44 min read.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 – Introduction
Chapter 2 – Clock’s Ticking
Chapter 3 – What’s Your Why?
Chapter 4 – Fine-Tuning Your Mind
Chapter 5 – The Journey Begins
Chapter 6 – Reflecting On the Journey
Chapter 7 – Living Up to Your Potential
Chapter 8 – Simplicity
Chapter 9 – What Life Is All About

Chapter 1 – Introduction

Listen. This book might change your life. At the very least, it will throw you in the right direction. We tend to get sucked into our professional careers doing everything in our power to chase money. Yet, we never take a step back and assess why we are chasing it in the first place. To survive? Who says you need to be stressed and work around the clock to survive? There is usually an easier option in life that we aren’t told about. That easier option is what is going to be discussed throughout this book.

Chasing your curiosities.

If working up the corporate ladder is your vibe, that’s cool. But if you want more out of your life than just sitting at a desk all day, start exploring the things that interest you. Ever wanted to learn an instrument? Ever wanted to summit a mountain? Ever wanted to bungee jump off a bridge? All these things would give us a much deeper appreciation of life. Yet, we find ourselves working until we are old and grumpy. And when we reach the age of retirement, doing these things sounds far less appealing. Money becomes a never-ending quest that could be better spent living.

You must understand that whatever you choose to do in your life is your decision. When you’re old and wrinkly, don’t start blaming others for all the things you missed out on because you were only focused on making money. Take responsibility for your life. Take it in the direction you want. Not want society wants—what you want. Travel around the world for five years? Do it. Do whatever interests you and live a life you are proud of when you look back on the adventure.

What are you waiting for?

Chapter 2 – Clock’s Ticking

You can work so hard for years of your life and become the richest man on the planet. Yet, with all the money earned, you can’t buy back the time you spent in the trenches. Sure, still apply yourself and work hard for the lifestyle you desire but understand that there is an end to everything. The ending is what makes the middle so enjoyable. If life never ended, what would be the exciting part?

For some of you, that is a scary thought. You let that thought dominate you and, consequently, live in fear. For the rest of us, it’s exciting. Making the most out of every day because we know that at some point, it will all come to an end. All those stressful moments and times of pure bliss—the good, the bad, and the ugly—will all come to an end sooner or later.

Nobody can make you live a more exciting life other than yourself. Think back to a moment that was scary at first, and you said to yourself, ‘Why are you doing this?’ Yet as soon as you did it, you felt free. You felt alive. The intense feeling you get from stepping out of your comfort zone and challenging yourself creates memories that you look back on with a deep sense of gratitude for overcoming the mental barrier that tried to get in the way of you living your life.

As Wayne Gretzky once said, ‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.’ All the things you regret later in life come from the things you didn’t do, not the things you did do. Most of us never take risks because we fear failure. But we ignore the fact that time stops for no one. You can keep putting things off, but eventually, it will become too late to do what you had always put off. Think of all the new opportunities, people, and passions you could discover from just chasing your curiosities. You could have become a completely different person.

Listen, nobody can buy more time in life. The billionaire has twenty-four hours in a day. The homeless man has twenty-four hours in a day. Stop and have a think to yourself: ‘How am I spending my twenty-four hours?’ Are you forced to wake up criminally early, travel thirty minutes while sweating on a train, only to sit in an office all day, feeling bored out of your mind?

Stop waiting for that magic wand to drop out of the sky and grant you unlimited amounts of money. News flash, it isn’t dropping. You must own your time in the day and spend it wisely. Step back for a moment and assess where you want to go in life. Get clear on what it is that will get you there, and what it is that’s holding you back.

Make short-term sacrifices for long-term success. Put the binge-watching on hold while you figure things out. Put the video games on pause while you figure things out. There needs to be some time for you to focus on what you want, and how you plan to get it. Listen, if you are applying yourself day in, day out, and you want to kick back and relax for the rest of the night, that’s completely fine. It’s just getting done what it is you need to get done every day. You don’t need to pile crazy amounts of work in. You do what works for you. If you really aren’t happy with where you are, then crank up the intensity for a period. Only you know how hard to press your foot on the gas. It varies for each of us.

When you reflect on how you have been spending your time every day, you will likely begin to see how there is usually time to kill, yet it is wasted on things that take you no closer to where you want to be. If you want to earn money online and travel the world, start devoting some time to creating an online income. If you want to learn a different language, set aside ten minutes a day and learn some new vocabulary. Whatever your vibe is, start with the thing you are curious about doing, and do it! Life’s too short to be heading in the wrong direction.

But hey, don’t expect change to happen overnight. Things take time to get better. Nothing would be rewarding if we never had to work for it. So, stay in for the ride, apply yourself every day, and just put one foot in front of the other. Everything will work itself out; it’s just a matter of time.

Also, don’t be anal about getting ‘there.’ Let your ‘there’ be a never-ending quest that leads you down tonnes of different adventures, experiencing all aspects that life has to offer. Never be satisfied with where you are. Be grateful. Not satisfied. Gratitude allows you to appreciate all that you have. Never being satisfied allows you to keep chasing your curiosities.

