you know what i’m talking about…

the one where you open up your laptop, ready to spit some fire, only to have no idea what to say, how to say it, or what the first sentence should even be.

it’s almost as bad as stubbing your toe.

except a blank google doc leaves you with a lot more mental torment.

because after the first couple minutes of quiet, you get frustrated with yourself for not being able to come up with ideas.

and then you wonder how all the best copywriters come up with ideas so easily.

and then you wonder if you’re even “cut out” to be a copywriter.

whatever that means…

let’s just say it can spiral pretty quick.

this happened too many times when i was starting out, and it has got to be one of the most frustrating things EVER.

so i knew that in order to truly become a copywriter, i had to figure out a way to slay this dragon once and for all.

and slay it i did…

because now i can happily say that i never deal with this problem.

anytime i open a fresh google doc, my brain is already pre-loaded with ideas ready to be shared with the world.

pulled this out of my snapchat memories to show you:

that sword that you see me eliminating the evil writer’s block dragon with is a simple framework that i use for every email, VSL, ad, or sales page i write.

and before you say anything. no, it’s not ADA…

it’s not PAS…

it’s not some ai prompt i got from a nick saraev ig reel…

it’s three simple words.

(and they rhyme!)

i present to you:

the spill, chill, and distill framework.

inspired by my dawg kj rainey and joe sugarman, it has not failed me once since i started using it.

i’ll probably use it for the rest of my life.

here’s how it works:

spill.

i realized a big part of why i couldn’t get words on the page was because i spent too much time thinking about how to write the perfect first line.

any idea that came to mind would get tossed because i’d find some reason for it not to work.

and even though some ideas were worse than others, every idea is copy to work with.

so the solution to filling the page is to shut your brain off.

stop thinking, and just brain dump anything and everything that comes to mind about the topic you’re writing about.

forget punctuation, grammar, leave those back with your 2nd grade english teacher.

if you spelled the word them like T-E-H-M, so what?

keep going, forget it, it’s in the dust

you want to just spew out as much raw emotion as you possibly can without paying attention to anything else, because that’s where the real gold is hiding.

when you’re not hyper-focused on what you’re writing, your brain can run wild and pull out some sick sick copy.

sometimes it’ll take 30 seconds, sometimes it’ll take 5 minutes, sometimes it’ll take 30 minutes

but whatever you do, DONT STOP IT.

let it flow for as long as it feels right.

when you’re done you’ll know.

next, chill.

now that you’re not looking at a blank doc anymore, stop writing.

call up your english teacher and spend the next 30 seconds dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s, and correcting any words you misspelled.

then get up from your desk, go outside, go gym, go for a walk, play pickleball, read a book, have lunch, whatever it is.

as long as it’s something completely unrelated to the copy that you just wrote.

this is CRITICAL because when you get away from the work, you’re able to tap back into the real world

which usually will give you new perspectives and ideas that you can bring into your copy when you go back.

ideally you want to spend at least an hour away to really let your brain breathe and make some new connections.

and now for the final phase, where the magic happens:

distill.

so it’s been an hour, you’re back at your desk…

your mind’s feeling fresher than those individually wrapped mints they give out at restaurants…

and now you’re able to look at the copy from a bird’s eye view.

this is where you can pay better attention to the words that you actually wrote, and see how you can improve it.

look to

• cut out unnecessary fluff

• add in more copy to expand on a point

• rearrange sentences to make the flow better

after 15 minutes you should have a much, much better second draft.

if it’s long form copy like a sales page it’s better to run chill + distill a couple times over, cuz those need more luv…

but that’s it - this is my secret, and i rip it every time i write.

it’s been a huge part behind generating over $1m with my copy so far, and it works best if you’re trying to actually learn the skill of copywriting.

so if you want to truly get better and not let claude write everything for you, give it a try and let me know how it works for ya

peace,

gabe

(that’s nearly $3 billion in today’s money)

blue light glasses, pocket calculators, electronic chess computers, and a bunch of other products were bought by millions of people because of the words that he wrote.

