I Spent 1 Year Escaping The Matrix. Here's What Happened...

Summary

The video script narrates the journey of a young individual who, after achieving good grades in exams, takes a gap year to pursue online success instead of going to university. Inspired by others making significant money online, the protagonist explores various avenues like crypto trading and eBay reselling before finding a passion for creating YouTube content. Despite initial struggles, jealousy towards successful peers, and a period of stagnation, the creator learns the importance of hard work, persistence, and finding the right path. The story highlights the challenges of chasing online success, the value of experimentation, and the need to be exceptional to stand out in a competitive field.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker spent two years intensely preparing for final exams, feeling accomplished but also a sense of something more beyond academics.
• 🤔 After achieving good grades, the speaker experienced a gut feeling that there's more to life and considered a gap year to explore life beyond studying.
• 🚀 The idea of taking a gap year was to pursue the dream of becoming an online success, inspired by others making significant income online at a young age.
• 💡 The speaker was influenced by the success stories of young online entrepreneurs and aimed to emulate their lifestyle and financial achievements.
• 📉 The speaker attempted various online money-making ventures, including crypto day trading and eBay reselling, but found them unfulfilling or unprofitable.
• 🎮 The speaker's passion for gaming led to starting a YouTube channel, initially posting gaming montages and later exploring different video content.
• 📈 Inspired by successful YouTubers, the speaker invested in equipment and editing skills, experiencing initial growth but later stagnation in views and subscriber count.
• 😂 A skit模仿Hamza意外走红, but it led to a misconception of the channel's identity, causing the speaker to pivot back to preferred content types.
• 📉 The speaker felt demotivated by the rapid success of newer channels and questioned the path to joining the 'top one percent' of online success.
• 🤷‍♂️ The speaker grappled with the purpose of chasing online success, questioning materialistic goals and the reality of the 'digital nomad' lifestyle.
• 🔄 After the YouTube channel was temporarily lost and then regained, the speaker reflected on the support from the community and the motivation to continue creating content.
• 🎓 Despite the challenges, the speaker did not 'escape the matrix' of online success within a year but gained valuable experiences and started a content creation agency.
• 🛣️ The speaker concluded that success may require changing direction or doubling down on skills, emphasizing the importance of doing the 'right things' in the pursuit of one's goals.

Q & A

What was the main reason the speaker decided to take a gap year?

The speaker decided to take a gap year to explore life outside of studying for exams and to pursue the idea of becoming an online success, as inspired by others in the online space.

What was the speaker's initial goal after discovering the potential of making money online?

The speaker's initial goal was to make 10K a month online, inspired by others who were successful in this space.

Why did the speaker choose to become a crypto day trader as their first venture into making money online?

The speaker chose to become a crypto day trader because they believed it could be a lucrative venture and spent hours learning technical analysis and indicators to trade effectively.

What was the speaker's experience with eBay reselling, and why did they drop it quickly?

The speaker spent a week on eBay reselling but disliked it and quickly dropped it because it did not align with their interests or expectations.

How did the speaker's YouTube journey begin, and what was their initial content focus?

The speaker's YouTube journey began with posting gaming montages and videos, as they had a love for making videos since a young age and believed they could be successful in this area.

What was the impact of the speaker's Hamza skit on their YouTube channel?

The Hamza skit became very popular, but it led to an influx of subscribers who wanted more comedy content, which was not the speaker's primary focus, causing them to pivot their content strategy.

Why did the speaker feel demotivated and question their YouTube efforts?

The speaker felt demotivated because despite their efforts, they were not gaining the views or success they desired, and they saw new channels surpassing them quickly, which made them feel envious and doubtful about their abilities.

What was the turning point for the speaker when their YouTube channel was lost, and how did they regain it?

The turning point was when the speaker's YouTube channel was lost due to account issues. They reached out to YouTube, and surprisingly, their channel was restored, which reinvigorated their motivation to continue creating content.

How did the speaker's perspective on success evolve throughout their journey?

The speaker's perspective evolved to prioritize health, social relationships, and the will to live over materialism and wealth. They came to understand that success is subjective and should be measured by personal fulfillment and recognition from peers.

What advice did the speaker receive from someone they looked up to about materialism and motivation?

