If you want to get the best results possible, you’re going to want to start as early as possible. This applies to every aspect of the game of life, and it’s becoming more clear to me as I age. If I had one thing to tell my 18 year old self, it would be to start *right now*. It doesn’t matter whether your dream is to be a construction worker or a rap star. You want to get to work on your dream as young as possible, so that you can take it as far as possible.
I’ve made a lot of progress towards my dream of being a digital nomad because of the fact that I started early. I was learning about making money online from a young age, and starting around the age of 21, I decided that I was going to make it to the top of my field. I put my head down and worked, and now I’ve almost reached the living standard of an average person, globally speaking. This is all fantastic, and I’m quite happy with where I am in life, but I also know the consequences of starting late in life.
I have little to no chance of ever becoming very wealthy by western standards. I haven’t laid the groundwork for it. I don’t have the skills or relationships required to succeed. My country has been growing, and I’ve grown with it. But the United States has gotten extremely wealthy in the 6 years since I’ve left. I don’t think it really matters how hard I work. If I were to move there 5 years from now, I would probably find myself living quite poorly.
If I had done more work, or worked differently, I would have a better shot. I could have stayed on the American scene. I could have gone into tech, gotten a remote job, and been making my way up the career ladder by now. This would have yielded me a higher salary, and different opportunities as a result. But I didn’t do that work, and now I am where I am.
Experiences compound the same way money does
When it comes to money, the “retire early” types seem to understand the concept of compounding very well. But it also applies to life experiences. All of the life experiences you have compound to create you, whoever you are. I’ve experienced living in North America, creating content for money, and living as a normal person in a poor country. As such, I’m well positioned to write about self improvement, content creation, and being a digital nomad. I could learn another skillset such as IT, but I know what I’m doing in the “game” of writing and blogging too. As a result, it makes sense for me to keep writing, up until a certain point. I’ll probably be taking a hard look at IT/Computer programming soon, but I can get very far with just the written word alone.
Get on it
I got on it at the right time. As soon as I turned 21, I was focused. This is because I moved abroad from a wealthier country without much savings, and well before the passport bro phenomenon. I knew I would have to work hard just to have a bit of something in this world, and I started working as soon as I hit the ground as a result.
Make sure you’re also doing this. If you’re in a wealthy country and in your mid-20s, you should have a lot of money saved, or be studying for a great career. This is especially true in the United States. People in your age cohort are already self-made millionaires. You want to have a general direction in mind by your 20s, and be on your way by your mid 20s. For some jobs (like teaching), success is disconnected from income. That’s ok, but you want to be finding success by your 30s or 40s. From watching my parents and others work their way up the ladder, I can say with confidence that success isn’t created overnight, but you start to see the clues by the time someone is in their early 30s. A lot of this stuff is only possible if you start early. Graduating at 16 gave my parents an edge. Having successful family members has given me an edge. You don’t have to apply this to financial and career success only. If you start riding bikes at a young age, you’re more likely to be an amazing cyclist. You can apply this logic to your children too. Overall, life is long and your choices compound. Fight for what you want and choose wisely.
By Rising Current on .
Exported from Medium on November 8, 2024.
