The Simmonds Signal

Writing to help you build wealth and better self.

Insights, actionable tips, and philosophies for ghostwriters, creatives, and storytellers…

A quick reminder before we begin…

If you'd like my to personally show you how to land your first $3,000 to $6,000 ghostwriting client, then click here.

We'll feel out your situation, and if it makes sense, offer to help.

Book a call HERE.

Now back to today's newsletter…

Believing Before Seeing: The Real Barrier to Your First Online Dollar

I'm sitting alone in my basement…

My laptop screen glows with a mocking $0.00 balance.

It's 1:37am on a Tuesday.

A f*cking Tuesday…

I have to teach college classes at 8:30 am.

I've just spent another evening writing instead of sleeping.

This scene repeated itself for the next 5 months of my life.

Familiar, isn't it?

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you could feel it in your bones, but couldn't seem to make it real, no matter what you did?

That's where I found myself—chasing that slippery first online dollar.

The hardest part of making money online isn't content creation, audience building, or product development.

It's actually believing—in your marrow and mind—that you can do it at all.

That this dream of making money while you sleep isn't just reserved for others.

... That it's possible for you too.

The Psychological Crippling—Swallowing Glass

I remember those early months so vividly.

The nightly ritual of opening my laptop after my day job, with bloodshot, determined eyes:

• I'd say no to family dinners

• I'd push through even when my creativity felt completely drained

• I'd write for 2 hours straight while friends were out living their lives

And I did this every single day for five… f*cking… months.

With nothing to show for it but followers who followed but never funded.

It would have been one thing to try for a month, realize it wasn't working, and move on.

But nearly half a year of sacrifice with no return.

Swallowing glass might've hurt less.

Cause this felt like psychological evisceration without anesthesia…

Monkey See, But Monkey Can't Do (Yet)

To pour salt on my open wound…

I kept seeing people younger than me—these barely formed fetuses—sharing screenshots of their $10,000, $20,000, even $40,000 months.

And I'm embarrassed to admit it…

I didn't handle it well.

My gut reaction was pure ego:

• They lying

• They're scamming

• They're privileged

But here's my ugly confession:

These toxic thoughts weren't protecting me—they were paralyzing me.

Keeping me stuck at bank balance zero.

So I shifted from criticism to curiosity, from envy to education.

• How can I write like them?

• What are they doing that I'm not?

• What can I learn from their success?

Within 30 days, I dropped my ego, hired Dakota Robertson as my mentor, and landed my first ghostwriting client.

Not because I suddenly became talented. But because I finally became teachable.

But here's what you might not expect…

Landing that first client wasn't even the best part…

Rewiring Invisible to The Naked Eye

That first paying client flipped a psychological switch.

It left scorch marks on my cerebral cortex:

• My belief bloomed

• My doubt dissolved

• My ambition amplified

My mind—once my greatest enemy—suddenly became my most loyal soldier.

I realized something profound:

Success wasn't sorcery, it was science.

A repeatable, teachable, learnable formula that anyone (even you), can learn.

This wasn't theoretical anymore.

I had proof.

Six months later, I abandoned academia, embracing a nomadic adventure with Dakota and my best friend through Latin America.

All because faith finally found its proof.

Faith Precedes Proof

Faith carries you through the dark times.

But not the kind of comfortable faith you see at church.

The desperate faith that keeps you working when evidence suggests you're a fool.

You have to believe on blind faith until you have proof.

And once you get that first piece of proof?

It doesn't just change your bank balance. It changes your DNA.

You become instantly more confident, capable, and unstoppable.

Why is why I'm offering you the truth most beginners miss:

What's possible for others is possible for you.

Faith fights fear with fists of fire.

Once you abolish that fear, your mind frees itself from the limiting beliefs holding you back.

The path isn't faking confidence without evidence. It's persisting until proof appears.

Those ahead of you aren't special.

They've simply suffered longer.

Bled more. Doubted deeper. And somehow, despite the cosmic cruelty of it all, kept moving forward.

So I ask you, point blank:

Have you found YOUR faith yet?

Or are you still waiting for proof before believing?

Your answer determines your destiny.

-Taylin John Simmonds

PS. If you're an aspiring ghostwriter, struggling to make your 1st dollar online…

And you already have faith you can do it…

You don't have belief problem.

You have a process problem.

We give you that exact process inside Growth Ghost.

So if you want to learn how you can build an AI ghostwriting business and make your first online dollar…

Book a call with myself or my team.

We'll feel out your situation, and if it makes sense, offer to help.

Book a call HERE.

Hope to chat with you soon.

PPS. When you’re ready, here’s a few ways I can help you:

1. Watch this podcast to learn how I built a $500k per year digital writing business from square one. This is by far my favorite podcast I’ve been on.

2. Watch this free training on how Alex Renner went from struggling copywriter to $15k/mo ghostwriter (while travelling the world)

3. Watch this video created by my mentor, Dakota, to learn more about ghostwriting. Whether you’re an amateur or seasoned writer, this is you fastest path to earning 6 figures as a writer (I’m biased, of course).