The speaker received advice that materialism can be a motivator, as it can push one to earn more, but it's essential not to be solely satisfied by material gains and to keep chasing personal growth and fulfillment.

What was the speaker's final decision regarding their content creation and how did they plan to move forward?

The speaker decided to double down on their content creation skills, aiming to improve their editing, storytelling, cinematography, and videography to become so good that they couldn't be ignored in the market.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Gap Year Decision

The speaker reflects on their decision to take a gap year after high school, driven by a desire to explore life beyond the academic pressures of exams. They had achieved good grades but felt something was missing. Inspired by successful young online entrepreneurs, the speaker decided to delay university to pursue their own online business dreams. They were particularly influenced by the allure of making significant income and enjoying a life of travel and freedom. The speaker set ambitious goals, such as earning $10K a month online, and began their journey by reading books on success and mindset.

05:01

🎮 From Gamer to Content Creator

The speaker recounts their initial foray into online content creation, starting with gaming videos on YouTube. They admired the cinematic style of other successful YouTubers and aimed to emulate that in their own content. Despite initial enthusiasm and investment in equipment, the speaker struggled with the slow growth of their channel. A skit impersonating a popular YouTuber brought unexpected success, but it also led to a shift in audience expectations towards comedy, which the speaker was not comfortable with. This led to a pivot back to their preferred content of street interviews, which unfortunately did not garner the same viewership. The speaker also discusses the frustration of seeing newer channels surpass their own in popularity and the ensuing feelings of jealousy and demotivation.

10:02

🔄 The Struggle with Content and Identity

The speaker delves into their internal conflict over the direction of their content and the identity they wanted to portray online. They express a deep-seated desire for success and recognition but also grapple with the superficiality of chasing materialistic goals. The speaker questions the sustainability of their pursuit and the reality of achieving a 'successful' lifestyle through online entrepreneurship. They also discuss a meeting with a role model who provides perspective on the balance between materialism and motivation. The speaker's channel is temporarily suspended, leading to a moment of reflection and a decision to continue their content creation journey despite the setback.

15:03

🎓 Balancing University and Content Creation

The speaker concludes their gap year experience by acknowledging the challenges and lessons learned. Despite not achieving their initial goal of becoming a successful online entrepreneur within a year, they found value in the process. They started a content creation agency, helping brands and businesses with social media, which was an unexpected but rewarding outcome of their experimentation. The speaker emphasizes the importance of persistence and improving one's skills to stand out in a saturated market. They also highlight the need to find the right balance between hard work and strategic effort, suggesting that success is not just about working hard but also about working smart. The speaker ends on a note of uncertainty but determination, ready to continue their journey in content creation and personal growth.

Keywords

💡Final Exams

Final exams are the culminating assessments at the end of an academic term, often determining a student's overall grade. In the script, they represent the intense effort and dedication the narrator put into their education, which eventually led to the contemplation of alternative life paths beyond traditional academia.

💡Gap Year

A gap year is a year-long break between high school and university or between academic stages, often used for travel, work, or personal development. The narrator's decision to take a gap year is pivotal to the video's theme, as it allows for exploration of life outside of formal education and the pursuit of online success.

💡Online Success

Online success, in the context of the video, refers to achieving financial and personal goals through internet-based activities. The narrator is inspired by peers who have found success online, which motivates them to explore similar paths during their gap year.

💡Hustle

Hustle, in this script, denotes hard work and entrepreneurial spirit, often associated with the pursuit of success in competitive or unconventional fields. The term is repeatedly used to emphasize the narrator's drive to excel in the online space, despite challenges.

💡Crypto Day Trader

A crypto day trader is someone who trades cryptocurrencies within a single day, aiming to profit from market fluctuations. The narrator's brief foray into crypto day trading illustrates their willingness to explore various methods to achieve online success, although it did not bring the desired outcome.

💡YouTuber

A YouTuber is a content creator who publishes videos on the YouTube platform. The narrator's journey to become a YouTuber is central to the video's narrative, showcasing the challenges and lessons learned in the pursuit of online fame and financial success.

💡Skit

A skit is a short, humorous scene or performance, often used in comedy. The narrator's Hamza skit became unexpectedly popular, leading to a surge in subscribers seeking more comedy content, which conflicted with the narrator's original vision for their channel.

