How to Begin by Michael Bungay Stanier Synopsis How to Begin (2022) argues that you unlock your greatness by working on the hard things. The things that matter. Not to your partner, friends, or family – but to you. The hardest part isn’t the work itself, though. It’s identifying the kinds of projects that are worth investing your time in. Projects which give your life meaning. And that’s what this book is really about: helping you discover worthy goals Who is it for? • Self-improvers stuck in a rut • Thinkers and doers • Anyone who wants to live their best life What’s in it for me? Tools to help you travel your own path. Many self-help books are like trains: they travel a pre-established route toward a known destination. The journey’s planned out and the book in your hands, or on your screen, is your ticket. You just have to get on. And you know what? That’s often the best way to travel. You don’t always need to figure everything out for yourself. Good advice from experts can be the fastest way to get where you want to go. Let's say you generally try to eat a balanced and nutritious diet. It keeps you healthy and energetic, and you tend to be more productive and in a better mood when you pass on the chili-cheese French fries and opt for the spinach salad. But being healthy and energetic isn’t really your life goal. It’s more like a means to an end – it helps you do the other things you care about. So, you don’t really need to know everything there is to know about nutrition. You don’t need to know why spinach is good for you. You can reap the rewards of healthy eating – energy, productivity, and all the rest – by doing what the experts say you should do. How To Begin, by Michael Bungay Stanier, take a different approach. Unlike most self-help experts, Stanier doesn’t merely offer instructions for how to live your life. Stanier understands that no one can tell us what matters to us. We have to beat our own paths because the path that leads you to deep fulfillment might be a dead-end for me–and vice versa. In other words, these do not train tickets. They don’t identify a “final destination” that we all should aim for. We each have our own personal destinations – our own goals. Precisely what those goals are will vary person to person. What shouldn’t vary, however, is the qualities those goals possess. It’s the qualities that your goals possess, not what your goals are, that will make them, to quote Stanier, “Worthy Goals.” Life is short and, as far as we know, we only get one shot at it. There isn’t time to pursue dead ends. That’s why we owe it to ourselves to get these big goals right. And that’s exactly what we’re going to be doing in these blinks. So, let's take a look at the tools that can help you plot a path toward your Worthy Goal. Along the way, you’ll also learn • What makes a Worthy Goal truly worth your time; • How to stress-test big life projects before committing to them; and • When to call it quits on one project and start an

1. HOW TO BEGIN
HER & ME

2. WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME
◦UNLOCK YOUR GREATNESS BY WORKING ON THE
HARD THINGS
◦THINGS THAT MATTER. NOT TO YOUR PARTNER,
FRIENDS, OR FAMILY – BUT TO YOU
◦HARDEST PART ISN’T THE WORK ITSELF
◦AND TOOLS TO HELP YOU TRAVEL YOUR OWN
PATH

3. WE’LL LEARN
 WHAT MAKES A WORTHY GOAL TRULY WORTH
YOUR TIME
 HOW TO STRESS-TEST BIG LIFE PROJECTS BEFORE
COMMITTING TO THEM; AND
 WHEN TO CALL IT QUITS ON ONE PROJECT AND
START ANOTHER

4. WORTHY GOALS HAVE THREE DISTINCTIVE
QUALITIES
◦SHOULD BE DAUNTING
◦IMPORTANT
◦AND THRILLING

5. STARTS WITH A CRAPPY FIRST DRAFT
◦THINK OF AN IDEA FOR A LIFE-PROJECT YOU
WANT TO WORK ON
◦WE’RE GOING TO GET THAT IDEA OUT OF YOUR
HEAD AND INTO THE WORLD
◦START WITH A SKETCH
◦TANGIBLE. REAL. IT’LL BE MESSY, A LITTLE VAGUE –
A BIT CRAPPY

6. STARTS WITH A CRAPPY FIRST DRAFT
◦BUT THAT’S OK. LET’S MAKE THAT CRAPPY FIRST
DRAFT
◦REMEMBER TO AIM FOR A GOAL THAT’S WORTHY
OF YOUR TIME
◦WHILE WRITING IT DOWN, ASK YOURSELF IF IT'S
DAUNTING, IMPORTANT, AND THRILLING

7. STARTS WITH A CRAPPY FIRST DRAFT
◦IS IT SOMETHING THAT’S GOING TO PUSH YOU
OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE WITHOUT BEING
IMPOSSIBLE?
◦IS IT GOING TO CONNECT YOU TO THE WORLD IN
SOME WAY? DOES IT EXCITE YOU?
◦KEEP THOSE WORD ASSOCIATIONS FLOWING AND
SEE HOW FAR YOU CAN GET

