Everyone in life has regrets, and often you’ll here elder people say “Make sure to focus on studies’’ or “Do yoga in the morning because it’s good for you”, and often it’s because they themselves now have these limiting factors hindering their life in some way and don’t want you to make the same mistakes. This is why, early in my life, I noticed I wanted to avoid a life in which I have limiting factors which impede my ability to do certain activities. To me, these limiting factors encompass location, money and health. I express these as limiting factors because they do not provide you freedom. I also want to avoid a life in which I have not influenced or made a meaningful impact. These are the two main things I want to avoid.
When I was still in elementary, after watching Mat Franco on America’s Got Talent, I became obsessed with magic because of the way the audience responded. Each person was in disbelief, I was in awe as well. A few days passed, and I was wondering how cool it would be, if I could replicate that exact emotion, so next day I started practicing for 2 hours each day. Everywhere I would go, whether it be to the mall, or to my cousin’s I’d take my card deck. Shortly after, I started getting good with sleight of hand and proficient in some card tricks. I performed at a low scale first, with just family, then I took it to my friends, and then to parties, to stores, to parks, to libraries. Everywhere! I did this because of the joy I saw on their faces. I’d show my friends on the benches, and soon after during lunch break, more kids, who I didn’t even know came over to see me show a couple of tricks. I was entertaining them, so they were feeling joy, and they were amazed, which is every entertainment specialists dream. I brought this story up because this showed me that I wouldn’t be satisfied living in some place secluded from mainstream society. No, I would want to be on the streets of San Francisco, showing people close-up magic and enjoying every bit of it. This way location would not be a limiting factor, it would complement my love for making people smile. You can be in the right location, but it’s no use if your health is on the decline. Forget which jobs require moving, almost every task requires body movement. Whether it’s doing the dishes, or making your bed, even the most trivial, every day tasks require a healthy body. Time is another thing which many people say they don’t have whether its because of their job, or because they just scroll through social media all day. In my opinion, time and health are great examples of things you can control if you have enough money.
Healthcare. Transportation. Food. Housing. Clothing. These are all problems you face when you don’t have enough money, and to live in an urban place like I’m describing you need the money. From what I’ve observed, money is related to the proportion of value you create. Consumers are looking for value and even employers are looking for value. This is why really successful content creators can make more than a doctor or lawyer, because the creator is providing value through his ideas. People want to read it. It is value. Well how would you create value, if you do not have knowledge about the subject. As Naval Ravikant, CEO of Angellist, once said, you must arm yourself with specific knowledge. Specific knowledge is something society cannot train you for, you learn through your experiences, through your curiosity and your passion. So, to ensure that I don’t have these money problems, I’m doing what I can right now; focusing on creating value,and developing specific knowledge by pursuing my passion, exploring interesting opportunities, and being curious about the world we live in. Steve Jobs once said, ““We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?” This quotation really resonated with me, and this is the one thing I want to pursue in my life; having a legacy, a dent to leave behind, which will come from skills and specific knowledge. I must do this to make sure I don’t regret this much later in my life. A life of regrets is certainly not what anyone wants. So, in short, I want to avoid a life with limiting factors such as money, health, and location which is why I’m doing everything in my control right now to secure a better future for myself and create value and/or a meaningful impact on society.