💡Stagnation

Stagnation refers to a period of little or no growth, development, or progress. In the script, the narrator experiences stagnation in their YouTube channel, where their long-form videos are not gaining views, leading to a period of self-doubt and questioning their path.

💡Materialism

Materialism is the belief that material possessions and physical comfort are the most important aspects of life. The narrator grapples with the concept of materialism as they pursue online success, questioning whether the accumulation of wealth and possessions is truly fulfilling.

💡Success

Success, in the video, is a multifaceted concept that includes achieving personal goals, gaining recognition from peers, and finding fulfillment. The narrator's evolving definition of success reflects their journey and the realization that success is subjective and personal.

💡Turning Point

A turning point is a moment or event that leads to a significant change in direction or course of action. The narrator faces several turning points throughout the video, such as the loss of their YouTube channel, which forces them to reconsider their approach to achieving online success.

Highlights

The speaker reflects on the culmination of their hard work with final exams and the subsequent realization that there's more to life than academic success, leading to the decision to take a gap year.

The idea of not attending university immediately and exploring life without the pressure of studying is introduced as an attractive alternative.

The speaker discovers the world of online entrepreneurship and is inspired by young individuals making significant income through the internet.

A monthly income ranging from 100 to 300K is mentioned as a motivating factor for the speaker to pursue an online business.

The speaker's desire to be recognized for their own online success and the associated freedom it brings is expressed.

The challenge of not knowing how to become successful online and the decision to follow the advice of those who have achieved it is highlighted.

The importance of working hard, even when not feeling motivated, and the concept of 'everything is a hustle' is emphasized.

The speaker sets an ambitious goal of making 10K a month online and begins reading books on success, mindset, and money.

The decision to convince parents for a gap year to pursue online success instead of going to university is shared.

The speaker's first attempt at making money online through crypto day trading and the eventual loss of interest due to its mechanical nature is discussed.

A brief foray into eBay reselling that was quickly abandoned due to a lack of enjoyment is mentioned.

The transition to creating gaming videos on YouTube and the initial excitement about the potential of this medium is described.

The influence of other successful YouTubers and the attempt to emulate their style in the speaker's own videos is highlighted.

The initial slow growth on YouTube and the subsequent viral success of a skit video mimicking another creator is shared.

The dilemma of subscriber expectations versus the speaker's desired content direction after the skit video's success is discussed.

The pivot back to the speaker's preferred content of street interviews and the resulting drop in viewership is mentioned.

The speaker's struggle with jealousy and envy towards newer channels surpassing their growth is shared, leading to a period of stagnation.

The realization that success may require more than just hard work, but also working smart in the right areas, is expressed.

The loss of motivation and the questioning of the speaker's goals and desires, including the pursuit of materialism and online success, is discussed.

The encounter with a role model and the conversation about materialism's role in motivation and the pursuit of success is highlighted.

The unexpected loss of the speaker's YouTube channel and the mixed feelings about whether this is an opportunity to move on or to fight for its recovery.

The support from the very people the speaker envied, which reignites their motivation to continue creating content despite the setbacks.

The decision to double down on content creation skills and the pursuit of excellence as a means to succeed in a saturated market is shared.

The speaker's message that joining the top one percent is possible but requires using one's circumstances to the best advantage and doing the right things, even if they are not yet clear.

