.<br><br>
No biz? That’s okay. It’s not for everybody. You can still have a clone army.<br><br>
Housecleaning and grocery shopping could be outsourced with ease.<br><br>
Use the time savings to pursue a hobby or bond with your family.<br><br>
Look for things to automate, such as auto drafts for your bills.<br><br>
</p>
<h2>7. Edit and evolve until the day you die.</h2>
<p>
No first draft becomes a bestselling book.<br><br>
Bestselling books are a result of endless revisions.<br><br>
Editing is a form of evolution that creates masterpieces.<br><br>
Apply the same reasoning to your life. It can be edited at anytime.<br><br>
Learn, grow, and revise your personal story until it becomes a masterpiece.<br><br>
</p>
<h2>8. There are many paths to any outcome.</h2>
<p>
The goal or outcome is all that matters. Don’t be attached to the means of achieving it.<br><br>
For example, I took a gap year with the goal of becoming a developer or engineer.<br><br>
People have been led to believe this is the only path to a new career in tech.<br><br>
This is unfortunate, because the hiring process for devs is a total nightmare.<br><br>
You have to practice code challenges for hundreds or thousands of hours.<br><br>
Otherwise, there’s zero hope of getting through the technical interviews.<br><br>
These challenges teach you nothing about building apps or websites.<br><br>
I respect my time; and thus, am unwilling to play this stupid game.<br><br>
I found a better game. One I can win. Be willing to do the same.<br><br>
</p>
<h2>9. Pivot when you find a faster/easier way.</h2>
<p>
Laziness is often perceived as a bad thing.<br><br>
If you spend all your time watching TV, it’s true.<br><br>
On the other hand, laziness can boost productivity.<br><br>
Why not seek a faster and easier way to get things done?<br><br>
This is why I pivoted to sales and support engineer positions.<br><br>
As an actor and writer (strong communicator), they play to my strengths.<br><br>
And you’ll never be asked to traverse a binary search tree in reverse (silly).<br><br>
After I adopted this new strategy, I went from no interviews to 3-5 every week.<br><br>
Don’t feel guilty for abandoning a plan and replacing it with a more efficient one.<br><br>
</p>
<h2>10. Preserve all the time and energy you can.</h2>
<p>
Time and energy are the most important resources any human has at their disposal.<br><br>
Money is a result of pointing your time and energy in the most strategic direction.<br><br>
Happiness is a result of spending your time and energy on the right activities.<br><br>
If you’re broke or unhappy, your time and energy aren’t being utilized well.<br><br>
</p>
<h2>11. Optimize for the most important objective.</h2>
<p>
Go “All In” for one primary objective at a time.<br><br>
Getting a job. Finding a client. Launching a business.<br><br>
All of these goals require an extremely different approach.<br><br>
Pursue more than one objective and people will be confused.<br><br>
Align your social media profiles and content in the same direction.<br><br>
After you check off the most important task, realign them in a new direction.<br><br>
The world is yours. You’re capable of anything. But focus on one thing for now.<br><br>
</p>
<h2>12. Package your best insights into a single unit.</h2>
<p>
Incredible content is a secret weapon. It helps you stand out from the crowd.<br><br>
Don’t be shy. It’s okay to flex! Why not impress people you want to work with?<br><br>
Show people you have the most essential soft skill: an ability to communicate.<br><br>
Use the same skill to produce books and online courses about your expertise.<br><br>
You won’t have to seek opportunities. They’ll eventually come to you.<br><br>
</p>
<h2>13. Present yourself in the #1 most positive light.</h2>
<p>
Creeping is the new normal.<br><br>
Be your own public relations firm.<br><br>
Pretend you have a PR agent for a second.<br><br>
Would they be horrified by your social media updates?<br><br>
If so, you might be sending the wrong message to the world.<br><br>
Save controversial takes for private conversations and friends-only posts.<br><br>
Another option is to put that stuff in long-form content with lots of context.<br><br>