Understand the perspective that life has a beginning and an end. It’s better that way. It should inspire you to make more out of your life than just sitting around waiting to win the lottery. Because you have already won it. You are alive in this world. The opportunities are out there for you. It all starts when you begin chasing your curiosities.

If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you spend the money on? Society will tell you to get all these materialistic things. But the true value comes from memories. Memories are priceless. That trip you take to a tropical island and the coconut water you drink with your pals while watching the sunset? That’s the stuff you look back on when you’re old and grumpy. So, savour life. Have urgency. Time stops for nobody. What are you waiting for?

Oh, one last thing before we move on, take a break from social media. All the things you see on there are from people who have either already ‘made it’ or are just faking it. If you aren’t in a position where you can travel the world and do what you want yet, spend time making it happen instead of watching others who have already done it. You will get there. But the journey is tough, so constantly seeing those who are steps ahead of you may discourage you. Will it inspire you? Sure, look at it and let it fuel your determination to make the same happen for you. Maybe the travel lifestyle isn’t your vibe. Maybe you want to run pottery classes in a small village. Just chase your curiosity, and if you feel social media is making you lose touch with where you are in your journey, take a break from it. Social media won’t show you the come-up. The times when these people who are sipping a pina colada on the beach were in their tiny bedroom trying to start a business. Remember that. You have to stay in your own lane. You will get there.

Clock’s ticking.
Chapter 3 – What’s Your Why?

Often, we go through life, and there are hurdles it puts in front of us to leap over. Yet, we never step back and ask the question, why? Why do we have this job? Why do we care so much about rejection? Why do we spend so much time trying to impress others? Why are we on the life path we are on?

Many people avoid asking these questions. Why? Because when you ask your brain a question, it has to give you an answer. And most of you know that if you dig in and ask why, it will reveal the main reason you do what you’re doing: you are addicted to comfort. You do not want to risk anything because you fear losing everything.

Ever stepped back and considered what you already have? A secure 9-5? A secure income? A repeat subscription for Netflix? A weekly order for pizza? The reason you are so stuck is that you are not even aware of the other potential lifestyle you could be living. Okay, fine, some of you are. Except you struggle to comprehend how you could go about achieving it.

Let’s talk about the word why for a second.

‘Why’ is something that can help us or harm us.

We can constantly ask why we do things and consequently do nothing. Or we could always ask why we do things and then live a life of only doing what we want in that exact moment.

Do you have your dream life planned out? It’s all rosy and beautiful, isn’t it? To you, it may sound like a fairy-tale, but if you have not heard it before, that life, however big or small, is possible to achieve. Even if it is the most outrageously lavish life, you can get it.

Maybe this is the first time you are hearing that. And life does a great job at making us feel like our dreams are too far out of reach. You see the 1% who are sitting up at the top with their champagne and sparkling water, and you feel that would never be you. Or maybe that isn’t even your vibe. Maybe you just want to earn enough money online so you can travel the world and live your life without being so tied down.

But first and foremost, you need to be aware of why you are doing what you are doing. If you love it, great! But if you aren’t happy with what you’re doing and you never stepped back and asked why you started doing this job in the first place, start exploring your curiosities.

Listen, you don’t need to set the bar insanely high and demand that you become financially free in a short amount of time. But get clear on what it is you want and change your relationship with money. You can make money from anything. Money is just an exchange of value. So, if you get clear on what it is you want, you can figure out the money side of things afterwards.

Oftentimes, the place we find ourselves in life is a by-product of the education system we have gone through. We went to primary school, secondary school, graduated college/ university, and have been stuck in the same office job ever since. Never once asking the question of why we are doing this! On the contrary, some of you may have never graduated college and have been working for as long as you can remember. This is not to say you shouldn’t work or that working for someone else is a bad thing. But there is a different way you can go about earning money. People online make it sound like a scam by advertising their supposed secret hacks. But it just takes hard work, and you can make it happen for yourself. Again, it is important to emphasise that if you enjoy your office job, that is amazing! But for a lot of you, it may not be what you want right now. And you just need to take that step out of your comfort zone to try something new—something that interests you.

We all have the power to write our own stories. Each one of our stories will be unique to us. That is how it is meant to be. But remember, it is your life story. Not anybody else’s life story that they want you to live. You decide the life you want to live. And if you don’t have a clue about what story you want to live, that is fine! You don’t have to know exactly what it is you want to do. That is why this book is about chasing your curiosities. Follow the things that interest you, and maybe one of them will blossom into a deep passion. Or maybe some will be short-lived interests that you pursue. But only from chasing these curiosities are we able to cultivate an understanding of who we are, what we want, and where we’re heading. So start with asking why you are currently doing what you’re doing and whether or not you want to continue doing what you’re doing.

On a deep psychological level, we might think we have been doing what we want to be doing, but when you dig deeper and deeper, it might reveal that even though you have enjoyed the years of your professional career, it was all rooted in this fear of judgement and being left out of the tribe. Sure, some people might frown upon the fact that you’re leaving a secure job to go out, earn less at the start but do what you want. Since when did money become such a prominent factor in deciding what you should do? It appears that the idea of money buying happiness has become so rooted in western society. Money allows for a lot of freedom, but when do you actually plan on exercising that freedom that money is providing you?

