When I think back to my first bunch of daily emails, one thing’s clear:

I had no idea what I was doing.

As the weeks went on, this became more and more obvious. I'd spend many-a-morning staring blankly at my screen. Sometimes I’d write a sentence, then tweak it, then re-write it completely, then tweak it some more. And when the email was finally done, I’d hit send, collapse back into my chair and wonder how on earth I’d come up with a topic tomorrow.

It felt clunky and tough.

So I signed up to a bunch of other newsletters to see what the best in the business were doing in the clandestine world of daily emails. Then I joined an 8 week course to learn the fundamentals of engaging writing. After that, I invested in a few books & programs all about newsletters. And over time I studied, practiced and honed my craft.

That’s when I started getting more readers.

I could see a notification ping in my inbox each time a subscriber signed up. And to my surprise, I saw new readers arrive from far flung places like Dubai, China and South Africa. I even saw one reader sign up from the distant shores of Romford.

As the months and years rolled on, I was getting more replies to my emails too.

In fact, I got this email from a reader just a couple of days ago:

***

I had mentally hit a wall. I wanted to be impulsive. I wanted to quit.

I wanted to have the full-fledged 3-year-old temper tantrum where they bodily throw themselves at the floor, kicking their legs with arms flailing to the point you just stand back and wait.

I was working on my resume – half-heartedly, but it was further down the rabbit hole than I had ventured previously in my 20+ years.

Which is when I came across your newsletter. The reminder that all I needed was to pause, breathe and look at the situation differently.

***

What a lovely email to receive. 

But for the first year or so of writing my newsletter, I never got replies like this!

Which brings me to lesson #4 and the point I want to make today:

When we start something new (like a daily newsletter), it’s easy to focus on the fact we have no idea what we’re doing. 

But that’s hardly new news. In fact, that’s how starting something new works.

So the question isn’t where you’re starting from. The question is whether you want to stick around long enough to get good.

I’ve seen this idea play out in real-time with these emails. It’s not like I’m a naturally talented writer. Instead, I think the reason people across the world are reading, replying to and buying from my emails each day is because of one simple decision I made right back at the start.

That decision?

Whatever happens, I’m going to write the next daily email. And that didn't change even when Baby Grundy came along or when I went back to my old banking job on 31^st October 2023 (yes, Halloween – the symbolism writes itself). 

I just stayed in the game long enough for the emails to get better.

This is equally true if you’re learning a new skill, picking up a new hobby or taking a big, bold step like starting a new job, new side hustle or new business.

Yes, you have to be okay with looking like a newbie.

Yes, you might have to swallow your pride.

And yes, there’s probably a learning curve.

But it doesn’t matter where you’re starting from. What matters is that you’re willing to stay in the game. 

That wraps up this week's mini-series. But if you've enjoyed the emails over the last few days, I think you'll enjoy my email tomorrow too.

Here's to the next four years and a few more lessons along the way.

To fulfilment, 

Tom