8. STARTS WITH A CRAPPY FIRST DRAFT
◦NOW, CAN YOU PUT IT ALL TOGETHER IN ONE
SHORT MISSION STATEMENT?
◦THINK OF STATEMENTS LIKE “CREATE A NEW, TOP-
NOTCH PODCAST”
◦IS IT GOING TO BE PERFECT? NOPE, PROBABLY
NOT! BUT IT IS A START

9. CHECK GOAL- IS IT FEASIBLE BEFORE MOVING
FORWARD
◦THINK OF IT AS A STRESS TEST
◦HOW STURDY IS IT?
◦DOES IT SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF YOUR
AMBITION, OR DOES IT LOOK LIKE IT’S GOING TO
WOBBLE?
◦WE’LL START WITH THE SPOUSE-ISH TEST

10. CHECK GOAL- IS IT FEASIBLE BEFORE MOVING
FORWARD
◦MAKE YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE AND GIVE
YOURSELF A REALITY CHECK. SCARY? SURE.
NECESSARY? ABSOLUTELY
◦SO, WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT?
◦CHANCES ARE, YOU’RE GOING TO HEAR ONE OF
THREE THINGS FROM YOUR SPOUSE-ISH PERSON
◦“YES, BRILLIANT – DO IT!”

11. CHECK GOAL- IS IT FEASIBLE BEFORE MOVING
FORWARD
◦“NO, THAT’S NUTS – DON’T DO IT!”
◦OR “YES, IT’S A GREAT IDEA, BUT YOU’VE BEEN
TALKING ABOUT IT FOREVER; JUST DO IT
ALREADY!”
◦POSITIVE FEEDBACK ISN’T A GREEN LIGHT, BUT IT’S
A GREAT SIGN THAT YOU’RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK

12. CHECK GOAL- IS IT FEASIBLE BEFORE MOVING
FORWARD
◦NOR IS A NEGATIVE RESPONSE A RED LIGHT – IT’S
SIMPLY A WARNING TELLING YOU TO CHECK YOU
HAVEN'T MISSED SOMETHING IMPORTANT
◦SECOND TEST – FITTING YOUR PROJECT INTO
THE GOLDILOCKS ZONE

13. CHECK GOAL- IS IT FEASIBLE BEFORE
MOVING FORWARD
◦SOME GOALS ARE TOO SMALL AND GRANULAR
◦BEING IN BED BY 10 P
.M. IS A GOOD EXAMPLE
◦OTHERS, LIKE FINDING HAPPINESS, ARE TOO BIG,
TOO ABSTRACT
◦WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR IS A GOAL THAT
FEELS JUST RIGHT

14. CHECK GOAL- IS IT FEASIBLE BEFORE
MOVING FORWARD
◦YOUR PROJECT SHOULD FIT INTO A GOLDILOCKS
ZONE, WHICH IS WHY THIS EXERCISE IS CALLED
THE GOLDILOCKS TEST
◦PERFECT BALANCE – MEANINGFUL BUT REALISTIC,
INSPIRING BUT DOABLE

15. SMALL TWEAKS CAN MAKE YOUR GOAL
MUCH CLEARER
◦LET’S RECAP
, RUN YOUR FIRST DRAFT PAST A
SPOUSE-ISH PERSON
◦THOUGHT ABOUT ITS WEIGHT AND HEFT. CAN IT
BE DONE? IS IT WORTH DOING?
◦DID YOUR GOAL PASS THESE STRESS TESTS? YES?
GREAT! YOU’RE READY TO START WORKING ON
YOUR FINAL DRAFT

16. SMALL TWEAKS CAN MAKE YOUR GOAL
MUCH CLEARER
◦OUR NEXT EXERCISE
◦HOW CAN YOU ADD SOME SPICE TO YOUR
DRAFT? LET’S LOOK AT THE KINDS OF WORDS YOU
COULD ADD
◦FOR STARTERS, LET’S CONSIDER “TIME.”

17. SMALL TWEAKS CAN MAKE YOUR GOAL
MUCH CLEARER
◦THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU’RE GOING TO WORKING
ON YOUR GOAL – IS IT A FULL-TIME
COMMITMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, OR MORE LIKE FIVE
HOURS A WEEK?
◦DEADLINES ALSO GIVE YOU LOTS OF CHOICES. BY
TOMORROW? WITHIN FOUR WEEKS? BY THE END
OF THE YEAR? BY 2040? BEFORE I DIE?

