January 17, 2026 | Read online
What Would You Do With 12 Months of Focus?
by Kevin 'KD' Dorsey
Let me ask you something uncomfortable.
What would you actually build…
if rent, food, and bills were covered for a year?
Not in theory. Not in some “one day” vision board way.
I mean for real. Because most people don’t fail due to lack of ambition.
They fail because life is expensive — and dreams don’t come with a safety net.
The Lie We Tell Creators
We love to romanticize the grind.
“Just wake up earlier.”
“Just stay consistent.”
“Just want it more.”
Sounds great on podcasts. Falls apart in real life.
Here’s the reality:
Only 4% of creators make enough money to support themselves full-time.
Four. Percent.
The other 96%?
They’re building around life instead of through it.
- Writing content after the kids go to sleep
- Recording videos in parking lots between meetings
- Editing at midnight knowing the alarm goes off at 6
- Trying to build something meaningful while exhausted
Most creators don’t quit because they lack talent. They quit because they run out of energy before momentum kicks in.
And momentum is everything.
The Real Problem Isn’t Skill. It’s Split Focus.
Every creator I know is fighting the same invisible enemy:
Cognitive tax.
When you’re worried about:
- Rent
- Groceries
- Healthcare
- Credit cards
- Job security
You don’t create boldly. You create safely.
You hedge.
You hesitate.
You overthink.
That’s why so much content feels watered down.
Not because people aren’t smart - but because they’re exhausted and distracted.
And that’s what makes this next part hit different.
A Year of Focus Changes Everything
Last year, Stan ran a campaign called Dare to Dream.
The premise was simple, but powerful: What happens if you remove financial survival from the equation?
They gave one creator $100,000 — enough to cover rent and living expenses for a full year.
No strings.
No equity.
No “you owe us” energy.
Just space to build.
What happened next surprised a lot of people.
- 3,200+ creators entered
- 2,500 shared their dreams on video
- Those videos generated 12.9 million organic views
It stopped being a giveaway.
It turned into a movement.
People didn’t just pitch ideas - they articulated who they wanted to become.
And now… they’re doing it again.
Why This Matters More Than the Money
Yes, $100K is life-changing.
But the real unlock isn’t the cash.
It’s the permission to focus.
Imagine 12 months where you could:
- Write every day without rushing
- Record content without checking the clock
- Launch the podcast you’ve been “planning” for 2 years
- Interview people you actually admire
- Build an audience intentionally instead of reactively
- Travel to events that stretch your thinking
- Say no to side gigs that drain you
That’s not “side hustle” energy.
That’s all-in energy.
And when you go all-in, compounding starts to work for you instead of against you.
Focus Is the Most Underrated Growth Hack
Here’s something most people underestimate:
Progress doesn’t grow linearly.
It grows exponentially — but only after consistency stacks.
The problem?
Most creators never stay consistent long enough.
They’re juggling:
- A full-time job
- A half-built dream
- And a nervous system stuck in survival mode
You can’t do deep work in shallow time blocks.
And you can’t build something meaningful while constantly switching contexts.
A year of focus doesn’t just speed things up. It skips years of false starts.
How Dare to Dream Works
If you’re reading this thinking, “Okay… what’s the catch?”
There isn’t one.
Here’s exactly how to enter:
1. Sign up for Stanley (it’s free)
2. Post a video (2 minutes or less) on public Instagram or TikTok sharing:
- Your story
- Your dream
- How you’d bring it to life
Use #standaretodream26 and tag @stanleyforcreators
3. Complete the Typeform after signing up
That’s it.
The Stan team reviews every single entry and selects a winner in February.
No lottery vibes.
No algorithm hacks.
Just humans watching humans explain what they want to build.
I’ve Seen What Happens When Someone Goes All-In
I’ve watched people plateau for years…
Then explode once they removed one constraint: split energy.
When your attention isn’t fragmented, things move fast:
- Your voice sharpens
- Your message clarifies
- Your audience grows faster
- Opportunities compound
Not because you magically got better… but because you finally had room to execute.
This is what people mean when they say: “It happened overnight.”
It never does.
But focus makes it look that way.
This Is Someone’s Shot
Someone reading this right now:
- Has a story worth telling
- Has an idea worth building
- Has been circling the runway for years
This is their chance to take off.
Not because they’re “lucky.”
But because they’re willing to show up publicly and say: “This is what I’m building. This is why it matters.”
So I’ll ask you again:
What’s your dream — really?
And what would change if survival wasn’t the thing holding you back?
Join Dare to Dream & Enter to Win $100K
