Sun Yi

Number one reason why new entrepreneurs fail is because of their ego.

They say:

"I know I can make money if I do X, but I don't want to do X. I want to do Y"

Or:

"I know I'm good at X, but I don't want to do X. I want to do Y"

Don't let your ego keep you poor.

You don't have to choose between X and Y. You can do both.

🚀 Thrilled to announce I’ll be joining some incredible thought leaders at Austin Tech Week from Oct. 28 - Nov. 1!

🌟 I’ll be delivering a keynote session: Micro-Storytelling for Social Media for Individuals, Brands, and Companies.📱

🗓️ Tuesday, October 29th at 10:15 AM at Capital Factory

If you're attending, don’t miss out on this session! Check out the details here: Market Masters Track 👉🏼 https://lnkd.in/g2X9pVsM

🔥 Can’t wait to connect with all the innovators, entrepreneurs, and tech enthusiasts! Let me know if you’ll be there—see you soon! 👋✨

THANK YOU 🏆 for Instagram x Manychat !! INSTAGRAM Creators Awards 2024 Winners - MOST COMMUNITY - FOCUSED CREATOR! 🏆

Join us at Night Owl Nation™, a global community of entrepreneurs and creators who practice storytelling together.

No matter where you’re from or what you do, storytelling can elevate your career. We can’t wait to see you in the Night Owl Nation ™ community!

https://sunyi.co/night-owl-nation/

https://igsummit.manychat.com/ig

Night Owls Gigi Zhang Gigi Zhang Instagram for Businessor Business

THANK YOU 🏆 Manychat !! Night INSTAGRAM Creators Awards 2024 Winners. 🏆🏆🏆

FOR Instagram MOST COMMUNITY - FOCUSED CREATOR! 🏆
https://igsummit.manychat.com/iggiesnight
https://sunyi.co/night-owl-nation/

Night Owls Gigi Zhang Sun Yi

https://www.communicatorawards.com/2023/09/17/communicator-awards-season-31-featured-jurors/

The 31st Annual Communicator Awards
Featured Jurors This Season

The 31st Annual Communicator Awards are sanctioned and reviewed by the
Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA), an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from acclaimed brand and media, interactive, advertising, and marketing firms like McCann Worldgroup, Superfly, R/GA, American Express, Groove Jones, Metajive, Relevate Health, Sony, Digitas, Discovery, Netflix and many others. Meet some of the AIVA Jurors featured this year.

https://www.domestika.org/en/courses/2638-the-art-of-storytelling-for-freelancers-and-creators/sunyi

Online course - The Art of Storytelling for Freelancers and Creators (Sun Yi) Develop your hero’s journey and learn to sell your ideas by exploring authentic storytelling techniques that resonate with your audience

When we learn new life lessons, we overcorrect.

For example:

👉 Born-again Christians are more hardcore than lifelong Christians.

👉 People read the "4-Hour Work Week" and obsess over outsourcing everything.

👉 Newbie yogis are always preaching about yoga and meditation.

The truth is...

Life transformations don't happen once, then we're fixed 100%. We naturally overcorrect, then we realize the flaws, then correct ourselves the other way.

For example, when I JUST learned about "boundaries" I started to shut people out. Then I realized I was too rigid, so they start opening up, but started losing some of the boundaries again. Every year, I'm getting better at better at knowing where the line is.

We have to keep correcting ourselves like this repeatedly to arrive at the right answer. I would even argue that we never fully arrive.

Answers in life aren't that simple. We are constantly trying to figure out.

Here's what I'm overcorrecting right now 👇

I've bounced back and forth between goal-setting/planning vs just being present and going with the flow.

I always tell people to not worry about goals and just "focus on what's in front of you" at the moment. Do them in a meaningful way and whatever the outcome is, that's your path.

But I overcorrected by not setting goals at all.

When I don't set ANY goals, it's hard to know what actions to take next.

This has made me less motivated as of lately.

To fix this, I'm going to start setting "mini" monthly goals for myself, even if it's a useless one. I'm hoping it'll help me clarify my day-to-day actions and get me motivated again.

This was an exercise in my storytelling community Night Owl Nation 🦉

Try this exercise for yourself:

Share what you're overcorrecting in YOUR life.

I hear a lot of people saying they do their own writing, but they have ChatGPT edit it for them.

But I would argue editing is the most important part of writing.

It makes you to think about the meaning of each word. (for example, "jealousy" vs "envy")

It makes you organize information to make the most sense for the readers.

It makes you put yourself in the audience's shoes in order to hook them with cliffhangers.

It makes you to think about how to make an impact without boring people by removing unnecessary words and sentences.

All of these practices force you to REALLY understand the core of your ideas.

This is why when I write, I spend 90% of my time editing.

People who NEVER say "I don't know" make up answers because they feel insecure and need to prove they're smart.

The real smart people don't feel the need to prove they're smart.

That's why they say "I don't know" all the time.

I meet tons of people who are super passionate, because they just came back from a Tony Robbins seminar or watched some motivational talk.

