There’s No Single Path to Success. How to Find Yours?
About implementing advice for your unique circumstances and overcoming overconsumption.
Two people start with the same goal. One wins. One quits. The difference? They chose the right path for themselves. Here’s how you can too.
Why do others’ problems seem easy to solve, but yours don’t?
You give great advice to others but struggle to take it yourself. Why? When analyzing someone else’s problem, you see it clearly—no emotional fog, no overthinking.
When it’s your problem, emotions, past experiences, and future consequences cloud your judgment, making the situation feel bigger than it is.
The (not-so-easy) fix? Step back. Shift your perspective. Look at your problems the way you look at someone else’s—detached and focused on solutions, not emotions.
How?
Talk to someone: Let them give you clarity you can’t give yourself.
Write it down: Seeing your thoughts on paper makes them tangible and easier to process.
Meditate, go for a walk: Clear the mental clutter. Slow down. Regain focus.
Perspective is everything.
More here:
What worked for them won’t work for you
There’s no blueprint for success.
Universally good advice? Yes.
A blueprint for a prestigious career? Yes.
Step-by-step guide for becoming a high-achiever? No.
Let’s make it more clear. If you want to be a doctor, the road map is already here. Go to university, get a job—basically.
That’s not how I define success, though. The success I’m talking about is success in your own endeavor. In that case, there’s no such thing as a clear path.
The more unique the circumstances, the less vague advice matters.
On one side of the spectrum, there’s school and traditional career path, on the other—your own endeavor. If you lean toward the first, this newsletter isn’t for you.
School wasn’t always easy, but it was always simple. You knew what material to learn, you knew the sources. Even when things were challenging, you knew exactly what to do to succeed in the school system. Clear, measurable goals were handed to you.
Creative endeavors are different, entrepreneurship is different. Pursuing your own thing is different. Because it’s your thing, no one has walked this path before. You are forced to be a pioneer.
A few unavoidable things you need to set in your mind if you want to walk your own path:
Walking your own way is solving problems, solving problems, and then—solving problems. If you are not willing to solve problems, you will give up fast.
Get comfortable with uncertainty: No one has ever walked this path before, no one knows what traps and surprises await. You need to learn how to deal with unclarity. Read:
Good motivation: Or rather drive. You need a drive to not just go “fu*ck it” and throw everything out the window. You will feel like this, that’s for sure.
I want to be rich. Not to have fancy cars, but to have freedom, which I define as doing what I want, where I want, and with whom I want. The thought that I must wake up to work in the morning is nowhere near freedom to me. Working for someone else is nowhere near satisfying to me.
End goal: Yeah, I can’t shut up about that. For a reason though. You need a clearly defined goal that can be eventually checked off to roughly estimate the time and resources needed for what you want. Until you have a goal, you work on abstraction. If you don’t know where you are going, any path will take you there.
Don’t know where to start? Read:
This quick method is also great.
Overconsumption and too many options
We are blessed to have internet. Everyone with a laptop and brain can learn something from scratch, build something valuable. So many chances and opportunities. Maybe even too many?
Not gonna lie, it is difficult to stick with something for months when there’s nothing to show for it. I go on YouTube and see one of those business idea videos and it seems cool, tempting, but first of all—fresh and new.
Learned it the hard way, but now I know that’s the way to nowhere.
What to do instead? Try things without thinking about time.
How long will it take? What if it doesn’t work? What if I waste months on this?
Wrong mindset. Time will pass anyway. Whether you start something or not, a year from now, you will either have progress or regrets.
Experiment, iterate, focus on the process rather than the clock. Forget timelines. Some things take months, some take years—but the only way to find out is by doing.
Pick one promising thing. Put daily effort in. Stick with it for a year. Stop,
Times change quickly
When AI image generators first took off, skeptics laughed at their inability to generate hands. Now they do it effortlessly and those people rightfully seem like genuine idiots.
Today’s world changes extremely fast. University degrees become less and less relevant—4 years of learning material that is already outdated when you start is nowhere close to being future-proof.
What is future-proof? Building something of your own. A YouTube channel, a newsletter, a unique skill—something that compounds over time, something around you, something that can’t be made obsolete overnight. You cannot be fired if you are the boss.
You don’t need permission or a degree—you just need to start. Pick something, commit, stay patient, enjoy the results.
Universal good advice
If you have heard the same advice dozens of times from unrelated people and sources, it’s probably universal good advice.
What is good universal advice for success?
Consistency: No way around that.
Patience: Sticking with something for a month makes you better and more successful in it than 99% of people. Sticking with the thing for a year makes you an expert. “A quitter never wins, a winner never quits.” I love this quote.
Adjusting the direction: Don't ignore problems hoping they will resolve themselves (like I did).
Choosing the right thing: I got obsessed with the gym and built a great body. Nice, but what’s now? Is this what all the hype is about? I don't want to discourage you from the gym, but for creative ventures, choose something that has infinite room for scaling and improvement.
If you want to start building something for yourself and eventually live entirely from it but don’t know where to start, stick to those 5 commandments:
The Commandment of Need
Focus on solving problems and fulfilling needs, not just selling products. Businesses that address real needs thrive.
The Commandment of Entry
Avoid industries with low barriers to entry. High competition and low differentiation lead to failure. Seek markets with higher barriers for sustainable success.
The Commandment of Control
Maintain control over your business. Relying on external factors (e.g., affiliates, platforms, or partners) can jeopardize your success.
The Commandment of Scale
Build a business that can scale globally or serve a large audience. Avoid businesses limited by time, location, or resources.
The Commandment of Time
Create a business that is not dependent on your constant involvement. Aim for systems that generate income passively, freeing your time.
These 5 commandments are not my idea. They are from “The Millionaire Fastlane” by M. J. DeMarco (affiliate link), which I highly recommend reading.
Note: Thanks for reading. Noticed this post is chaotic? That’s because I myself need some clarity on this project. I have plans for this newsletter that I actively working on realizing. Expect less activity from me. I’ll keep posting weekly issues but until I’m done with rebuilding nothing more will happen. When will I be done? Can’t give you a specific date here, it’s ready when it’s ready.
Here’s how I can help you:
Set your goals right with my Pathfinder Goal-Setting Template — subscribe and claim in the welcome email! (free)
Build a dream habit in 40 days with my See Yourself Growing Habit Tracker! (free in digital for premium subs)
Learn the basics of fixing mental health on your own with the Short Practical Guide to Mental Health! (free ebook for premium subs)
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