Bringing awareness to asking the question of why is a great first step to becoming clearer on what it is you want to be doing. If you don’t know what your why is and you just feel lost, don’t worry. It might take a while for things to make sense, but having the question linger in your thoughts will help it be answered sooner or later. You can also set aside some time, perhaps five minutes in the day, to just sit outside and intently stare into the trees while you slowly breathe in and out through your nose. Whatever your vibe of switching off and relaxing is, it’ll help you gain some clarity on the direction of where you want to head towards.

Chapter 4 – Fine-Tuning Your Mind

You have probably heard online that if your why is strong enough, you’ll find a way. Granted, we discussed why in the context of why you are doing what you are doing. And sure, if you create this super-strong why you want to do something great for the world, then it would fuel you to do just that. But, regardless of whether you have a why or not, if you just want to work less and travel more or whatever new curiosity you have decided you want to chase, it will involve some work at the start. If you want to become a full-time writer, you need to write. If you want to become an athlete, you need to train.
Most of us don’t end up doing what we want to be doing because the journey of getting there is always thrown with hurdles and obstacles we need to overcome. This should not be viewed negatively; after all the work you put in, the reward wouldn’t mean anything if there were no challenges involved. So, regardless of what curiosity you wish to explore, you want to mentally prepare yourself for the road ahead.

Maybe in your situation, you will still be working in your current job and squeezing out the work on this curiosity in your spare time. The road ahead varies for us all, but the work entailed remains constant among all ventures.

You will have some days where you are tired. You will have some days where you want to throw in the towel. The journey to crafting the life of your dreams takes hard work, consistency, and patience. Unfortunately, we don’t know the exact date when
things will take off. Sure, we can set goals for ourselves and work hard towards them. But maybe things will grow faster than expected. We can’t predict the future; we can only do what is right in front of us every day and make success inevitable.

Be aware that mentally, you will be put through your paces. The biggest thing to digest is that nobody cares about your why. Nobody really cares. What this means is that it is all on you. If you want it, then you must go make it happen. You must push the needle further forward every day because everyone only thinks about themselves. Don’t let this deter you from getting stuck in. But understand that you shouldn’t expect everyone to constantly be there for you, cheering you all the way to the finish line. The ones that do are special. But listen, most of the people you know will be focusing on themselves. You don’t need to make a lot of noise about what you’re doing. Take action in silence. Let them wonder what you’re up to. They’ll hear all about it sooner or later. But the most important thing for your mindset is focus. It doesn’t matter if you have a full-time job, and you’re working on this curiosity in your spare time. Focus. That is what you’re doing. They say those at the top have this incredible ability to be totally present at whatever it is they are doing in that moment. When you’re working on your curiosity, work on your curiosity. When you’re hanging with friends, relax and enjoy. Everything will come to fruition, but you must have a supreme focus on whatever the task at hand is.

Social media is an easy way to lose focus—an easy way to start comparing your journey to others. Remember, you are exactly where you need to be right now. It doesn’t matter where others are at. You see some of them at the top drinking their pina colada on the beach? Sweet. You aren’t there yet. Yet. You will be soon. But the less focused you are, the longer it’ll take. So, don’t go aimlessly scrolling like everyone else for no reason. Be conscious of your social-media consumption.

Now, you may encounter some people who like what you’re doing and give you a helping hand along the way. But who is the person that will be there from start to finish? You. Acknowledge this. Digest this truth. Don’t make it bigger than it has to be. Sure, it will be a battle. But you don’t have to put so much pressure on yourself to make it happen. Just set out what needs to be done and do it. Don’t question it. The more time you spend hyping it up, the more stressful the journey will be. And the journey is meant to be the best part.

Lots of people say, ‘when your “why” is bigger than yourself, it will give you that extra push when you just don’t feel like doing anything.’ But your why doesn’t have to be that serious. It’s enough if all you want to do is experience life fully for what it has to offer. Sweet. Some days you feel like crap? Take a day off. Most of these people that are so serious and intense trying to get you to work non-stop and grind until you hate life are making it harder than it has to be. Look, if you want to become the CEO of a huge corporation, that would take a lot of work. But if you want to create an online income, you can just put in some hours each day, and it will happen sooner or later.

Another thing is that we all start somewhere. You can start chasing one curiosity and then explore another and so on. Maybe one of those curiosities leads to a deep passion, which then leads to an income you could never have dreamed of. But just get ready now to be in that mindset where you are disciplined and do the work. It really does not need to be crazy hours. It just has to be something. As the saying goes, ‘something is better than nothing.’ So do a little every day, and sooner or later things will come together.

You will rarely, if ever, feel one hundred percent. You will fluctuate between feeling lazy, decent, and good. But aside from the first day or two, that perfect feeling will fade away quickly. You shouldn’t overthink this either. Just do the work no matter how you feel. Perhaps you work harder some days than others—that’s fine.