Then after a month or two, they give up.

On the other hand, sometimes I meet people who are kinda quiet and underwhelming, but a couple years later, they're kicking ass.

They're not even that good, but they're successful because they didn't quit.

They delay gratification. They don't waste money. They do the boring little things day in and day out.

Motivation doesn't last.

Self-control does.

Cast Your Vote for our SXSW EDU ® 😉 👇👇👇

PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.

Cast Your Vote for our SXSW ® 😉 👇👇👇

PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.

Did you know that it's harder to learn snowboarding if you already know how to ski?

It's because someone who knows how to ski assumes that snowboarding will be easier for them.

But the opposite is true.

It's a very different feeling when your feet are locked into a snowboard vs freely being able to move them in skis.

And this makes people frustrated.

The same is true for life lessons.

It's why a lot of older and smarter people aren't coachable.

If you believe you've already learned a lesson, it's very hard to accept that it was wrong. And you can't change your life if you continue to practice the old lessons.

Stop being too smart for your own good.

If you want to change your life, be a beginner.

Did you know "ikigai" is BS?

Seriously. Google it.

Japanese people don't use the word ikigai to refer to their life's purpose, but more like an activity they look forward to.

That famous diagram was made up by some white dude. Then others spread it so they can profit off people who are searching for their "why" or "purpose"...

Here's how I find my path in life:

By keep doing things that are meaningful to me. Things that are difficult and risky, but makes me lose track of time and connected to the present moment. Things that energize me once it's done.

I just keep doing them. Then whatever happens next, that's EXACTLY where I'm supposed to be.

For example, writing this post is meaningful for me. People might disagree and hate me for it OR they might love it. Either way, that's what was meant to happen.

Last night, I gave a talk at Adobe Create Now event in Houston, and that was also meaningful.

When I have an open and honest conversation with people on my podcast, it feels meaningful.

When I create something for the first time, not knowing if it'll work or not, it feels meaningful.

My purpose isn't ONE thing.

Teaching storytelling is NOT my "ikigai". I got here because my entire life, I just kept doing things that were meaningful to me. Things that I feel called to do.

And those things are different for everyone.

So what are some activities that feel meaningful for YOU?

What does your average day look like?

Do you argue with your family?

Are you unhappy at work?

Are there dishes in the sink you’ve been putting off?

Fix the little things in your life. Make every memory with people around you count.

And try to have the best day. Every. Single Day!

Those little things ARE your whole life.

Only sharing your "wins" is NOT inspiring.

It just makes you sound like you're bragging.

The truth is, whenever I see someone sharing how much money they made or how many followers they got, it doesn't inspire me.

All it does is give me FOMO.

What REALLY inspires me is when someone also shares their "losses" along with their "wins".

It makes me say:

"They have bad days too. If they can do it, maybe I can do it too!"

Share something vulnerable.
Share your flaws and weaknesses.
Share an embarrassing story.

This is what makes you relatable.

And it makes people feel like you understand them.
It makes them feel "heard".

Ironically, that's when YOU will truly be heard too.

I’ll be attending Adobe Create Now events in Texas next week!

I’ll have a table for meet & greet in Houston on Jul 30.

And I’m presenting in San Antonio on Aug 1.

They’re both free events! Come find me!

Comment the word “Adobe” to get more info.

I hope to see you there!

3-part series on fear: (Part 3)

When I was in 6th grade, I asked my dad to buy me a bike for Christmas. He took me to K-mart and bought me a mountain bike.

When I rode it to school the next day, all the other kids laughed me.

They said "What is that? Your dad's bike?"

You see, I had just moved from Korea and apparently in California all the kids had these "Haro" BMX bikes. None of the kids rode big bikes like mine.

The next day I stopped riding my bike to school.

I went to a school with all white students, and throughout the next few years, everyone thought I was a weirdo.

I looked different and didn't speak English.

When we went on field trips, everyone brought turkey sandwiches and I brought Korean food.

To make matters worse, all the other kids got lunch money, but I paid with lunch tickets, which was for the poor kids. I was always embarrassed to use it.

Growing up, I felt like I was different than the "normal" kids.

I tried my best to mimic how other kids talk, walk, carry their books, etc.

I just wanted to be "normal".

It wasn't until a few years ago, I realized that's where most of my fears came from. Not wanting to be a "weirdo".

Yesterday, I shared how I wanted to be like all the other creators and record videos in public.

I noticed that all the other creators were making videos in cool places and I felt left out.

It was like I was back in 6th grade, being the only kid without a BMX bike.

The truth is, most of our fears are irrational.

In the modern world, we're not in danger of physical death, but we still have fears.

And they usually come from childhood trauma.

Carl Jung said "where your fear is, there is your task."

By telling your stories from childhood, you'll have a chance to reflect and realize most of your fears aren't real.

This is a part of the exercise we do in Small Groups in my community, Night Owl Nation.

Thanks for reading everyone!

Part 2 of my 3-part series on fear:

I had a terrible fear of talking to girls.

