Start. Building. Now.
Above is me and my best friend in 2011. We were 20 years old.
We look like we just signed a million-dollar deal but, actually, that night, we did the same thing we did every Friday and Saturday night:
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Sure, we dressed up, got fancy drinks, went to clubs and, of course, we talked.
So. Much. Talking.
We talked about our startup ideas. Hundreds of them. About which one would make us rich. And how soon. We laughed at the people who “clearly” didn’t see all these “obvious” problems we would solve.
Except we didn’t do a single thing to actually create anything of value.
Anyone picking up a single piece of trash from the street and throwing it into a trash can would’ve helped the world more than we did all those nights.
You can’t see it in the picture but behind that face lies a lot of smugness. A lot of superiority. And none of it is warranted. They never are. But especially not then.
A lot of 20-year-olds are like this. They’re young and bright and full of energy. They think they know the solutions to all the world’s problems and, often, their ideas are really good. They’re fresh. Creative. Bold.
But what almost no 20-year-old knows is how hard it is to actually do any of the important things that will make a difference in the world.
How hard it is to cause true change.
You only find out once you start building. You take two steps and hit a wall.
“Oh, wow, it’s hard to get people to care about my idea.”
“Damn, it’s hard to write something good.”
“Why is it so tough to sell this amazing product?”
You never realize any of these before you start doing them. It’s very easy to sit in a bar and blow daydreams into the air, filled with words of fantasy.
What’s hard is to show up for any single one of those dreams, day in and day out, even when you want to quit.
I finally started building when I was 23. I’m 28 now. After five years, I’m slowly getting somewhere. I’m starting to build momentum. I’m humbler now. I’ve learned to appreciate the journey. The sooner you can do that, the better.
You’ll not just do better for yourself. You’ll also do more good for others.
Whatever you want in life, if you’re 20, the best piece of advice I can give you is this:
Stop talking. Start building. Your future self will thank you for it.