Big idea people annoy me. They dream a lot and don’t have much follow through. You could say they live with their head in the clouds.

To be honest, this is where I have fallen for a long time. I don’t sketch little ideas. Before I’ve made my first dollar, I’m asking what our org chart would look like at $100M in revenue.

But I don’t want to be a guy with my head in the clouds. Faithfulness in small things is required for faithfulness in big things.

When I heard GaryVee mention the clouds and dirt it unlocked and image that is critical.

• Clouds = the big dreams; the audacious goals

• Dirt = the nitty gritty of today; traction

But while big goals may be enough to build a life on, they’re not enough to build a death.

That’s where the stars come in.

• Stars = eternity, and what will come afterward

How This Works Practically

Dirt = my daily to-do’s.

• Living in the present and doing my tasks well.

• Embracing the small-time entrepreneur life.

• Weekly accountabilities with the team.

• Making the spreadsheet better.

• Debugging the program to update the lead status when a package is delivered and start the outreach sequence.

• Gaming the Quickbooks Online system so we can squeeze another dimension out of it (pro tip: if you have a one location business, it’s a perfect field since it shows up on journal entries when you activate it).

Clouds = dreaming unreasonably big dreams.

• Daydreaming on how AI agents would write API clients and automate programming busy work.

• Binge-studying multi-armed bandits and losing myself in the wonders of statistics?

• “[Being] careful not to dream too small, as small dreams do not have the power to move the hearts of men.” (Otto von Bismarck).

• Planning the 100 location painting franchise with the Domino’s Pizza-style production app.

• Brainstorming buying businesses in Malaysia.

Stars = prioritizing the important over urgent.

• Prayer time has to happen first thing in the morning, while the stars are the only folks keeping me company, otherwise the day rushes in and I miss it.

• Gratitude for my daughter’s first time in the ocean (she only fell in once!).

• Reframing the negotiation with a tough customer as a speedbump on the way to heaven, where hopefully we’ll hang out.

• Getting ready for a good death, and recognizing my career most likely won’t be my permanent identity.

We’re the weirdos, living in the space between the Stars, the Clouds, and the Dirt.

Happy to be here with you

+AMDG