# Looking back When I was a child, my parents taught me to always look left and right before crossing the street and to always use pedestrian crossings. I wish they taught me that, sometimes, we should really create our own path in life. They were definitely not entrepreneurial ;-) As we get closer and closer to the end of the year, I prepare my plans for the next ones. I always start this exercise with a look back. Looking back is a great way to identify things that have worked, things that haven’t, and appreciate the progress so far. When I look back, I actually go way back! Over the years, I’ve realized that as I age, my point of view about my own past evolves. Decisions that I initially considered sound and logical now look silly and immature, and things I didn’t pay attention to before now have much greater importance. ![[DeveloPassion's Newsletter 356 - Looking left and right - Looking back.png]] Caption: A summary of my journey in the corporate world When I started working back in 2006, I thought that I wanted to switch jobs every 1-2 years, that I didn’t want to “rot” in one place. I did switch once, but it was the first and the last. It seems that I wasn’t actually *that *eager to move around. I ended up working at the same organization for 12 years. I didn’t stand still though, and I certainly did not rot 😂. I’ve moved around within the company, exploring different job types over the years. It was both challenging, and fun. Most importantly, it felt interesting enough for me to stick around. I did not get bored! Aside from work, most of my time was dedicated to my family, learning more about IT, programming, Open Source, blogging, photography, and video games. That went on until 2018. That’s when I understood that this work environment was not fulfilling for me anymore. I needed to explore and try other things. In retrospect, I think I just needed to challenge myself; I just didn’t fully realize it at the time. That’s when I decided to become a freelancer and to create my own company. Since then (3 years now!), I’ve learned a metric ton of things. I may have “lost” a lot of money in the process due to opportunity costs, but I’ve grown a lot, opened my mind about many ideas I wasn’t even aware of, and that’s invaluable. Even more so is the fact that I’ve taken that time for myself and my ideas. I have no regrets about the past. But it’s important to look at it objectively, based on who I am *today*. And today, I feel like I could’ve started my entrepreneurial journey *much* earlier. LINK: My Twitter thread about building alternative sources of income: https://x.com/dSebastien/status/1468480130314129415. Check it out to learn more about the things I’ve tried so far. I’ve co-founded a startup and ultimately failed after two years. I’ve published 3 books, and am going to write a few more real soon. I’ve blogged a lot more, started coaching/mentoring, worked on interesting projects, launched this newsletter, created cool online communities, and other fun things. I could’ve realized much faster that my startup project was going nowhere. I knew in my guts, but I just wouldn’t listen. I wish I had read "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell a few years earlier! Our unconscious mind is actually much faster* *and much better at decision-making than we are. I had to learn that lesson the hard way. LINK: [[Blink (book)]] It took me a while to get back on my feet. Realizing that two years of work have just didn’t yield any significant result is hard to swallow. Especially given my situation. I have risked a lot “playing” this game. I could’ve played the entrepreneurial game very differently and taken more risks if I tried it back when I was 20. Today I’m clearly not in a position to take huge risks needlessly. I have three kids, loans to repay, etc. One important thing I’ve noticed is that what has had the most impact on my life so far is my writing. That’s why I really want to keep writing in the future. ## Related - [[Periodic reviews]] - [[Life Design]] - [[Life design (2021 edition)]]