Back On Track

November 16, 2022

Over the last 3 days I’ve felt very lost. I’m at a point now where it’s highly unlikely I’ll be able to make any of my projects work by the end of the year before my money runs out. I was in panic mode. Which really kicked my motivation and made me feel very down. I wanted this to work. However, I don’t feel I’ve worked hard enough. I went into this indie endeavour blindly without a clearly defined plan and roadmap and it’s cost me.

I got shiny object syndrome last week when I made princessify. It didn’t go anywhere. It set me back an extra week, but I did learn how to store images and retrieve them from Cloudflare which will be super useful in the future. So it wasn’t a total waste of time. It just slowed my momentum elsewhere.

Life Plan

Today I wrote down my plan for the next 6 months with an idea of my goals for the next half year, 1 year and 5 years. I’ve been neglecting a lot of important areas of my life lately and that all needs to change.

The 3 pillars of life are Health, Work, and Relationships which broadly categorise other sub-areas of life. I created SMART goals to clearly define actionable steps that need to be taken to achieve what I want to achieve.

I wrote down a list of all of my worries in life that aren’t in my control right now. Pretty much all of them involve either work or money. I want to work on interesting things. Working towards mastery and working with autonomy. Also, I don’t want to have to worry about money in the process.

Currently I’m flushing money down the drain renting. I’m not so happy with my current rental situation. However, I’m totally trapped in that I have no other option if I want to remain in Edinburgh. The flat is relatively cheap for the area and I can’t afford anything else.

I would love to be in a position where I can purchase a property. However, my sole salary/earnings are not currently high enough to purchase anything in Edinburgh and I don’t have anywhere near enough money to put down on a deposit. I’m stuck. Money is the problem.

My sole goal over the next year, ABOVE ALL ELSE, is to create revenue generating products / services (on the side of any employment) to get me to a position where I don’t have to worry about money.

Permissionless Media

We live in a very interesting time. As of the last 10 years or so, and in particular the last 4-5 we have seen a huge increase in social media usage. Anyone and Everyone has permissionless access to create video content online.

In the past most video content was controlled by large media corporations. The individual had no control over creating and distributing content. Ohhh but how times have changed. Anyone can take out their smartphone, record a video, and it be the next viral video on Tiktok. Anyone can become famous overnight.

No Marginal Cost Of Replication

With the internet as a means of distribution there are now ways to create digital products and services which have virtually zero marginal cost of replication. People can create software products and online courses among a whole plethora of other things that can be created and replicated a million times over for pennies. The ability to create online content and software gives you insane leverage in the modern age.

The Golden Combination

This is not new. It’s being done every day by millions of creators and influencers online.

  • Create Content: Creating media is now permissionless. Create content every day in a niche you love. Use your blog, Tweet, Instagram, tiktok, YouTube and any other means of distribution. Create content in a niche you’re highly passionate about / are a specialist in so that you can do it indefinitely and it’s not a laborious chore to produce.
  • Build an Audience: Over time you’ll build an audience who love your content and trust you.
  • Create Products + Services: Create products and services with zero marginal cost of replication. Think a software application or a course. Now you’ve built your trusted audience, you have immediate access to customers without the costly need to market. Your fans will be willing to buy.

    • My Goal

    I want to implement the golden combination in my life and I’ve already started.

    It’s my dream that by the time I hit 30 years old I will be able to speak all of the languages of the United Nations to at least a B1 level. I love languages. I love to travel and I love to learn about new cultures. I also want to feel more comfortable in front of a camera and get over some minor social anxiety and fear of public speaking. It was a dream of mine, and now a goal, to venture off to distant lands and make awesome content where I’ll be interacting with the locals in their languages, learning about their cultures and ways of life.

    This is my plan:

  • 25 - Spanish - B2 (upper intermediate)
  • 26 - Russian - B2 (upper intermediate)
  • 27 - Arabic - B1 (lower intermediate)
  • 28 - French - C1 (fluent)
  • 29 - Chinese - B1 (lower intermediate)

    • While I embark on this journey I will be doing three things:

  • Language Learning: Learning one language at a time intensely.
  • Content Creation: Creating content in the foreign languages. I’ve had some success with this already on my youtube channel. I know what works.
  • Product/Service Development: I will be further developing my flashcard application Lingualime. My goal is to create a mobile version so that it is more accessible and easier to use. I’m almost certain that if I can get a working mobile version with good pro features then I can set up a $3/month subscription that people will purchase. I also have plans in place to develop further language centred applications as well as language courses.

    • How To Succeed

    I’ve also learnt from following countless successful people that the key is sticking with it for the long run. Map out a plan and follow it all the way! Success will come if you create valuable content every day and continue to progress towards mastery in your skills. It’s only a mater of time. Don’t get shiny object syndrome and DON’T GIVE UP! Always remember why you’re doing what you’re doing.

    For me:

  • Financial Independence: Money is a pain point in my life and I don’t want to have to think about it.
  • Enjoyable work: Work is a big part of our lives. I want to enjoy every second of my work. I want my work to include creativity, problem solving and allow me to pursue mastery.
    • ← Go home