Turn Up the Volume

When I hit “publish” on my first band video back in May 2008, I didn’t have a clue what would come of it. I only knew one thing: if we wanted people to hear us, we needed to put ourselves out there.

That first upload wasn’t perfect. Neither was the second, or the third. But over time, as the videos piled up, so did the views. Eventually, millions of them. Tens of thousands of subscribers. Countless conversations sparked through music we’d created and shared.

Three years later, in May 2011, I launched my personal YouTube channel. (There’s something about May and fresh starts for me.) I knew content creation would be part of my life in some form, but I put it off for a long time. I kept telling myself I’d start when the timing was right, when the ideas were sharper, when the quality matched the vision in my head.

But here’s the thing: it never would have. Not without putting in the reps first.

Starting (Again) from Zero

Fast forward to today. For the last two and a half months, I’ve been posting one new video each week on that personal channel. After years of leading a band channel with a big audience, it’s humbling to be back at the beginning - talking to a small crowd, fighting for momentum, and staring at single-digit numbers.

I can see why most people quit early. They say many YouTubers don’t even make it to 10 uploads. The novelty wears off, the views trickle in too slowly, and the self-comparison game kicks in hard. Burnout arrives quickly when expectations don’t meet reality.

And reality has a way of humbling you.

Because what you picture in your head rarely matches the final product. That gap between imagination and execution can feel discouraging. The delivery isn’t smooth, the edit feels clunky, the lighting looks off. It’s not what you envisioned.

But here’s what I’ve learned: the only way to close that gap is to keep creating.

Why Volume Matters

This isn’t just about YouTube - or even about content creation. It’s about how progress happens in nearly every area of life.

Think about it:

• If you want to learn an instrument, you don’t get there by playing perfectly once - you get there by practicing a thousand times.

• If you want to lose weight, it’s not one good meal or one long run - it’s consistent daily habits, repeated over time.

• If you want to grow a business, you don’t master it with your first pitch - you refine it through hundreds of conversations.

We don’t like to admit it, but success comes down to repetition. To sheer volume.

Alex Hormozi summed it up: “Do so much volume that it would be unreasonable for you to be unsuccessful.”

He’s right. The outcomes - the views, likes, sales, applause - aren’t in your control. The only thing you control is your input: how much effort, how much consistency, and how much volume you’re willing to put in.

Why I Keep Showing Up

This newsletter is another example. Elliot’s Key Notes has been showing up in inboxes every single week for the past ten months.

Not every issue has been my best. Some weeks the ideas flowed effortlessly; other weeks I stared at a blank page, struggling to get a single sentence out. Some landed strongly with readers; others… not so much.

But the discipline of writing every week has been invaluable. It’s forced me to clarify my thoughts, find my voice, and build a system for producing even when I don’t feel like it.

The simple truth: you only find your rhythm by doing the reps.

I’ve realized that success - whether in content, business, music, or fitness - doesn’t come from hacking the YouTube algorithm, or the Instagram algorithm, or the latest business “growth hack.”

For real growth, you need to hack your own algorithm.

Train yourself to keep pushing forward when it feels pointless. Build the muscle of showing up even when you don’t want to.

The System is the Solution

Motivation is great for getting started, but it won’t keep you going. The excitement wears off. The novelty fades. That’s when most people stop.

The solution isn’t more motivation - it’s building a system. A repeatable process that makes it easier to keep showing up. Develop a system that keeps you disciplined long after the motivation fades.

For me, that means:

• A set day for publishing my videos.

• A weekly writing routine for this newsletter.

• A checklist that breaks big tasks into small, repeatable steps.

The system takes the decision-making out of it. It keeps me moving when my emotions say, “Not today.”

Key Takeaways

If you’re struggling to keep going - or afraid to even start - here are a few practical ways to put this into action:

1. Set a Minimum Commitment. Pick something small but consistent. One video a week. One blog post a month. Ten minutes of practice a day.

2. Track Volume, Not Perfection. Focus on the number of reps, not the quality of each one. Quality will come through quantity.

3. Expect the Gap. Your early work won’t match your vision. That’s normal. Keep going until the gap closes.

4. Build a System. Create routines and checklists that make it easier to start and harder to quit.

5. Detach from Outcomes. Measure success by inputs (what you control), not outcomes (what you don’t).

Final Note

Here’s the truth: every great creator, leader, or professional you admire once stood exactly where you might be right now - at the very beginning, with a small audience, clunky results, and plenty of doubts.

The difference is they kept going.

I don’t have it all figured out either. I’m still in the trenches - writing, filming, creating, and learning every week. But I know this: the only way to reach quality is through quantity.

So if you’ve been waiting for the “perfect moment” to start, let me encourage you - just begin. Publish the post. Record the video. Share the story.

And if you’re already on the path but tempted to quit, remember: the reps matter. Each one brings you closer to the vision you have in your head.

I’ll be here, doing the work alongside you. Week after week. Note by note.

Until next time,
-Elliot