pretty nuts.

and the secret to his success was a simple writing process.

he called it his ‘seven step formula’ for writing copy…

which looks something like this:

first, he’d become an expert in whatever market he was selling to.

second, he’d define exactly who his customer was.

third, he’d write the headline & first sentence.

fourth, he’d write the first draft.

fifth, he’d edit the first draft for grammar & punctuation.

sixth, he’d let that draft sit for a day or so.

seventh, he’d thoroughly improve the first draft and turn it into the final draft…

to finally send it out.

and ya know, from the outside looking in, it seems like a simple process…

until you realize that he was doing most of it completely manually.

my guy was literally writing the first rough draft on a legal pad…

typing it out again on a typewriter for better formatting…

and then physically cutting out sentences from the page and rearranging them with glue.

it was only once he had a draft that he liked (and would’ve made his 5th grade art teacher proud), that he sent it off to be published.

eventually, he got a secretary to typrewrite (is that a word?) everything for him…

but even still he’d use a red ink pen to cross out, add or move words around the draft for her to retype.

(they did this 3-4 times every writing session btw)

it’s lowkey funny how much they had to do back then just to share an idea with the world.

but i think there’s a very important lesson here.

back then, a HUGE value proposition copywriters had was that they were the ones actually writing the copy.

there were no macbooks, no wispr flow, no grammarly - you just had to rawdog it.

and this was on top of coming up with the creative ideas that would actually sell the product!

nowadays, that’s all we have to worry about.

we have robots at our fingertips that cost 20 bucks a month to write copy for us, and all we have to do is say the word.

and this is great and all.

but no matter how good your claude is after that skill prompt you got from commenting ‘i <3 robots’ on someone’s ig reel…

it still needs a general.

someone in control who can give it the VISION and guide it to a decent outcome.

so the value that copywriters & creative strategists bring to the game in 2026 is a lot less about writing copy…

and a lot more about thinking like a copywriter.

tapping into your inner joe sugarman and using the power of your creative mind to orchestrate and oversee the copy that you send to your clients, or use for yourself.

this is the key that unlocks true leverage.

telling claude to write you an email can get you 100 horrific emails in 5 minutes…

which may help to hit your deadline a lot quicker, but will 100% make an unhappy client.

instead, telling claude to write an email with the strategy plan you thought through first containing the subtext that speaks to your reader’s specific pains / desires…

that’s where you hit the copy sweet spot - high quality AND high quantity.

but you can only get to that point by understanding how a copywriter like joe thinks.

not by telling your claude that it’s joe sugarman…

but by actually understanding the game, and learning how to play by the rules.

so naturally the question becomes,

how do you learn to think like a 10 million dollar direct response copywriter?

well, the answer’s easy, but you won’t like it.

brace yourself…

stop. using. ai!!!!

i know.

bet you thought i was never gonna say that.

but it’s true.

despite everyone telling you to ‘use ai or get left behind’…

when it comes to writing copy, you are quite literally getting paid for your ideas.

and in order to come up with compelling, unique ideas, you need to train the part of your brain that creates them.

there’s only so many books you can read, videos you can watch, courses you can buy…

before you realize none of them actually makes you any better, except for writing copy yourself.

so why not get it over with and start now?

it’s not sexy, but this is what you must do to become the dragon master my friend.

write the dang copy.

whether it’s for clients you already have or for a random influencer / brand you saw on instagram.

as long as you’re getting the reps in, you will get better over time.

your brain will start to come up with good ideas more naturally and be able to express them more easily.

i’m telling you this because i’m living that right now.

i was a copywriter before ai took over, so i had no choice but to write everything by hand (or keyboard, i guess).

but looking back on it i’m thankful that i did, because all those months i spent writing helped me truly understand the language.

and even though i still hand write a lot of our clients’ copy now, i have a ton of leverage using ai to help me write 100x more than what i ever could have 2 years ago.

so don’t believe the hype bro, ai cannot save you.

you have to do the work upfront.

but when you do, and you stick with it, you’ll be thanking yourself.

trust me

gabe

it’s september 2024 - you’re an aspiring copywriter who just joined copy elite (ifykyk), and you’re going through the modules.

as you listen to kj rainey explain what first principles are for the first time, you feel a third eye open in the middle of your head…

you can finally SEE!

welp, that’s it.

no going back now.

you spend damn near every day in google docs for the next couple months writing copy and getting it reviewed..

and after your first 20 outreaches, someone responds saying they were impressed with the free VSL script you wrote for them.

so you get em on a call, bumble your way through the conversation, and somehow close them on a $500 trial.

you’ve just landed your first ever client, the sun’s shining, you can hear ‘stay schemin’ by rick ross playing somewhere in the background…

and it’s all because of the blood, sweat and caffeine you put into actually learning the skill.

you don’t know it yet, but you’ve just chosen a path with a lifetime payout worth a lot more than $500 which is:

influencing the human mind with written words.

that was what life looked like nearly 2 years ago (when i first started writing copy), but the game has changed a LOT since then.

it used to be the standard to buy someone’s $4k course…

put in AT LEAST 20 hours of pain in the g docs…

and write over a hundred pieces of copy before anyone would half take you seriously…

but in the 25-26’ season of info, that standard has become nearly invisible to most people, all because of two powerful letters:

A. I.

you might’ve heard of it.

it’s only a force of hyper-intelligent robots who do whatever you say and work for you 24/7.

you also might’ve heard that these robots have taken the world by storm over the past year…

and it’s been no different for the info space.

copywriting as a biz opp is nowhere to be found:

you’ve got growth ops / founders posting reels about how they “fired their copywriter” along with 95% of their team because their clawdbot is doing everything for them…

people are throwing around ai slop EVERYWHERE - i see it in ads, youtube videos, emails, landing pages…

(if you don’t know what i’m talking about, try listening for some of these lovely phrases next time an ad pops up on instagram):

• ‘it’s not this, it’s that’ x1000000

• ‘that’s the shift.’

• ‘here’s the thing’

• ‘here’s what no one tells you’

• ‘—’

• ‘no x. no y. no z.’

• ‘here’s the part that changes everything’

• ‘that’s the whole game’

and as an old-fashioned copywriter at heart, it’s clear that things have gotten out of hand pretty quickly.

people have discovered these robots and become obsessed with “leverage” and how much they can get done with the least amount of effort / resources possible.

they’re searching in every crack and crevice of their business, automating everything they can find, including their copy…

without realizing that copy is the literal core of their entire operation.

think about it - what do you absolutely need to run ads? ad copy.

what do you need to run a webinar funnel? a webinar script.

what even is a funnel, at the first principle-level?

words.

it’s all copy.

and when you outsource the foundation of your business to a robot, you forfeit all the creativity and human soul that’s meant to be felt by your customers.

MEANING that until AGI (when we’ll all be cooked), there will always be a need for highly skilled copywriters / creative strategists.

the only thing that’s changing now is the caliber of business owner who realizes this and adapts to it.

a couple real-world examples of this:

• nearly every mastermind my good friend + founder of webinar wizards, charlie, goes to has at least 1 person brought on to specifically speak about copywriting.

• i still see multiple job postings for copywriters inside the old copy elite discord (which got shut down in january btw)...

• zarak is doing 6 figs a month with his agency, that literally trains + deploys copywriters / creative strategists…

so the demand is higher than ever, and it’ll only keep going up as time goes on.

because real deal long-term business owners understand the value in copy.

they know it has to be good.

and with ai slop raining down on info right now, the pool of people they can trust to get the job done is getting smaller by the day.

which is really bad news for the claude gremlins stealing prompts from ig reels…

and an amazing opportunity for the true writers putting in the REPS.

to help you take advantage of it, lemme put you on to how i learned to sell with words back in 2024.

i present to you…

the entire copywriting first principles course from inside copy elite (RIP):

when i say this is the only video you need to learn this skill, i mean it.

i’ve helped make people over $1M with copy so far, and i owe a HUGE part of my success to these 10 hours.

you’ll learn what copywriting is at a first principle level, and how to get insanely good at it to make a lot of money.

and just because i’m such a nice guy, i’ll let you in on the exact steps i took to get the most out of it too:

1. watch one section of the course at a time (there’s 8)

2. genuinely take notes as you watch (to help retain the info)

3. choose a brand / influencer with a product (fitness coaching, supplements, e-books, etc)

4. write a piece of copy for them BY HAND, using one of the principles from the video

5. repeat

it’s definitely not as sexy as telling claude to write everything for you…

but it’s just what it takes to truly understand how marketing (and honestly the world) works.

over time though, each principle you learn will get you one step closer to becoming a lean, mean copywriting machine.

and you’ll be no match for everyone else depending on other machines to do the work for them.

to copy,

gabe

ps. don’t get me wrong, i am in no way shape or form dissing ai.

it is a revolutionary technology that you need to be using right now, especially in business.

but in 2026, it’s more important to THINK like a copywriter…

who can use ai to put out more copy than humanly possible, at a much higher quality.

more on that in another email.

that my friend… is “LVL” by asap rocky.

if you’ve never had the experience of listening to this song on a cool night drive with the windows down…

1. i’m sorry

2. it doesn’t really matter

because the real point of this email is about something he said in an interview with noisey back in 2015.

you’ve probably seen the clip somewhere on ig:

and it is a genuinely valid question.

so many people either laugh at the guy looking like an idiot because he’s NEW to something…

or never BECOME that guy because they’re afraid of OTHER people laughing at them…

and i’ve never quite understood that.

how else are you supposed to get good at pickleball, or making content, or cooking a perfectly golden-brown beef wellington…

without going through that beginner phase, where you look a bit stupid?

isn’t that just common sense that you will not be an expert at anything on the first try?

(or first several tries)

also, and probably more importantly, why would you EVER let what other people think stop you from trying something you’re interested in?

we have one time on this earth to try everything it has to offer before we move onto the next…

we all have the same opportunity to do or be anything that we want…

so imagine looking in the mirror as an 80-year old man (or woman) only to see a watered-down version of yourself, conformed to what everyone wanted you to be.

by then, it will be too late.

you will have successfully avoided the potential “cringe” comment under one of your posts, or tyler from high school talking crap about you to his friends…

but at what cost?

i believe our identities are shaped solely by our capacity to try things.

because when it comes down to it, there’s really only two types of people in this world:

type a - the ones who choose to get the answers now, while they have the time and physical ability…

or type b - the ones who choose to deal with the regret that comes later.

yk what?

lemme give you ANOTHER example of what i mean.

if you’ll remember asap rocky from 28 lines up in this email…

he was in attendance at the 2026 world cup final between spain and argentina that happened right in my backyard.

(well, not literally, but it was pretty close @ metlife stadium)

meaning that he was one of 80,663 that had the privilege to see the all time GOAT of football, lionel messi, play his last ever game for the national team.

it was a pretty boring game in all honesty, and spain deserved the win, but when it comes to his career, no one will remember this game.

because since 2004, he has scored 927 goals, made 422 assists, won 8 balon d’ors…

12x league titles, 4x champions league, 1x world cup…

and is still scoring for fun in the mls with miami at age 39.

i think he scored 4 in one game last weekend?

it is quite simply ridiculous.

but the only reason that we even know messi exists is because he is a type a.

despite being born with a growth hormone deficiency…

despite having to inject his legs with height-serum every night for 3 years…

despite a bunch of coaches considering him a “high-cost financial risk” with a fragile body that would never withstand the extreme physicality of pro football…

he went for it.

and after countless trials, camps, and training sessions…

he signed his first contract with barcelona at 13 on a paper napkin.

no seriously, it was on a napkin.

they even framed it and everything, look:

now IMAGINE, just imagine what his life could have looked like if he listened to those coaches who didn’t think he’d make it.

or the people around him who thought the same thing.