Transcripts

so this is you you spent the last two

years working so hard for your final

exams doing past paper questions

revision classes and staying up late to

get those Final hours of studying in it

has all led up to this moment did you

manage to achieve the grades that you

worked so hard for

looks like you did pretty good

but something doesn't feel quite right

you have this feeling in your gut that

there's more to this there's more to

life than just studying for these exams

there must be more and that's when the

idea of not going to University steps in

your mind

you realize a gap year is the perfect

place to see what life is like without

studying you're intrigued by this way of

life so you take the leap of faith and

you take the Gap year

so that was it University was delayed by

a whole year and I now finally had the

opportunity to pursue my dreams of

becoming an online success you see while

I was studying for my a levels I

stumbled across the world of making

money online I saw all these other guys

online about my age 16 17 18 19 20. and

they were absolutely killing it in life

I mean these guys are making like crazy

money what's your monthly income look

like usually on any month it'll be

anywhere from 100 to 300K a month profit

they were doing it all on their laptop

they were traveling the world they were

building schools in the pool okay that's

just one guy but

point and I I wanted to be one of those

guys I mean who wouldn't who wouldn't

want to just you know meet somebody new

and they ask you what'd you do and

you're like oh yeah I've got my own

online business I'm making 15 grand a

month I'm only like 19 years old they're

like wow and then you're like

yeah like I'm just him every guy in

their right mind wants that let's be

real but there was one key issue I did

not know how to become one of these guys

well surely to become one of these guys

I need to listen to their advice and do

the things that they tell me to do

the hard work especially when you don't

feel like it stop trying to learn the

meaning of life everything is a hustle

everything's a hustle so that's what I

did they all tell me to work hard to

work harder than I've ever worked before

our work the competition so that is what

I intended to do they told me to set

these super ambitious goals and that as

long as you aim high your mind will come

up with solutions to help solve these

goals and one of the goals that I set

was being able to make 10K a month

online how was I gonna do it I didn't

know yet but they all read these books

around success and mindset and money so

naturally I started to do that as well

and now that I was armed with all this

new knowledge

it was time to put it to use

I managed to convince my parents to take

the Gap year and now this this is my

opportunity to get that and if I could

prove it in this year that I could do it

I did not have to go to university

so here's when I set out on my path of

making some bread so I decided that my

first Adventure into making money online

was to be a crypto a crypto day trader

you best believe I spent hours analyzing

charts I was learning all the crazy

technical analysis I was doing this

indicator that indicator macd RSI

intersection I'm gonna click buy boom

yeah

uh didn't really work but even when I

was break even I kind of just lost

enjoyment for it it felt very mechanical

it felt very robotic and I was like

yeah

um yeah I'm all right then I tried some

other things I was looking at eBay

reselling spent like a week on that then

I hated it um yeah drop that real quick

and then I started making videos then I

started YouTube you see back in the day

your boy was a bit of a it was a bit of

a gamer and he used to post his gaming

videos his gaming montages hey guys it's

your boy denture back with another

Destiny video in today's video I had

always had a love for making videos ever

since a young age and I was like surely

I could do this I mean all the guys that

I'm watching who were successful at

making videos so when I first started

making videos

one of the biggest influences that I

took from was old sneaker his old

cinematic Style just stood out to me I

wanted to kind of emulate that you know

what I'm saying I kind of wanted to make

my own version of it so I was like okay

okay I can make money doing this I make

something cool as well this is it this

this is the route surely this is the

route I was fully on my way to becoming

a YouTuber I bought all the gear I

started filming more videos I learned

editing skills and things actually kinda

started to work for the first six months

on the platform things are pretty slow

but then I had the great idea oh what if

I do a skit of Hamza I'd such a sick

idea do you know why because I kind of

look like him and I'm good at chatting

[ __ ] boom I made the skit and it flew

that that she got sent bro I got sent

into the abyss I was like yo it's kind

of sick Bro I can't lie but you see what

