Sketchnote #70 – Who Inspires You?

Posted on by Satoru Hirose

 

We always stand on the shoulders of those who come before us.

I’ve been creating Doodle Cards and other graphics almost every day since May 2016, and just self-published an eBook based on them. Looking back now, I don’t create them only myself; I can keep creating something every day because I always get inspired by the people who I respect.

Here is a list of individuals who always inspire and uplift me, even during a tough time:

James Altucher (Twitter: @jaltucher) – I read his book “Choose Yourself” in 2015, and it reconstructed my belief system. I’ve been reading his blog since then. When I first posted a visual note of his podcast, he shared it with his audience—that was a huge surprise to me, and also motivated me to keep creating and sharing my work with the world.

Sunni Brown (@SunniBrown) – Her book, “The Doodle Revolution,” inspired me to draw. Without her book, I wouldn’t start doodling—and you would never see my Doodle Cards.

Doug Neill (@douglaspneill) – I took one of his online courses, “An Introduction to Visual Note-Taking,” and it really helped me understand how to communicate better with visuals.

Eric Barker (@bakadesuyo) – Eric’s blog, bakadesuyo.com, has helped me maintain my mental health. Eric is another person who often shared my work with his audience and helped me gain a public exposure.

Mike Rohde (@rohdesign) – I haven’t had a chance to get in touch with Mike yet, but his book “The Sketchnote Handbook” and the global community of sketch-noters, Sketchnote Army, have inspired me a lot.

Tod Brilliant (Instagram: @todesbrilliant) – Tod is the founder of the Super Nice Club and one of the influencers who started sharing my work with his audience in my early days.

And lastly—you. Yes, you. I can continue creating something every day because there are people who see my work. It doesn’t matter whether you “Like” my post or not; what is important to me is to do my best to make my work as inspirational as possible so that you can get something that is worth spending your time.

 

Doodle Card #471 – Know What Drives You

Posted on by Satoru Hirose

 

Know what drives you.
自分を動かすものを知ろう。

 

Why do you wake up every day?

What drives you today?

Probably that’s because you do what you should do. Go to work to make a living. Take care of your family. Or do whatever you are told to do or you feel obligated to do.

Probably that’s because you do what you love to do. Do a job you think is your vocation. Create something you love. Meet people you like.

Or both. Sometimes you do what you want to do, and the rest of the time, you do what you have to do.

It’s not a matter of which is right or wrong; no matter what we do, we better understand why we do it. If you become conscious of why you do what you do every day, you begin to have power and influence on them. And that’s the first step of changing your life for the better.

 

Sketchnote #69 – You Have Something People Would Pay For

Posted on by Satoru Hirose

 

It’s a visual note of my takeaways from the James Altucher Show Ep. 246 with Ramit Sethi.

I listened to the episode about ten days ago. When I heard James saying, “Doing something is so much more important than thinking and planning,” I got a sort of ‘epiphany’ and decided to self-publish an eBook.

I had the idea of self-publishing for months, but I never put it into action. I was like, “What the heck am I waiting for? Nothing happens until I do something.” I immediately started working on the idea, and one week later, my eBook became available for sale.

There are hundreds of things I could have done or should have done. I should have hired an editor; I could have promoted my book in advance; the book design could have been much better… The list goes on and on. But the most important thing was to get the self-publishing done and to see what happens. If the outcome is not good, I just need to figure out how to be better next time.

This episode helped me get out of my comfort zone. Thank you James & Ramit for inspiring many of us!

 

Doodle Card #470 – Promote Yourself

Posted on by Satoru Hirose

 

Promote yourself.
自分自身を売り込もう。

 

At some point in your life, you have to promote yourself—until it pays off. Otherwise, you’ll lose an opportunity, trust, money, or self-esteem.

And here’s what could happen when you promote yourself:

  • People ignore you,
  • People think you bother them,
  • People think you have an inflated ego and appear arrogant,
  • People think you trample on other’s feelings,
  • People get mad and remove you from their life; or
  • People get inspired and support you.

When you are passive and don’t affect other’s feelings, you’ll get ignored. If you affect someones’ feelings, he or she may get upset; but that’s also the only way to get someone inspired.

 

Doodle Card #469 – Be Fearless

Posted on by Satoru Hirose

 

Be fearless.
大胆不敵になろう。

 

All creation begins with a spirit of boldness and fearlessness.

When I got started, I was not a professional. I was not even a novice either; I was nothing.

That’s because it was quite easy to start drawing again—after an absence of almost 30 years. That also made me quite easy to start writing in English, which is my second language. I was unable to judge or evaluate the quality of my work, and that’s why I was able to keep creating every day. If I were able to do so, my inner self would force me to discard my work before sharing it with someone, even with my wife. And you would never see my work on Instagram or anywhere on the Internet.

However, here’s what actually happened: I’ve shared more than 500 doodles and illustrations with the world, connected with entrepreneurs and writers I admire and made friends with like-minded people across the globe.

That’s the power of doing something like a child—with a spirit of boldness and fearlessness. Children do what they want to do without worrying about what other people think of them, or whether their work is good or not—until their mind are polluted by the social norm.

We all adults—or anyone who forgot the child’s spirit—have to regain our hidden talents and skills. Doing something like a kid is one of the best ways to make it happen, and you’ll start discovering what your true self is. Love it, embrace it, and live with it. No matter what it is, it’s much better than living with your fake self.

Once you choose to start living with a spirit of boldness and fearlessness—the child’s spirit—and your true self, your life will change. Like my life did.