You Don’t Need to Reinvent Yourself… You Need to Remember Yourself
10 thoughts, ideas & creative finds on the greatness before the spotlight, rewriting the rules of entrepreneurship and becoming unforgettable
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The Rundown — Here’s what I found over the course of this week that has helped me, inspired me or gave me some creative pushes…
On the responsibility of owning your gifts — “Owning your gifts isn’t arrogance… it’s alignment. You weren’t given them to shrink, delay, or hide. Playing small doesn’t make you humble… it just makes you unavailable to the assignment on your life. You’re not here to chase the spotlight… you’re here to steward what was placed within you.” (—Matt Gottesman) — Somewhere along the way, we were taught to downplay what makes us different… to stay small, stay quiet, stay within the lines. But your gifts weren’t given to be hidden. They were given to be used. Sharpened. Shared. Shrinking doesn’t serve your purpose… it just delays it. And playing small? It doesn’t make you more humble… it makes you unavailable to the very thing you’ve been called to carry. And this isn’t about ego, but stewardship. It’s not about chasing the spotlight, but answering assignment.
And when you move from that place, your presence alone becomes the light.On the truth about greatness before the spotlight — “Same ball. Same Ronaldo. But no one cared… until the wig came off." (—Ronaldo video via moneywithmarisa on iG) — Before Cristiano Ronaldo revealed his identity, he was just a guy kicking a ball in the streets of Madrid. Same talent. Same skill. But with no fame attached? No one paid attention. That’s the lesson: Without recognition, even the greatest can go unseen. But greatness doesn’t begin with applause… it begins in the shadows. When no one’s watching. When it’s just you, your gift, and the choice to keep showing up anyway. Ronaldo didn’t become a legend because people noticed him. He became a legend because he trained when no one did, believed when others didn’t, and played because it was in him… not for them. This story is a reminder… keep showing up for your craft, even if no one claps… keep refining your gifts, even if no one’s watching… keep building what’s real — the recognition will follow. True mastery doesn’t need validation. It creates it.
On rewriting the rules with transparency and craftsmanship — “You don’t have to scale like everyone else. You just have to serve with so much clarity and care that people feel it in every detail.” (video via Cowdog.coffee on IG) — What Cowdog Coffee did wasn’t just unconventional… it was quietly revolutionary. No investors. No food menu. No tips. No upcharges. Just a tiny 390 sq ft café with eight seats… and over $1.3M in first-year revenue. But what stood out wasn’t just the numbers… it was the philosophy. Pay baristas $26.50/hr. Don’t charge extra for oat milk. Make everything fresh. Build in public. Respect the craft. Respect the people. They didn’t follow the industry playbook… they authored their own. And the result? A sustainable, community-supported ecosystem that proves doing business with values doesn’t mean sacrificing growth. It’s a reminder: you don’t have to scale like everyone else. You just have to serve with so much clarity and care that people feel it in every detail.
On why calm is a competitive advantage — "Sometimes we tend to overhype situations. Our imagination gets in our own way… but if you’ve done the work, there’s no need to panic.” (—Kobe Bryant) — Kobe reminds us of something most people overlook: stillness is strength. The world often tells us we need hype, pressure, intensity… but those who perform at the highest level know it’s the calm that activates the craft. Kobe didn’t rely on adrenaline. He relied on preparation. He trusted that if he put in the reps, the results would take care of themselves… and they did. Not always perfectly, but consistently. You don’t need to force your way through the noise. You need to quiet it. When you detach from the outcome, you allow the process to do what it was designed to do. That’s the edge most people miss: confidence isn’t loud… it’s grounded. It's not hype that wins games… it’s habits. Your ability to remain calm — to breathe, to trust your preparation, to stay anchored… becomes your greatest asset when the stakes are highest. Let the work speak. Let peace lead. Let calm become your power.