Most books on the topic of success try to illustrate this dark, demonic place you have to go into to achieve any degree of success. You have to understand that there are several different ways to go about achieving the same outcome. If the hustle mentality is your vibe and it’s required to get you up off the ground, then, by all means, go for it. It doesn’t seem to be the most sustainable approach, but for some people, it gives them a jumpstart to cultivate the discipline needed to put in consistent work towards their curiosity. But for most of us, there is no need to go into a dark, intense space to achieve things. We can just make a realistic plan that is slightly ambitious as it’s always great to push the edge slightly. Then just execute daily.

Listen, if you chase your curiosities and do earn an incredible amount of money from doing so, that’s awesome. The positive impact you could have on the world from this endeavour is an amazing thing. If that idea of being able to help others gives you an extra bit of strength to keep going when you feel like quitting, then use it! We all have tools in our toolboxes to give us the spark we need to carry on. However, the best tool you can have is not taking it too seriously. Just chase your curiosities. Simple as. Don’t complicate the uncomplicated.

It is also useful to cover the other components that will help you feel better along the journey and give you a positive boost in your life. Exercise. Again, circling back to this concept of ‘hustle’ and all this nonsense. You don’t need to exercise until you feel like you’re going to puke. You don’t need to exercise every day. Lift some weights three times a week. Go on a walk once a day. This idea that we need to slam our bodies daily and push ourselves to the max is this absurd way of viewing life in a far more intense way than it needs to be. Some days you don’t feel like exercising? Cool, don’t exercise. It really makes no difference whatsoever if you have days off or you drop the intensity. After all, those who care the most are the ones who are still stuck trying to impress other people. Remember, stay in your own lane. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone. You are just exploring the things that interest you—chasing your curiosities. You don’t need this intense ‘why’ that’s bigger than you. You don’t need to exercise till you faint every day. Oh. And another thing. You don’t need to spend time meditating every single day. Sure, it doesn’t hurt if that’s your vibe. But there is the simplest alternative you can do instead, which works in a very similar way. Don’t go on your phone first thing in the morning. Leave it alone when you eat breakfast and get on with the day. Watch how you will be in a moving meditation. Just enjoy the journey. Do the work and apply yourself. The results will come. Be impatiently patient.

Success comes from taking action on things you are curious about and doing things that excite you. Sure, we all get scared, and for some things, the fear will be bigger than others. But just do the things that interest you, and you will live a successful life. It doesn’t matter how big or small the thing is. Do it. Emotionally, you may start to see others who don’t support what you’re doing with your life. That’s their problem, not yours. You don’t need to change for anyone. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone. Just do you, and the right people will be in your life at the right moments. If people fade away, that’s fine. Don’t fight what is. Just be true to yourself; that’s the most important thing.

Let’s also discuss something important too. The way you talk to yourself. If you constantly have a negative self-dialogue with yourself, thinking you can’t do this or shouldn’t do that, it will directly impact the choices you make. Instead, encourage yourself. Take risks. Tell yourself to give it a go. What’s the worst thing that could happen? As they say, ‘A life of “oh wells” is better than a life of “what ifs.”’ Have an encouraging, positive self-dialogue because that way, you will end up doing things that will make you grow. That will make you happy. If something scares you, do it anyway. The fear won’t go away. But striving to live a fearless life will lead to many memories. If you do chicken out, don’t be hard on yourself. Take a deep breath and move on. Won’t go off your mind? Run a hot bath with Epsom salts. Go on a walk in nature. Let it go. Don’t make the same mistake twice.

When you start taking action and see results, you best not let that imposter syndrome get the better of you. Don’t think you are not deserving of success. You are! We are all the same people. Those at the top do often say that they still struggle with the success they’ve been rewarded. But if you work hard and apply yourself, understand that every bit of success you achieve is well deserved. The world is filled with opportunities now, thanks to the new age of social media. Don’t let your potential be limited by how much you believe you deserve. Let it happen. Don’t fight it. Focus on providing value to others, and money will come as a by-product.

Look, you should have an idea of what the challenge will be ahead. But don’t let this scare you; let it excite you. Cool, I’m learning. Cool, I’m improving as a human being. Cool, I’m chasing my curiosities. Just focus on the task at hand, put one foot in front of the other, and success becomes inevitable. Don’t pay attention to the hustlers who make everything so intense because even though they seem to be at the top, it’s clear they don’t know how to enjoy themselves. It’s clear they never learnt how to enjoy themselves. You should be enjoying yourself right now, regardless of where you are at. You’re alive! You are here on this planet. Just relax, take action, and chase your curiosities.

Chapter 5 – The Journey Begins

Cool. Now, you begin the journey. Whatever your situation allows for, whether that’s working in the morning or night, start setting aside some time to think of the things that interest you. Things that you think would be good fun if you gave them a go.

Best to keep the phone on airplane mode when you do this. Remember, you want to be making your own decisions. It’s easy to get subconsciously distracted by the outside world and what they have planned for you. Focus.