I didn't realize about the hamster skit

at the time was that well all the new

subscribers that I got wanted more

comedy videos they wanted more skits and

I wasn't really a comedy channel I did I

didn't sign up for this I mean humor is

a it's a it's a very small part of it

but it's not the overall message I don't

want to be the skit guy so knowing that

I then pivoted my content back to what I

wanted to do which was at the time

Street interviews hey excuse me guys one

question go what's your biggest regret

of all time speaking to you

wow this is violations and those views

just bombed they did not get the

viewership that I wanted you see as I

was making videos though there was one

thing that bothered me and

I probably shouldn't have focused on

this as I was doing it but I couldn't

help it right as I made more and more

videos

there were new channels that spawned out

of nowhere these guys came out of

nowhere and they just blazed past me

their subscribers their videos and

I don't know how to feel about it at the

time

I was very jealous I was very envious of

it and to be blunt I thought the stuff

that I was making was better I thought

it was at a high level

but that clearly didn't show in the

numbers that didn't show in the views

and I found it very demoralizing at the

time

so you know what I stuck to it I stuck

to the advice that I was given I made

more and more and more videos but

ultimately I hit a period of stagnation

my long-form videos weren't getting any

views the only videos I got views were

my shorts occasionally sometimes not

often and the hamster skip and that was

it and it made me start to question

myself about can I actually join the one

percent the elite can I blow up for the

videos that I want to be known for or am

I going to be stuck making videos that I

don't want to make

I don't really think that is a

successful channel in my opinion a

successful business doing something you

don't even want to do for the long run

these YouTubers always advocated around

the top one percent the elite but that's

the thing

it's the one percent it's a one out of

every hundred people how on Earth could

I be part of such a small group blind

self-belief and just working hard is not

going to be enough to do it the ones who

made it didn't just work hard but they

worked hard at the right things they

work smart and then you know what I

don't know I just started to lose

motivation for it

I kind of just didn't even know why I

wanted to go viral anymore I was just

kind of doing it for the sake of doing

it and

I was constantly now I started switching

my content and trying different ideas

just in the hopes that one of them gets

views I don't stick to the style that I

started with initially I just kept

changing and after trying new stuff and

it didn't work it just frustrated me

even more and made me even more bitter

about the situation at the time

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should you work at it indefinitely Or

should there be a point where you

reconsider there's a few factors that

come into mind first is a security

Factor there's a pleasure Factor the

pleasure Factor goes with the idea of

how you feel in general so I guess it's

a ratio of both I guess it depends on

the chance of success I mean if it's

something completely impossible then

don't do it so for example let's say I

don't know you started like your own

business or you started your own YouTube

channel and let's say it's not working

and you've been doing it for I don't

know two three whatever years okay what

point do you you can keep going on or do

you really consider maybe have a

slightly different direction I think you

need at least at least 10 years 10 years

yeah yes to consider that you have

reached the end point

um I think it depends on what it is but

definitely you should give it a solid

year I would say if you see any success

then carry on but if you feel like it's

just going down south then maybe time to

either change direction or try something

else but definitely yeah at least a year

yeah and there's all these doubts

started to build it was getting me

thinking about why was I even trying to

chase these things in the first place

why was I trying to achieve all of this

I didn't even know why I wanted the

things that I want was this lifestyle of

making money online and buying all this

stuff and materialism a reality where

they think more is better is that really

the reality that I want to pursue

because I didn't know if that really was

the reality that I wanted to pursue at

the time the people who consume this

content me included were convinced that

they were escaping The Matrix they were

joining the elites they were because

they were becoming a digital Nomad and

the reality of that is that what you

have done is you've unplugged yourself

from the Matrix of the West and you've

replugged yourself into the Matrix of

online self-help

[Music]

