Early 20s

Things I will tell to my 20 year old self

I came across this tweet from a founder friend. It made me think about things I did in my early 20s. I thought why not write about it in my upcoming edition and here we are

Hello friends, welcome to the 10th edition of TheHustleBook, this edition is about my reflection on things I did in my early 20s and what I would have done differently if if I could go back to 20. So let’s get started

1. Get to work with founders and leaders who are 5-10 years ahead of me. This will be in real life working from the office and not remote.
   
   To elaborate further, I will just my best to find a way to get into a series A, B startup by a founder who is 5-10 years ahead of me. Considering I have graduated, I would have simply gone for an internship or any entry-level roles

2. Invest in mutual funds and stocks. I will invest a fixed amount every month doesn't matter market conditions. Some of the stocks I have invested in the last 2-3 years have gone up on an average of 300-400% on my initial investment.

   

   I started learning about investing in stocks back in my college days and I believe the knowledge has compounded over the years.
   
   Thanks to Zerodha Varsity. Although I had to exit from some of the stocks to support my startup — that’s a story for some other day.

3. Move to high-leverage cities. I would make new friends rather than just the digital connections.
   
   Meeting them offline through events or meetups or get-togethers. I have learned the fact that exposure and bond are different when you meet in person.

4. Read more and more. You can check "why read" highlights on my Instagram highlights. On Instagram, I share behind-the-scene of building my startup from Bengaluru. Follow along, we are going to learn and grow together 🤝
   

5. Do things that feel scary and impossible but important. I have learned that the most rewarding things in life often lie just outside our comfort zone. Also, sometimes the most important problems are the hardest to solve - it takes focus, consistency, and patience.
   
   For a lot of initiatives I took, the realization I had after a year was that - wish I had been courageous enough to do it earlier. If your intentions are good - just go for it
   

6. Travel to new places. Possibly, away from the internet at a regular interval. It’s easier said than done.
   
   But traveling teaches you a lot, especially the art of minimalism and the practice of detachments, shapes new perspectives, and a lot more.
   
   I would have forced myself to join these small community, clubs that host trips and treks during weekends.
   

7. Being consistent with physical activities - running, sports, gym. Nobody will tell you this but ambitions are two side swords that can either build you or kill you. Everything comes at a cost, health tops the list.
   
   In the quest to achieve something bigger than ourselves, we often take our health for granted. Race your heart, pump your muscles, drench in sweat - JUST MOVE YOUR BODY.
   

8. Write more cold emails without any expectations. I feel the best kind of cold emails are organic and feels so natural when you read it for the first time. Being genuinely interested is the best hack to write effective cold emails.
   
   If nothing, I would have simply dropped an “appreciation email”, “asking for advice/feedback” email, or “sharing my progress” email.
   
   ⚠️ Don’t try to bluff it, people out there are smarter than you think. Whenever you get such evil thoughts, come back and read this point as a reminder.
   

9. Take one digital platform seriously and build an audience. Two very important I want to share with this point is: 1. Leverage 2. Luck Surface Area.
   
   Having a decent audience on any platform helps you increase your luck surface area which eventually builds an insane leverage for your career. You will see things happening that you thought impossible once - just because you have built the right set of audience for yourself
   
   It will all seem magical but trust me it’s because of those days you kept going without overthinking and getting things done.
   

10. Create proof of work. I’m biased here but based on the experience of last 6-7 years, I have internalized the fact that you have an unfair advantage when you are able to show and talk about your work — compared to someone who just claims to know a skill.
    
    Proof of work will open up doors you cannot imagine. Never too late to start creating your proof of work. Here are some of the Fueler Portfolios you can take inspiration from. Or feel free to connect with me if you have any doubts or queries related to proof of work

    
    here are proof of work ideas to help you get started 🤝

A special note for you: Our goals in life are highly subjective and hence the preparation behind them will be different too. you do what is best for you and own it all instead of running away from it

Honestly, I don't regret any of the things I did in my early 20s. I have always tried to do my best with whatever resources I had available with me (also considering we were all going through the pandemic back then). Just know that commitments in life will always come with a cost —sometimes you see it, sometimes you don’t. The catch is how quickly you can adapt to the changes around you.

Thanks for reading, and thanks a lot for your invaluable support and contributions to the Fueler Community. As always, Team Fueler is grateful to you

Your friend,
Riten

P.S: If you need help with building portfolio or looking for opportunities, join Fueler Membership. It’s one of the best career investments you will ever make especially if you are in your early 20s.