Fifty Bucks Walked In. My Ego Wanted Fireworks, My Soul Chose Quiet

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A single paying subscriber changed the way we think about success. Not because of the amount, but because of what it represented: trust, connection, and proof that the work met someone where it mattered. The feeling wasn’t fireworks; it was quiet, almost peaceful—and that contrast opened a deeper conversation about why we create and what we measure along the way.

We walk through the moment of seeing the first $50 subscription land, the relief that followed, and the unexpected lack of euphoria. From there, we dig into alignment as a truer compass than money: when your work matches who you are, fulfillment feels steady instead of loud. We share reflections from mentors—Wayne Dyer, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Tony Hsieh—that reframe wealth as the outcome of purpose, not pursuit. Instead of chasing totals, we focus on resonance, service, and the long game of building trust with a real community.

If you’re growing a podcast, building a business, or writing your first book, this conversation offers a reset on metrics and meaning. You’ll hear why small wins matter, how to treat money as a signal rather than the source, and what it looks like to define success by impact, not vanity numbers. We close with gratitude for the one person who said yes for a year and an invitation to reflect on your own definition of success—and to share it with us.

Subscribe to stay close to honest growth, share this with a friend who needs a nudge back to purpose, and leave a review with your answer: what does success mean to you beyond the numbers?

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Warm regards,
Fabio Posca | Journey to Success
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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Today is a special day, guys.
As I write this, as I uh speakto you, I have achieved my first
payment of fifty dollars.
You know, after taxes, thestripe fee and conversion from
dollar to euro that amounts toactually 36 euro to be honest.

(00:24):
I feel very grateful.
Very, very grateful.
But I'm also a bit confused.
I don't feel the sense offulfillment that I had hoped
for, honestly.
I believe I understand thereason behind this, and I hope
that when you experience thesame achievement I have, you

(00:48):
will be prepared for what I'mgoing to share with you.
Hi guys, my name is Fabio fromJourney to Success and welcome.
Today we're going to celebratethis milestone together,
alright?
We will also reflect on whatthis journey has brought me and
uh explore the reasons why Iremain careful about this new

(01:10):
transformation.
But before going forward, asalways, please subscribe.
Alright, so I know this is theright direction to lead you
guys, to drive you, to guide youtowards your journey to success.
And let's get started, right?
As always.
So this morning I I woke up.

(01:30):
I woke up, and as usual, Ichecked my Substack dashboard
where I'm building my podcastcommunity.
I enjoy see how many subscribersI gain overnight.
Since I live in the Netherlands,but my community, my community
is mostly in the United States,right?
I was very eager, actually.

(01:52):
I'm very careful to see theprogress because for me, every
morning is a surprise, okay?
Sometimes I gain foursubscribers, sometimes ten,
sometimes less, sometimes more.
So it's always uh kind of asurprise for me since you guys
and I live in two differentcontinents.

(02:15):
Well, most of you, of course.
But what happened basically thismorning?
I noticed a sub a subscriptionfrom a beautiful, great human
being who paid$50 for a year.
Okay.
My first reaction was relief, ofcourse.

(02:36):
I finally achieved thismilestone, right?
So for me was yeah, I wasrelieved.
I I think that's the right word.
But you see, when you work hardfor so many years, right?
Dedicating a decade of your lifeto achieving financial freedom
and uh bringing your project tolife, you expect to reach

(02:57):
milestone sooner, of course.
So I knew I set up this tier, Iknew that my first payment would
have been uh$5 per month or fiveor$50 per year, but I was
confused.
I wasn't happy as I wished.
That was my confusion.

(03:17):
Some of you might say, uh,Fabio, it's your first
achievement, you shouldcelebrate it, you should be
happy.
And that's true.
I acknowledge this feeling, butI also want to be honest with
you.
Alright.
The payment you receive is oftenrelated to the amount of time
you have invested.

(03:39):
Okay.
So if you spent five decades toearn only$30, I'm gonna make an
example, how would you feel as ahuman being?
Alright.
At the same time, if I thinkabout it clearly, I have only
been working on my podcast forjust under three years, and my

(04:01):
Soupstack project has been goingfor about five months.
So I should remind myself thatthis is a real good achievement,
okay?
I think I've made greatprogress, but my mind and body
still perceive all the stranglesI faced over the past decade,

(04:21):
okay.
In all of this, I just want toremind myself that we shouldn't
be focused on the money itself.
I want to highlight the personwho trusts who trusts me enough

(04:44):
to to give me this amount, youknow, this$50.
And for that I am incrediblygrateful.
Perhaps more than ever before Istarted this episode right now.
It means a lot for me thatsomeone believed in me enough to

(05:04):
support my journey for a year.
It's beautiful.
So, Fabio, I'm talking to you.
You should appreciate the wordsthat are traveling across space
and time to reach all of youwith my podcast, and appreciate

(05:24):
you for all your help andsupport as well.
And I want to thank my Substackreaders for engaging with my
notes.
Your support is helping mypodcast and Substack account
grow as we all wish for abeautiful community together,
you know.
So I have not to lose thecompass.

