Be jealous of the process. Not the result.

More in the Thought bug section

Welcome to my Public Journal. Here, I share the journey of building a company, my thoughts on life, and the random things I find useful.

Why are you getting this? Because at some point, our paths crossed. This is my way of staying in touch.

Let’s get into the updates!

Flowline Health

Remember the deal I wrote about in the last newsletter? It closed!

And now comes implementation. Andrew and I have been heads down, and I think I’m starting to speak more words to voice agents than people during the week.

It’s actually a very beautiful thing. When we started, finding our first customer felt like a mountain.

Having too much work was the problem I was looking for.

It’s not easy, but this is the mentality I’ve been trying to take.

99% of days, I’m the man on the sunny side of the bus.

Story of the Week

After the whistle it was chaos. Bodies flew, sand was everywhere.

But then I saw it. My lane!

I felt my legs churning. Ten more yards and I was free.

And then “TAG! Sorry Gabe, I got you.”

As the push sent me rolling in the sand. I never thought I could feel so alive by a game of Sharks and Minnows.

When was the last time you played? Like, really played?

Our good friend (and new gabemamallo.com subscriber) Christine Broda threw “The Gauntlet - a test of brains, brawn, and agility!” this weekend.

As I was playing musical spoons, limbo, and sprinting through the sand, it made me realize how much I missed play.

Not play just to be rested and work more, but truly just play.

Thought Bug

I once again stole this from an intellectual role model: Shaan Puri.

“Everybody looks at the result that somebody has, and they get jealous. But you don’t really know what it takes to be that, to get that, to have that.

If you’re going to be jealous… redirect it. Get envious of people whose inputs you’re jealous of — their day-to-day, the work that they do.

If you’re like, man, I would love for my day to look like that. I would love to work like that. Not the results of the work, but the work itself, then you know what you should do.”

If you were told that the man in the Lamborghini got 4.5 hours of sleep every night, was on his third wife, and barely spoke to his kids…

Would you still want the Lamborghini?

Thanks for sticking around! If you enjoyed this one, feel free to give me a like or comment so the algorithm knows what’s up :)

It’s a classic hero story: someone who knew nothing about a topic, came in thinking from first principles, and revolutionized an industry riddled with preconceived notions. We love these characters because they inspire us. They remind us of what agency can earn us and whisper the childhood dream many of our parents sold us on: You can do anything.

But what people don't talk about is the challenge of being an outsider. Navigating those who have been soured by others telling them “no” and who, in turn, squash you down. Before you break through, an outsider is just a dreamer. And many adults dislike dreamers because they quietly remind them that they, too, have lost belief in themselves.

While I think what I’ve said is true, I also believe it’s not entirely useful. What I do find useful are the tactics needed to break down those who don’t believe in your outsider ways and turn them into your biggest cheerleaders.

For me, the only tool in my toolbox is the ability to learn. In an era where knowledge is infinite and the constraining resources are time and initiative, learning as much as you can about an industry (be it healthcare, aerospace, or cloud computing) is the only thing you can arm yourself with against the army of naysayers.

In the past four months, I’ve explained to doctors the nuances of the contracts they operate in. Not because I wrote the contracts or navigated them myself, but because I took the time to open them and read their words. It’s an effort I realize many folks before me haven’t bothered to do. And as you emerge as a knowledgeable, smart, and teachable person, there’s no way to deny your value.

Insiders often assume that an outsider’s current state of unknowing will forever persist. But humans are bad at predicting the future, and we often underestimate how fast someone with the want and desire can gain expertise.

Blake Scholl knew nothing about making airplanes when founding Boom Supersonic. Jay-Z had no experience with athletes' contracts when founding Roc Nation Sports. We were all once outsiders, and to deny someone’s ability to learn today is to discredit your past self’s ability to become the person you are now.

The outsider’s journey isn’t easy, but it’s possible. And it starts with one thing: the willingness to learn.

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If I crashed and died right now, my last thought would be: "I can’t believe I didn’t lose the weight."

All my life, I’d been fat.

Not the kind of fat you see on My 600-lb Life, but the kind of fat where kids would ask me why I’m wearing a T-shirt in the swimming pool. Where girls in 3rd grade would tease me that I needed a bra more than them.

Needless to say, it wasn’t fun.

But when I was 17, I found myself eating a spoiled sandwich, and subsequently 8 lbs lighter (due to a particularly horrid bout of food poisoning).

And a week later, I found myself alone in that car. Having the thought that would change my brain chemistry forever.

If I want to keep this up, I need to treat the gym like it’s brushing my teeth.

And so I formed my mantra:

When I'd peel myself out of bed

When I'd drive to the gym in the pouring rain.

When guilt from last night's binge made me feel hopeless.

Today, like every day, I will be brushing my teeth.

So here it is! Hopefully, it resonates.

P.S. This was totally no frills, and written to resonate best with students. I promise the decks I create for Enterprise clients are much better :)

I thank them all for caring. From the second-grade teacher who saw my mind outpace my reading, to the mentor who first saw me as a leader at 14.

We are the products of people who cared.

Those who bought our stock, pushed us to think bigger, and helped us realize we were capable of more.

I still remember the day an upperclassman texted me: “Boeing is going to be at the career fair. Do you have your résumé ready?”

Twenty hours later, I stood in front of a recruiter’s booth wearing a black suit, golden tie, and shiny gold hair to match (the product of the previous weekend’s Halloween).

That text was the first domino that tipped me into the world of tech and business. It brought me to Microsoft, which led to Google, and—unintentionally—to San Francisco, where entrepreneurship stopped being a 'someday' and turned into a plan.

Now, I try to be the first domino.

To see more in someone, push them to think bigger, and buy their stock. Just like those who've bought (and are hopefully still holding) mine.