Don’t get too caught up in trying to do a million different things. As Rumi once said, ‘When you are everywhere, you are nowhere. When you are somewhere, you are everywhere.’ Go deep on 1-3 things and start getting an understanding of how you could learn these curiosities. Sure, it’s not rocket science to know that if you want to do something, you have to do the thing. But when we tie in the curiosity to monetisation, we should have an idea of how we could earn money from it. Writing? Start with a blog. Video editing? Start creating videos. It is suggested that you focus on 1-3 things, but if you begin to lose interest in one, then don’t force it. Again, it all circles back to chasing curiosities. If you are no longer curious, move on. There is still a line to be drawn between making a decision and deciding it’s not for you. They say, ‘successful people make decisions quickly and change their minds slowly. Unsuccessful people make decisions slowly and change their minds quickly.’ So have a think, decide, and take action.

The biggest mistake you can make is taking too long to get started. If you want to become a writer, start writing! The longer you try to think of all the intricate ways to become a writer, the more it will slow you down. Learn on the job. Fail on the job. Just execute, and you will grow with time. You will never have a perfect plan; you just have to churn out lots of work, accept it will not be your best, and then improve it. This applies to anything in life. Don’t try to be perfect before getting started. Just start now and get perfect later.

So, let’s imagine that you have started to take action on your curiosity. It’s fun and exciting. You’re flowing well. You’re digging the vibe. Then a couple of days in, the first distraction presents itself. Your friend asks you to come chill for the evening. You cultivated this great momentum but feel weird saying no so you can work on this curiosity. You’re enjoying the flow, so you say, ‘not tonight,’ and your friend gets angry with you. See, you have to be aware that you cannot expect your friend to understand what it is that you’re doing. It’s your thing. Your curiosity. Your desire. Not theirs. Listen, maybe when they ask to chill, you feel like relaxing, so you go over and relax. The point is, you shouldn’t feel pressured to sit back if you want to sit forward. Do what feels right for you. Not for anybody else. If they try to bring you down for doing what you want to do? Then it’s worth questioning what kind of friendship you’re involved in. Friends should be there to support each other and build each other up. Not knock each other and bring each other down. If your friends don’t support or encourage you, then you can just have an open conversation with them. Tell them that this means a lot to you, and you really want to give it a go. They’ll probably respect it. It is said that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Therefore, if you want to go and do amazing things but all your friends are lazy, then how will that affect you? There are so many different ways to view it. Ultimately, your friends are your friends. It shouldn’t be a big deal if you are doing something different from the rest of the pack. They should admire you for doing your own thing. But to think you must ditch them because they don’t work as hard as you do is zooming too far into the picture. Zoom out and realise that friends are there for you. The friends you have before you take off are the friends who will be there if you fall down. If you ditch them to make friends at the top and then fall down, those friends probably won’t be there for you anymore.

You will start to see the sacrifices needed, both big and small, in your journey to allow you to get to the destination. At times, it will test you. It will frustrate you. It all goes back to the hurdles and obstacles you need to overcome in order to reach the finish line. What makes it so difficult is that you are alone. You must do all the work yourself, and nobody is going to push the needle further forward for you. But if you have friends who support and encourage you, that’s a big help. If you take time to relax in a hot bath with Epsom salts, that’s a big help. Just don’t make it a bigger deal than it needs to be. Again, don’t complicate the uncomplicated. Do the work consistently, and the results will come.

Another great addition is having a mentor. Having someone who’s been in your shoes before who can help guide you and keep you on track is one of the most valuable things to prevent you from getting lost in your journey. You may be thinking, ‘Well, I can’t afford to pay a mentor right now.’ You don’t necessarily have to pay in money. Some potential mentors may be friends of your parents or younger entrepreneurs you know of that are a couple of years ahead of you and would be happy to have a monthly call to help guide you. For some, just the act of helping someone else may be the reward. Others might just want you to act on whatever it is they suggest based on their experience. Mentors are out there in abundance. As they say, ‘When the student is ready, the master will appear.’ When it comes to having a mentor, you must value them highly. You must be willing to not only listen but implement whatever it is they suggest. Do they recommend you read a book? Read it. Show them that you respect their time and experience. Approach them with value. See how you can help them out.
Have the mindset of ‘how can I give to others?’ instead of ‘what can I take from others?’

Let’s fast-forward to two weeks into your new curiosity. You are struggling to find that motivation to go and devote the time to doing this thing that, at the start, was super-interesting to you. Well, here’s something you should know. Motivation is a myth. Motivation is a myth because you base everything you do on when you feel like doing it. The secret that those at the top rely on is discipline. Relying on discipline means, come rain or shine, you will do the task. Even when you don’t have that ‘motivation,’ you do the task anyway. Most of us are not aware of this and simply only do a task when we get that burst of motivation. What does this lead to? Huge inconsistency. What is the best-known way to achieve anything? Hard work and consistency. Listen, don’t think you need to be cruel to yourself. If you can’t bear what you’re doing, you should probably consider doing something else. But if you do enjoy what you’re doing, and it just sometimes sounds more appealing to watch TV than to take action on your curiosity, try practising your discipline muscle. Everything in life is a muscle. The more reps you do, the stronger you become at it.

A great way to improve your discipline is to focus on doing simple tasks consistently. For example, every single day, you must now make your bed. Even if you are in the biggest rush or not in the mood, make your bed. This practice will instil discipline. After you wake up, do some yoga for a few minutes and focus on your breathing. These are two easy examples that, if you follow them, will soon become a habit. But relying on when you feel like doing them will never blossom into something you do regularly. Then engaging in these types of disciplines will naturally trickle over into other aspects of your life. This is what creates confidence in yourself.

