Six years ago, I left a stable and lucrative career in tech at 28 without a plan.
Wow! I can’t believe it’s been that long — — time sure does fly. I’ve gathered an insane amount of much experience since then and I wouldn’t change anything in my life. I started to say yes to life and experienced things you wouldn’t even believe, that I wouldn’t even write about (maybe when I write my memoir).
The greatest thing I ever did was take the leap and left a 9–5. Not to say there is anything wrong with a 9–5 because it works for many people, but not for me.
Valuable MINDSET SHIFTS I Learned
1. Life is too short to only live for weekends.
I left a stable job with a cushy salary and benefits because I valued my time.
I was an outdoor athlete, a student of the universe, an ever-so-curious explorer — I hated sitting inside an office and being constrained to a 9–5!
Unfortunately, after I resigned, I still had the 9–5 mindset, and it sure was difficult normalizing partying on Tuesdays! Some Saturday nights when I felt I had to stay in and work, I felt FOMO, resulting in a lack of focus. This is always going to be a work in progress for me because many of my friends have a fixed 9–5 schedule and I still have to somewhat spin with the rest of the world but I am extremely mindful of it because we only have one life to live!
2. Always be confident and believe in yourself.
Believing in yourself is a non-negotiable for success.
Last year, I noticed everyone who came into my life had this mindset: no matter how tough of a time they are going through, they verbally declared that they KNOW they will always make it no matter what. That is something I have always subconsciously lived by but never realized. Was it conditioning? Confidence? Being more intuitively connected? Who knows! But let’s normalize this mindset!
Confidence is a skill you must have if you are to survive in the entrepreneurial space. The great thing is that I see any skill as a “muscle” that you grow (practice) over time to get better at it.
3. Unconventional lives are more conventional than society makes you think.
Perfectionism stalls growth.
I left my life and career because I thought it was too “white picket-fence perfect” — as in the typical path society says is the right way: school, career, good friends, supportive significant other, owning your own property, etc. I had all of this by the time I was 22 and I ALWAYS knew that there was more to life by my mid-20s, I was getting bored.
Perhaps it was my parents always encouraging travel and valuing experiences over things (we were never wealthy). When I made my decision to leave in 2015 — I discovered a whole NEW world that some would NEVER be able to imagine. One day, I hope to write a book on my experiences but right now, it’s way too much, and totally off-topic for this blog!
4. Time is the most precious currency.
Money comes and goes but you’ll never ever get time back.
I left my career because I valued the freedom to do whatever I wanted. I bought a beautiful apartment but was never home during the day because I was at the office. I wanted to ride my bike whenever I wanted.
Those were simple things that made me so happy.
I never really saw “money” as the end goal because my parents always taught us to do what we loved so it wasn’t difficult for me to leave everything.
5. Trust, loyalty, consistency, and how you show up the matter.
As long as you remember that, amazing opportunities will always come to you.
I learned that people whom I felt bad energy with were people throughout my life who were INCONSISTENT. Their actions never matched their words. Our brain recognizes patterns and when it sees an inconsistency, it knows that something is up! We are wired for SURVIVAL. That person either cannot be trusted, or they have a lot of inner work to do. Your brain is warning you: proceed with caution!
Thus you have a choice: do you continue on this relationship and never giving up on your friends, or do you move on because time is of the essence?
However, if you maintain a trustworthy character who consistently shows up, people will always gravitate toward you subconsciously because you are presenting an energy of warmth, safety, and security.
6. Entrepreneurship is constant problem-solving.
It takes hardcore grit and resilience. It’s not for the faint of heart.
But it’s worth the level up.
Many of us aren’t raised with resilience due to unfortunate circumstances hence why most people won’t find entrepreneurship easy.
My parents were NOT entrepreneurs or business owners but I got my first freelance job when I was 11, and knew I never wanted to work for anyone. Every day has its ups and downs but I spent years building up resilience through doing uncomfortable things to prepare me for this role. Every single day is a work in progress and I love it because the journey is enjoyable.
I had a clear vision of my future, I directed all my life choices to reach this point in my life where I am in control of my own destiny. It’s scary but knowing that you aren’t allowed to fail keeps you hustling.
That’s what manifestation is all about– having clarity! I somehow surrounded myself with hustlers, entrepreneurs, disciplined athletes, and people way better than me so I can learn from them. Fortunately, intimidation was never an issue for me because I always saw that as “learning” …even in high school.
When we were young, being confident got you labeled as “cocky” but I define cocky as people who drive to succeed while stepping over everyone and showing no compassion.
If you want to become something, you need to put yourself in uncomfortable environments CONSISTENTLY to build grit and resilience. That includes getting over the fear of what everyone thinks of you. Only YOU know if you are a good person… and when you do, that will also give you everlasting confidence.
7. Nothing lasts forever.
You have to learn to find happiness in everything.
If you still believe in fairytales—time to snap back to reality, darling. What a boring life it’ll be if you’re doing the same thing your ENTIRE life. How will you grow? How will you inspire? You will have no stories to tell. If you can accept this grim fact that nothing lasts forever, your life will become MUCH easier because you will become more open to new experiences.
I had an epiphany the other day (on a bike ride, of course): the reason we are gifted this life is to pass on wisdom to our future generations so they can become stronger + wiser to continue our species.
8. We live in an abundant world full of endless opportunities.
Unfortunately, you’re not going to see this until you are willing to get uncomfortable.
I didn’t grow up wealthy so I still struggle with a scarcity mindset from time to time. After I saw the unlimited wealth and opportunities in the world, the abundance mindset is the strongest LEVEL UP I’m working on.
I’ve lived amongst the top 1% and the bottom 1% (started a business in which many were my customers whom I really got to know). Because of that, I feel like I’ve experienced so much through different lenses, also making me a more compassionate human being. A common problem with the top 1% is that they have it all but can’t find fulfillment — nothing will ever be enough. The bottom 1% doesn’t understand what a growth mindset so they are trapped in a toxic environment where they only do the bare minimum, for the bare minimum.
Yes, there are difficult social and economical issues to overcome, but what if we can start teaching those at the bottom how to have an abundance mindset? It’s not going to solve problems right away but we can begin to rewire their brains to better future generations.
