Hey there,

I've been thinking about something lately, and I had to share it with you.

Last week, I was studying for my medical exams (yes, I'm a med student juggling this whole entrepreneurship thing), and I caught myself doing something weird. I was about to post a picture of my textbooks at 2 AM with some caption about "grinding" and "no sleep till success."

Then I stopped and asked myself: Am I doing this to document my journey, or am I doing this to impress people?

Honestly? It was the latter. And that realization hit different.

The thing about being a solo entrepreneur

Most of my friends don't even know about my media brands or that I'm building something with our 20K+ community on Threads. They don't know about the YouTube channel I'm launching or @thelockinlab (my new page for founders who want to lock in properly).

And you know what? That's actually been a gift.

When nobody's watching, you can't perform. You can only improve.

Here's what I've learned about real improvement vs. the performance trap:

The entrepreneurs I study (both in business and now in my medical research on high-performer wellness) who burn out fastest are the ones optimizing for applause. They're posting every 4 AM workout, every late-night "grind session," every networking event.

But here's the thing - and this is something I'm learning both from neuroscience and from my own journey - your dopamine system gets hijacked when you're chasing external validation. You start needing bigger and bigger hits of approval to feel motivated.

The real level up happens in private:

My confession:

I used to think "locking in" meant grinding until I burned out. Now I'm learning it means building sustainable systems that compound over time. It's less impressive in the moment, but way more effective in the long run.

What I'm asking you to try:

This week, pick one thing you're currently doing that feels more like performing than improving. Maybe it's posting every single work session, or maybe it's saying yes to every networking event to "build your brand."

Replace it with something that serves your actual growth - even if nobody sees it.

A quick note on where I'm headed:

I'm entering a new phase with this newsletter. Instead of just sharing business tips, I want to get more personal about what I'm learning at the intersection of health and entrepreneurship. As someone studying medicine while building media brands, I'm seeing firsthand how crucial it is to lock in the right way - not just hard, but smart.

I'm basically figuring this out as I go, one step ahead of you (or sometimes right beside you). But I want to document the journey and share what's actually working, not just what looks good on social media.

Because the truth is, the most successful entrepreneurs I study aren't the ones who look the most impressive. They're the ones who never stop improving, especially when no one's watching.

Talk soon,

Abdulmuiz Sulayman

P.S. - If you're a founder who wants to lock in properly (health + hustle), check out @thelockinlab. It's where I'm building a community of entrepreneurs who prioritize sustainable success over performative grinding.