At fourteen, I tried being a quiet, mysterious bad boy. Years later, I paid sales coaches who wanted me to change the way I'd been winning customers.

The sales advice sounded sensible. It was also almost the opposite of what had got our company far enough to pay for it. I wanted to get better, but I wasn't sure that meant becoming the person they had in mind.

00:00 Trying to become the bad boy

00:52 How long the new personality lasted

01:32 Paying coaches to change our sales approach

02:15 What had already been working for us

02:50 Coming back to my natural way of doing things03:13 Being myself in new situations

03:49 Trying to change how I make videos

04:52 Changing for the better or pretending?

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I'm Art Harrison. I tell stories about work, money, starting businesses, and starting over, usually because something didn't go the way I thought it would.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheArtHarrison

I can make a video that nobody watches and try again. Having to tell people that the business I was so confident about isn't working feels different.

Then there are the thoughts about money, my family and whether I might need to go back to a job. I wanted to talk about what I'm actually afraid of, because I can't deal with all of it by just telling myself to be brave.

00:00 The fears beyond failure

00:39 Admitting that it didn't work

00:55 Being afraid of an ordinary life

01:23 Regret and going back to a job

01:55 How my risks affect my family

02:42 Managing fear alongside the work

03:53 Which consequence actually matters?

04:26 Making room to keep trying

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I'm Art Harrison. I tell stories about work, money, starting businesses, and starting over, usually because something didn't go the way I thought it would.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheArtHarrison

I volunteered to be the jester at our school fair and told everyone I could juggle. I'd never even tried. Now there was a date on the calendar when they'd all expect to see me do it.

That wasn't the last time I made a promise before I knew how to keep it. Comedy, work, even a very public fitness goal - I've kept finding ways to put myself under pressure. It doesn't always make me do what I said I would.

The FSTEP mention is from an earlier project that I'm revamping. Stay tuned.

00:00 The lie that taught me to juggle

00:31 Getting the jester's part

01:12 Why I kept making public promises

01:57 The pressure that doesn't always help

02:31 The fitness promise I didn't keep

03:36 Looking for useful accountability

04:10 Why I started making videos every day

04:38 What happened when I gave myself more time

05:13 The limits of needing to perform

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I'm Art Harrison. I tell stories about work, money, starting businesses, and starting over, usually because something didn't go the way I thought it would.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheArtHarrison

I was applying for my first proper job after my business collapsed. My cover letter promised I'd never be more than an hour late, because the office was so close to my apartment.

My wife was horrified. I thought I was just letting them know who they'd be hiring. Getting an interview made me feel vindicated, which may explain how I managed to get myself into trouble before I'd even started.

00:00 The conversation with my wife

00:33 Finding a job after my business failed

01:02 The cover letter I actually sent

01:31 Talking myself out of the offer

02:00 What happened at the next company

02:35 Starting another business

03:06 What other people's advice can tell you

04:21 Why copying my story isn't the point

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I'm Art Harrison. I tell stories about work, money, starting businesses, and starting over, usually because something didn't go the way I thought it would.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheArtHarrison