listen to this real quick:
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…
i’m sorry
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
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