If I had known then what I know now—would I have dropped out of school as a teenager?
No. In fact, I would have done even better in school. I would have worked consistently and efficiently, focusing on achieving the best results with the least wasted effort. I would have applied proven study strategies to earn A’s, graduated with honors, volunteered, and taken on leadership roles. Leading a club, for example, takes little energy once you remove the friction of insecurity and stop worrying about what others think.
I would have time-blocked my hours outside of school and set a goal to create a minimum viable product using cutting-edge technology. I might have used an AI model to solve a real problem at school or leveraged modeling software and 3D printing to develop a functional prototype.
Back then, I was a dreamer who rarely took action. When I did, I constantly second-guessed myself. It was always three steps forward, two steps back.
Now I understand: the struggle wasn’t the action itself—it was the story I was telling myself about the action. The narrative was either, “Nothing I do matters, so why bother?” or, “If it does matter, then why doesn’t anyone else seem to care or support me?”
Today, I know better. Tell yourself—and others—the stories that support the actions required to achieve your dreams. The right narrative creates momentum.
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