Thought

I started writing online a year and some months ago.

Along the way, I got the idea that I should monetize. I listened to what other people, who had successfully launched a business online, said worked and started doing it.

I began angling my brand towards a ghostwriting business. I got clients and officially achieved the holy grail of monetization.

Except, I started noticing some things along the way that gave me pause.

The first red flag that popped up was that I wasn’t fired up to write anymore.

Second, I realized I was still trading my time for money but in a way I didn’t enjoy as much as my day job.

The sad reality about doing something for money is that it fundamentally shifts your relationship to said thing, and if it’s something you’re passionate about, usually for the worse.

I realized that pursuing ghostwriting was taking me away from the reason I started to write in the first place.

So, I finished the contracts I had and officially quit that pursuit this week.

Damn, it feels good too.

You see, now that I’m not trying to get clients anymore, I’m completely free to write what I want. To build the exact brand I want.

I could look at the last 6 months as a waste. I spent a lot of time, energy and money focused on a goal I no longer want to pursue.

But it wasn’t a waste because of all the insights I gained along the way.

All experience can be turned to your advantage.

The main advantage for me here is gaining clarity on what I’m writing for.

Not writing for money is so freeing. I feel like I just got released from jail after 6 months.

I know why I’m doing this, and I’m clearer than ever on the message I want to bring to the world.

The great joke is that it isn’t much different from where I started over a year ago.

Pure comedy.

I had a professor in college who always said, “If you’re going to fail, fail fast.”

He wasn’t talking about the class, he was talking about any new endeavor.

The faster something that isn’t right fails, the better. You learn what not to do with the minimum amount of time wasted.

The secret isn’t to never fail, but to fail forward.

Tactic

I love routine.

I’m a routine-oriented person.

My routine has been a safe harbor through many storms.

But too much routine sucks the mystery out of life.

The same thing you’ve done a thousand times collapses into a single memory.

That one hour routine thing, done a thousand times, turns into a single hour.

That’s why you have to mix it up. When something seemingly random captures your attention, see where it takes you.

This will lead you into the mystical aspects of reality.

You’ll start to experience more synchronicities.

These synchronicities can be thought of as cairns God sets out for you to illuminate your path.

It’s rare to experience a synchronicity while watching Netflix.

Go do something unexpected this week.

Surprise yourself.

Tome

Tool

I hope this week’s 4 T’s have your T levels surging!

If you found this newsletter valuable, share it with your friends and colleagues, and invite them to join our brotherhood.

In Victory,

Alex