The Uncomfortable Space Between Simulation and Execution
In today's newsletter, I wanted to go a bit more in depth in terms of my 2nd Month Performance :)
The hardest part of Month 2 wasn’t the missed revenue targets.
It was discovering that mental rehearsals are terrible preparation for actual execution.
As I was going over the bullet points in Canva on what I've done over the 2nd month, the numbers were clear: $0 revenue, 3 newsletters instead of the planned 8, and courses still in progress.
But the numbers weren’t the problem.
The problem was the crushing realization that everything I had “practiced” in my head—the perfect posting rhythm, the three-branch newsletter system, even my workout consistency—had crumbled when it met reality.
I remember that exact moment when disappointment hit.
It didn't come through anger, nor frustration.
It came through with a heavy pull toward comfort. Comfort watching Maximilian Dood's Youtube videos on finishing FF7 Rebirth. Comfort rereading my favorite light novel, The Godsfall Chronicles.
What I was really doing was retreating. When external validation disappeared and internal validation started fighting my expectations, comfort became my sanctuary.
And so I wanted to share something I learned: the gap between simulation and reality isn’t a bug—it’s a feature.
The Feature
We’ve been conditioned to see this gap as failure. You plan perfectly, execute imperfectly, judge yourself harshly, repeat. But what if the gap is actually where real learning happens?
Mental simulation gives you direction. Reality gives you data. The space between them? That’s where adaptation lives.
Vincent Valentine had a line that stuck with me: “Expectations often lead to disappointment.” But I think he missed something crucial. Expectations lead to disappointment when we treat them as predictions instead of hypotheses.
Predictions demand accuracy. Hypotheses invite iteration.
When I treated my Month 2 plans as predictions, every deviation felt like failure. When I reframed them as hypotheses, every deviation became data.
The Insight
Stop examining whether you’re meeting your expectations. Start examining the quality of the gap between simulation and reality.
A wide gap with useful data? That’s rapid learning.
A narrow gap with stagnant patterns? That’s false precision.
A gap filled with self-judgment? That’s where progress goes to die.
The question isn’t, “Why didn’t this work as planned?” The question is, “What does this gap teach me about the difference between my ideal self and my actual capabilities right now?”
The Practical Reframe:
Progress isn’t linear—it’s iterative. And iteration requires something we rarely talk about: permission to be wrong about yourself.
I gave myself permission to be wrong about my newsletter capacity. Three deep newsletters beat eight shallow ones. I gave myself permission to be wrong about my workout needs. Jeff Nippard’s higher-intensity approach aligned better with my current energy than my previous volume-based routine.
Most importantly, I gave myself permission to seek comfort during discomfort without calling it procrastination.
Sometimes retreating to familiar stories and favorite content isn’t avoidance—it’s integration time. Cloud’s journey reminded me that every protagonist faces moments where the path forward isn’t clear. The Godsfall Chronicles showed me characters like Cloudhawk who adapted their strategies while keeping their destination constant.
A Suggested Solution For You
If you ever are in the same boat as me in whatever situation you are, here's a process that you could perhaps follow:
Simulation Phase: Plan with intention, but hold expectations lightly.
Reality Phase: Execute with curiosity, collecting data on gaps.
Integration Phase: Seek comfort consciously when you need it, then return with new insights.
Iteration Phase: Adjust based on what the gap revealed, not what it “should” have been.
And speaking of iteration—I’m changing this newsletter format. Instead of trying to cover all three branches (Art, Business, Self-Cultivation) simultaneously, I’m going deep on one branch per newsletter. Month 2 taught me that depth beats breadth when you’re building trust with yourself and your audience.
This isn’t a retreat from the vision. It’s an adaptation based on real data about my actual capacity versus my simulated capacity.
In Ending:
The space between who you think you are and who you actually are isn’t something to eliminate—it’s something to explore. Because in that space lives every adaptation, every breakthrough, and every moment of genuine growth.
Your ideal self gives you direction. Your actual self gives you starting point. The journey between them? That’s where the real expedition happens.
Month 3 begins with this knowledge: simulate to plan, experience to learn, iterate to grow.
Month 3 begins now.
Reyvin
P.S. Thank you so much for reading!
If ever you feel called to, here are 2 ways I can help you:
Struggling with the gap between your creative vision and business reality? My 1-on-1 sessions help you bridge that space with systematic integration. $20 planning session to see if we’re aligned, then $230/hour for the deep work.
Need a conceptual artwork that captures your vision? I create custom pieces that synthesize complex ideas into visual form. $2,300 minimum for complete conceptual development and execution.
Meanwhile, here is 1 way you can help me:
I’m looking for investors! Basically, I need people who would want to support me in building my dream. The support they provide will allow me to build my dream faster. In return, I plan to give them a share of the profits forever. My goal is to accumulate at least PHP 3 Million (around $51k) or more. 1% of forever profit share is PHP 100k (around $1.7k). So, if someone gives PHP 400k (around $6.8k), then they get 4% of the profits forever as a thank you. This is because I’m 110% certain I’ll be teaching people forever and I know my business will grow to more than my $1M Expedition! If you’re interested, simply message me in any of my socials or email me at reyvinreceiver@gmail.com. That way we can coordinate :)
