I haven't written you in a while. I didn't feel the urge to write.
Life was in a standstill. Slow progress.
It didn't feel like I was in control anymore.
I could see everything drop-off.
I don't have everything figured out right now.
That is exactly why I am writing to you this letter.
To give you a fresh perspective on progress, the Unknown and how to hold it down whiles you are figuring it out.
The Problem
Most people expect life to be a certain way. They have this idea they think will change the world. They give it a shot for a few weeks, see no results and then they quit. aystack.com/buy/nexus-library
They have this anticipation that their idea will blow up in 3 weeks and then they will become the next millionaire they've always dreamt of. Life is a not a love story. Where you have a forever happy ending.
It has always felt that my life unfolded in phases. In one phase, I felt lost. In another, pinned to my desk. Surging with energy. Deep in the flow state. Building out my future. In another phase, I was going through the motions, but with enjoyment.
The beauty of life is often found not just in all of the positives. You really need the negatives of life to appreciate anything.
There is no light without dark. And whenever you're in a dark place, you need to see it as a springboard for the light which is coming. If everything went well in your life all of the time, if every single time you went anywhere, nothing bad ever happened, if every single girl you tried to talk to wanted you, if it was always a green light, if everything went perfectly all of the time, you know what? You'd be miserable. You'd be miserable if everything was perfectly easy all of the time.
Struggle, pain, confusion, uncertainty is baked into reality itself. Humans need struggle. We need the dark to appreciate the light.
I am not saying accept these as normal part of your life. I am simply telling you to appreciate these as phases of your life and treat it as just — a phase of life.
Time moves on and in the end, you're going to look back on it all, as crazy as it is, as a happy memory.
The Phases Of Life
The best periods of my life often came after a period of getting absolutely fed up with the lack of progress I was making. I wouldn't drown in the negative energy. I would channel it toward building something great. 99% of people are trapped because they see negativity as a bad thing. It's supposed to be there. It's a part of life.
Learn to use it for good.
Whenever I reach a phase of life where confusion sets in, I build.
Having a goal gives you direction in life. It forces you to order consciousness.
When you are confused, explore the Unknown. Set a project.
A "project" can be anything.
Your health can be a project. Your business can be a project. An image in Canva can be a project.
A project is simply a structured way of achieving a goal, or making progress toward a goal.
It’s a way to further narrow your focus so your mind can notice useful information as you learn.
I have explored and learnt useful skills in the phases of my life when life was spiraling downwards.
I explored new skills I was interested in. I allowed my curiosity to guide me into the unknown to identify new domain of mastery.
I spent 6 months of deep focus to learn high value skills like graphic design, coding, writing etc. They have proved to be useful investment of my time.
I am currently exploring prompt engineering. Ai is penetrating every industry today. Health, education, business, communication etc. One must get in the game to learn how to play by the rules, break the rules and utilize it to your advantage.
As an example, I asked Ai to give me a 12-month life quest. I gave it a fancy name. Zero To Hero.
If you are finally ready to improve all areas of your life and unlock your full potential, join the Zero To Hero Challenge
In one year, you can:
- master a specific skill.
- build productive habits.
- broaden your knowledge base.
- improve your overall quality of life.
- earn your first dollar on the internet.
- connect with like-minded individuals.
- gain clear insight into your vision and goals.
- create thousands of different opportunities.
You have to build your own thing.
If You Are Confused Build A Project
Humans thrive when the mind is ordered.
That is, when they have a hierarchy of goals to pursue, like quests in a game.
When you are confused, you are simply suffering from a lack of "idea density."
You haven't started a project, failed, and been given a REASON to look up something specific.
"All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work." — Calvin Coolidge
This is where most creatives go wrong.
They try to "find themselves" by consuming more information.
They fall into "tutorial hell."
They soak up advice, podcasts, and books, but they never do.
The beautiful thing about the internet is that you can build your project in public.
You don't need to be a guru.
People don't follow 'gurus' anymore.
They follow humans who can teach, lead, and relate.
If you're always trying to sound smart,
You’ll lose the people you're trying to help.
You just need to be a human sharing your experience as you explore the unknown areas of life.
When you commit to a project, you stop being a passive consumer and start being a conscious creator.
You move from lower consciousness (reacting to the system of society) to higher consciousness (building your own systems).
Design Your Life As A Game
A project is the ultimate tool for competence.
And competence converts to dopamine.
Having a vision – that you create – gives you a sense of control over your life. A purpose that fuels your present actions.
That vision presents a hierarchy of goals that increase in challenge as you acquire the skills necessary to achieve those goals.
This is how you create an endless source of good dopamine.
A vision that is a conscious personal creation forces you to focus your mind.
A focused mind is the source of life enjoyment.
Without a vision, you inevitably become a slave to the system.
Here is how to gamify your growth and escape stagnation.
1. Define Your "Anti-Vision"
Most people don't know what they want, but they know exactly what they want through experience.
Use that.
List out the things you don't want: broke, distracted, unfulfilled, or working for someone else's dream for the rest of your life.
This is your compass.
If a habit or a project doesn't move you away from this "Anti-Vision," cut it.
2. Select A "High-Value Skill" Project
Don't just "learn to code" or "learn to write."
Build something specific.
- Instead of "learning design," build a landing page for an MVP product.
- Instead of "learning marketing," write a 5-day email sequence.
- Instead of "learning to write," build an audience of 100 people.
A project gives you a deadline.
Deadlines create the friction necessary for growth.
3. The Micro-Commitment
The biggest enemy of progress is the "all or nothing" mind virus.
You think you need 4 hours of deep work to make progress.
You don't.
Commit to 15 minutes.
If you can't find 15 minutes, you aren't busy—you are distracted.
Protect this time like your life depends on it.
Because it does.
"You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength." — Marcus Aurelius
4. Document Your Journey
When you hit a wall, don't quit.
Document your journey.
Share what you are learning, your struggles, and what you are trying to fix.
This is how you build social capital.
People don't follow experts; they follow people who are one step ahead of them on the same journey.
5. The Focus Dividend
At the end of 30 days, look at your output.
Did you move the needle?
If yes, double down.
If no, pivot.
Remember, no feedback is still feedback.
If something isn't working, pivot. Don't quit.
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." — Winston Churchill
Being intentional will get you what you want
For the next 365 days:
- Replace Netflix with books.
- Replace gossip with podcasts.
- Replace scrolling with learning.
- Replace comfort with discipline.
Apply what you learn to a meaningful project.
The easiest way to get ahead in life is to commit to a period of skill development. Set your life as a project.
6-12 months. Pure focus for 2-4 hours a day. Learning and building.
Not just binge watching tutorials, but creating quality projects that you, others, or businesses could actually benefit from.
Most people won’t do it but those who do launch ahead of everyone else.
Thanks for reading.
-Patrick