A Manifesto: build the life you want, without building an online content machine
For those who want freedom, impact, and peace, without having to perform
I’ve come to realize something:
We have to be careful with what we wish for, because we might just make it happen.
The first time this truly hit me, I was in my late twenties. I was walking down 1st Avenue in New York City, a brown grocery bag in hand, just like in the movies. I had a meal to cook. I had errands to run. I had rent to pay.
And I thought to myself:
I made it. I’m a New Yorker.
Old diaries
When I was in high school, my friend C. and I used to write to each other in a shared diary. One day she’d take it home, write her thoughts. The next day I’d take it home and reply. We passed it back and forth for years.
(This was back when texting cost money. Analogue friendship had its own kind of magic.)
In many of those diary entries, I wrote that one day I would live in New York City.
That I wanted to collect postcodes around the world. I didn’t know how I’d make it happen. But I was sure, deep down, that it was meant for me.
Years went by. I forgot what I’d written. And then one day, I found myself walking down that street, in that city. The wish had come true
Remember to dream big
This could be a letter to my younger self: You made it. All your dreams came true.
But really, it’s a reminder to my current self (and maybe to you) that if we dare to dream it, we just might do it.
Some people call it manifestation.
Others call it setting goals.
To me, it’s just daydreaming.
When I turned 30, I noticed something: Everything I’d dreamed about in my teens and twenties? I’d made it all happen.
And that realization brought not just joy, but fear: What if I wasn’t dreaming big enough?
My daydream of living a private life with wide impact
And this is where I find myself today:
I want to daydream again. To write a bestselling book. To make a living that doesn’t involve walking into a corporate office. To make a meaningful impact in the world.
I want all of that, without becoming an online personality. Without building a content engine. Without upselling in every post or threading my life into a strategy.
I want to keep writing like I did for my friend C., except now, maybe more people get to read along. And maybe these notes can help us all reflect, ask for more, and shape a life that feels good to live. One that feels aligned with our own values and wishes, whatever those are. And we can do all of this and remain anonymous, private, secluded. (And yes financially free, too)
This is My Manifesto
So consider this a bit of a manifesto.
To remind myself (and maybe you too) to keep dreaming, even if we don’t yet know the “how.” Life tends to show the way. We just have to keep walking. One small step at a time.
The systems and productivity hacks help. But nothing beats a tiny step, repeated.
With a little grit. A little hope. And a lot of trust. You might just end up exactly where you were meant to be all along.
Adorei!!