There Is Change In The Air

Subtle Shifts

Have you ever caught yourself doing something and wondered why on earth you’re doing it? And then realise you’ve been doing it for years?

At the beginning of ‘Covid’, I began writing, podcasting and doing YouTube videos. This was more a curiosity than a planned commercial venture: spontaneity in the face of a radical change.

The world came to relative stillness amidst the chaos. From mania to quiescent.

During that time, I had the pleasure of chatting with some wonderful people for my podcast, and I received great feedback from those who tuned in and engaged with the content I shared in the social sphere.

The wheels fell off this little side piece as the world regained some sanity (or not?). As the world gained a little sanity, I leaned back into insanity. I reverted to the world of commerce and finance and stared back into the hellhole of excessive bureaucracy.

I doubled down on property development and investing, which has paid financial dividends, but a yearning in my soul has been silenced. I have a thirst for depth that isn’t quenched in the world of commerce.

Perhaps the world’s seeming sanity was actually insanity all along.

---

The world coming to a standstill brought out something in my soul. No real planning, strategising, ‘productivity hacks,’ and all that other stuff. No white rabbit one step ahead.

I was sitting in Turkey, looking up at Babadag Mountain. I’d just done a podcast with Thomas Campbell (recently on Joe Rogan), and I questioned how I could turn my existential curiosity into a financially sustainable venture. Commerce with a bit of soul.

The truth?… I still haven’t figured it out. Or at least had the conviction to throw caution to the wind. If you look at it keenly, I suppose this is a question of faith.

I hold labels very loosely, but I consider myself a capitalist. I think it's good and generative that people take risks and express their creativity in return for financial exchange.

A question I’ve asked for around 10 years - How can I run my entrepreneurial ventures, a couple of which feel shallow, while there is a whisper to Greater Heights?

---

The Plan

I’ve committed to doing at least 3 YouTube videos per week and writing here on Substack at least twice weekly. I’ve found that the more you create, the more opportunities reveal themselves, like a serendipitous hack.

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@thealexhickman

I’ve made several videos here about my business ventures. From now on, I’ll be weaving more of my worldview into the videos.

(My old YouTube channel and podcast, more for the spiritually inclined - https://www.youtube.com/@alexhickman)

People talk so much about ‘niche’ and ‘target audiences’, but I find all that tiresome. I’d rather direct my life force to avoid all the nonsense than feed into it. If you throw authentic stuff into the social sphere, your tribe resonates with you and gives you immediate feedback, rightly or wrongly.

The longer-term vision is to build a community of entrepreneurs who value depth, insight and wisdom. I’ve found that people with an expanded worldview and operating at second-tier on the Spiral Dynamics scale build some incredible ventures.

This is where I want to go. I’d love to see you there.