Sounds exactly like the road every successful entrepreneur is well familiar with.
You look like a fuck up for years and those who love you most tend to be the most discouraging.
And then one day, sometime after you’ve crested that mountain alone, they all say we knew you’d make it happen.
I’ve always had strong opinions, but during my “fuck up” years even my family had no time for it. Something changed when I returned home for thanksgiving one year - somehow it dawned on them that I’d managed to become a success - and rich.
It was like I was in bizarro world. Everyone asked me questions. They listened and took seriously my responses.
I really wasn’t any smarter. And since I don’t like outward signs of wealth I don’t know how they figured it out. But they did.
It took more than a decade of me working my ass off, never a day off, dragging myself forward and they still couldn’t see it - until they did.
If You do anything outside the box - great or small, you’ll fail if you rely on the acclaim or even approval of others. That fact is, perhaps, why we live in such an uninspired society now.
Fuck ‘em. By that I mean - wish them no harm and harbor no resentment, but totally ignore them.
As the old proverb goes, “the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on.”
If you can see a path forward to great things - even if nobody else can see it - run, don’t walk.
Fortunately, along the way you meet kindred spirits. These great people, like one you know well - Craig Ballantyne, are following their own lonely path too. You’ll find in them something more than friendship.
I haven’t seen Craig in years. But I love him and he knows I do. He gets me and roots for my success. The feeling is, of course, mutual.
In a material world the worth of a man is sadly so often measured by materiality. Failure or victory it's really all the one. This to me has always seemed a sin, by that I mean falling short of the target, the true meaning of 'sin' taken from toxoffaly, (archery). No rich man that hasn't a spiritual foundation has ever appeared happy to me, the fail to find the true Goal of life and infill with assumed wealth that cannot truly in their heart of hearts satisfy for long and I've known some billionaires and countless millionaires in my long life. The only one, who was my godfather and J.P.Morgans grandson, Benny G, that seemed to have a modicum of peace and joy towards the end of his life but then he had his inherited fortune conned away from him by those he trusted. I guess loosing everything delivers an opportunity for something else to happen and I believe he went through a series of epiphanies realising that love for his beloved was all that really mattered. Here in Ireland they say, hearses have no tow hitches and funeral shrouds have no pockets. Also, it's a long road that hasn't a turn.
Isn't life fascinating no matter how apparently intriguing or mundane. . . and so short, it all seem to be down to perspective.
I went the "traditional" route of college, but by my late 20's/early 30's I was experiencing the same sort of loneliness you describe, and it persisted until I was well into my 30s. I mention this just to point out that what you are going through is not abnormal, and you are getting through is earlier than most.
Self-confidence is something that can't be reached by a cheat code, and I suspect that by the time you hit 25 you will enjoy the confidence that only comes from achievement bought by your own efforts, and that will put you head and shoulders above your age peers. This is an age where young men are expected to find their own way rather than be shepherded by society, so the best you can do is strive, and with luck this will see you through to the opposing shore.
Funny I was just talking to my Wife about this. I dropped out of College after 2 yrs tried Shoemaking then a Carpentry Apprenticeship at 22yrs old. Had the same reaction people thought I was just messing around. Followed it on with Boatbuilding and those two skills carried me around the world for my whole career. Just retired.
But I invest in myself only (time, food, books, tooling/machinery for fabrication) as well as in activities of people and their off-spring I throroughly know since years to be worth every dime. Direct financial gains for myself are not on the agenda but human development and assisting in building other people's future is the only thing that counts. I consider money not being where it directly (without any intermediary) creates a future for others is wasted effort leading to evil outcomes. Nobody ever has seen a hearse with a trailer or a coffin with a luggage-rack ...
D E C E N T R A L I Z E, create community and regain full control of your assests !!!
The term "lucrative", to me sounds very aggressive and does not bode for a win-win outcome.
That's just my two cents for this kind of issue ...
I was told in my early 20's when looking into occult Spiritual subjects, "If you follow this path the world will turn against you." I guess Christ said it best, "A man cannot serve two masters, a man cannot serve God and Mammon." It goes on about one despising the other etc. St Francais quoted the same to Pope Innocent the II, I think, in the wonderful movie Brother Sun, Sister Moon. Why I mention this is that the mirror holds true, if you live novelty, autonomy, freedom of spirit, if you are other than the status quo you will be held in suspicion and even hated, certainly feared and that which they fear they try to destroy. "Avoid vexations to the Spirit like the plague." or the Hermetic adage, "Those that deem to share with people that which they are neither ready nor willing to hear will again hear the cry, crucify, crucify."
Sounds exactly like the road every successful entrepreneur is well familiar with.
You look like a fuck up for years and those who love you most tend to be the most discouraging.
And then one day, sometime after you’ve crested that mountain alone, they all say we knew you’d make it happen.
