Hey Friend​,

The more I work in what is often called the ”transformation industry,” the more appealing it feels to work with a handful of people at a high level to help them achieve remarkable results. In 2020, I’ll be focused on helping 100 people succeed in their writing and creative careers.

This will take a few different forms including ghostwriting, coaching, and working with the members of my mastermind group.

100 people may not sound like a “few,” but in years past, I was working with thousands of clients and seeing them experience all kinds of mixed results. One year, I had over 17,000 people enroll in various online courses of mine. That’s a fun number to boast about on social media, but I probably don’t have to tell you that it’s next to impossible to have a relationship with that many people, or even have an idea of how well I am helping them.

Most of my youth I wanted to be cool. Popular. Accepted. Whatever. And sadly this drive for popularity and acceptance manifested in a business people where I thought more was better.

But the truth is that I prefer to go deep with a few people who get it, who appreciate my approach to creative work and have similar values. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy reaching lots of people with my message. I do. I love getting to speak in front of large audiences and have my books read by hundreds of thousands of people. That’s fun.

But when it comes to where I invest my time teaching and helping, I want to know what kind of difference I’m making. I want to meet someone at an event who says “I’m in one of your programs” and already know their name. Unfortunately that has not always been the case.

Sometimes, I think, you have to get the thing you think you want to realize what you really want. In my case that means helping creative people succeed. That could be helping them write a book or build an online platform or strengthen their message. It might mean encouraging them to go to therapy or consider that their calling may not be what they’re currently doing. Whatever it is, selfishly, I want to see the impact. I don’t want to guess or hope or wonder. I want to know.

So, in 2020, I’ll be working with 100 people to help them succeed. That will look a little different depending on who it is and what the need is. I’ll continue to speak and write and help spread my own message. But I also want to work closely with this group of a hundred to help better work spread.

Right now, I have eight clients for book projects that are in various stages and 25 people in our mastermind. That leaves 67 spots. I want to get as many people committed by the new year so we can get to work.

67. That is a so much more exciting and achievable number than “more.” It’s a more fun goal than “I want to double what I did last year.” To get really clear on what you want and to after your it without worrying what other people are doing or if it’s “good enough” just might be the secret to satisfaction in your work and life.

I don’t know. I apparently like reinventing myself. But I hope this helps you clarify what success looks like for you in your work. How many people do you really want to impact? Is it 100? 1? A million? So often we never stop to ask the question.

What’s your number? Send me a reply to this email, sharing what it is and why. And if you or someone you know is interested in being one of my 100, let me know.

Best,

Jeff