Things Are Changing Around Here

I have been writing my newsletter since October. For as long as I’ve started, I struggled with the question:

what the hell am I doing?

The truth is, I only started a newsletter because every single creator says their only regret is not starting a newsletter since day 1.

So I fomo’d in.

But I didn’t understand what I was doing. Every week, I’d write one article, send it to my list and post it on medium.

For 30 weeks, I kept asking myself:

What’s the point of driving my reader from Medium to my newsletter if it’s just the same thing? Or vice versa?

Last week, my subscribers had a sudden spike (50% growth).

I was on my way to my mindfulness retreat when an insight hit me:

After all it’s my smallest, most intimate list.

And it makes so much sense to me.

I still remember the moment I jumped in the passenger seat and scared the shit out of Ray screaming:

I GOT IT

So this is exactly what’s going to happen here from now:

My weekly Saturday letters will no longer be posted anywhere else.

It is where I will recap my week, link you to the articles I’ve publicly shared, and reflect on my journey as a creator and human that week.

It is my letter to you, and you alone (sometimes it will get sappy and you’ll just have to deal with it).

I am so freakin’ excited to have you. There is so much I have to tell you. So much cool shit we’re going to do together.

Here’s this week’s letter #1

I got back from the retreat on Sunday. On Monday, I woke up with a heaviness in my chest. I was so sad. I felt as if I was mourning a loss of my newfound inner peace.

Then I went on a walk. I realized my sadness was here because I was stuck in the past. This helped me find joy in my walk again.

It was fleeting as I am not yet able to stay in the moment for long. But we don’t have to be joyful all the time.

Knowing it is there and we can access it is enough.

If you want to learn more about the retreat, here is the link.

There are 3 locations in America, 4 In Europe, 2 in Australia and 1 in Thailand.

There are also online mindfulness practices all over the world. I am looking into joining one at the moment, will keep you updated.

It is such an incredible feeling to know that so many others are practicing mindfulness with you. I had so many beautiful conversations that I have never had with anyone else since I started this journey a couple years ago.

One of the main theme I kept hearing at the Dharma talk was:

I felt as if I was alone in the world. I couldn’t find happiness in the traditional life; until I found my Sangha.

If you ever feel alone, I urge that you find your Sangha.

If you have any questions, feel free to reply to this or dm me on Twitter.

This week’s content:

I wrote about the signs of unhappiness I noticed in myself and through the stories being shared at the Dharma talk.

I also shared a beautiful poem I read at the retreat by Thich Nhat Hanh

I’m still traveling so I hope that when I get back, I will have a lot more time to write.

This week’s reflection:

I have been feeling very content these past few weeks after dropping my last client. It means I am dedicating all of my time to content creation and the exploration of myself and the world.

When the anxiety comes up that I’m not doing ‘enough’, I have been able to soothe it by reminding myself:

Making a lot of money so that I can help people is a delusion. It is my ego trying to trick me into chasing after materialistic things.

This helps me transform anxiety into peace.

Something I’m working on this week:

Quote of the week:

Here’s to finding our paths 🥂

Ciao ❤️