This isn’t some nonsensical, mythical LinkedIn story. This really happened—actual factual.
A couple months ago, I was on the phone with a colleague young enough to be my son. He’s 30 and in a world of firsts: he just had his first kid and started his first business. While I’m loath to say this for fear of sounding like a douchey braggart, the dude’s been looking at my life with some sense of admiration. My schedule mostly consists of big blocks spent pursuing interests that I find meaningful like running, reading, and writing. My finances are pretty secure, and I only work with clients I genuinely like.
His question was simple, “How can I make my life look more like yours?”
Happy to offer advice, we chatted about client selection, time management, and resource allocation—the practical tools that are essential to running a successful business and leading a balanced life. As the conversation meandered, I realized he had really asked the wrong question.
Are you asking the right question?
The correct question wasn’t, “How can I make my life look like yours?” Instead, he should have asked, “What did your life look like at my age?” or “What advice would you give your 30-year-old self?”
Check it…trying to model his schedule after mine is an exercise in futility. I’m 50. He’s 30. I’m at a stage in my career and life where I’ve earned the ability to design my days and focus on the things that matter most to me. But getting here wasn’t linear.
At 30, my life GPS had zero bars. It was seldom smooth sailing. Shortcuts were a one way trip to letdowns, and the only constant was hard work. Showing up early, staying late, and habitually flexing the I’ll do whatever it takes muscle.
At 30, the life I’m blessed to live today was unimaginable. My schedule was packed, my to-do list was never-ending, and I grinded to build a reputation and a client base. I made mistakes—plenty of them. I tussled with difficult bosses and direct reports, took on projects that didn’t interest me, and learned a lot of lessons the hard way. But through all that, I did the work. I failed, got back up, applied what I learned, and pivoted when necessary.
IT WORKS IF YOU WORK IT
You can’t shortcut your way to success. You have to earn it. That’s the advice I’d give my 30-year-old self, and it’s the same advice I gave my colleague. You have to build a reputation through proven results. You have to put in the hours, make the mistakes, and show up again and again. Over time, people will notice. They’ll respect the work you’ve done and the results you deliver. They’ll seek you out. And when that happens, you’ll be able to make choices that align with the life you want to live.
But at 30, you’re laying the foundation. It’s not the time to emulate someone else’s finished product; it’s the time to focus on your own process. My advice is to ask questions about the journey, not just the destination. And then be prepared to do the work. There is no CRM, AI plugin, or Google Adwords copy that is a guarantor of success. Those are supplements not substitutes for success.
Read War of Art by Steven Pressfield, and then get busy doing the work. It might suck at times, but your 50 year-old self will thank you for it.
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