One of the most important lessons I’ve learned along the reinvention journey is that you never know who is holding the keys to open the next door in your life. There are people we have never met that might introduce us to new ideas, opportunities, or perspectives. There are countless people whom I have met along my journey that have opened the door to life changing opportunities.

Recently, it was my local barista that was holding the keys to a timely and much-needed inspiration in my life. At the moment, I’m shifting into creation for digital. However, limiting beliefs and old preferences for in-person delivery are holding me back. However, I’ve committed to this and I have been doing much better. That said, I still needed to breakthrough some blockers in order to grow into my next reinvention.

While in Dublin, Ireland, one of the few places open during lockdown is the coffee shop. Thank goodness!

Nearby, there is an incredible coffee shop and bakery called Bear Lemon, in the Drumcondra neighborhood of Dublin. They have an awesome story you can watch in less than two minutes here. And you can follow their IG here.

The Keys to My Next Reinvention Breakthrough

During my first trip there, I met one of their amazing barista’s, James. We immediately got into a great conversation while he was preparing my pour over coffee.

Since that first trip, I’ve been there about a dozen times and I always spend time speaking with James. We share books, ideas, and resources with each other. And in one of those conversations, he introduced me to a Youtuber, Ali Abdaal. James shared with me that Ali has been an incredible inspiration and positive influence through his videos and he was certain I was going to feel the same.

Without hesitation, I started watching Ali’s videos on productivity, mac and ipad tools he uses, internet revenue strategies, and his growth as a YouTuber and content creator.

In one of his videos, Ali shared a book that put him on the path he’s on today. That book is Show Your Work by Austin Kleon. Ali credits Austin’s book with inspiring him to begin writing and producing content almost daily. He shared that his blocker used to be feeling like he was promoting himself too much and not feeling good about that. Then he read Austin’s book and he started to see content creation through a completely new lens that inspired him to begin writing and producing more.

I Walked Right Through The Door!

I bought the book for my Kindle and was also inspired by it to begin writing. In fact, this book inspired me to write this article. For a long time I focused on writing longer pieces which I would mostly turn into talks and keynotes I’d deliver in person. However, that work would die there and not be seen anywhere else. Austin’s book and Ali’s videos have inspired me to share more of that work and the inspirations for that work.

So here’s to many more posts, sharing my work, the work behind my work, and the inspiration and lessons I uncover along the way.

I highly recommend Ali Abdaal’s YouTube channel for anyone looking to learn more about content creation, productivity, and online business models.

And thank you James (@JamesKanu_ on Instagram) for the keys to an inspiring new door I just opened and all of the possibilities waiting inside.

Thanks to Austin’s book, I’ve written 4 blog posts this week sharing a little more about my work and process. Here are a few of those articles…

• 122 Pages That Helped Me Discover a Massive Blindspot
• What a Content Creation Workflow Did For Me in 4 Weeks
• What I Learned About Reinvention in Art History Class