I turned 21 today.
Man, does it feel weird. Weird, but also insanely exciting for the future.
The past few weeks have been so strange that I still don't fully know how to process them. Up until five weeks ago, I didn't have a job. And now I'm working with one of the most successful entrepreneurs I personally know. I flew on a private jet. I got to stay for a few days in one of the most insanely beautiful mansions I've ever seen so far in California.
No way I could have predicted this.
But at the same time, some part of me always knew I was going to win. I just didn't know how. I didn't know when. But I knew I would.
And honestly, maybe that was pure delusion. A little too much delusion, even. I knew it then and I know it now too. But I thank God for it. I genuinely can't be more grateful.
In the past few weeks, I had a camping trip with friends, graduation with my family there, and then this insane trip to the mansion. It felt like life suddenly sped up.
And one thing I've learned is this:
It's not just about money.
I'll be the first one to admit it. I love money. I've had a pure capitalist way of thinking for as long as I can remember. I still believe money matters a lot. Money is not everything, but money affects everything.
But after seeing and experiencing some of these things, I realized pretty quickly that even the best experiences, the most luxury things, can feel empty without people around you.
I felt it on the jet. I felt it at the mansion. I felt it seeing Blake himself too. No matter how much money you have, no matter how much luxury you have, you still need people.
Because what are you going to do alone on a private jet?
It really is the people around you.
Money is fantastic. Money is amazing. Money enables so much. It lets you spend money on your loved ones, fly your friends out, take care of your family, build memories, and experience things most people only dream about.
But the strange part is, in order to earn that kind of money, we sometimes push those same people away.
And I don't want to do that.
The older I get, the more I realize money is empty without people near you. Being rich is not just having money. Being rich is having people around you. Having friends to take flights with. Having family to make proud. Having a network to build knowledge with. Have fun!
One thing I've majorly learned is that maybe everything I do is for two people: the 8-year-old me and the 80-year-old me.
The 8-year-old me who still had that insane curiosity. The kid who wanted to learn everything, build things, explore things, and dream way too big.
I don't know exactly what he'd be proud of, but I know he would be very happy that I got to travel on a private jet. And I think he'd be happy that I'm still ambitious enough to chase those childish dreams.
And the 80-year-old me?
I just don't want him to have regrets.
That's probably what a lot of this is about. Trying to live in a way where I can look back and say I actually tried. I created things. I loved people. I took risks. I didn't keep everything inside of me.
The one thing I've realized at 21 is that things change. Shit happens. But we figure it out.
Maybe I'm saying this because right now my time is going fine. But I still think it's true.
Figuring shit out might be the best ability anyone can have.
The way to live is to CREATE
I once read that the most valuable real estate in the world is the graveyard. Because there are thousands of people buried there with half-built thoughts, ideas never launched, dreams never developed, books never written, and things they never had the courage to try.
They died with everything still inside them.
I don't want that.
The way to live is to create.
Write that book. Start that journal. Build that idea. Try that insane sport you're scared of. Make the thing. Say the thing. Go live the life you actually want to live.
Saying affirmations in the mirror doesn't make you great.
Doing things does.
Creating things does.
Most of the time, you'll probably lose. Maybe 90% of the time. But all you need in life is one big win. And my point is, do more things. Try more. Create more. Put more out into the world.
When people see modern art, paintings, companies, products, or anything successful, they love saying, "Oh, that's so easy. I could do that."
But you didn't.
And that is the difference between a consumer and a creator.
I want to create wealth, impact, memories, networks, companies, and products that actually impact people's lives. Products people want to use. Things that make life better in some way.
And I want to do it without losing the people around me but having shit ton of money while doing it.
That's the hard part.
Because while I'm here trying to build something out of myself, my parents are in India, getting older. They're in their 50s now. And sometimes it hits me that I'm not there with them. I'm here chasing something, building something, trying to become something.
And sometimes that feels sad.
But maybe that's also part of it. Maybe growing up is realizing that ambition costs something. And maybe the goal is not to avoid that cost completely, but to make sure you don't lose yourself or your people while paying it.
At 21, I don't think I have everything figured out. Not even close.
But I know this much:
Create and live.
And I mean really live.
Live the way you want to live. Build what you want to build. Keep your people close. Keep your curiosity alive. Don't let the child inside you die just because the world told you to become practical.
Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it.
To me, that might be the ultimate sign of success.
Not just money.
Not just luxury.
But becoming the person your younger self dreamed of, while living in a way your older self won't regret and living the way you want.