On remembering over reinventing— “You don’t need to reinvent yourself… you need to remember yourself.” — In a recent podcast, I unpack why the pressure to become someone new usually stems from disconnection, not alignment. The most powerful version of you isn’t found in some distant identity you have to create… it’s in the self you forgot to trust. The one that existed before the noise. Before the pressure. Before the expectations. I break down how to return to that… in your work, your creativity, your relationships — and how remembering brings more clarity, consistency, and confidence than any reinvention ever could — My latest podcast on this can be found here (APPLE, SPOTIFY)
On becoming unforgettable by being you — "90% of people hate marketing… but they love what resonates.” (—Mike Cessario of Liquid Death — video via Masterclass) — What Mike did with Liquid Death wasn’t just edgy branding… it was a masterclass in breaking through the noise without losing authenticity. He didn’t outspend competitors… he out-thought them. Confusion, when intentional, became strategy. Polarization became magnetism. And instead of marketing that felt like manipulation, he created something people actually wanted to be a part of. The takeaway? You don’t need massive budgets to build massive traction. You need guts, clarity, and a little rebellion. The brands (and creators) who win aren’t the ones chasing trends… they’re the ones brave enough to disrupt them. Let your brand reflect conviction, not conformity. That’s how you become unforgettable.
On reducing the complex into the essential — “There’s just a tremendous amount of craftsmanship between a great idea and a great product.” (—Steve Jobs via Founders Podcast)” — This is the art of simplicity. Not the aesthetic kind… but the kind forged through iteration, tradeoffs, and endless refinement. Rick Rubin and Steve Jobs both mastered this… taking something raw and slowly shaping it down to its clearest, most powerful form. Whether it’s a product or a song, the process doesn’t just require creativity… it demands surrender. You start with a spark. But as you evolve it, it changes… because you change. You learn more. You subtract more. And you discover that mastery is less about what you add, and more about what you strip away. Building something timeless isn’t about force… it’s about fit. The willingness to hold 5,000 moving pieces in your mind… and find the one arrangement that sings.
On why loss teaches faster than winning — “There is always something to learn, particularly when one is losing. When one loses, one knows what has to be done. When one wins, one is never sure.” (—Enzo Ferrari video via Founders Podcast) — Most people treat losing as failure… Ferrari treated it as feedback. After a loss, his race shop would fall into a calm clarity. No panic. No chaos. Just the realization that losing removes guesswork. It reveals the gaps. It hands you the blueprint for what must be improved. Sometimes victory can be a poor teacher because it feeds the ego and hides the variables. But defeat? It forces precision. It sharpens decisions. Ferrari’s mindset flipped the script: success doesn’t validate your process… loss does… when you lose, and still return, you’re not chasing trophies… you’re chasing truth.
On outgrowing the burnout cycle — “There has to be something better than yo-yoing between burnout and euphoria.” (— Tom Noske) — Early creative careers often feel like a loop… you go all-in, burn out, crash, then repeat. Tom’s reflection hit deep: the grind might feel necessary at first, but if it’s unsustainable, it’s not working. He speaks to the realization that creativity alone isn’t enough… it needs discipline, structure, and longevity built in. That doesn’t mean abandoning your gut or your flow… it means supporting it. You don’t have to keep touching the stove to prove you're committed. You just need to stop burning yourself in the name of momentum. The real magic happens when consistency meets intuition… when your vision is grounded in a system that actually supports your life. For many of us, the breakthrough wasn’t a bigger idea… it was learning how to not sabotage the ones we already had.
Playlist — Smooth Jazz House Music Mix - Chill Morning Living Room Playlist | Coffee Brunch — A great playlist from FlavourTrip on YouTube @flavourtrip of Chill House to work to… great for creating, designing, writing, computer work.
You Don’t Need to Reinvent Yourself… You Need to Remember Yourself
Ronaldo’s disguised street performance, Cowdog’s countercultural coffee model, Tom Noske’s reflection on burnout… they each reveal a truth we forget in a world obsessed with speed…
Longevity doesn’t come from reinvention — it comes from remembrance.
It comes from refining what’s already in you… from simplifying what matters… from honoring your gifts without needing permission to use them.
Whether it’s business, creativity, health, or legacy… mastery lives in the stewardship of the assignment you’ve been given.
We don’t need to chase every trend… we need to protect what’s true… and not by proving yourself… but by becoming undeniable through quiet consistency.
So the question isn’t what can you do to stand out.
The real question is: what are you already carrying that just needs less noise… and more trust?
Keep refining…
The niche is you.
Until next week,
– Matt
P.S. If you found value in this week's insights, consider sharing this post with someone who might need this reminder about the power of individuality. ↙️
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Fantastic! Thank you!
This is all ON POINT!!! Thanks also for the Smooth Jazz link… it ‘s nourishing to my soul!