Don’t give a potential client or employer any reason to say: “That’s a big nope.”<br><br>
</p>
<h2>14. Connect with your greatest heroes and heroines.</h2>
<p>
Your favorite actor, author, or artist? They’re a normal person just like you.<br><br>
I sent a letter to my favorite author: Dean Koontz. Guess what? He replied.<br><br>
The man has outsold Stephen King and yet he took the time to write back.<br><br>
Once, I quoted Sarah Michelle Gellar in a blog, and tagged her in a share.<br><br>
Guess what? She liked and retweeted the article to her many followers.<br><br>
The guy who played Michael Myers in Halloween met me for breakfast.<br><br>
I asked him to sign a comic book in a letter. “I’ll do you one better,” he said.<br><br>
</p>
<h2>15. Build the project no other human could possibly do.</h2>
<p>
Copycats are lame. Stealing ideas because they’re incapable of having an original one. <br><br>
No one wants to read a book or article that’s been published a thousand times.<br><br>
Everyone wants to read fresh new insights they can’t find anywhere else.<br><br>
You don’t have to disrupt the foundations of your industry or anything.<br><br>
But you must find a unique spin that fits your individual perspective.<br><br>
</p>
<h2>16. Develop your skills, talents, thoughts, and ideas everyday.</h2>
<p>
Skills and talents must be developed.<br><br>
Thoughts and ideas must be sharpened.<br><br>
Otherwise, they’ll become dull and irrelevant.<br><br>
Progress doesn’t come to a halt after you graduate.<br><br>
Growth doesn’t cease to exist after you become an adult.<br><br>
Whether you’re 16 or 60, there’s no excuse to stop learning.<br><br>
</p>
<h2>17. Select a career that provides fulfillment and growth potential.</h2>
<p>
Work consumes more time than any other aspect of life (unless you have a trust fund).<br><br>
Given this reality, why would you settle for a job that makes you feel miserable?<br><br>
It’s never too late. I’ve had classmates who were old enough to be my mother.<br><br>
Employers who can’t provide upward mobility should be abandoned ASAP.<br><br>
They’re a parasite who feeds on your life without providing any benefit.<br><br>
Raise the bar for yourself and the work environments you’ll accept.<br><br>
Live in a small town? I know that feel. Analyze remote possibilities.<br><br>
You’re no longer limited by geographical boundaries. Be creative.<br><br>
</p>
<h2>18. Choose a cause where you can make a BIG dent in the Universe.</h2>
<p>
The best cause?<br><br>
One where you can make a real impact.<br><br>
Arguing about politics doesn’t fit the bill.<br><br>
Often, you’ll merely harden their existing opinion.<br><br>
Only persuasive hypnotists change hearts and minds.<br><br>
You have to work through decades of mental programming.<br><br>
Better to focus on a cause where you can create tangible results.<br><br>
This is why I walk shelter dogs and “advertise” them with Facebook posts.<br><br>
Instant result: the dog is happy to take a field trip and get away from their kennel.<br><br>
Delayed result: the dog often finds their forever family (150+ adoptions and counting!).<br><br>
</p>
<h2>19. Find a career-to-cause ratio that provides a secure, healthy balance.</h2>
<p>
Devoting your time and energy to a cause is good. Overdoing it can end badly.<br><br>
Money isn’t everything. But there’s no denying it provides true freedom.<br><br>
The sooner you’re secure, the sooner you can do more for the world.<br><br>
In many cases, writing a check for $1,000 > volunteering 10 hours.<br><br>
Earn more today so you can be more generous in the future.<br><br>
</p>
<h2>20. Explore and experiment with every recipe until your life tastes delicious.</h2>
<p>
Take nothing in this essay as Gospel Truth.<br><br>
Telling you how to think about life isn’t the goal.<br><br>
The goal = encourage you to reflect about your own principles.<br><br>
The firmer your principles, the more confident you’ll be about your choices.<br><br>
Write an operational manual for your own mind to make better decisions everyday.<br><br>
</p>
<h3>Want to see my work in action? <a href="https://www.danielwallen.dev/portfolio.html">Click here</a> to view a portfolio.</h3>
</body>