Challenge the status quo:

Challenge the status quo.

Challenge the way things have been done.

Do not conform to what society has told you is true.

Everything is impermanent and is always changing.

You have the ability to create and inspire that change.

Reading this book by Napolean Hill right now called ‘How to Own your own mind.’ It’s a prelude to Think and Grow Rich which is the most influential book of my life.

It changed the direction of my life. It made me come up with a vision and obsession that has guided me the last few years.

The underlying message of How to own your mind is you need ‘Creative Vision.’ You need those who challenge the way things have been done and invent new ways of living. He makes the argument that every single one of us has that ability in us, just that most of us choose not to use the most powerful asset in human history, the brain.

Think about this. Everything conceived in the world right now, besides nature, was created by the brain. It was created by someone’s idea and persistence to create a reality that he/she wanted to see, and who stopped at nothing until they could see that reality. Steve Jobs did it with the Iphone. Elon is doing it with rocket ships that can be reused. Henry Ford did it with the car. Thomas Edison did it with lightbulbs. Norman Bourlag did it by inventing new wheat varieties that saved over a billion people worldwide from starvation.

All of these people at some point in their life started with a vision to build something that didn’t exist. They didn’t stop in the face of criticism or failure, they kept going. You can be sure they faced a ton of failure along the way but their obsession with their vision was so great that they persisted and humanity is better because of it.

They didn’t assume other people could solve the problems so they did it themselves. They invested their time and energy into solving problems that seemed impossible. They challenged the status quo and refused to take no for an answer.

This is how I feel these days. How do you challenge the status quo of what people believe is possible?

I want to become the best investor of this generation while giving all my ideas away for free. Most of the smartest people in the world waste their lives away at hedge funds, institutions, or big tech companies by getting paid tons of money to live by the status quo. 

I want to change all of that.

I want to figure out a way to change the world for the better through investing. Use the power of the Internet to share your ideas with as many people around the world as possible.

It starts with me. It starts with investing in myself because how am I supposed to change the world if I can’t change myself? I’ve begun the work of doing that already the last few years, but there’s still a long way to go.

To become one of the best in the world is a very bold statement. 

Do you really believe you can do it? 1000%. 

Why not me?

People have told me I don’t have the financial background, I don’t have the experience, I don’t have the insight, I don’t have the understanding of how the system works, etc.

All those statements are just opinions, not facts. 

Who cares about their opinion? Not me.

The fact is I’ve been able to live a life unlike anyone else and achieved some type of success every step of the way. I skipped a grade when I was 5. I got into medical school at 16. I moved to another continent at 17. I got a venture capital job out of university at 23. I possibly predicted a market crash at 25.

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It’s extremely possible I will never achieve this goal, but it will not be for lack of trying.

It’s time to challenge the status quo. To show the world how the impossible is possible. Why can’t I create a media empire while becoming the best investor in the world? The only person that’s stopping me from achieving this goal is myself, no one else. Everything is in my control. I know what the path looks like, I can see it.

Create a podcast company like the Ringer. Start with podcasting your own writing. Create different podcasts depending on the subject area (one for VC/business, one for writing, one for your journal, etc.). Then create multiple podcasts that are just translations in different languages (one for Mandarin, Hindi, French, Spanish, Portugese, Arabic, etc.) Once the podcast is done, take the audio and pay an amazing animator to create awesome Youtube videos. Start a newsletter where you share what you’re reading and thinking about every week ala Tim Ferris. Start a subscription service where people pay whatever they are comfortable with ala Sam Harris. Do AMAs on different platforms for charity. Invest in start-ups ala what you’re doing right now. Analyze public companies and post a simple one-page analysis on why you’re investing in each company ala Chamath. Do different events/provide time to different causes you’re passionate about.

Continue to write. Continue to share ideas, no matter how terrible they may seem to you. Remember, no one cares about you. People are too stuck in their own heads to pay attention to what you’re doing so just do you.

Through it all, never be afraid to speak your mind. Challenge those at the top. The hedge funds and institutions that have robbed people of trillions of dollars through illegal and shady tactics, never stop talking about them. As per Nicolas Nassim Taleb, if you see fraud and do not say fraud, you are a fraud.

I will never be a fraud.

Do not compromise on who you are no matter how much attention you receive. Remember, when you challenge the status quo and are successful, people start watching your every move. Don’t let the attention affect you, as much as it will. Continue to focus on the work. Focus on the job. Forget about the outcomes, they’re not important. The work and impact are what’s most important.

There will be many times of failure. There will be moments where you want to give up. There will be people who hate you and what you’re doing. There will be people who will discredit you. There may be articles written about you and how terrible you are.

Forget about it. Be thankful for your haters. It means you’re doing something right with your life.

Just because something hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

The world is your oyster. Go make your mark on it.

Keep challenging the status quo.