18. SMALL TWEAKS CAN MAKE YOUR GOAL
MUCH CLEARER
◦NEXT, ASK YOURSELF HOW YOU’RE GOING TO
WORK
◦WILL IT BE WITH A TEAM OR ALONE? WILLINGLY?
JOYFULLY? PASSIONATELY? ALL-IN?
◦WHAT ABOUT YOUR PROJECT’S REACH – IS IT
GEARED TOWARD THE PLACE YOU LIVE OR AN
INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE?

19. SMALL TWEAKS CAN MAKE YOUR
GOAL MUCH CLEARER
◦DO YOU WANT 1,000 LOCAL CUSTOMERS OR TEN
MILLION GLOBAL SUBSCRIBERS?
◦CONSIDER OUTCOMES, LOTS OF DESCRIPTORS TO
CHOOSE FROM – THINK PROFITABLE,
SUSTAINABLE, HELPFUL, LUCRATIVE, FREEING, OR
FULFILLING
◦AIM TO BE IN THE TOP TEN, FIVE, OR THREE
PERCENT

20. SMALL TWEAKS CAN MAKE YOUR
GOAL MUCH CLEARER
◦GOAL CAN BE TRANSFORMATIVE OR A BEST
SELLER, CAN BE RECOGNIZED OR LOVED OR
VALUED
◦THEN THERE’S STANDARDS. ARE YOU
PROFESSIONAL, EXTRAORDINARY, OR ELITE?
◦TOO HIGH-FLOWN? WHAT ABOUT COMPETENT
OR JUST GOOD ENOUGH

21. SMALL TWEAKS CAN MAKE YOUR
GOAL MUCH CLEARER
◦WHILE YOU WERE ADDING ALL THAT EXTRA SPICE,
HOW DID YOUR MISSION STATEMENT CHANGE?
◦CRAPPY FIRST DRAFT SHOULD HAVE STARTED TO
FIRM UP AND BECOME MORE PRECISE

22. SMALL TWEAKS CAN MAKE YOUR
GOAL MUCH CLEARER
◦AFTER EXPERIMENTING WITH MORE ADJECTIVES
AND ADVERBS, QUALIFYING THE TIME AND
OUTCOME OF PROJECT
◦“LAUNCH A NEW PODCAST THAT IS IN THE TOP 3
PERCENT OF ALL PODCASTS WITHIN 12 MONTHS.”
◦THAT’S FINAL DRAFT
◦IT’S A LOT TIGHTER, RIGHT? SEE IF YOU CAN MAKE
YOUR MISSION STATEMENT AS IMPACTFUL

23. TAKE STOCK OF THE RISKS AND REWARDS- FIND
OUT IF YOU’RE READY TO COMMIT
◦GOT YOUR FINAL DRAFT. IT’S EXCITING.
MEANINGFUL. CHALLENGING
◦MAYBE A BIT SCARY. THAT’S GOOD. IT’S SUPPOSED
TO BE DAUNTING, AFTER ALL
◦YOU’RE ALMOST READY TO COMMIT, LAST TEST
TO RUN
◦WILL YOU TAKE ON THIS GOAL, OR LET THE
OPPORTUNITY PASS YOU BY?

24. TAKE STOCK OF THE RISKS AND REWARDS- FIND
OUT IF YOU’RE READY TO COMMIT
◦THE STATUS QUO HAS ITS REWARDS, BUT STAYING
IN YOUR COMFORT ZONE ALSO HAS ITS COSTS
◦FINAL EXERCISE, YOU’LL BE STACKING THOSE
REWARDS AND COSTS UP AGAINST EACH OTHER
◦THE REWARDS, BIGGEST PRIZE IS MAINTAINING
WHAT YOU HAVE

25. TAKE STOCK OF THE RISKS AND REWARDS- FIND
OUT IF YOU’RE READY TO COMMIT
◦GET TO KEEP THE COMFORT, STATUS, AND
AUTHORITY YOU’VE BUILT UP OVER THE YEARS
◦YOU STAY IN CONTROL
◦IF YOU DON’T TRY SOMETHING NEW, YOU CAN’T
FAIL
◦YOU’RE NOT GOING TO DISAPPOINT YOURSELF OR
OTHERS. IT’S SAFE. TRIED AND
TRUE. COMFORTABLE

