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The Right Path?

Shri Kanase

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I've already posted on this forum before regarding my situation but I'll just give you guys a little recap.

I just turned 20 last month and I currently run an online store which has crossed the 6 figure mark in a year. However, I notice that it does fairly well in specific months so the rest of the months, I'm just floating by. But that's not the main point about this.

I'm also a Youtuber on ecommerce and have been uploading consistently for the past year (currently at 3.1k subs). Through Youtube, people began to trust me more and I began to offer mentoring/consulting to those in ecommerce and charging them anywhere from $500-$2k. Along with this, I have affiliate links on my videos which get me some cash here and there.

My main question is, I feel a little lost. It's as if I have no specific direction which I'm going in, but rather just doing activities day to day like filming videos or working on my store. But it just doesn't feel as if I'm working towards anything big or long-lasting.

I'm also planning on completing this year of community college and taking a "gap year" which I hope turns into me never going back to college. But with my overall confusion, I'm even doubting the decision of dropping out of college.

How do you guys deal with such things and what would you suggest? I would also love to hear your story if you went through something like this because honestly, I feel lost. All my friends are out partying or having fun while I'm the only one hustling so I can't even look to them for advice.
 
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Zcott

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Firstly, congratulations on your success.

You've clearly put in a lot of hustle and you've got your rewards. Those are big achievements there.

Onto your problem. It sounds like you lack goals. I'm sure you have your business goals, but do you have any of your own personal goals?

Word of advice, not wanting to sound condescending, but your twenties are tough (I'm 26), and you'll spend awhile kind of meandering through life wondering what on Earth is going on. I have noticed a lot of young people these days struggle with their sense of purpose in life. Having goals will help you with your own purpose with what you actually want out of life, regardless of money. I've just started doing this recently (setting out what I want in 1, 5 and 10 years time) and life feels so much better. Maybe it could help you, too.

Personal goals can be anything and you can break into categories; health, financial, social, travel, work goals etc. Want to buy a house within 4 years, travel to countries X, Y, Z, be debt free in 10 years, join a sports team.

Also, highly recommend you go travelling as you wrote above. Get a backpack and travel across Australia and Asia for while.
 

NC Bidniss

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I've already posted on this forum before regarding my situation but I'll just give you guys a little recap.

I just turned 20 last month and I currently run an online store which has crossed the 6 figure mark in a year. However, I notice that it does fairly well in specific months so the rest of the months, I'm just floating by. But that's not the main point about this.

I'm also a Youtuber on ecommerce and have been uploading consistently for the past year (currently at 3.1k subs). Through Youtube, people began to trust me more and I began to offer mentoring/consulting to those in ecommerce and charging them anywhere from $500-$2k. Along with this, I have affiliate links on my videos which get me some cash here and there.

My main question is, I feel a little lost. It's as if I have no specific direction which I'm going in, but rather just doing activities day to day like filming videos or working on my store. But it just doesn't feel as if I'm working towards anything big or long-lasting.

I'm also planning on completing this year of community college and taking a "gap year" which I hope turns into me never going back to college. But with my overall confusion, I'm even doubting the decision of dropping out of college.

How do you guys deal with such things and what would you suggest? I would also love to hear your story if you went through something like this because honestly, I feel lost. All my friends are out partying or having fun while I'm the only one hustling so I can't even look to them for advice.

Have you read TMF ? If not, go ahead and crack it open. One of the keys outlined in the book is to determine what you are working for. What you need rather than a path is a destination. Your destination could be "make a million dollars by 25" or "buy a house in cash before 30". Once you figure out where you want to go, you can figure out your path on the way. Don't worry so much about building the next big brand or changing the world. Move forward with what you're doing now and figure out how you can grow from there. You've got this!
 

Shri Kanase

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Firstly, congratulations on your success.

You've clearly put in a lot of hustle and you've got your rewards. Those are big achievements there.

Onto your problem. It sounds like you lack goals. I'm sure you have your business goals, but do you have any of your own personal goals?

Word of advice, not wanting to sound condescending, but your twenties are tough (I'm 26), and you'll spend awhile kind of meandering through life wondering what on Earth is going on. I have noticed a lot of young people these days struggle with their sense of purpose in life. Having goals will help you with your own purpose with what you actually want out of life, regardless of money. I've just started doing this recently (setting out what I want in 1, 5 and 10 years time) and life feels so much better. Maybe it could help you, too.

Personal goals can be anything and you can break into categories; health, financial, social, travel, work goals etc. Want to buy a house within 4 years, travel to countries X, Y, Z, be debt free in 10 years, join a sports team.

