Summary

The author reflects on a decade of online endeavors, acknowledging failures and financial loss, yet emphasizing the value of persistence and learning from mistakes.

Abstract

The author candidly shares their journey of being perceived as a "loser" on the internet, detailing various unsuccessful ventures such as DJ mixes, blogging, a YouTube channel, and an online academy. Despite losing a significant amount of money and facing public scrutiny, the author maintains that these experiences were crucial in developing the skills necessary for future success. They advocate for embracing the discomfort of being a beginner and the importance of humility and resilience in the face of setbacks. The author concludes that the journey to online success is long and fraught with failures, but it is these very failures that pave the way for eventual triumph, and that it's better to try and fail than to live with regrets.

Opinions

The author believes that enduring the feeling of being a "loser" is a necessary step towards achieving online success.
They suggest that the internet is an unpredictable place where empires can quickly rise and fall, emphasizing the importance of adaptability.
The author posits that the discomfort of being out of one's comfort zone is a sign of growth and potential future success.
They assert that the skills acquired during the process of trying and failing are invaluable and cannot be lost, even when facing financial setbacks.
The author implies that public perception, including criticism and trolling, should not deter one from pursuing their goals online.
They emphasize that persistence, despite repeated failures, is key to eventually succeeding on the internet.
The author concludes with the idea that the pain of regret far outweighs the pain of failure, advocating for taking risks and embracing the journey of building an online presence.

I Feel like I’ve Been a Loser on the Internet for 10 Years

I lost $1M on the internet by accident

If you wanna make it, it takes 3–5 years minimum of just sitting in your room being a loser — Mr Beast

There’s no doubt I’m a loser.

I made DJ mixes online under the creepy name “The Candy Man.” (Proof here.) I wrote on a Wordpress blog called Addicted2Success.

My articles sucked. (Proof here.)

Then I created a copycat version of the site on Facebook called “Essential For Success.” (Proof here.)

During the boom times of Youtube I created a channel. I bought all this crazy camera gear and thought I’d be the next Tony Robbins. (Proof here)

I’ve gotten used to being terrible. It doesn’t faze me. The truth is you’ve got to try a lot of things on the internet to figure out what works for you. That involves sitting in your bedroom and noodling, feeling like a loser, having no idea what the heck you’re doing.

Not long ago I lost $1M on the internet by accident. My accountant later corrected me and said “actually it was $1.2M.

I felt like an even bigger loser.

I mean how the hell does someone even do that, do you ask? It’s a long story. But like I said, I’m a loser. None of this should surprise you.

When I get asked how it feels to lose so much money I tell people “losing $1.2M is how I’ll make many more millions.”

Because you can lose a lot of money and feel like a loser, but you can’t lose the skills that made you the cash in the first place. Earlier this year I stupidly announced I’d have more than 200,000 followers on the tweet app.

I failed by a long way. Probably shouldn’t have said that.

The online academy I run is another great example. I tried to do it three times before. It just never worked.

On the third attempt I sent out hundreds of thousands of emails via my list and other creators’ lists and made a grand total of one $99 sale. Everyone involved thought I was a loser.

“I thought people trusted you and wanted to buy from you.”

Turns out I had no clue. It only worked when I tried for the fourth time and got other people to do the hard task of figuring out how the hell it all worked. Now I look like a genius to some … but I’m not that smart.

When you add smart people to your inner circle, it helps reduce the ‘loser effect’ you may have developed.

A lot of people feel like a loser

That’s okay.

I think it’s actually healthy to think you’re a loser. You have much less ego that way. It’s easier to move through life as a loser.

No one pays much attention. The critics and trolls leave your rotting carcass on the floor because they don’t see much value for them in throwing more mud at an undeniable loser.

It’s almost as if you have to be comfortable feeling like a loser for a long time to have the humility to eventually succeed online.

Most people can’t.

They have to feel successful. They have to see results fast. They can’t bare to let their parents or friends know they haven’t figured it all out.

The truth is you never figure it all out when it comes to the online game.

As soon as you do, old mate Elon brings out some new policy that bans your external links. Or Bumroad decides to increase prices by 300%.

What makes a loser like me one day succeed online is the ability to push through all the barriers. To say “f*ck it” when another disaster happens. To say “let’s try again amigo” when money vanishes magically into thin air.

The weird feeling you get

I may have been a loser on the internet but it’s the best experience I’ve ever had. In fact I may still be a loser on the internet.

Maybe I don’t grow out of this feeling. Or maybe feeling like a loser is another way to describe being deeply OUT of your comfort zone. That’d make sense.

Because I’m not comfortable at all. I think way too much about one day having to ring the bank I used to work at again to plead for a job.

“Remember me. I was so good. I got you all those big tech clients. I can do it again, sir. I promise. Just give me a chance.”

It’s creepy but I have the script all written out.

I hope I never have to use it but who knows. One thing I’ve learned about the internet is you can build up a massive empire and have it all disappear for some bizarre reason you could never predict.

So I guess what I’m saying is be humble ???

But the more important realization is if I’d never given it a go, I’d always have regrets for the rest of my life.

Regrets hurt way more than failure. Failure creates a butter knife wound. Regrets feel like your head has been blown off with a 12-gauge shotgun.

I’ll take the butter knife failures. So …

Feel like a loser if you want to mess around on the internet and build something you’ll be proud of. It’s all worth it. And give it at least 5 years.

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