Tired of gurus selling courses on how to sell courses? This is The Hope-Despair Cycle. A deep dive into the broken creator economy and the psychological reason you feel stuck, cynical, and full of self-doubt.
This articulated something I’ve been feeling but hadn’t framed this cleanly. The Gambler → Card Counter → Magician progression makes it easy to see where you’re at and where you’re going
Most people are just collectors of frameworks, quotes, and courses like digital security blankets because it’s easier to study the map than to walk the terrain.
There was a time I was overexposed to the Iman Gadhzi's, Alex Micol's, Sebastian Ghiorghiu's, and Jordan Welsh's of YouTube. Only ever bought one 'course' in my life from this guy called Cardinal Mason. Can't explain why him specifically tbh
His marketing made me feel insane FOMO
The second the money left my bank account, I snapped out of this weird drunken stupor
FOMO and hope gone in a flash.
Thought "The fuck just happened?"
I spent about 20 minutes total on the course before ditching it.
This is really empowering reading. Thanks for sharing.
I liked how you broke down the loop and the archetypes.
I took my time with this one — it resonated deeply as I work in a similar space.
My next curiosity would be: how does self-trust show up in action when that same urge to look outside yourself returns?
That feels like the next piece to explore.
Thanks, I was about to explore that here, but decided to leave it for another time. It will a fill a full article by itself.
Know Thyself
Truest words ever spoken.
This articulated something I’ve been feeling but hadn’t framed this cleanly. The Gambler → Card Counter → Magician progression makes it easy to see where you’re at and where you’re going
Thanks Steven. I really fall in love with analogies.
This article is very good at explaining the psychology beneath the manufactured creator economy.
It’s official, I’m adding your pub to my recommendations 😆
🫶🏻
He’s done it again, ladies and gentlemen (and those in between)
You articulate my thoughts better than I can.
I’ve only recently realised that I needed to go on a journey of self trust so glad to have that discovery reaffirmed by this post.
Looking forward to the next!
Wow, that really means a lot to me.
Writing is not an easy task for me, and someone appreciating it makes it worth every minute that went into it.
I'm curious to see where the journey is leading you.
Most people are just collectors of frameworks, quotes, and courses like digital security blankets because it’s easier to study the map than to walk the terrain.
There was a time I was overexposed to the Iman Gadhzi's, Alex Micol's, Sebastian Ghiorghiu's, and Jordan Welsh's of YouTube. Only ever bought one 'course' in my life from this guy called Cardinal Mason. Can't explain why him specifically tbh
His marketing made me feel insane FOMO
The second the money left my bank account, I snapped out of this weird drunken stupor
FOMO and hope gone in a flash.
Thought "The fuck just happened?"
I spent about 20 minutes total on the course before ditching it.
God damn, I can’t wait to savor like this a well cooked meal