Also, highly recommend you go travelling as you wrote above. Get a backpack and travel across Australia and Asia for while.
Thanks!
Also, would travelling really help solve the main issues? I would have made goals but do they have to be physical, like a car or what?
 
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Shri Kanase

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Have you read TMF ? If not, go ahead and crack it open. One of the keys outlined in the book is to determine what you are working for. What you need rather than a path is a destination. Your destination could be "make a million dollars by 25" or "buy a house in cash before 30". Once you figure out where you want to go, you can figure out your path on the way. Don't worry so much about building the next big brand or changing the world. Move forward with what you're doing now and figure out how you can grow from there. You've got this!
But my main question was, am I on the right path? I am moving forward with what I'm doing and trying to grow every single day but I just overthink it because sometimes, I feel as if I'm not focusing on the correct things.
It feels as if I'm trying to move forward in a direction which may not be right..
 

RazorCut

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But my main question was, am I on the right path? I am moving forward with what I'm doing and trying to grow every single day but I just overthink it because sometimes, I feel as if I'm not focusing on the correct things.
It feels as if I'm trying to move forward in a direction which may not be right..

At your age you will always second guess yourself until you find some kind of purpose as you lack experience of life. But remember that any path you head down is not set in stone. You can change course or back track at any time.

You are young enough to try different things, experience life at different levels. You don't have the weight of a wife, family and all the responsibilities those necessitate pressing down on you.

You might currently feel lost but you are probably at one of the freest points in your life.

You have money in the bank and a business you can run off a laptop. You could buy an airline ticket today and be half way around the world by tomorrow experiencing the wonders of other cultures if you so chose.

In our private conversation I said to read less and do more if you worry that 12 months is not a lot of time. But reading this new thread maybe you are a little burned out and need to step back and take a month off to gather your thoughts and to be a regular 20 year old again.

That will give you time to gain perspective and decide what you want out of the next phase of your life (and don't worry, as I said before any life decisions you make aren't set in stone).
 

Zcott

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Thanks!
Also, would travelling really help solve the main issues? I would have made goals but do they have to be physical, like a car or what?

No, it won't solve your problem. Many people go travelling 'to find themselves.' But that never really happens. People conflate happiness and peace which you find in travelling with finding themselves, but when they return home the problems they had before are still there. I recommend you go because, as I said, it is peaceful and you'll be really happy whilst doing it. You'll spend a few days with people and feel like you've known then for a lifetime and see incredible places. :)

Your goals can be anything. They can be material goals (like a house or a car), financial (like clearing off debt), health (losing weight, getting in shape etc.), social (joining a sports team), or spiritual/feel good ones (maybe volunteering for something you care about or something in your religion (if you are religious)).

Take a pen and paper and just write down a few ideas. What you write down doesn't have to be set in stone as you might find that, as some time passes, you might want to modify those original goals for something that is more suited to you, or something you have more desire for.

As @RazorCut said, you lack life experience. And as condescending as that sounds, truth is you won't really understand that for another number of years. You've had success and clearly have the aptitude to move forward with that in the future. You need to give yourself time to rest, have fun and be young. Believe me, by time you're 25 you will look back at your 20 year old self and not realise how young you were. No one is saying you have to go crazy, but go have fun but don't deviate too far from the fast lane.
 
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Shri Kanase

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@RazorCut @Zcott
I have been hustling so hard for the past few years that I forgot about everything else..

I forgot to give my family time, or to give myself time. Trying to stay on the fastlane made me deviate even more from it and now, instead of being fun, it seems more of a struggle.

Thank you for your tips because they're really helping me understand where I'm going wrong. Hopefully, the month off really puts things back into gear.
 

Lee H

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@Shri Kanase well done on your success so far. It's brilliant that someone so young has built something of value.

I'm reasonably successful professionally but relatively new to TMF and the principles that underpin it. I wish I had had the knowledge back when I was your age instead of trying to work within the script.

As mentioned above, set yourself some goals and take action every day to work towards them. Make time for those you love and those who have a positive effect on you. Try and stay away from negative people.

Practice the principles of TMF and Unscripted and you will achieve great things.
 

Shri Kanase

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@Shri Kanase well done on your success so far. It's brilliant that someone so young has built something of value.

I'm reasonably successful professionally but relatively new to TMF and the principles that underpin it. I wish I had had the knowledge back when I was your age instead of trying to work within the script.

As mentioned above, set yourself some goals and take action every day to work towards them. Make time for those you love and those who have a positive effect on you. Try and stay away from negative people.