certain threshold that once you get to

you're like okay I'm here I'm now

successful or is this something that is

continuous and ongoing I don't know like

you can look at success from this the

Viewpoint of like other people and then

you measure it in how much wealth you

have or whatever or is it like success

metrically you measure it well it didn't

tell you how you view life how do you

view life how do I view life

so in my life I prioritized three things

first health

then social relationships and thirdly

your wheel of continue to to live you

know if you stop if you don't have any

more will to live then you stop your

life you're not passionated about your

job and about anything that comes into

your mind into your life so as long as

you have those three aspects in your

life for me you're successful

and then the rest is about show

superficial so materialism none of that

is required okay yeah those are the main

core things

so what is success success is

um to achieve something you you really

want to do it and then it's also to be

recognized by your uh your father or the

other people doing the same thing

it means that you you can say that you

have succeeded in these things

recognized by the people you look up to

exactly and that's when I had the

opportunity to ask one of the people

that I looked up to this exact question

I met sneaker right here in Hyde Park I

interviewed him and I just I didn't know

what was going to happen he said he was

doing a meet-up in London so I brought

my camera I bought my mic I was wearing

this exact shirt and I asked him do you

think it's bad to be materialistic yeah

no also good too it can motivate you

like these glasses right here

materialistic as [ __ ] do you get

fulfillment I get motivated to make like

the money bro and I almost left it on

the train I got scared bro I know as

soon as I spent this morning like I

gotta make this back I'm only just gonna

keep chasing and don't be satisfied yeah

but that's how men that's how I need to

think personally I can't ever sit still

I always need to keep chasing next thing

next thing because what am I what else

are you gonna do sit on the couch what

else is there to do life is boring

without chasing chasing objects though

other things you could say chasing more

in general there's more more videos

quantity no quality no bro like more oh

[ __ ] good point good point the audience

interpreted that as me just telling

people to be lazy and to not work and to

not try and maybe there was a level of

complacency back then maybe there was a

level of

I deserve it this entitlement that I had

and to top it all off the end of the

gappy was approaching I only had about

three four months left before uni

started if I couldn't get this off the

ground I'm running then that was it I'd

have to go to university and it'd be

over the possibility of failure seemed

to stack Higher and Higher and then

during this final period the worst

imaginable happened

it was a pretty normal day nothing

really out of the ordinary

I I hopped onto my PC as I always do and

I pulled up YouTube

but to my surprise I wasn't signed in

and that's really weird because I'm

always signed in so anyways I go to type

in my password

and it doesn't work

so obviously I try again and I realize

that my password isn't working then I

started realizing that hey do I have

access to my Google account still and

then I think about I should probably

check my channel and I load up my

channel

and it's gone

but I took a step back from the

situation just for a second and I

thought maybe this is a sign

maybe this is time for me to close the

chapter

maybe this is not worth it anymore maybe

I should just start fresh or do

something

I either move this out the way but I

can't lie it's so in the way but who

leaves their bike right here bro I'm

gonna die moving this bike oh is it

stuck oh [ __ ] bro what the [ __ ] you know

what's crazy though when I actually

tweeted it's him YouTube to get my

channel back I actually got my channel

back and no way they responded this

little guy yeah 7K and big verified team

YouTube respond no way unbelievable

thank you and while my channel was down

and it was gone and I was like yo this

[ __ ] is in the water right it's not

coming back

the same people I thought I was jealous

of

the same people whose channels had

blazed parts of me were the ones who

reached out to me to see how I was doing

the same people I envied

and almost wished on their downfall

because I wanted to be them reached out

to me

I said hey how you doing what's going on

with the videos man and that just kind

of gave me the motivation the little

boost I needed to be like you know what

I can't give this up bro I mean look I'm

just so deep into this now there's no

way I can stop there's no way I can just

stop making videos I mean I'm out here

recording my a-roll in the middle of the

street with about 50 cars around me and

everyone's staring at me like it's too

far gone now like I've been thousands on

camera again now like there's no way

okay this camera's still kind of dead I

want to get a better one but I love it

here well

the question still stands was I able to

escape the matrix in one year

well I am pleased to announce that your

voice at Uni he actually gets taught in

this lecture hall right here by the

lecturer so yeah I mean I didn't quite

do it in one year was it a bit ambitious

maybe even a bit arrogant to think that

I could Escape in just one year maybe

but that didn't stop me from trying and

it shouldn't stop you from trying either

there was still a lot to be gained from

this Gap year there were new

opportunities that I couldn't have

predicted since these new opportunities

were a byproduct of me experimenting for

example I managed to start a small

content creation agency where I'm now

helping Brands and small businesses

scale up their social media pages online

and that is something that I could have

never seen myself doing unless I

experimented with creating videos

but during this time I had a realization

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there are two choices that you can make

when you get to a turning point you can

either a change direction and pivot

option b you double down what you have

and that is why over the last three

months I decided to double down on my

content creation skills I wanted to

improve my editing my storytelling my

cinematography my videography and just

become so good

that they just can't ignore you that's

really the only way to succeed in

whatever you want to do

if it's a market that is saturated or

you know it's difficult for people to

break into it the only way that you get

into it is you have to be so good that

they can't ignore you

and are you willing to make that

sacrifice am I willing to make that

sacrifice truthfully I don't know

I think so but I still have my doubts to

this day and my plan was to come up with

a viral video

that would kick-start my channel again

now did it work I mean you can look at

the views maybe it did maybe it

completely choked I don't know but if it

didn't work then guess what

we just gotta try again the message I

want to leave you with is

you can join this one percent

but the route may be harder for you than

it is for me or the route may be easier

for you than it is for me whatever hand

that we've been dealt we have to use our

circumstances to our best Advantage but

don't blindly think that it's just

working hard and hustling is gonna get

you anywhere you have to do it at the

right things what are the right things

truthfully I can't tell you if I if I

knew exactly what the right things were

I wouldn't be making this video

this has been the Journey of me trying

to find the right things and if this has

helped you then I'd appreciate a like a

subscribe and I will see you

I'll see you in the next video bro I

will see you in the next video in a bit

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