Don’t let life pass you by: how I finally got serious about creating freedom.
HowThingsLink
There was a time when I was well on my way to freedom. I just couldn’t recognize it.
There was a time when I was way ahead of anyone and everyone I knew. I mean it. Like, far out. I started coding at the age of 13 and even created my website. No Dreamweaver. No fancy software. Just pure hardcore HTML coding on notepad. At the age of 14, I got invited to a weird class that was running near my home. A slightly awkward guy was presenting artwork he created on some software called Adobe Photoshop. Never heard of it. But, my Lord, the designs he made were stunning. I had never seen anything like it. I was instantly hooked. I couldn’t wait to try out Photoshop for myself.
I was on the ascendancy….
By the age of 15, I could create websites from the back of my hand. I could create amazing designs on Photoshop. I had learnt to code in C++. I even received my first assignment to create a website for a book-seller for close to £1,000.
Do you know what I did? I did… nothing.
…but life took over.
I was never really serious about any of it. It was just a geeky hobby. I didn’t even finish my website assignment so my payout was a fat zero. I instead turned to my studies and did the usual schooling, and then college. I then got a job at a financial firm, and so on.
But I got increasingly discontent with myself.
My experiences in coding and design were before the big social media boom. Before Facebook, Instagram. Even before MySpace! Remember them?
Over the years I watched countless people, with next to no experience, start to make successful careers over the web. It happens over and over again. I had gone from being ahead of the game to being left behind.
I still had a good career but something was bugging me. I felt like I had wasted my talent. I hadn’t done anything with it.
I had started a blog in 2012. It became stale after one post! I then started my site HowThingsLink.com in 2015 and gained some followers. A bit of traction. After 2–3 posts I quit again. I thought it was too late now to make an impact.
Fast-forward to 2019 — and seven years after my first go at a blog, I’m starting again.
This time it’s different.
This time I believe it truly will be different. I read a quote recently, I can’t remember where from, but I believe it was a quote Liz Huber had pulled out in one of her posts. She mentioned what forced her to get up and build her business was a particular quote. The quote said that people take action when the pain of standing still is greater than the pain of change.
I feel like that now. Every year that passes by is unbearable. It’s not about the money. It’s about wasted talent. I’m determined to put my early skillset into good use. There was no Medium back then. Now there is. There’s never been a better time and place to get in front of the world.
I’ve got too many ideas and things I want to show. I don’t need to show them all. I just need to get started.
Why it’s beneficial to blog.
Blogging, for me, is essentially a form of writing. I don’t need to go into detail on the benefits of writing. That’s been covered in great detail. At its core, writing will help me to consolidate my thoughts, and more importantly, will give me the clarity to make sense of my feelings. You see, I’m a mathematician, I do everything in my head. Too smart for my own good. Unfortunately, doing everything in your head doesn’t work great in all scenarios. When it comes to clarity of thought, there’s nothing better than to write it down.
Even if nothing comes out of this, I will feel free and liberated by having the opportunity to share my experiences with you. It will make me feel like I have given something back to society.
Wow, I never thought I would feel this way. I gain immense pride by writing to you. Hopefully for those who are also considering writing, hopefully, this post is also useful to you.
With that, all I can say is onwards and upwards we go!
Don’t be in a position of regret. Take control…
It’s worth mentioning that regret is the one thing you don’t want to carry into your old age. Don’t get to a stage in life where you regret not following your dreams. I’m at that stage now where I have to do something about it. The pain of just living life and floating by is too much to bear. I need to take action.
…and hire a life coach, or use my hack!
One of the things many success people do is to work with a life coach. The life coach is like your gym instructor. One more press-up, one more rep. The coach will push you and help you to with mental blocks. Good coaches have the ability to float across many topics. You can think of them as the friend who will listen to you without bias. Isn’t that a wonderful scenario? In a world where everyone has a bias (it’s a part of human nature), the coach will look to help you in whatever way they can.
The problem with getting a coach is money. They can be expensive! $500 a session? Maybe even $1,000? It’s a chicken-and-egg situation. You need a life coach to get up the success ladder but ironically the fee levels give you access only you have had some success already.
Some people hack their way through. Maybe they know a friend who can make a recommendation. Maybe they sign up for free sessions. I did something entirely different, and it isn’t rocket science.
I formed a business partner. Yes. A business partner. A business partner who has the same burning desire to fulfil their potential. Someone on exactly the same stage as me. We held a number of video sessions and met face to face to discuss how we can create synergies. We identified areas we can work on together. You do this, I do that. Then we got started! We talk every two-three days. Even if it’s a small chat. We discuss strategy for the next few days. We discuss tactics. We discuss focus areas. Most importantly, we both feel pumped up after the call. Sounds very much like a life coach, right?
We have mapped out our plan for the next three months. That’s something I had never done before on my own. We know what we’re doing today, tomorrow and the week ahead. I know what I’ll be writing about when I wake up. It’s a great feeling.
That’s why I feel this time it is different. I’ve simulated a life coach. For free.
Final thoughts.
More to come from me. This is just the beginning. My humble request: follow me. Give me support. I’ve got some big ideas up my sleeve. I just need to make it happen.
At the moment I am starting with motivational posts. Follow me on Instagram here.