Practice the principles of TMF and Unscripted and you will achieve great things.
The next step would be for me to start setting goals but other than that, I really need to figure out what I want in the first place lol.
 
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Lee H

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The next step would be for me to start setting goals but other than that, I really need to figure out what I want in the first place lol.

Pick a direction. If it isn't right later change course. But if you don't head at least somewhere, you'll end up nowhere (trust me on this!).
 

Zcott

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As an idea of saving energy for yourself, why not cut back on the consultancy side of your business and reduce how often you produce YouTube videos?

It sounds like you need an important break sooner rather than later, though. Why not take a short break away somewhere for a weekend and don't touch your phone or laptop and reset yourself.

@RazorCut @Zcott
I have been hustling so hard for the past few years that I forgot about everything else..

I forgot to give my family time, or to give myself time. Trying to stay on the fastlane made me deviate even more from it and now, instead of being fun, it seems more of a struggle.

Thank you for your tips because they're really helping me understand where I'm going wrong. Hopefully, the month off really puts things back into gear.

Frame it a different way.

You've worked really hard and you have set yourself up for a good future. Now is the time for yourself, your family and friends. :)
 

Shri Kanase

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As an idea of saving energy for yourself, why not cut back on the consultancy side of your business and reduce how often you produce YouTube videos?

It sounds like you need an important break sooner rather than later, though. Why not take a short break away somewhere for a weekend and don't touch your phone or laptop and reset yourself.



Frame it a different way.

You've worked really hard and you have set yourself up for a good future. Now is the time for yourself, your family and friends. :)
Consulting is the main source of income during the months my ecommerce isn't booming and I only post Youtube videos 2 times a week but Youtube has started to pay me $250-$400 per month which is enough for living expenses. I'll be going out of country in June for a month but I'm only doing all of these things to make sure that once I drop out of college, I won't regret my decision.

And yes, I have worked hard for the success and a good future but as a businessman, I also know things fluctuate often.
 
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Shri Kanase

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Pick a direction. If it isn't right later change course. But if you don't head at least somewhere, you'll end up nowhere (trust me on this!).
That's the thing; I feel like I've already chosen my direction and am taking actions around it (consulting, Youtube, ecommerce, etc.)

But my main source of worry is whether this direction is guiding me towards a bigger path or not..
 

Bekit

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I'm also a Youtuber on ecommerce and have been uploading consistently for the past year (currently at 3.1k subs)

I only post Youtube videos 2 times a week but Youtube has started to pay me $250-$400 per month which is enough for living expenses.

Wait... You are making $250-400 per month with only 3100 subscribers? That's crazy. How does that work? Is it your affiliate links or the YouTube ads? I would have thought you needed more subscribers than that...

Is your e-commerce product intrinsically seasonal, or could effective marketing even out your income?

Congrats on your success!
 

Shri Kanase

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Wait... You are making $250-400 per month with only 3100 subscribers? That's crazy. How does that work? Is it your affiliate links or the YouTube ads? I would have thought you needed more subscribers than that...

Is your e-commerce product intrinsically seasonal, or could effective marketing even out your income?

Congrats on your success!
Yes, because the pay is different for each niche. Since I'm in the ecom niche on Youtube, my pay is higher and this was one of the reasons why I decided to drop out. I figured if I gave it my all to growing on Youtube, the income could reach 6 figures just from ad revenue within a year.

The $250-$400 is just from Youtube AD revenue. And I'm trying to find ways to do some effective marketing to even out the income. It's not that there aren't any sales per day, it's the profit where it's lacking. In Jan and Feb, I can easily do anywhere above $10k+ profit for the month but in the other months, it's much harder.
 
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Zcott

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Consulting is the main source of income during the months my ecommerce isn't booming and I only post Youtube videos 2 times a week but Youtube has started to pay me $250-$400 per month which is enough for living expenses. I'll be going out of country in June for a month but I'm only doing all of these things to make sure that once I drop out of college, I won't regret my decision.

And yes, I have worked hard for the success and a good future but as a businessman, I also know things fluctuate often.

Okay, that makes sense if it helps to cover a dip in ecommerce sales.

Is there a way you can study at college part time? I know it's popular on here to say university/college education is dumb, but that is obviously not true.
 

Shri Kanase

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Okay, that makes sense if it helps to cover a dip in ecommerce sales.

Is there a way you can study at college part time? I know it's popular on here to say university/college education is dumb, but that is obviously not true.
What's the reason for college? The main reason why I wanted to leave college was to focus on my business and make bigger things happen
 

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