Choosing a Path in Life
Choosing a path in life can seem daunting for a young man with unlimited options and potential. Or maybe it’s exciting to you. Regardless, deciding how to spend your life is the most important question you can ever ask yourself.
This article was inspired by a brother who asked just that, albeit in different words. He wanted to know if I recommend he go to university or start a business. At first glance you might think I’ll just advise him to start a business. After all, the soul crushing debt for a college degree you won’t use sounds like a waste of time.
But that’s not the whole story, and simplifying it down to that can cause you to drown before you learn to swim.
What about starting a business?
Starting a business is great. Entrepreneurship gives you both creative and financial freedom to do what you want.
But it’s not the right move for everyone. And if you have to ask if you should pursue entrepreneurship or choose another path, the answer is choose another path.
Entrepreneurship, while it comes with many benefits, has many cons as well. Most businesses fail. If you fail, no one will help you. No one will come rescue you. And you’ll have wasted all those hours for nothing.
I’m not saying you can never start a business. You can always start a business. In fact, you shouldn’t feel a need to start your business this second. The average age of an entrepreneur when he starts his business is 42.
If you’re 20, 21, 25, 30, or even 35, you’re below the average age.
But if I start now, I’ll be so successful!
Starting a business young could land you in great success. However, there’s a reason most men are older when they start a business. Reasons like:
- Not as controlled by their lust / sex drive
- Limited social life
- Understanding how businesses work from being an employee
- Established network
- Money in the bank
- Knowing exactly what they want
- Commitment / willing to play the long game
- Expertise + Experience in their chosen field
You’re more likely to start a business when you’re older because of all of these reasons.
Most young men have a powerful sex drive. While this isn’t dead when they’re older if they’re healthy, it’s much more controllable. An older man isn’t worried about “missing out”. All of his friends have families, or kids, and when they do go out it’s a much different setting.
The sexual urges and social opportunities aren’t going to be constantly distracting you when you’re older. Partly because they’re not as in your face, and partly because you’ve already lived life and have more discipline.
All of these points could be explained further as well, but the ones I really want to drive home are the last 3. Choosing a path in life is much harder when you’re young because of all the options. An older man has already had much more experience on his path in life. Because he’s been in his industry for 10, 15, or 20 years, he knows the ins and outs. He knows his market well, he’s already shown commitment to the field he’s chosen, and so he’ much more likely to play the long game.
He’s not having to choose his life path because he’s already been walking it. Starting a business at an older age is just the next step in his evolution.
Do what you can commit to
I’m not saying that entrepreneurship is a bad path for a young man.
It can be the single best choice you’ve ever made.
Or it can be the worst choice you ever made.
It depends on what you can commit to, and how qualified are you to fill the position you want to fill.
- Can you commit to losing out on your 20’s, or 30’s?
- Can you commit to not having a social life and going without sex for dating for periods of time?
- Are you willing to wait 2 or 3 or 4 years before you start making decent money?
- Do you believe in what you’re doing?
- What value are you bringing with your services or product?
- Will people actually pay you?
- What have you done in life to even qualify to fill the position you’re seeking to establish yourself in?
These are the types of questions you need to answer for yourself. If you have even an ounce of doubt, then entrepreneurship isn’t the path you should pursue right now. And that’s okay. Starting a business just to start a business is stupid.
There are people who are fully committed to their business and still fail.
How are you going to be successful if you’re not fully committed?
If you don’t know what you want to do, there’s no way you can be committed to this path.
If you were really going to start a business, if you had what it takes, then you would never ask me or anyone else if it’s the right move. You’d already be doing it.
Don’t worry if you’re not ready to start down this path. Your path in life doesn’t have to be entrepreneurship from day 1. I’ve had jobs and 99% of other entrepreneurs have worked jobs before. That’s how you learn the business. That’s how you actually learn what you like, what you don’t like, and how to actually master your craft.
When people hear about Bill Gates or Steve Jobs they want to drop everything and be like them. But those guys are extreme outliers. For every Gates or Jobs there’s thousands of guys who go broke and fail.
Explore your Interests
If you don’t know exactly what type of business you’re going to start, if you don’t feel qualified to actually provide value to people yet, that’s okay. You’re still early on your life path. It’s not like choosing your life path is this linear thing. Your path in life evolves as you do.
Here’s what you should do instead.
Get life experience and explore your interests. Are you interested in fitness, psychology, engineering, computers, martial arts, skateboarding, web design, sustainability?
Whatever it is that’s fine. Just explore what interests you. Take courses, read books, but then get out in the real world. Get an internship or even volunteer.
Pursue what you’re naturally attracted to
If you really pursue to what you’re naturally attracted to then the path will reveal itself. When what you enjoy, what you believe in, and what you’re naturally good at start to align, then become totally involved.
Be fully involved in what you pick.
If you do this, and especially if you retain your seed, extreme clarity will be granted to you. I can’t stress this enough.
Releasing your seed constantly lowers not only your energy levels but also your intuition. It’s hard to tell what you really like when you don’t have your own essence. Take a few months off of dating and releasing your seed. Retain your life force, and put it fully into your interests. You’ll be able to discern what the right path is for you.
Be Committed
Be committed to your own growth and success. Don’t feel pressured to start a business when you don’t have the qualifications to do so. I don’t mean you need a certificate or degree. But if you know deep down you’re not qualified, then you will give up when things get hard.
Instead of feeling like you need to choose your life path right now, let it unveil itself. What you need to do is simply put all of your energy and attention into your interests. Hone in on something that speaks to you. Work for someone else for a few years or volunteer or whatever is needed to really learn about your craft.
In due time, you’ll gain the experience and wisdom to create your own path. Don’t be attached to the title of employee or entrepreneur or college student or anything. Find something you love, something you’re good at, and something you can commit yourself to. In doing that, your life path will become one of fulfillment, enjoyment, and success.
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