3 Pieces of Advice I'd Give My 21-Year-Old Self

November 25, 2022, is a day I will never forget for as long as i live. 

It was the day my best friend and I decided that movies and series are doing us no good and instead borrow some books in the school library. We realized that we had the freedom to explore what it truly means to be successful after giving university the middle finger. 

One book that caught my attention... 

The Alchemist.

It's a book I've reread every year, and one I have gifted most frequently. This book inspired me to embark on the road less traveled, much like Santiago, while being aware of the obstacles along the way. Two years later, I've made many mistakes in both life and business in my pursuit of success. 

If I could go back to that day, here are three pieces of advice I would give to myself: 

1. Figure Out Your Income First.

I've switched jobs three times now for various reasons.

First, my job at the supermarket was very exhausting and honestly didn't get the time to work on my side gigs. 

(Since that date mentioned above, I have always have a side project besides my job) 

Second, I predicted that I would need to quit my job in six months, so I informed my boss. When the time came, the company I was working for had to let some people go due to a lack of work. Although I was an indispensable employee, my boss knew I was planning to leave soon anyways, and that’s how I was laid off. 

I went full-time with only two months' worth of savings.

And we all know how working from a point of scarcity can end things up. 

Thirdly, I was being paid less. Couldn't cover all my bills and i was always on debt. This is while working as a teacher, which I quit after six months to try freelance home tutoring, but that failed miserably. This failure led me to another job, which I am currently working at. 

The reality is, not only have I switched jobs three times, but I have also failed in five business attempts on the same timeline. I initially sought a job to pay my bills peacefully while I worked on my exit plan, but some jobs turned out to be not worth my time at all. If I had taken the time to find a decent job with reasonable hours—one I could manage that would cover my bills and still leave me with a safety net—I would have been able to go full-time by now. 

Nonetheless, I am grateful for my current job, as I am building forward momentum like crazy. It feels good. 

The key message here is simple: find a way to generate sustainable income while you build your business. Otherwise, you'll just end up going in circles every six months, hoping to escape soon enough. 

Spoiler alert: I never did and you probably won't if you are unstable, stressful or don't have ample time to work on your side gig. 

Coz ultimately, building a business is not easy, it requires time, effort and commitment to see it through. This traits alone require a stable job. 

You can't afford to stress at your day job and your side gig or rather, that should happen in bits.

But... 

What better route to achieve freedom and fulfillment than through a business? 

2. Build Digital Leverage.

I am fascinated by how people like Dan Koe, Nicolas Cole, Sahil Bloom, Kieran Drew, and Justin Welsh make money using code and media as leverage.

This model is permissionless and easier to scale. 

When I talk about leverage, consider your personal brand (your online presence), the people you know (audience, peers, and mentors), digital products, skill sets (professional leverage), and process leverage (automation, delegation etc). 

All the creators I mentioned above make a good living (all millionaires) doing what they love without working any harder than a coffee shop owner in your neighborhood. In fact, the coffee shop owner likely works harder than they do. 

Why is this?

Simply because they've scaled their ideas online.

They have leverage—robots working for them while they sleep. 

While leverage is a compounding asset, it takes time to build.

I have created digital products and grown an audience to nearly 1,000 followers on X (Twitter). However, I ended up killing the account because I felt it no longer aligned with my goals. You could say I was in the experimentation phase, driven by curiosity, which I was:) 

But that shouldn't be my excuse for my inauthenticity. 

I mean, there are three predictors of long-term success: curiosity, courage, and honesty.

I lacked the third one—honesty.

My content was inauthentic, dull, and generic. It’s funny how I could recognize that in myself. 

Moreover, I have been inconsistent with acquiring high-income skills and I didn’t promote my digital products enough. 

Currently, I’ve started a new account that aligns perfectly with my vision. I am building cool stuffs on the side and creating content that inspires me, this time with a long-term perspective.

And most importantly, taking it one day at a time and letting compounding do its wonders. 

In summary: 

The creator economy is on the rise and shows no signs of slowing down. It’s time to board the train and start building leverage. 

To wrap this up: become a creator. That’s precisely the path I have chosen for myself—a digital creator who writes. Whether you choose video editing, graphic design, or something else, it doesn’t matter as long as you create every day and share your work with a larger audience online. 

3. Protect Your Attention Ruthlessly.

Naval once said, "Attention is the most expensive currency."

You may have heard the saying "what you pay attention to grows." This is a fundamental truth. What you focus on directly impacts the quality of life you lead. Just look at people who follow politics too closely; many are those who struggle to take full accountability for their own lives. They often feel frustrated, dogmatic, and blame the government for everything that happens to them. (And if that's you and you're reading this, it's time to wake the F up! Embrace personal responsibility—put your house in order before trying to change the world.) 

Back to the main point... 

Another quote I absolutely love is from Glennon Doyle, who said,

"Your job, throughout your entire life, is to disappoint as many people as it takes to avoid disappointing yourself."

Take a moment to contemplate that. 

It’s a powerful statement, but it's essential for being true to yourself in a world that often pressures you to conform. 

I experienced this firsthand when I decided to abandon the conventional path so I can build my online presence. To this day, many family members and friends still believe it was a mistake because I haven’t achieved the "material success" I once promised (my mindset has evolved tremendously though:)but how can I show them it wasn't a mistake? The best way is by becoming the best version of myself every single day. While I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone (except maybe my mom), I’m doing it for me and the pure joy of self-actualization. 

So, what do I do every waking day?

I focus on activities that align with my long-term goals: acquiring new skills, connecting with like-minded individuals, working out, journaling, and publishing online, among other things. 

And what do most people do instead? 

They get caught up in distractions.

Society invests heavily in keeping you distracted, ensuring you remain a cog in the machine. Just look around at the most miserable people; they pay attention to: 

- News
- Politics 
- Destructive self-talk
- Toxic friendships
- Negative media (like WorldStarHipHop)
- Negative influences on social media
- Pornography
- Struggle rap music 
- R&B music that endlessly 'simps' over someone
- Hustle culture 

It's no wonder they are unhappy. 

While I haven't yet reached my dream life, the joy I feel waking up every day to build it is unparalleled. Knowing that I’m paying attention to things that inspire and empower me to become the best version of myself is all that truly matters. 

I have my North Star, and it's just a matter of time. 

Takeaway? 

Reassess your daily, weekly, and monthly routines. Deconstruct your habits one by one to see if they serve you in the long run. If they don’t, let them go and adopt the ones that do. I recommend reading Atomic Habits by James Clear; it’s incredibly insightful! 

Right... 

This letter is getting lengthy, and I hope you’ve gained some valuable insights to help navigate your journey.

These letter -- basically notes to myself, reflect my learning from past failures, observations, and actions, shared in the briefest way possible. I appreciate you reading to the end. 

P.S 

The goal is freedom of time, work, income, and location—aka, Digital Freedom.

Keep pursuing it, my friend. Cheers! 

Talk soon, 

Dennis 

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