26. TAKE STOCK OF THE RISKS AND REWARDS-
FIND OUT IF YOU’RE READY TO COMMIT
◦DOWNSIDE IS THAT NONE OF THOSE THINGS ARE
GOING TO UNLOCK YOUR GREATNESS
◦TO DO THAT, YOU HAVE TO WORK ON THE HARD
THINGS
◦RISK SOMETHING. ENTER UNFAMILIAR TERRAIN
◦START BY ASKING YOURSELF HOW YOU BENEFIT
FROM NOT TAKING ON YOUR WORTHY GOAL

27. TAKE STOCK OF THE RISKS AND REWARDS-
FIND OUT IF YOU’RE READY TO COMMIT
◦THE STATUS QUO LETS YOU KEEP YOUR OPTIONS
OPEN
◦OR MAYBE IT’S MONEY OR STATUS THAT YOU’RE
AFRAID OF LOSING
◦OR YOUR PROJECT MIGHT FORCE YOU TO ADMIT
THAT YOU DON’T KNOW AS MUCH ABOUT
SOMETHING AS YOU LIKE TO THINK

28. TAKE STOCK OF THE RISKS AND REWARDS-
FIND OUT IF YOU’RE READY TO COMMIT
◦MAYBE IT ALLOWS YOU TO KEEP TELLING
YOURSELF A COMFORTING STORY, LIKE SUCCESS
BEING DOWN TO BLIND LUCK, NOT HARD WORK
◦GIVE YOURSELF TEN MINUTES AND LIST ALL THE
REWARDS IN A COLUMN
◦THIS IS HARD WORK, BUT KEEP DIGGING. YOU’RE
GOING TO UNEARTH SOME POWERFUL STUFF

29. TAKE STOCK OF THE RISKS AND REWARDS-
FIND OUT IF YOU’RE READY TO COMMIT
◦ONCE YOU’VE GOT THOSE REWARDS DOWN ON
PAPER, CREATE A SECOND COLUMN
◦LIST ALL THE COSTS OF NOT PURSUING YOUR
WORTHY GOAL
◦WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE YOU FOREGOING? IT
MIGHT BE THE CHANCE TO MEET INTERESTING
PEOPLE OR MASTER SKILLS THAT LEAD TO MORE
FULFILLING WORK

30. TAKE STOCK OF THE RISKS AND REWARDS-
FIND OUT IF YOU’RE READY TO COMMIT
◦OR IT COULD BE THAT YOU’LL RESIGN YOURSELF
TO THE IDEA THAT YOU’VE ALREADY PEAKED.
◦GIVE YOURSELF ANOTHER TEN MINUTES NOW
THAT YOU’VE FILLED THESE TWO COLUMNS, PICK
THE THREE BIGGEST REWARDS AND COSTS
◦HOW DO THEY STACK UP? WHICH WAY DOES THE
BALANCE TIP?

31. TAKE STOCK OF THE RISKS AND REWARDS-
FIND OUT IF YOU’RE READY TO COMMIT
◦YOU CAN DO THIS PART OF THE EXERCISE IN
YOUR HEAD
◦YOU MIGHT FIND THAT THE WHOLE THING IS
PRETTY MUCH REDUNDANT
◦YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER, GO ONE OF
TWO WAYS

32. TAKE STOCK OF THE RISKS AND REWARDS-
FIND OUT IF YOU’RE READY TO COMMIT
◦IF THE REWARDS OUTWEIGH THE COSTS, DON’T
WORRY
◦IT’S MUCH BETTER TO FIND THAT OUT NOW,
RATHER THAN WEEKS, MONTHS, OR YEARS INTO A
PROJECT THAT WASN’T QUITE RIGHT FOR YOU
◦IF THAT’S WHERE YOU FIND YOURSELF, TAKE THE
OFF-RAMP AND CIRCLE BACK TO THE BEGINNING
OF THE PROCESS

33. TAKE STOCK OF THE RISKS AND REWARDS-
FIND OUT IF YOU’RE READY TO COMMIT
◦RETHINK YOUR GOAL. DOES IT NEED A FEW
TWEAKS, OR DO YOU WANT TO PICK A NEW
ASPIRATION?
◦IF THE COSTS OF REFUSING THE CALL OUTWEIGH
THE REWARDS, YOU’RE READY FOR THE FINAL
STEP: COMMITMENT

