I didn't plan any of this

I want to talk about something that's been on my mind a lot recently. It's not about a tool or a course or a project. It's about a shift in perspective that I didn't see coming.

A year ago, my plan was pretty simple. Finish my degree, get a good job, join a good company. That's what everyone around me was doing. That's what everyone told me to do. And honestly, I believed that was the only way.

Then I started making content. Not with some greater plan in mind. I just started posting about what I was learning: finance, coding, data science. I figured maybe a few people would find it useful. What I didn't expect was everything that came after. The followers. The sponsors. Being able to travel. Making enough money to live well from something I built myself. None of that was on my radar a year ago. And I want to be clear: I'm not saying this to brag. I'm saying this because if someone had told me this was possible back then, I genuinely would not have believed them.

The biggest thing that changed was how I think about what's possible. Growing up I had a rather narrow view of what the possibilities you have as a young person. Study hard, get the degree, get the job, work your way up. And that path works for a lot of people and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that path! But it's not the only path. And nobody really tells you that (at least nobody really told me).

Once I started building something of my own and talking to other people who were doing the same, my entire worldview shifted. I met people my age running businesses, traveling, making a living from things they actually cared about. Not because they were smarter or more talented. But because they just tried it. That's the part that hit me the hardest. Most people never try. And this can be your unfair advantage.

I don't want this to sound like a "quit your job and become an influencer" kind of message. That's not the point.The point is: trying to build something on your own, whatever that looks like, teaches you things that no internship or lecture ever will. How to figure things out without instructions. How to put yourself out there when it's uncomfortable. How to fail and keep going. That experience is incredibly valuabl. I bet you have something that you are truly passionate about. Why not try to make it more than a hobby?

You don't have to quit anything. You don't have to go all in. But start something on the side. Talk to people who are building things. Find communities, reach out, go to events. The conversations you'll have will open doors you didnt even know existed. And don't wait until you feel ready. I wasn't ready when I started. Nobody is. You figure it out along the way.

I really like this video of Gary Vee, its almost 10 years old but still gold.

Have a great week,

Chris