Start Before You Know

To anyone graduating… or standing at a crossroads… or just wondering what the hell comes next

This is what I’d tell my younger self

The version of me freshly out of high school, unsure of what to do, but wanting more out of life

Pick something. Anything. Just start.

It doesn’t have to be your dream job. It doesn’t have to be perfect
It doesn’t even have to be something you love

Just pick something you sort of enjoy
Something you can do
Something that gets you moving

Then start

Get good at it
Because where you spend your time, your skill grows
And as your skill grows, something deeper develops

Focus, discipline, adaptability, communication, clarity, presence
You start to learn what it actually takes to become excellent

That pursuit of excellence
It becomes part of who you are
It’s the real prize

You’ll carry those skills, habits, and standards into every pursuit that follows

But let me be clear…resistance is real
You might feel overwhelmed
You might doubt yourself
You might feel like you don’t know enough, or like you’re behind
That’s normal
Those feelings don’t mean you’re disqualified. They mean you’re human

And if you find out you hate what you're doing? Good. That’s clarity
But it’s your responsibility to transition quickly
There is no medal for staying in a job you despise just because you started it
There is no pride in sitting still once you’ve realized it’s not aligned

If you’re no longer growing…leave
If you aren’t learning…move on

Now if you have a family to provide for, yes, your decisions must be calculated

But that doesn’t mean the pursuit dies
In fact, I’d argue your family needs the version of you that is energized, present, and fully alive
Not someone who lives in quiet desperation

Even if it means less comfort for a moment
Even if it means saying no to the newest, nicest things
Your peace, purpose, and potential are worth it

Because this is for the ones building something
The ones called to more
The ones chasing vision over ease
The ones who refuse to coast

The path reveals itself as you build yourself
No amount of planning beats what you’ll learn from experience

Stop preparing. Start participating

Clarity comes from action
Not from waiting
Not from trying to find the perfect path

Start tired. Start unsure. Start imperfect. Start anyway

Your dream life is built on the back of doing
Not someday. Today

This is what I wish someone had told me at 18
Not to wait
Not to search for the perfect path

But to begin

With urgency,
Ethan

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future."
-Steve Jobs