he could be working at mcdonald’s right now, having teenagers who just got their license telling him to “put the fries in the bag”...

or even worse - spending 4 years and $100k on a piece of paper with no guarantee of a job!

and the story of the little man from argentina would never have been told.

can you imagine what that alternate version of messi would do if he saw a snapshot of the version we know and love today?

the regret would be unbearable, i bet.

but he’s here now, standing at 5’7” as the best footballer in the history of the game…

and all because he pushed past the limiting beliefs of others (and maybe even himself) to give it a real shot.

and suddenly it didn’t matter what anyone said anymore, because he went and got that answer for himself!

moral of the story…

there’s endless activities, foods, places, sports, and art forms all around us, and we have the ability to experience them and make them a part of who we are.

they can turn into careers, hobbies, or opportunities that shape our lives and make them better…

in ways that you couldn’t even imagine!

but the only way, literally the only way, to know which of them are meant for you…

is to go out and try things man.

take the shot.

post that video.

talk to that girl (or guy).

and keep trying things until you find the pieces that fit.

eventually, with enough of those pieces, i’ll bet you find yourself loving life a whole lot more.

keep trying,

gabe

p.s. if you’ve been trying to run profitable webinars for yourself or your clients but it’s not quite working the way you thought…

we can either run them for you, or consult on them to add an extra 7 figs/yr to your business.

if interested, click this mysterious blue text.

almost a year ago to this date, a lot of things in my life were very similar to how they are now.

i had a newsletter, was making money online, and had just bought a flight to go see some of my best friends.

i remember writing an email while i was in the air because i thought it sounded cool lol…

and i was about to open this with the same line i used in that one, but i decided against it because i don’t want to be lazy.

but if you didn’t guess already, i am currently writing to you on a plane.

in the sky.

i couldn’t tell you how many feet or miles or kilometers (or whatever metric you want to use) i am above the ground…

but i’m definitely up here.

and while i was taking off i felt inspired to write something to my 5 loyal readers, for two reasons:

one: it’s been a MINUTE and i told myself that i would genuinely take this newsletter seriously (unlike the one i had last year)

and two: i just want to write. i love it.

you’ve probably had deja vu before.

the feeling is pretty cool - especially when you’re able to reflect on how far you’ve come since then.

that snapshot of last year might’ve sound pretty cool at first glance, but at the time i honestly was pretty lost.

i thought i knew what i wanted out of life, and that i was moving in the right direction, but i really had no freaking clue.

i’d tried three business models by then, and would go on to try two more by the end of the spring…

which ended up leaving me in the same spot as when i started in sept 2024.

i was so green into this space that every opportunity sounded like the golden ticket to freeeeedom, so i took them all without realizing that the real key is mastering the skill of saying NO.

because opportunity will always be there (if you’re putting work in).

in fact, there’s a good chance you’ll only see more opportunity the longer you stay in the game.

but money follows people who are great at what they do.

why?

because they’re the ones who solve the complex problems.

and you can’t truly be great at something if you’re a generalist in everything.

which i learned the hard way from being so naive last year.

thankfully tho, i actually did learn - and i promised myself that was a path i would never go down again.

so since august of 2025, i’ve been laser locked in on becoming a great copywriter - a master of persuasion & marketing who can turn words into money.

and it took a pretty long time, but the multiple months of practicing that same skill everyday, saying no to anything that didn’t align with the vision, and working tirelessly in between & after walmart shifts…

i’m now blessed to say that i am decent at it.

lol.

it’s halfway there, but it’s definitely enough (and honestly more than enough with how low the barrier to entry is for skilled service providers in this space).

and i’m being paid really well for where i’m at, working everyday with brothers on the other side of the world helping people change their lives with words.

all that to say - this is just a really cool moment for me.

because even though there’s some similarities from last year, there’s also a lot of major differences.

i now have clarity on my mission, my life, and the man i want to become…

i’m making a living doing work that i love and am passionate about…

and i’ve set myself up in the perfect environment to grow 10x more this year.

so i’m just really excited.