I’ve always had strong opinions, but during my “fuck up” years even my family had no time for it. Something changed when I returned home for thanksgiving one year - somehow it dawned on them that I’d managed to become a success - and rich.
It was like I was in bizarro world. Everyone asked me questions. They listened and took seriously my responses.
I really wasn’t any smarter. And since I don’t like outward signs of wealth I don’t know how they figured it out. But they did.
It took more than a decade of me working my ass off, never a day off, dragging myself forward and they still couldn’t see it - until they did.
If You do anything outside the box - great or small, you’ll fail if you rely on the acclaim or even approval of others. That fact is, perhaps, why we live in such an uninspired society now.
Fuck ‘em. By that I mean - wish them no harm and harbor no resentment, but totally ignore them.
As the old proverb goes, “the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on.”
If you can see a path forward to great things - even if nobody else can see it - run, don’t walk.
Fortunately, along the way you meet kindred spirits. These great people, like one you know well - Craig Ballantyne, are following their own lonely path too. You’ll find in them something more than friendship.
I haven’t seen Craig in years. But I love him and he knows I do. He gets me and roots for my success. The feeling is, of course, mutual.
{...are following their own lonely path too...}
If you are at peace with yourself, best trip ever !!!
In a material world the worth of a man is sadly so often measured by materiality. Failure or victory it's really all the one. This to me has always seemed a sin, by that I mean falling short of the target, the true meaning of 'sin' taken from toxoffaly, (archery). No rich man that hasn't a spiritual foundation has ever appeared happy to me, the fail to find the true Goal of life and infill with assumed wealth that cannot truly in their heart of hearts satisfy for long and I've known some billionaires and countless millionaires in my long life. The only one, who was my godfather and J.P.Morgans grandson, Benny G, that seemed to have a modicum of peace and joy towards the end of his life but then he had his inherited fortune conned away from him by those he trusted. I guess loosing everything delivers an opportunity for something else to happen and I believe he went through a series of epiphanies realising that love for his beloved was all that really mattered. Here in Ireland they say, hearses have no tow hitches and funeral shrouds have no pockets. Also, it's a long road that hasn't a turn.
Isn't life fascinating no matter how apparently intriguing or mundane. . . and so short, it all seem to be down to perspective.
💖🙏💫
Take heart Maxim.
I went the "traditional" route of college, but by my late 20's/early 30's I was experiencing the same sort of loneliness you describe, and it persisted until I was well into my 30s. I mention this just to point out that what you are going through is not abnormal, and you are getting through is earlier than most.
Self-confidence is something that can't be reached by a cheat code, and I suspect that by the time you hit 25 you will enjoy the confidence that only comes from achievement bought by your own efforts, and that will put you head and shoulders above your age peers. This is an age where young men are expected to find their own way rather than be shepherded by society, so the best you can do is strive, and with luck this will see you through to the opposing shore.
Funny I was just talking to my Wife about this. I dropped out of College after 2 yrs tried Shoemaking then a Carpentry Apprenticeship at 22yrs old. Had the same reaction people thought I was just messing around. Followed it on with Boatbuilding and those two skills carried me around the world for my whole career. Just retired.
I’m always impressed with your maturity, insight, and excellent writing. What you are doing is way harder than college on many levels. Good for you!!
self-employed, -sufficient, -reliant, -responsible, -aware, etc., etc. ...
https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/elite-universities-are-over
Thanks for caring !!!👍👍👍
But I invest in myself only (time, food, books, tooling/machinery for fabrication) as well as in activities of people and their off-spring I throroughly know since years to be worth every dime. Direct financial gains for myself are not on the agenda but human development and assisting in building other people's future is the only thing that counts. I consider money not being where it directly (without any intermediary) creates a future for others is wasted effort leading to evil outcomes. Nobody ever has seen a hearse with a trailer or a coffin with a luggage-rack ...
D E C E N T R A L I Z E, create community and regain full control of your assests !!!
The term "lucrative", to me sounds very aggressive and does not bode for a win-win outcome.
That's just my two cents for this kind of issue ...
I was told in my early 20's when looking into occult Spiritual subjects, "If you follow this path the world will turn against you." I guess Christ said it best, "A man cannot serve two masters, a man cannot serve God and Mammon." It goes on about one despising the other etc. St Francais quoted the same to Pope Innocent the II, I think, in the wonderful movie Brother Sun, Sister Moon. Why I mention this is that the mirror holds true, if you live novelty, autonomy, freedom of spirit, if you are other than the status quo you will be held in suspicion and even hated, certainly feared and that which they fear they try to destroy. "Avoid vexations to the Spirit like the plague." or the Hermetic adage, "Those that deem to share with people that which they are neither ready nor willing to hear will again hear the cry, crucify, crucify."
☘ Mtn blessings Matt to you and yours.
💖🙏💫
It's not lonely when you're chained to an oar in the slave galley. They're also not happy.