Srini Rao: How To Become Unmistakable & Lead A Creative Life

The Bold Life Movement with Kimberly Rich

Srinivas Rao (or “Srini” as he’s often called) is the founder of Unmistakable Media, host of The Unmistakable Creative podcast and author of multiple books, including the Wall Street Journal bestseller The Art of Being Unmistakable. Srini’s most recent book is Unmistakable: Why Only is Better Than Best.

So when it comes to being not just recognizable, but undeniable, memorable and ultimately unmistakable...well, he literally wrote the book on it.

In his podcast, Srini has conducted over 600 interviews (!) with thought leaders and people from all walks of life. This has cultivated an incredibly distinctive view on branding, storytelling, and marketing with so many great sources to draw from.

Since so much of the creative process includes elements that are outside our control, Srini believes we have to fall in love with the process of what we do, and be less concerned with external feedback. While it’s important for your business to track sales, and measure engagement, you have to decide, will you base your joy off of these numbers? One tip? Pick things that you’d choose to create even if you weren’t getting paid, even if there was no way for people to “like” it or upvote it in some way.

“When you’re no longer concerned with all of these things you can’t control, that really is a place of freedom.”

When you let go of this need to manufacture some sort of result, when you can let go of those outcomes and focus on the process, all of the anxiety and energy that were put into outcomes are now translated into the process.

Srini believes, the enemy of process is distraction. It’s ally is a concept called Deep Work, introduced by Cal Newport, which is the ability to go into a cognitively demanding task for a long period of time. The more you do that, the more that you build what Srini calls Creative Momentum, the more you start to get into a state of Flow.

“If you can actually resist the temptation for distraction, you will build your ability to go into deeper states of Flow, and not only that but you will sustain the ability to go into deeper states of flow for longer periods of time, and as a result things will actually get better.”

Srini’s book, Unmistakable: Why Only is Better Than Best, illustrates that anyone is capable of standing out from the crowd, being authentic, and avoiding the alluring trap of mimicking those that have come before them.

How do you avoid succumbing to the tempting mimicry epidemic?

• Curiosity – “What are you naturally curious about? Not what you think will lead to some sort of result or outcome, but what is it that you are curious about?”
• Experimentation – “Experiments don’t have to be expensive, don’t have to be time-consuming, but they give you a tremendous amount of feedback.”

“We’re trying to boil down something that has no formula into a formula.”

Srini is a passionate surfer, and his experience with the ocean has shifted not only the way he shows up in business, but also the way he shows up in relationships. For example

• He’s cultivated resilience in the face of difficult situations.
• He also practices letting go of any expectations from these situations.

“What you learn by being in the ocean is that the conditions are always changing. It’s always dynamic, it’s always interesting, and your job is to keep adjusting to what the conditions are. There are days where the conditions are perfect, but if you’re just standing around waiting for the conditions to be perfect you’ll never do anything, you’ll never take any risks.”

Srini is a wonderful guest and, indeed, unmistakable guest. He shares a lot of great tools and tips to improve our productivity, break free of distractions and become unmistakable. I greatly appreciate him stopping by, and you should go check out The Unmistakable Creative to hear more from Srini.

SOME QUESTIONS I ASK:

• How does Srini cultivate more creativity in his life?
• What tips would Srini give people who are just starting out and haven’t honed what makes them unmistakable yet?
• Where does Srini see the business going and what does the future of the Unmistakable brand looks like?
• Can Srini think of a habit or tool from his 600+ interviews that stands out that he has implemented in your own life?

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• How you can be Unmistakable.
• How to cultivate creativity in your life.
• How to break free of the distractions of technology.
• How to attain a Creative Momentum and achieve a state of Flow.
• Plus much more…

DON’T STOP HERE…

• Guest Links & Resources: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Listen to The Unmistakable Creative podcast
• Unmistakable: Why Only is Better Than Best by Srinivas Rao
• The Art of Being Unmistakable by Srinivas Rao
• “Why Practice Matters Just as Much If not More Than Performance” by Srinivas Rao

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• The Life And Times of a Remarkable Misfit by AJ Leon, a free collection of essays about changing the world
• “‘The Artist’s Way’ in an Age of Self Promotion” by Carrie Battan
• Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
• The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
• Deep Work by Cal Newport
• Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield
• Cal Newport’s TEDed Talk on Passion
• Focus@Will – mobile productivity application
• Hey Focus – desktop productivity application
• MacJournal – simplified word processor
• Grammarly – free grammar checker
• Calm – mobile meditation application

Production & Development for The Bold Life Movement Podcast by Podcast Masters