Niclas Haritos

Have you ever wondered why creators are more successful than consumers?

It’s a regular Wednesday evening. I was sitting on the couch and tried to read. Somehow I got caught up in a thought: “What have I done two days ago?” I felt like I had accomplished many things, but I couldn’t remember what I had done two days ago.

So, I decided to close the book because I couldn’t focus. So, instead, I opened up YouTube to watch and listen to a new show I discovered.

> My First Million < by Sam & Shaun. I saved one of their episodes to watch later. It caught my attention and interest because they interviewed Mr. Beast about his business and the path he decided to walk.

Here is a little context on why I am very interested in Mr. Beast‘s journey.

1. He keeps all videos from the past public
2. He is committed to his passion – money is a tool, nothing more
3. He is open to talking about his numbers publicly
4. He is extremely successful on YouTube

This made me think…

Content Consumption vs. Content Creation

Somewhere on the Online-verse, I read a quote: “Create, and you will thrive, start to consume, and you will slowly die.“

That’s a bit dramatic at first, but using Mr. Beast’s interview as an example.
Compared to myself, who likes doing nothing and watching endless TikToks, and Reels.

The quote is onto something… Now I was hooked. I love watching motivational Videos and speeches.
Even the movie “The Secret” on Netflix is among my favorites.

So, is the Quote, in fact… true? Will consumption kill you? Why would creation make you thrive?

Here are a few pros and cons on why I think why that is:

• Creation eventually leads to experiments
• Consumption will lead to comparison
• Creation will add to your legacy
• Consumption will leave a void in your past
• Creation offers an improvement over time and consistency
• Consumption taxes your time and practical knowledge
• Creation creates opportunities to inspire others
• Consumption manipulates your emotional state

Now, I am going to be completely honest with you. I believe moderation is key.
Consume so you can learn and apply.

Watching a movie here and there with your significant other is ok.
But Binge-watching takes a lot of time that you could use otherwise.

And before you say anything, I confess that I’ve binged watched many shows in recent years….

A lot of shows and movies.

Should You Start Creating Instead of Consuming

That’s an awesome question.
Let that sink in for a moment. And the answer I came up with is

It depends. 🥲

You’ll need to answer a few questions for yourself before I can tell you the answer you are looking for.

1. Do you have extraordinary dreams and goals?
2. Do you have a plan on how you can achieve those exceptional goals?
3. Are you committed to going after your goals, no matter the outcome?
4. Are you willing to sacrifice everything you have to make it work?

If you answered one of these questions with “NO,” you won’t need to read further. Because you don’t believe in your goals.
You got to fix that first. Feel free to come back once you have figured it out. Because then it will be helpful for you.

However, if you can answer all of those four questions with “YES,” here is what will happen when you start replacing consumption with creation.
And more importantly, you can answer the question whether you should start replacing consumption with creation.

1. Replace consumption time with production time.

• If you don’t want to be a Social Media Influencer, there’s no need to aimlessly scroll through your IG Feed
  Instead, find accounts that will help you to become better at things that align with your goals

• If you don’t want to become an actor, stop wasting hours on long-form video content on YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc.
  Instead, start and bring things to life. 

Definition: Long-form video content is longer than 5 min. A regular TV show runs 30min-50min. Movies go from 100min-200min. 

2. Do tasks that fit your goals.

• Want to start a business? Great. Create content for your prospects & customers
• Want to start investing? Fantastic. Study the markets you want to invest in and connect with people.
• Want to become an artist? Awesome. Artists need to compose, write, or develop things.
• Want to become an athlete? Congrats, now you’ll need to get in shape… ASAP

You can tell there’s a lot of time you can scrape off your regular day to make your goals achievable.
It will not be easy, but it will be worth it.

3. Forget about inspirational people (Boldest Statement of all)

• If you find inspirational people ask this simple question. “Does he or she do what I want to do?
  i.e., Warren Buffet – An investment Expert; Elon Musk – An expert in Coding;
  Jeff Bezos – Analytics & Systemization Expert; Lewis Hamilton – Top performing Pro-Athlete
• I hate to say it, but I had to unfollow Tony Robbins and other motivational speakers from my radar.
  They haven’t done anything I want, so following them is simply a poor choice.
• Motivation is a starting assistant.
  Once you’ve started, avoid motivation and build momentum. Momentum lasts longer than a motivational speaker ever will

4. Remind yourself why you create content

• You may point the finger at me and ask why I create content if I don’t believe anybody should consume it? And the answer might surprise you.
• I create content to document my process and keep myself in check.
• Bonus: If I can help someone that wants to achieve anything I do, then this might be helpful as well

A Quick Recap

• Creation benefits you without any downsides. On the other hand, consumption has a lot of downsides with a tiny upside.
• If you have a goal you are committed to pursuing, you need to limit yourself and start creating.
• Replace consuming activities with productivity tasks that will allow you to grow and improve.
• Let motivational speeches add to your daily life but avoid actively searching for motivation.
• Once you create, you remind yourself why you started, and the urge to consume decreases.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time.

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