Negative One to Zero

Listen. I wandered around aimlessly for nearly two decades, thinking I would create the Next Big Thing. Maybe I still will. But what I learned in that time was that there are underlying reasons why I couldn’t seem to just “do the thing.”

I couldn’t finish what I started.
I couldn’t choose between projects.
I couldn’t even take the first step.

I was too eager for the payoff. Every initial sign of potential success launched me into a place ten years into the future, where I might have achieved everything I intended to. But it wasn’t ten years from now, it was now.

And back then, “now” was an uncomfortable place to be. I didn’t like my reality, and I wanted out. When it didn’t come quickly enough, I froze. Worse than how badly I felt, I was in reality further away from my goals than I’d ever been…which of course made the spiraling worse.

I know this isn’t unique to me. The term “wantrepreneur” doesn’t exist for no reason. But I also don’t believe it represents a shallowness in people, a yearning for superficial accomplishment without any work ethic.

No. In my experience, people who want to be an entrepreneur desperately want it. They want to be the person they imagine they could be, or should be. And they know they’re smart enough, ambitious enough, clever enough, likable enough. They know, in essence, they have what it takes.

But they’re told they can’t, that they aren’t, that they don’t.

The gap between your goals and your actions is not due to some immutable characteristic. It’s often due to complicated emotions that stem from early childhood or baggage from traumas. It’s also almost always due to having an unequal starting point.

That’s what I learned from my experiences. And that’s what I’m writing about in my (forever free) newsletter.

That’s what I now know is my life’s work: to convince other people — who are on the path I once was (and to a degree still am) — that there are foundational principles that make achieving their lofty goals actually achievable.

…and also that simple psychological hacks aren’t enough.

I don’t sell you an easy path. Because, frankly, there isn’t one. If you’ve struggled to get something started or maintain focus on a project you want to see succeed, or even if you already know that you’re just still searching for what you want from life…chances are that tactical advice simply won’t “stick,” and that’s because you’re not ready for it to.

Critics of my view are ignorant to the idea that there are imperceptible advantages a doer has over a dreamer. But often the difference is simple psychology…with deep consequences.

If you’re at the point of exasperation, at the point when you ask yourself, “Why can’t I just…?” Then I believe I can help. I’ve been through what you have. I’ve asked the same questions, felt down on myself and my abilities in the same ways you have. And now, I’m sharing the lessons I’ve learned with you, in the hope that you’ll be able to lay a foundation for yourself upon which your future empire is built.

Your empire is simply whatever makes you truly happy. It’s a life defined by your working on what you want, when you want, and making more than enough money while you do it. But it starts at zero. And, unfortunately, we don’t all start there.

If you’re looking up to zero, as I once was, subscribe to my newsletter. Or even just message me directly. I can’t wait to hear from you, and I hope to help you get to where I am now: a place of complete and utter possibility.

Until next time,
-Matt

My newsletter, "Negative One to Zero", recently acquired its first "random" subscribers (i.e., not my friends and family), and I'm now up to $380 ARR! For the first month, with no subscribers and no following to start, it feels pretty amazing to be able to earn revenue like this.

It took a long time, but I finally launched my newsletter! I'm hoping that my writing can inspire other who have had similar struggles with starting their thing!

Details can be found here: https://www.indiehackers.com/post/i-finally-launched-my-newsletter-and-i-m-actually-working-on-it-b6b203539b.