business has taught me a lot about life - the ventures i took last year that felt like a waste of time were actually just preparing me to be the man i am right now, sitting in United plane seat 54A.

and i know that i’m only going to get better.

yeah.

i know.

i’m currently still in shock, so i’ll try my best to explain how this happened.

a week from today, i got word of a client competition being hosted by an agency in the UK.

they were looking to hire (and i quote) ‘a direct response copywriting BEAST’ to work alongside them.

the way to apply was by writing them a sales letter.

now, i’m gonna be honest - there were two things that intimidated me when i first read this.

one: i knew there were probably a bunch of people who were gonna apply.

and two…

i had never written a sales letter before.

so i was a tad nervous.

all the reasons NOT to do it were there:

i saw the post a day late…

hadn’t touched any other type of copy besides email before…

and wasn’t even trying to land a client yet…

but oddly enough, there was something telling me i had to take this shot.

it was that feeling.

you know what i’m talking about.

when you just know.

even though every conscious part of you is telling you not to.

i believe that’s God’s way of calling you to change.

because every time i’ve had this feeling, it’s led to exactly that.

so i listened.

the great unknown

for the next 3 days i locked innnnnnnn.

dove deep into their funnel & audience, wrote three drafts, cooked up 8 different headline / lead variations…

(all after my walmart shifts btw)

and 21 hours later i had a 2,119 word-long sales letter staring back at me through the screen.

i kept refining it until the literal last minute to make sure it was the absolute best work i could put out (along with a quick loom).

and then it was done.

sunday, 5 o’clock PM, on the dot.

finally - all i had to do was kick my feet up and wait for them to reach out…

right?

wrong.

after not hearing back from them the next day, i kept going.

stayed up until 3 am cooking a story sequence to post on my instagram, in hopes that it would get their attention.

POV : it’s 2:30 - you just snuck out your room b/c your parents were sleeping, so you could get the tripod from your car to take this picture:

i don’t know if it was the lack of sleep, or if i was really starting to lose it…

but at one point i felt delirious.

i stopped to ask myself:

gabe, why are you even doing this ?

the chances of him seeing this are slim to none…

theres gotta be tons of other copywriters better than you that submitted…

AND he probably chose someone already, so you’re about to look like a retard.

that little voice was trying to stop me so bad.

but i pushed through.

and literally two minutes after i posted it…

bro watched the story.

liked it.

followed me.

AND sent me a dm.

now you tell me why i did it.

goodnight

woke up the next morning to drive to work (yes i stayed up late on a work night i’m so irresponsible blah blah blah).

and as i’m at a red light - i cannot make this up - he emails me.

we got to messaging back n forth a bit, and proceeded to hop on a call that night.

most chill dude ever, we clicked right off the bat.

but he absolutely loved my work.

said what stuck out to him was the attention to detail & effort i put in, which was exactly the part that i felt crazy for doing.

i noticed i’d gotten so used to doing boat-loads of work for people without any reply…

that when i finally heard someone not just acknowledge, but genuinely gas up the stuff i wrote - it felt like the world was lifted off my shoulders.

the big day

today i hopped on again with him & his business partner.

we ran through some more details, and decided to move forward together.

bish, bash, bosh.

as soon as i hit that red button to end the call, i sat at my desk in silence.

after all the pain, the frustration, the suffering…

something finally gave.

and my life had completely changed in two short days.

i won’t say too much, but i’m also going to be compensated especially well for the current stage that i’m at (which is a whole other blessing in itself).

so i’m finally, FINALLY able to rid myself of the parasite that was walmart and do this full time.

waking up slowly every morning with my bible & journal…

sitting at my desk doing work that i love…

cooking meal prep before hitting chest & back at the gym…

during the hardest moments, these were the exact images i’ve replayed in my head.

and now it’s my reality.

sigh.

it’s truly incredible how quickly God can change your life when you trust Him.