34. DON’T GET CAUGHT IN ENDLESS PLANNING –
TAKE ACTION, EVALUATE PROGRESS
◦COVERED A LOT OF GROUND. YOUR GOAL HAS
BEEN DRAFTED, REDRAFTED, REFINED, FINALIZED,
AND TESTED
◦IN SHORT, YOU’VE DONE YOUR DUE DILIGENCE,
CLEARED THE BIGGEST HURDLE & READY TO
BEGIN
◦MEANS LEAVING THE PLANNING STAGE AND
ACTUALLY DOING THE WORK

35. DON’T GET CAUGHT IN ENDLESS PLANNING –
TAKE ACTION, EVALUATE PROGRESS
◦REMEMBER, ENDLESSLY REWORKING TO-DO LISTS
CAN BE A FORM OF PSEUDO-ACTION
◦IT’S A WAY OF TRICKING YOURSELF INTO
BELIEVING THAT YOUR PROCRASTINATION IS
ACHIEVING SOMETHING
◦THE KEY IS TO ACTUALLY MOVE FORWARD

36. DON’T GET CAUGHT IN ENDLESS PLANNING –
TAKE ACTION, EVALUATE PROGRESS
◦IF IT’S A BOOK YOU’RE WRITING, WRITE IT ONE
PAGE AT A TIME
◦IF YOU’RE BUILDING A COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATION, FUND IT ONE PHONE CALL AT A
TIME
◦ONGOING COMMITMENTS TO SMALL STEPS OF
ACTION MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. SO, TAKE THE
NECESSARY ACTIONS

37. DON’T GET CAUGHT IN ENDLESS PLANNING –
TAKE ACTION, EVALUATE PROGRESS
◦CHANCES ARE, YOU’RE GOING TO BE WORKING
ON YOUR WORTHY GOAL FOR A WHILE
◦DEPENDING ON YOUR PROJECT, IT MIGHT TAKE
MONTHS OR YEARS OR EVEN DECADES
◦SO, IT’S IMPORTANT TO TAKE TIME OUT TO
EVALUATE YOUR PROGRESS

38. DON’T GET CAUGHT IN ENDLESS PLANNING –
TAKE ACTION, EVALUATE PROGRESS
◦IF YOU WANT TO MAINTAIN MOMENTUM, IT’S A
GOOD IDEA TO TAKE A BREAK EVERY SIX WEEKS
◦THAT’S ENOUGH TIME TO MAKE REAL PROGRESS
BUT NOT LONG ENOUGH TO WRACK UP SERIOUS
SUNKEN COSTS
◦TAKE A FEW DAYS OFF TO EVALUATE THE
PREVIOUS WEEKS

39. DON’T GET CAUGHT IN ENDLESS PLANNING –
TAKE ACTION, EVALUATE PROGRESS
◦WHAT ARE YOU HAPPY ABOUT? WHAT WENT
WRONG?
◦DO YOU WANT TO CONTINUE WITH THIS
PROJECT?
◦IF SO, WHAT’S YOUR TARGET FOR THE NEXT SIX
WEEKS?

40. DON’T GET CAUGHT IN ENDLESS PLANNING –
TAKE ACTION, EVALUATE PROGRESS
◦BREAKING YOUR WORTHY GOAL DOWN INTO
SMALL CHUNKS LIKE THIS MAKES IT FEEL MUCH
MORE ACHIEVABLE
◦WE OWE IT TO OURSELVES TO MAKE THE MOST
OF OUR TIME ON THIS PLANET
◦THAT MEANS DOING SOMETHING THAT MATTERS.
NO ONE CAN TELL YOU WHAT THAT MIGHT BE

41. DON’T GET CAUGHT IN ENDLESS PLANNING –
TAKE ACTION, EVALUATE PROGRESS
◦YOU HAVE TO DECIDE FOR YOURSELF
◦THE BEST WAY OF FIGURING THAT OUT IS TO SET A
GOAL FOR YOURSELF AND PUT IT THROUGH A
SERIES OF TESTS
◦IS IT THRILLING AND CHALLENGING AND
IMPORTANT?

42. DON’T GET CAUGHT IN ENDLESS PLANNING –
TAKE ACTION, EVALUATE PROGRESS
◦DO THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW YOU BEST THINK IT’S
A GOOD IDEA?
◦IS IT BETTER THAN THE STATUS QUO?
◦IF THE ANSWER TO THOSE QUESTIONS IS YES, YOU
MIGHT JUST HAVE FOUND A WORTHY GOAL

43. THANKS FOR WATCHING- KEEP
LEARNING
HER & ME