Struck out in slow pitch softball this week [WRAP 189]

Hey Reader, I joined a church softball league this fall.

It’s slow pitch. You know, where they lob the ball to you like you’re a toddler learning to swing 🥎

I started strong. Got on base 8 out of my first 10 at-bats. I was feeling pretty good about myself.

Then game three happened.

I struck out. In SLOW PITCH softball 🫨

The ball was coming at me slower than my morning coffee brew. And I whiffed 💨

To make it worse, I’m pretty sure I pulled something swinging so hard at nothing. My back reminded me I’m not 18—even 28—anymore.

💡 One Big Idea: "Try Harder" Doesn't Help

Here’s what I learned from my embarrassing display of athletic failure:

Trying harder doesn’t always work.

When you’re desperate and stressed, you usually make things worse. I was so focused on crushing a home run that I forgot to make basic contact.

The same thing happens with entrepreneurs and creators.

Instead of trying to fix what you suck at, get better at what you’re already good at.

If you’re naturally good at sales, become incredible at sales. Don’t waste time trying to become a designer.

If you’re great at teaching, become the most compelling teacher ever. Don’t force yourself to learn Facebook ads.

I’m good at making YouTube videos and writing newsletters. So that’s what I’m focusing on. Not short videos or long podcasts.

What are you naturally good at? Double down on that instead.

Your weaknesses will keep you humble, and that’s nice. But your strengths will make you money.

📹 Video to Watch: I Built an App in 30 Minutes

Speaking of things I'm not good at... computer programming. But vibe coding tools like Base44 make it easy to turn your ideas into apps, websites, and anything you can dream up.

In this video, I show a step-by-step process for turning my GAP Plan into a working web app. I started with a pen and paper sketch, and it's really cool to see the app come to life with a few prompts and lots of feedback.

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Use code MATT10 for bonus tokens so you can work past the free plan! Sign up at https://mattragland.com/base44​

If you give Base44 a try, please email me and show me what you built! I'd love to see it 👀

📖 Book to Read: $100 Million Offers

I don't read many business books these days, but I go through Alex Hormozi books as soon as they come out. I like how direct and actionable they are! The one strategy I put into practice immediately is "make your money back."

Here's how: many of you showed interest in my newsletter coaching program this fall (starts October 13). The way you "make your money back" is by doing all the work over 10 weeks. If you do all the work and don't make your money back in new sales, I pay back the difference.

If you want to build a newsletter machine this fall and have a "make your money back" guarantee, learn more and apply here.

Talk soon,

Matt "need some ice over here" Ragland

P.S. If you want softball updates, reply and let me know. I'll keep you posted on my batting average. Pretty sure I’ll be hitting last next game 🙃

P.P.S Had to buy the boys a round of drinks for striking out. Embarrassing but made a lot of friends real fast 🍻