To Those Who Are Not Precious
To those out there who are not precious: I get it. Trust me, I get it. You see things and you want to get them done. You’re not afraid to break the rules, to push through the chaos, to go against the grain. You just go. And you’re right to do it.
There are places in life where this mindset thrives. There are research and development departments, industries where people embrace getting dirty, literally and figuratively. There are sectors built for those who are willing to throw themselves into the unknown and figure it out as they go. But if you’re reading this, I’m guessing you’re not thinking about those roles. You’re probably someone who operates in a more creative or intellectual space. You might be in film, media, writing—fields where ideas meet the friction of finance, networking, and compromise.
That’s where things get tricky. You have a vision. You know what you want to create, but there’s always something missing—whether it’s funding, time, or the right connections. The world tells you that you need to compromise, that you need to sell out a little bit to get where you want to go. And honestly, sometimes you do. Sometimes you have to play the game. But here’s the thing: the tools at your disposal right now, the opportunities in front of you, have never been this good.
I’m writing this on an iPhone, using an app—ChatGPT—to turn my thoughts into a book. This technology, the resources we have right now, are mind-blowing. The ability to create, to produce something and distribute it for free, to reach billions of people around the globe—it’s unparalleled. Will it always be this way? I doubt it. But right now, you have the power to make things happen, without the kind of capital or backing that creators used to need.
You don’t need a huge budget or a production company behind you. You don’t need to wait for someone to tell you your idea is good enough. You can just create. The most sophisticated, precious tools the world has ever seen are now available to people like you—people who are not precious—who just want to make things. And the best part? These tools are practically free.
The world has never been more ready for people like you—people who don’t care about perfection, who aren’t waiting for the stars to align, who are ready to just get things done. One of the earlier chapters in this book talks about corporate culture and the way businesses grow, hit a plateau, and then need to evolve. I worked on that chapter like I’ve never worked on anything before—draft after draft, refining it until it was as clear and insightful as I could make it. And then I had this thought: what if Tom Wolfe or Hunter S. Thompson were to describe what I was trying to say? What would they see in this scenario?
So, I turned to ChatGPT and prompted it: Write this as if Tom Wolfe and Hunter S. Thompson were documenting the same thing. And within minutes, I was reading a chapter that took my ideas to a place I couldn’t have reached on my own. I could never write like Tom Wolfe, but I knew his style. I knew what he could bring to the table. And suddenly, I had it. In my hands. In minutes.
That’s the world you’re living in. The ability to articulate an idea, to layer it with insight and creativity, to bring in references and styles that would have been out of reach before—it’s all there. The tools are there. You can do more now than at any other time in history.
But here’s the thing: just because the tools are available doesn’t mean it’s easy. It doesn’t mean you’re going to make a living off your first project. It doesn’t mean you’ll be noticed right away. But if you’re not precious, if you’re someone who has to create, who has to make things regardless of the obstacles, then this is your moment. This is your time to take what’s in front of you and run with it.
You know who you are. You’re the kind of person who falls asleep with ideas of possibilities and wakes up excited to make something. You’re not dreaming about maybe doing something one day. You’re in the middle of it. You’re building something. And there’s no better feeling than going to bed with that sense of purpose—the kind that comes from making things happen, not just wishing they would.
The world has never been more ready for people like you. People who don’t need everything to be perfect, who aren’t afraid of failure, who don’t care about being precious. You don’t need a massive budget. You don’t need approval. You just need to go. And you’re right—the world is at your fingertips.
Will this lead to a business or a lifelong career? I can’t say. I struggle with that every day. But the tools we have right now are unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. And for those of you who are not precious, this is your time to shine.
So, to those of you who aren’t precious, here’s my message: Go make things. The world is wide open for you, and the opportunities to create have never been greater. Don’t wait. Don’t hold back. This is your moment. Go and do what you were made to do.