Hey Reader,
We all have that calm, almost indifferent attitude to certain things.
Like, “I’m good either way,” kind of energy.
And sometimes that’s true.
But other times, it’s far from the truth.
In today’s issue, we’ll explore the idea of caring deeply for a far more happier life.
💭 He cared enough to fail over and over again
Before James Dyson built the company that carries his name, he failed 5,126 times.
Literally.
Over the course of about five years, Dyson built and tested thousands of vacuum cleaner prototypes to solve the problem of vacuum cleaners losing suction over time.
They didn’t work.
Investors weren’t interested.
Manufacturers turned him down.
At any point, he could’ve given up.
But he didn't.
There was no way to stay detached in that process when you’re rebuilding the same idea for the five-thousandth time.
Each attempt required time, money, and attention.
Each failure meant going back to the drawing board.
Dyson later said, “There were 5,127 failures, but I learned from each one.”
Eventually, one prototype worked.
And that design became the foundation of Dyson Ltd.
But only because he had the guts to care enough to finally win.
Even when it would’ve been easier and safer to quit.
🧠 The comfort of not caring too much
There’s this approach that shows up at a certain level of success.
You’ve been burned enough.
You’ve learned how unpredictable things can get.
So you start to relate to certain big goals a little differently.
The mind convinces you to care less.
It creates a wall to shield you from the hurt of possible failure.
And in many ways, that makes sense. Until it doesn't.
Caring deeply has a cost.
It exposes you to the pain of disappointment, failure, or mistakes.
So you find yourself half-in, half-out goals that scare you a little, just in case it doesn’t work.
You keep things flexible.
Maybe even leave yourself an exit.
But over time, this can affect your drive.
It’ll make you choose comfort over things that’ll stretch you into a better version of yourself.
You’ll hardly be bold enough to take risks.
You still get things done, make money, stack wins, and all of that, but deep down, you’ll feel stuck.
Because caring less to protect yourself from disappointment also limits how far you’re willing to go to unleash your highest potential.
❤️ It takes guts to care
Great things only come alive when you let yourself care.
When you're completely emotionally attached to your goals, you’re not splitting attention between the work and protecting your ego.
You’re not negotiating expectations in your head.
You want what you want without downplaying it.
You become more courageous.
You still feel fear, but you know the purpose is worth the exposure.
You’re willing to be seen.
Willing to commit to the work even when it stretches you.
You dare yourself to do it over and again if you have to.
You become so invested that you can’t even think of quitting.
You’ll still feel the anxiety, but it won’t stop you from acting.
You feel more alive in the impact you're making.
More connected to why you started.
You stop entertaining goals that don’t light you up.
You care less about what people say and more about creating something that actually matters to you.
That's the kind of drive, resilience, and grit that helps you reach your full potential.
🤲 You have to care deeply, and a little more
I get it.
It’s scary sometimes to be fully emotionally committed to something that’ll hurt so badly if it goes wrong.
But what if it doesn’t?
Here are 3 ways that help me get myself fully committed to my goals:
- Tell yourself the truth before you tell the world a lie. Ask yourself: “If I wasn’t scared of being disappointed or seen, what would I admit I care about here?” You have to admit it privately. The guts come from your honesty.
- Find meaning and purpose. Decide why it matters to you beyond winning. Ask yourself: “If this worked, what part of me would feel more alive?” “What would it give my life, not my image?” When care is tied to meaning, it’ll be hard to give it up.
- Embrace the reality of your dream. Take a minute to reflect on what’s working, what isn’t, and where you are avoiding effort, truth, or responsibility. Once you deeply care, you’ll pick anything but your comfort zone.
You have to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
🎯 Have you got the guts to care?
Where are you pretending not to care so you don’t have to feel hurt?
The people who live full, textured, meaningful lives aren’t fearless.
They’re just willing to care anyway.
That’s the idea. It takes guts to care.
And it’s far more rewarding.
As Theodore Roosevelt put it: “It is not the critic who counts… the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.”
Caring deeply is what gets you into the arena.
You’ve got this.
With appreciation,
Huw
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Huw Edwards
Founder & CEO, h3.xyz
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