What Are You Optimizing Your Life For?

Welcome to the Inner Edge, where I explore insights on wealth, fulfillment, growth, and mastery.

I started asking myself this question every few weeks, and it changed everything.

Most people drift through life.

They let life happen to them, waiting for something special to come along.

But that’s a slow road to mediocrity. And mediocrity never leads to freedom.

Every moment becomes a placeholder. You’re waiting for Fridays to feel alive and for vacations to feel free. But what if you could feel alive every single day?

I didn’t always think this way. During my college years, I lived fully on autopilot. I dreaded Mondays and counted the hours until the weekend.

And then it hit me: Why the heck am I living this way?

The craziest part was I wondered why I had never asked myself that before. I guess because no one else around me asked either.

But the answer was clear: I needed to stop letting life happen to me and start building it myself.

A life where every day feels purposeful.

A life where it doesn’t matter whether it’s Friday night or Monday morning. Where it all feels aligned.

But this wasn’t easy. Building something real required sacrifice. It demanded that I let go of the comfort of drifting and choose the path of intention.

I had worked out all the scenarios of where I could go if I followed the usual paths. None of them aligned with the life I wanted.

There were three clear options:

Path A: Do what’s next without thinking about it.
This was just following the natural progression laid out for me. It was comfortable and predictable. But it had started to feel hard because it wasn’t like high school anymore. My life wasn’t so clearly mapped out. For the first time, I realized that autopilot wasn’t really working.

Path B: Do what others think is right.
This meant getting great grades, joining clubs, signing up for internships, and becoming the best in what others valued. It was about keeping up with what everyone else was doing. The kids around me seemed to thrive in this. But to me it just felt like I was chasing someone else’s dream.

Path C: Get intentional about what I want.
This was the scariest option of all. And it was because I didn’t have a clear map. It meant I had to decide what I wanted. And I also had no one else’s guide to follow. Especially because no one I knew was really pursuing this path. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted freedom. I wanted a life where every day felt purposeful. So I picked this path, even though I had no idea where it would lead me.

At the time, it felt like a bold choice, but deep down I was terrified.

What if I got it wrong? What if I didn’t have what it took to stay on this path?

And tbh, I still feel that fear. Like I’m just faking it and I’ll lose my way. Which is why I procrastinated on writing these newsletters for over 2 years.

But I’ve realized something important: figuring it out is the path. 

There’s no fixed destination. As long as I keep choosing intention, I’m exactly where I need to be.

After going through all the options, I settled on becoming an Path C. This for me was becoming a creator/entrepreneur.

It was the only field where I could live life fully on my own terms.

So I started making content while at college.

Because that was the most exciting thing for me (I’ll be writing a newsletter on excitement soon).

I believe there’s always room for intentionality. No matter where you are in your life.

Massive change happens when you dictate your own terms.

This doesn’t mean you need to start a business or become a creator.

It means you pursue the path that feels most meaningful to you.

If you don’t decide what you’re optimizing for, someone else will decide it for you.

Society, friends, and circumstances will pull you in directions you never chose.

Sacrifice: The Price of Freedom

Ah, but then there’s sacrifice. I know, not what you were hoping for.

Choosing the path of freedom required me to give up a lot.

1. College
   I didn’t have much of a college experience because I was too busy creating content and building my business. I chose to do online classes and graduate early.

2. Relationship
   My ex-girlfriend and I broke up 1.5 years ago. After reflecting, it was clear that our paths and interests were very different. Letting go of that relationship opened space for me to get clear on what I truly want in a partner. It also helped me discover what I genuinely love, which I couldn’t fully do while in the relationship.

3. Friends
   I started losing a lot of friends, and that was the trade-off I made to pursue the life I genuinely wanted. People are different, and that’s okay. I may have seemed boring to many, but I’ve since aligned with others who share my interests.

But sacrifice is the cost of alignment. Letting go of what no longer serves you creates space for what truly matters.

I was able to become so much more intentional after I let go of the things and people that were just put in my proximity.

Until then, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted. I just did what others expected of me.

Intentionality opened up space for really thinking about what type of life I want to craft. The type of people I want around me and the things I want to get to do every single day.

And what I found was that by becoming intentional, things began to flow so smoothly.

Intentionality gives you clarity.

It’s like cleaning a foggy mirror. You start to see your life for what it truly is and what it could become.

And you learn a few lessons.

The Harmony of Intentional Living

The thing about becoming intentional is that everything starts to feel harmonious.

It’s hard to explain, but all moments begin to feel crafted by you.

Each moment becomes just as beautiful as the next.

There’s no more resentment for certain days or boredom.

There’s no more feeling drained in a relationship or it “just going by”.

Because you start to pick the things and people that light you up.

And by getting clear on who you are, you pick the right things to do and the right people to be with.

Deeper Lesson I Learned:

It’s like people saying, “You should get rich first.”

It’s one thing to renounce wealth when you’ve never had it. But when you’ve experienced it and realized it doesn’t mean much, that’s a different story.

That’s why the Buddha’s renunciation was so powerful. He had it all and still chose to let it go.

I think the same principle applies to intentionality. You start by crafting a life that means the most to you and living it fully. You decide the things you do and the people you want to surround yourself with.

That’s when you begin to live much more in flow and let go of societal constructs.

There’s no fear of Sunday evenings or dread of the workweek. Instead, there’s only appreciation for the things you get to do, because you’re enjoying every moment.

You realize that all of it is so beautiful.

When you’re clear about what you’re optimizing for, gratitude becomes second nature.

You’re no longer distracted by what’s missing. Now you’re too focused on the beauty of what you’ve chosen.

How to Start Optimizing Your Life

1. Optimization
   Ask yourself: What am I optimizing my life for? Write it down. Be specific about what you want and what aligns with your values.

2. Energy
   Reflect on the past few weeks. What or who energized you? What or who drained you? Identify the misaligned ones and figure out how to eliminate or replace them.

3. Sacrifice
   Understand that short-term sacrifices are often necessary for long-term freedom. Reflect on the things you’re willing to let go of to build a life you truly want.

4. Appreciation
   I think this will come as you optimize. Still helpful to be grateful daily though!

What are you optimizing your life for?

Hit reply and let me know—I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Closing Thoughts

Becoming intentional isn’t just about doing work you love or spending time with the right people.

Although those things will naturally follow, it’s about appreciating the beauty life has to offer.

You’ll start seeing the patterns and living with more awareness.

When you optimize your life for purpose and freedom, every moment begins to feel sacred.

And I think that is the ultimate reward.