Recently, I stumbled across a video titled:
"Hello me, 5 years from now."
The person in the video talked about a few simple goals.
- He wanted to be the best partner he could be. And if the relationship didn't work out, he wanted to know he had given it everything he had.
- He wanted to build a company.
- He wanted to reach the top of his field as a coach.
That person was me.
Watching it back was surreal.
I look completely different. I think differently. I've been humbled more times than I can count.
But one thing hasn't changed:
The belief that, somehow, things would work out if I kept moving forward.
So what happened over the last five years?
- The relationship failed after five years (2019~2023)
- I didn't get close to the top of the world as a coach.
- The company is still very much a startup.
On paper, that's not exactly the success story I imagined.
But the story behind those outcomes matters.
I pivoted my company three times.
My pitch was rejected more times than I can remember.
I moved across Europe, the US, and Brazil pursuing opportunities in esports.
I spent years in therapy with my partner trying to make the relationship work.
No one will ever know about the details behind what happened.
But they mattered.
Looking back, I realize the goal was never really to become the best coach or build the perfect company.
The goal was to become the type of person willing to chase those dreams with everything he had, and I did.
I failed plenty of times.
I still fail plenty of times.
But I can honestly say I squeezed about as much as I could out of the cards I was dealt.
For someone who is deeply flawed, makes mistakes, and is far from the smartest person in the room, getting halfway to the finish line is something I'm proud of. Not because I'm satisfied, but because I know I can now start the other half and get to the end.
Make a Video. Unlist it on Youtube.
Talk about your ambitions.
Talk about your fears.
Talk about the person you want to become.
Then come back in five years.
You might not achieve everything you set out to do.
But you may discover that the journey made you into someone stronger than the person who pressed record.
And sometimes that's the bigger win.