I'd freeze up, be awkward, and come off creepy.

One night in college, my friends and I were going to a bar, and one of them dared me to get the phone number of the first girl I come across at the bar. No matter who it was.

Well, the first girl I bumped into was actually a woman in her 40's.

So I walked up to her and said: "Hi, I'm Sun, nice to meet you"

She told me her name and we chatted for a bit. I found out she's a mom of 2 and she's having a girls night out.

I had no problem asking her for her number.

She laughed and said: "I'm married and I'm almost old enough to be your mom"

"Hey, it was worth a shot" 😁 I replied.

We chatted for a little, I told her about the dare, and my fear of talking to women, then we laughed about it. She actually complimented me.

At that moment, I realized something.

I had ZERO problem talking to girls I wasn't interested in. I do it all the time in class and at work.

My fear wasn't talking to girls. It was talking to girls I like!

I've noticed this pattern throughout my life.

In part 1, I talked about my fear of recording videos in public. It was the same in that situation.

I never had fear of recording videos in public before because I never had the desire to do it. I mean I never cared when I FaceTime with people in the street...

So what changed?

It wasn't until I became a creator and started seeing all these other creators doing it, I started to wanna do it too. Which made me start fearing it.

When you have a fear doing something, it's a signal that it's something you actually want to do.

Truth is...

You only fear what you truly desire.

👉 If you have a similar story where you learned this lesson, share it in the comments or post it on your feed! And tune in tomorrow for part 3 on fear.

I never recorded videos in public because I was afraid of being judged. I thought people would say:

"Who do you think you are? Asian Garyvee?"

Then one day, I was talking to my friend about this fear and he told me to do a 7 day challenge.

He told me to put up a question sticker on Stories, go to the busiest street in Manhattan, then answer 2 questions a day on video. While walking in the street! 🙀

He kinda got me pumped up, so I posted the question sticker on Stories and told everyone I'm doing this to get over my fear of recording videos in public.

The next day I got 30 questions from my followers. I couldn't back out now.

I was planning to quickly answer 2 questions and then go home. I held up my phone and hit the record button.

For the first few seconds, I was so embarrassed I don't even remember what I said... Then I realized NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON was looking at me.

Nobody cared!

Right after answering that first question, I said to myself:

"This was kinda fun!"

Immediately, I wanted to do it again! 😂 So I decided to record more than just 2 videos.

Seneca said: “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”

It's true. So many times, I was scared s**tless to do something, but once I faced it, I'd say to myself "that was it?"Like the first time I went on a water slide, or the first time I got a flu shot, or the first time I got a tattoo, etc.

Whatever you're scared to do right now, just close your eyes and DO IT! I guarantee you it won't be as bad as you think.

P.S. if you want to see the actual videos I recorded that time, look for "Q&A" in my Story Highlights.

P.S.S. If you want to do the 7-day challenge for yourself, look for "7-Day Challenge" in my Story Highlights.

👉 This week, I'll be sharing this same story, but in 3 different ways to show 3 different lessons around fear. This is part 1 of 3. It's for a storytelling assignment we're doing in .

Also, if this story reminds you of a time when you faced your fears and realized it wasn't as bad as thought, please share it in comments (or post it on your feed)!

14 years ago, my wife Gigi and I used up our wedding fund to start our business.

We were broke. We put our apartment on Airbnb, slept in the office, and took showers at the gym.

One night, we used PayPal to order canned food from Kmart. We couldn’t go to the ATM since we had less than $20 in the bank.

That night, as we ate beef stew out of a can, we looked at each other and laughed.

This was the lowest points of my life, but I wasn’t worried or scared.

For almost 10 years, I’ve been alone in NYC because I had a falling out with my family.

Every holiday, when my friends went back home, I ate alone at Chinese restaurants because they were the only ones open.

Those were some of the loneliest moments of my life.

But as we were eating canned food in that office, I felt like for the first time in a while I had a family again.

Gigi went through so much s**t because of me.

She had to put up with my ego, listen to me complain, and now we were basically homeless.

Any other woman would’ve left me by now.

I realized that night, that no matter what happens she would always be by my side.

There were many dark moments like this when I would’ve easily just quit, but just the idea of knowing I’m not alone gave me the courage to go through it.

My life has changed for the better ever since she came into it.

I’ve always been good at my job, but the business didn’t start growing until she got involved.

She’s the glue that holds everything together behind the scenes.

She gets zero credit for it, yet she’s always happy to do it.

She’s the mama night owl. 🦉

To my partner in life and in business, Gigi Zhang I could never be where I am if it wasn’t for you.

Happy birthday love!

Night Owls

This is the most underrated storytelling advice.

To tell a good story, you need life lessons you've learned by making mistakes. Here's a step by step process on how to to it:

1. Go live life
2. Reflect on your mistakes
3. Write about it
4. Discuss it with people
5. Learn from the discussion
6. Edit it
7. Repeat

This is exactly why I created "Small Groups" in my community.