🗯 Your Mind Has One Job | Internetly Vol. 68

Hi there,

Greetings from Brooklyn! 👋

It’s my last week in New York before I leave for Guatemala. I’m going alone and so far my only plan is to hike the Acatenango Volcano. Described as “one of the most difficult things I’ve done in my life” by fellow backpackers, I’m unsure what I’m getting into and I'm praying that my daily StairMaster sessions are adequate training.

I’m mostly excited to explore a new country alone, but late at night fear and doubt run through the corridors of my mind. The idea of getting on a plane and it dropping me off 3,000 miles away from everything I know — alone — is unfathomable.

What if I get lost trying to find my hotel at night in Guatemala City?

What if I don’t have internet half of the time and my clients fire me?

What if I don’t meet anyone and spend my days isolated and alone?

All of these anxieties are based on a worst-case scenario and yet my brain automatically goes there to scare the 💩 out of me. It's no secret that when we're faced with change, we tend to run to the worst possible outcome.

This reflex is your mind attempting to anchor you to your comfort zone. That's because the mind's biggest job is to keep us safe — yet this prevents us from truly living. Michael Singer describes this in his book, The Untethered Soul:

Am I still anxious? Of course. But it's up to us to not let these thoughts stop us and dilute the vibrant experience of being alive. 🌦

🖼 On Becoming a Prolific Creator

This Week: Why Creators Should Never Sell a Digital Product at $5

On Tuesday, I tweeted about my first digital product: a guide for freelance writers who want to use Twitter to build an audience and sell their services. I was unsure of the price point and flitted between $5-$10.

That same day, my comments taught me a valuable lesson on why creators should 🚨never 🚨 price a product at $5 or less.

First, it shows that it isn’t worth very much. $5 lands you in the “impulse buy” category, which attracts low-intent buyers who won’t actually use your product — meaning they’ll never see the value in it.

You’d be better off listing it as a “pay-as-you-wish” with a suggested price of $15.

Creator Josh Spector had another interesting take on the disadvantages of low pricing:

I won’t lie — I first suggested $5 because I was scared I wouldn't be able to create something of actual value to people. It’s a safe amount — people aren’t going to feel “ripped off” for the price of a bacon egg and cheese.

But Josh makes a good point. How can you make your product as valuable as possible so it commands a high price tag? For me, this looks like going back to my guide and infusing it with examples, templates, a worksheet, and a “swipe file” of my most popular tweets.

I’ll keep you posted as I get this thing going. If you’re also releasing (or already released) a digital product, I’d love to hear from you and your experience!

🥒 Content Diet

📚The Pathless Path by Paul Millerd — A few years ago, Paul Millerd quit his cushy $200K job in Manhattan to travel to Taiwan and explore an entirely different life path. I’ve been loving his memoir — it’s packed with refreshingly non-prescriptive career advice and thought-provoking questions.

✍️ Escaping Upwork: How and Why You Should Move Out of Marketplaces by Brennan Dunn — It’s not every day you stumble on content that’s so high-quality it ought to be behind a paywall. If you’re a freelancer that’s struggling to break free from the marketplace's shackles, this piece will show you exactly how to escape.

And now, this depiction of reality is trippy:

✍🏼 Freelancing Journey

This Week: Secret Freelancing Knowledge from Neil Gaiman

Last Wednesday, I listened to a speech from author Neil Gaiman and he bestowed some lovely freelancing advice.

There’s this preconception that the freelancing world is ultra-competitive. But in reality, clients will *keep* a freelancer if they have three critical traits — punctuality, affable, and talent.

But here's the kicker: the freelancer doesn't even need all three! Two is fine.

I whipped up a ven-diagram to better explain this:

Of course, the dream scenario is to have all three of these qualities. But if you’re a freelancer that’s just starting out, think about which two of these you can double-down on. Once you have a bit more experience, focus on honing in all three: and you’ll be unstoppable.

If someone sent you this newsletter (and you found it valuable) you can sign up here.

How are we feeling about Beehiiv? Personally, it is *so* beautiful and I'm loving it so far. I'll keep you posted on how everything goes. I'll see you in two weeks from Lake Atitlán. :)

Have a beautiful week, wherever you are.

Stay Creative,

Alice