See, lots of us believe that some of us are born confident, and some of us are not. This is not true. Confidence comes from taking action and, consequently, believing in ourselves. If you say that for the next thirty days, you are going to take a cold shower every day and follow up on that task, you are going to be far more confident in yourself to then execute a morning run for thirty days after that. The reason is that you set yourself a challenge and followed up on it. And the more and more of these you do, the more you believe in your ability to follow through with promises you make to yourself. The more confidence you instil in yourself, the easier those things that scare you, such as public speaking, become. Sure, they will be viewed as a challenge, but because you are confident in yourself, it’s a challenge you will take on just like any other challenge.

This journey we all embark on is different for each of us. The length of the road to ‘success’ varies. This is a good thing. What fun would it be if we knew exactly when our success would come? The mystery and adventure of going after, not knowing if you will wake up the next day and everything changing, are exhilarating.

Many shy away from it as they don’t view it as an adventure; they view it as a mundane task. A mundane task is sitting at an office for 40 hours a week, knowing that nothing in your life is going to change. Does that scare you? Staying the exact same person you have always been your whole life? Would you not rather be someone who takes risks, goes on adventures, and rides the rollercoaster of life, not knowing where they will end up but having faith everything will work itself out because that’s just how life works? This not only makes you grow, but it opens you up to growth. When you are attached to a secure office job and secure pay check and secure life, you are closed off to opportunities that will make you grow as you are still living within that comfort bubble. Only when you open up and expand your capabilities of yourself and the world can you begin to see all these different avenues you can explore, and then new ones to discover are presented to you. Chase. Your. Curiosities.

Here, going back to the curiosity you’re chasing. Let’s use writing a book as an example. You have persevered and have finished your first draft and are going over the words you have written. You get that excited feeling rush through your body as you realise that this book will be a hit. You just have that feeling pulse through your body as you go over the book several times, making slight adjustments. Then you hire a book editor to help you out, and they love it. They are rooting for you as you begin selling the book. You start to publish videos online, appear on podcasts, and as time goes on, you build a big name for yourself and have sold thousands of copies of your book! So many five-star reviews of everybody saying, ‘Amazing read, couldn’t put the book down’ (Do that for this book btw, please). Suddenly, the book has blown up, and you begin to be invited to do interviews on major platforms with major hosts. As time goes on, you receive a letter in the mail. A huge Hollywood producer wants to turn your book into a film! You are invited to work on set and are now part of a Hollywood movie! You meet the partner of your dreams on set, and you travel the world together. Whilst in all these countries, you are brought along to amazing events and sit pitch side for the World Cup final. You visit beautiful islands with some of the world’s most exclusive people. Then, you and your partner have a child. And you settle in a beautiful area and raise an incredible family. They go on to be super successful in their own unique ways, and next thing you know, you are holding your grandchild in your arms, looking back on what was a never-ending adventure where you did not know what lay ahead, but you kept riding the wave of life. Re-read this paragraph. Are you going to start chasing your curiosities?

Let this be one of the infinite examples that can happen from exploring the things that interest you. But we cannot leave out the other side of the coin. Because life always goes through ups and downs along the journey. So, of course, we must also understand that along the adventure will also be upsets but when we view every good or bad thing that happens in our lives as a lesson to be learnt, it completely changes the perspective from which we view it. Take, for example, a family member becoming sick. This is one of the most heart-breaking things anyone has to go through. And at the time, we can think, ‘why is this happening to me?’ But as soon as we flip it to ‘how is this happening for me?’, we swap the angle from which we view the situation. This can be much harder to do when facing life-or-death situations. If a family member is sick, life may tell you to spend more time with your loved ones and cut back on how much you see your friends over your family. If you are in a life-or-death situation yourself, maybe it is life giving you a second chance to go out and live your dreams. Whilst shifting perspective can prove very challenging, we all have the power to do it. So even during tough times, it can help provide clarity on a situation no matter how tough it may be to find it. None of us know what life really is, what we are all really doing here. But just enjoy it while you can, be kind to others, and do things that interest you and make you grow.

Now, the one thing we have yet to discuss is quitting. Because it is easy to read this book and get excited, thinking of all your dreams that will unfold in front of you, but that is not how life works. We get out what we put in. It is all on you to keep going till the end. And the end for everyone will be different. No two journeys are the same. What takes someone a year may take someone a month. Is luck involved? Yes. But relying on luck to get you to where you want to go could take you your whole life, waiting for that moment. That is why when you rely solely on yourself to achieve everything it is that you set out to achieve, it will test you. There will be days when you are scratching your head, thinking if it is ever going to happen. Of course, these thoughts will creep up. They always do. But when you have set yourself the task and tell yourself you will not stop no matter what, then it will come. When it will come is unknown; that’s part of life’s mysterious game to show you. But if you quit, then you will never know what could have been. It always goes back to the saying, ‘A life of “oh wells” is better than a life of “what ifs.”’ There is a difference between quitting and trying something else. If you catch yourself chasing a curiosity that no longer seems what you thought it was and something else grabs your attention, go for it. Don’t be hard on yourself if you lose the love you once had for something. We’re human. We are constantly changing and evolving.

