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You’ve probably heard it before: keep business and personal separate.

Don’t mix hobbies with your hustle. Be “professional.”

I think that’s a mistake.

Because your individuality-your quirks, your obsessions, your guilty pleasures-is your best shot at connecting with people, attracting real opportunity, and being more future-proof in the age of AI.

Ever heard of Luck Surface Area?

It’s the idea that the more you do things you care about and share them publicly, the more serendipity you attract.

Here’s a quote from a good book I read a few years back that does a better job of explaining what I mean…

In plain English: Do more of what lights you up. Share it. Watch for opportunities to show up.

Like what happened with me…

Back in 2018, I landed a Google Ads client off Upwork.

Turns out, a web developer saw my profile… then Googled me… then noticed that I used to run a fantasy football blog and podcast.

He’s a big NFL fan and thought I’d be fun to work with.

Tens of thousands of dollars later, we’ve worked together for years.

And geeked out on the Eagles and Vikings along the way (He’s the Eagles fan, I’m the long-suffering Vikings guy.)

I didn’t pitch him my NFL content. I didn’t “leverage” it with some strategy.

I just had it out there, and years later, it paid off.

Turns out your geeky side obsessions are calling cards.

Now, here is another opportunity I stumbled across last week…

There’s another big shift happening. People will crave more purpose when they’re not buried in 9-to-5s, long commutes, or doing the monotonous work AI and robots will eventually do.

Dan Sullivan and Peter Diamandis discussed this in a recent podcast.

Once your needs are taken care of and more time becomes available, you start looking around for what’s next.

“What do I really want to do with my time, something that gives me purpose?”

You’ve probably seen it too – friends diving into wellness, guitar, restoration projects, or personal development once they get time back.

That’s an opportunity, if you’re paying attention.

Want to help people find direction in a noisy world?

Here are a few really cool sites I’ve collected over the past few years that will help you find a couple of trends you can ride by creating content, and/or build a business around:

Go and explore. Maybe you’ll find something new to geek out on or something you can combine with something you already geek out on to stand out.

Here’s a great talk on the way we should be thinking about AI.

It’s not you vs AI its’s you plus AI to the high power.

Same way, it’s not you versus a hammer, it’s you with a hammer getting shit done faster.

Jason Isbell – If It Takes a Lifetime

I usually try to hit you with some nostalgia, but this week I’m taking a different approach to the music selection.

Something mellow and introspective for a Sunday Morning.

Your individuality is your edge.
Your story is your signal.
Your time is your advantage.

You’ve lived too much to blend in.

So from now on, when someone asks what you do…

• Tell them about your work.

• Tell them you’re learning guitar.

• Tell them about your ‘77 Trans Am.

• Tell them about a good song you found 😉 

• Tell them something real.

It’s not a detour.
It’s an opening.

Opportunities aren’t always found. Sometimes, they’re revealed when you start being more you, in public.

The more people know what makes you tick, the more likely your kind of people will find you.

Because luck isn’t random, it’s earned through action and exposure.

Here’s a simple way to start working on that today:

1. Pick one interest you care about (a hobby, a habit, or even something you’re curious about from the opportunity sites I shared).

2. Start a free newsletter on Beehiiv ($)—it takes 5 minutes.

3. Write once a week about what you’re doing, learning, or building.

4. Share the link with a few friends or on social.

You don’t need a big audience.
You need to be findable.

P.S. If you missed it, I posted the latest Gen X Unplugged episode on YouTube last week. Go check it out when you get a chance, and be sure to subscribe to my channel (lots to come over there). Press play 👇️ 

✅ Ready to start sharing and building your luck surface area?