(05:48):
Not at all.
If we place value not on themoney itself, but on what lies
behind it, guys, everythingmakes more sense.
Life feels calmer and as itshould be, and the money will
naturally follow, right?
However, it shouldn't be thefirst thing on your mind when

(06:11):
you wake up to work on yourproject, okay?
So don't fall on on this misstepas I did.
And I would like to read thesethree notes for you, and they're
very, very beautiful notes, andthis for me are notes remind me

(06:31):
why I'm doing what I do.
First note, when I chased aftermoney, I never had enough.
When I got my life on purposeand focused on giving of myself
and everything that arrived intomy life, then I was prosperous.
Quote from Wayne Dyer.

(06:53):
Second note, people are chasingcash, not happiness.
When you chase money, you'regoing to lose.
Even if you get the money,you're not going to be happy.
Gary Binerchok.
I think it's Gary Vinerchok.
Well, you know Gary, I guess.
And third quote, chase thevision, not the money.

(07:14):
The money will end up followingyou.
This was a quote from uh TonyGisi.
I think that's how that's thesurname, Ghisi.
I was a great entrepreneur anduh unfortunately he died.
And now I would like to take amoment with you.

(07:34):
I would like to take a moment toslow down and really understand
what we explore today, alright?
Today is not just about anumber, first of all.
It's not about$50.
It's about everything that ledto this moment.
Every late night, guys, everyearly morning, every small

(07:58):
decision that said, Fabio, keepgoing, keep going, you can do
this.
When I saw that payment, I feltgrateful, of course, guys, but
also a bit confused.
I expected joy, maybe even arush of excitement, right?
But what I felt was quiet,almost calm.
And at first that surprised me,but as I reflected, and as I'm

(08:22):
reflecting with you in thispodcast, I realized something
important.
The milestone was never aboutthe money, it was more about
what it meant.
It meant that someone somewherein the world believed in what
I'm creating enough to supportit for an entire year, guys.
That's not small, it's big.

(08:44):
That's trust, that's connection,that's proof that what we put
out into the world matters evenwhen we don't see immediate
results.
Okay.
You see, we often spend so manyyears chasing results that we
forget to notice the meaningbehind them.

(09:06):
We think once I make thisamount, once I hit this number,
then I'll feel successful, youknow, something like that.
But success doesn't always feelhow we imagine it will.
Sometimes it's quieter,sometimes it's an invitation to
look deeper.
Okay.
Because what I realized today isthat fulfillment doesn't come

(09:27):
from the amount, it comes fromthe alignment.
Okay, when what you do matcheswho you are, that's when you
truly start to feel rich inside,guys.
So let's highlight thistogether.
The$50 wasn't the destination,it was a reminder.

(09:48):
A reminder that progress doesn'talways feel like fireworks.
Sometimes it feels like peace,sometimes it feels like
gratitude, and that's how youknow you are growing from the
inside out.
So if you're building your dreamright now, guys, whether you
know it's a podcast, a business,a book, or something completely

(10:10):
personal, remember this thevalue is not in what you get,
it's in what you give.
So the real wealth is in thepeople who trust you guys, the
message that resonates, thelives you touch.
So, as I close today's episode,a very short episode this time,

(10:34):
I want to thank you for beinghere, for listening, for
supporting, for growing with me.
Because you're not just anaudience, guys, you're part of
this journey, and uh I genuinelybelieve that when one of us
wins, we all rise together.
Keep showing up, keep buildingwhat feels right.

(10:55):
And remember, success is notjust about what you're it's
about who you become in theprocess.
Okay.
Now I want to hear from you, asalways.
What does success mean to youbeyond the numbers?
Have you ever reached amilestone that didn't feel the

(11:15):
way you expected?
Send me a message, share yourreflection or connect with me on
Soupstack.
I would love to hear your storyand how you are, you know,
redefining what true successmeans in your own journey.
And if you enjoyed today'sepisode, make sure to subscribe
so you never miss a moment ofreflection and growth.

(11:37):
And if you know someone who hasbeen chasing results and needs a
reminder to focus on meaning,not just money, share this
episode with them.
Together, guys, we're building alife fueled by purpose, okay?
Gratitude and growth.
And thank you.
Thank you, thank you, thank youfor everything.
Thank you for walking this pathwith me.

(11:57):
Thank you so much for being hereon journey to success.
And thank you also uh to growwith me together.
Until next time, stay focused,stay grateful, and keep chasing
your vision, not the money.
I'll see you in the nextepisode.
Cheers.