It should spark some urgency when you look back on your adventure in life and think about all the things you could have done. Of course, we cannot do everything that is always presented to us, but when we feel like we have been handed an opportunity, we should grab it and ride the wave it gives us outside of our comfort zone. Don’t overthink it. Just do it. See what happens. You never know unless you try. It really is that simple. Sure, the outcome may be sour or awful things might happen along the way. You might take up an opportunity that leads to you being cheated on. Or, you get into business with someone who manipulates you and takes your wealth. The real world is a cruel, dark place. But you need to roll with it, not fight it. Any of these challenges can happen along the way but, what does curling up into a ball and giving up on life serve you? Nothing. Maybe you need a little time off but jump back up on that horse as soon as you can and keep riding that horse. What you end up doing might not be the same as what you had in mind, but get back onto the train of life and get off at whatever stop speaks to your soul. Because when you quit, you will always think about what could have been.

Chapter 6 – Reflecting On the Journey

Steve Jobs famously said, ‘You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.’ Once you have chased those curiosities and it has likely taken you on a fascinating adventure, take a moment to reflect. Listen, you don’t need to wait that long. Reflect during the adventure. Reflect right now. Where are you? What have you been doing? Where do you want to be going? Reflecting allows you to gain perspective.

It is easy to get caught up in the adventure that giving a moment of reflection can often help reset life’s stopwatch and refresh everything. This may happen automatically when at a beautiful scenic place somewhere in the world. Maybe you have rented out a small house by a lake in Norway, and you are drinking tea whilst gazing out into the distance. Or maybe you have just climbed a mountain and are looking out from its peak.

We have the ability to reflect whenever we would like. Further into the journey, we may wish to reflect more often to give us that extra push to realise how far we have come. What was the biggest turning point in your life? What were you doing? Where were you? Who was with you? In the moment, it can be hard to fathom a situation while you’re in the midst of it all, but in the end, it becomes clear. Searching for this lesson in reflection can be a tough thing to do but rewarding in the grand scheme of things.

When reflecting, coming from a place of gratitude is the most powerful thing you can do because you’re focusing on the things you already have in life. Not the things you don’t. And this perspective allows you to see your glass half-full instead of half-empty. No matter what we go through in life, we always have something we can be grateful for. There will be times when life knocks us down, and we forget to switch on this gratitude side of thinking, but when we do, it lifts the weight off our shoulders. If you cannot find something to be grateful for, stop for a moment. The fact you are here on this planet, with the ability to breathe, and you have a heart that is pumping blood all over your body, is a reason to be grateful. It is easy to get caught up in the noise of wanting all these materialistic things that you see people on social media have, but realise that they are just like the rest of us underneath all of that—human beings. You often see those with money, no happier than they were before. Why is this? Well, if you don’t first find peace internally, then everything externally will just be a false cover-up of what’s really going on inside. You will be lost like a fish in a supermarket. Be happy for no reason whatsoever. Just like when you were a kid. Be grateful for what you have. Be at peace with life. Bad things happen. Good things happen. Nothing lasts forever. We must cherish all the precious moments we have with those we love. Because sooner or later, it will all be gone.

Listen, reflecting should open things up. It should be the third eye to the world. You see things you didn’t see before. Reflecting allows you to make changes that will improve you. Chase new curiosities. So, reflect on how far you have come, and improve to go even further.

Chapter 7 – Living Up to Your Potential

Look, some people are inspired every day by the thought of not living up to their potential. Is this bad? Not at all. If that’s your vibe and that gets you going, go for it. Is this an important thought to have floating around in your mind? Not at all. It’s nice to have these reminders that you can always be better, but if you can’t appreciate anything because you’re always thinking about work, then the belief and mentality aren’t serving you well. There’s a balance to be struck between working and enjoying life. Sure, the two can co-exist, but it is also nice to have a separation between business and pleasure.

When you are chasing your curiosities, it can pose as a connection between work and pleasure. If you chase the curiosity of writing and end up making a living as a writer, then sure, you are killing two birds with one stone. But even the writer who loves to write also likes to do other things to relax as well. Don’t be too serious about business or pleasure. Just enjoy yourself. When someone says that they work hard every day to ensure they become the best version of themselves it’s a nice thing to say but comes off as a bit intense. Work smart, not hard. Do the things you’re curious about, which will likely lead to interesting opportunities, which will also lead to a life where you can work the right amount and relax the right amount.

Also, those who crank up the volume to the loudest they can about their work ethic are usually doing a lot less behind the scenes. Don’t be a talker. Be a doer. Work in silence. Work when nobody else is watching. Work because you want to work, not because you want others to think you are a machine. Who cares? It is your life you are living. Not theirs. If you feel like having a day off, take a day off. Just do what you want. Your potential is as high as you could possibly do. Why not just live up to the height that allows you to enjoy yourself and chase as many curiosities as possible? How close is that to your maximum potential? Perhaps a little far off it. But you are then able to enjoy the journey. Enjoy the adventure because it flies by so fast. So few of us actually get a chance to take it all in.