He’s proven it to me before, but this has been the biggest example to date.

it just goes to show that when you let Him steer…

all you have to do is keep rowing.

and despite the storms and great white sharks that will try to take you down on the way, eventually you’ll reach the island He’s prepared for you.

this game is not easy, and i still have a long way to go - but these are the moments i live for.

forever blessed & thankful.

like young thug said…

i got the platform.

now it’s time to prove myself.

being an entrepreneur logically does not make sense in the beginning.

you are consciously choosing to run the opposite way 99% of the world is going…

defying everything you’ve ever been told…

to wander around in the dark, looking for batteries with a dead flashlight.

you look like a complete idiot.

and of course to them it looks that way.

but you know why you started.

you made a choice.

to commit —- really commit - to building something meaningful.

which is bound to cause some friction.

because as you walk thru this path…

your schedule will change.

certain things / people you had time for in the past will take the backseat.

your priorities will change.

the things you focus on & pay attention to will become more precise.

and worst of all…

your mindset will change.

you’ll become less understood by everyone around you, because you possess such a foreign way of thinking.

even with your closest friends - you’ll be talking, having a great time…

but you’ll never be able to escape the fact that they just won’t understand.

the world has zapped the color out of their lives, restricting them to think small and “be realistic”…

and they’ve let it happen.

so naturally, when you try to speak up about your big dreams…

it comes off as a joke.

the response is laughter, instead of unquestionable support.

and you’re left no choice but to figure it out alone, with nothing but your own thoughts and a laptop.

kind of like what i’m doing now.

recently

the past few months i’ve been putting in more work and have been making the most progress skill-wise…

but somehow have felt the loneliest i’ve ever been.

and it’s so weird because i have a supportive family, an awesome girlfriend, and a few best friends that i’ve known pretty much my whole life.

but because they’re not on this path with me, i have no one who can truly relate to me or share my struggle.

because it’s just me in here.

so it’s tough.

i lost count of the times where i felt like quitting, wondering if any of this would work out.

but in a strange way, these feelings give me hope.

you know why?

because they’re proof that i’m at the part where most people give up.

where most people will say it's ‘too much’, succumb to the pain of being an outcast, and hang up the jersey…

spending the rest of their lives distracting themselves from the fact that they could’ve been great.

which is fine - this path isn’t for everyone.

but if i persist?

if i’m willing to get kicked in the face every single day and wake up the next morning to go again?

i’m guaranteed to win.

and what lies on the other side of that is everything i’ve ever dreamed of.

every. single. thing.

making every lonely night…

every desperate cry out to God…

and every hour of pain…

completely and utterly worth it.

that’s the path i’m choosing to take.

quite frankly, i can’t see myself doing anything else.

for as long as i can remember, i’ve always been a thinker.

the second i came out of the womb i was probably thinking about how the hospital was built - it’s just how God created me.

which is great; i believe time spent in thought is a gift.

but it’s also what holds me back (and a lot of other people i know too).

the reality is:

when you spend too much time in your head, you get stuck.

when you spend all your time thinking about what to do…

you leave yourself no time to take action which is the one thing that actually moves you forward.

so how do you stop thinking so much?

you do.

‘just make it exist first , you can make it good later.‘

- unknown

(read that on a random ig post yesterday lmao)

but it’s the truth.

the honest ‘secret’ to progress is consistent , imperfect action - and i prove it to myself time & time again.

here’s what a typical writing sesh looks like for me:

1. open up a blank google doc

2. think about all the things i could write, the angles i could use that would hit the hardest…

3. then realize the doc is still blank and just force myself to write whatever comes to mind

some sessions are more painful than others - but by the end of step 3, i always end up with a good few pages of copy.

and you know what?

every time this happens i instantly feel better than i did at step 2, because even though a lot of it’s probably trash…

at least i have something to work with.

and let me tell you, once i’m done chopping it down into a digestible, smooth-reading piece of copy… it is the best feeling.

this email is a prime example.

when i opened my laptop all i had was the idea.

but the second i noticed myself starting to overthink, i forced my fingers to fill the page with whatever they would type.

a couple hours later, here we are.

moral of the story:

you could be suppressing something the world needs to hear.

to action,

gabriel