But don’t wait for this life to come to you. George Jung said, ‘Life passes most people by while they’re making grand plans for it.’ Instead of spending your time envisioning how great things could be, start doing things that will make your life great. Chase your curiosities. What interests you? Go after it. Explore it. Don’t make it intense or any bigger than just testing the waters. If it sticks, sweet. Carry on. If you give it a go and decide it’s not for you, no stress. Move on and explore a new curiosity. Just do this, and it will lead to a more fulfilling life. Everyone else wants to dictate how they want you to live your life. In some respects, this book is doing the exact same thing. But this book is telling you to decide what you want to do. Explore what you want to explore. Don’t complicate the uncomplicated. Just try new things. Give it a go.

Maybe you go through some moments of intense work and moments of intense relaxation. Just do what feels right. Don’t feel pressured into doing things that don’t align with who you are. Surround yourself with people who give off positive energy. The money will come as a by-product of you chasing your curiosity. How much money? Enough. Look at the people who are obsessed with chasing more and more money. They spend their whole life doing it. Look at them. They look miserable. Tired. Defeated. Spend your time enjoying yourself while you’re here. None of us knows what happens afterwards.

Chapter 8 – Simplicity

You heard it before. Don’t complicate the uncomplicated. You don’t need eight hoodies, thirteen t-shirts, and everything in between. Have what you need, not what you want. Travel light. Be free to go anywhere. Don’t be tied down. It doesn’t have to be extreme. Just keep it simple. You will see that when you live this way, you have true freedom. You can go where you want. You can do what you want. Your cost of living can be spent on things that you can never get back. Travelling the world. Eating good food. Meeting beautiful people. Chasing your curiosities.

Keep things simple.

Don’t think you need to keep up with the Joneses by having all these materialistic items. All that does is hinder your ability to go out and live your life. Let them have all the latest crap, so you don’t have to worry about it. It’s just a distraction—a distraction from doing the things in life that give you real meaning.

Simplicity also applies to chasing your curiosities. Chase them. Explore them. Don’t make it a big scene. Take action in silence. Live your life. You don’t need anybody else’s approval to live the life you want. You don’t need to wait for the perfect moment to get started. There will never be a perfect moment. Start now, get perfect later.

If things get tough, take some rest. Get up and jump back on that horse. Just do it. Go in the direction that you feel is right. Perhaps halfway through, you’ll go in a different direction. That’s fine. You will still be heading towards the same destination.

Chapter 9 – What Life Is All About

Life is about creating memories. Not memories from a video or a photo. Memories that imprint themselves in our minds. Memories that you try explaining to people but, ‘they just had to be there.’ Whether that’s watching the sunset on a beach in Hawaii or looking out into the wilderness in the Amazon. Live a life full of memories, and you will be the richest person in the world. Listen, if you want to capture a photo while it’s unfolding, do it. If you want to record a video, do it. But a lot of people spend their time filming everything instead of imprinting the memory in their minds. Instead of looking around and taking it all in. The smell, the sight, the sounds. They are just focused on the lighting in their camera. They miss it. They get a gentle reminder when they come across the photo on their phone, but it doesn’t come close to that imprinted memory in your mind that you are reminded of when you close your eyes and reflect.

So, if the money is coming in, why save it all until you’re too old and wrinkly to go see the world? Go create memories. Go experience the world. It doesn’t have to be climbing mountains or going to the beach in Hawaii. Just go explore. Wherever interests you. With the people you love spending time with. Or alone and meet people when you’re there. Just go. Because we spend so much time imagining what things could look like if we just took that first step, but we lose touch with the reality that we are always able to take the first step, at any moment. You can buy a one-way ticket somewhere and start fresh. You can do whatever you want. The world is your oyster. Be kind to people. Have faith that the world isn’t a bad place. We are all human beings. Explore how other people live.

Be present. Be in the moment with others. Don’t think about the future. The future will figure itself out. Focus on the now. It doesn’t matter who you used to be. What matters is who you are now. We all make mistakes. But if we make the same mistake twice, then it’s not a mistake; it’s a choice. So change for the better. Evolve. Grow. Be a person you are proud of every day. Make choices that align with your values. Do things you love. Do things that interest you. That excite you. That make you appreciate life. That put you in touch with the reality that we are all visitors on this planet. Some of us leave sooner than others. But nothing here lasts forever. Take it in. Be with those you love. Tell them you love them. Create memories together. Because life’s too short.
Do the things that interest you. Chase those curiosities. See where it takes you. No matter what happens, be true to yourself. You know who you are. You know what you stand for. Don’t do things so other people can see you’ve done them. That’s irrelevant. Do them for you. Whether it’s a good or bad decision, you have to live with it.

Be unpredictable. Have a routine that changes all the time. Have a plan that changes all the time. The destination remains the same, but the path differs. Be flexible. Be loose. Let things happen. Make things happen. Nothing lasts forever. Don’t get stuck on one thing. When something runs its course, move on.

Never stop chasing your curiosities.

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