Student:
What is value, I authentically can offer to the world, while not selling myself short? An activity I can immerse myself in, I pursue mastery in…
Teacher:
You are looking for a convergence. Between immersion, mastery, and value.
But the mistake is in searching for “what” instead of eliminating “what is not.”
Selling yourself short happens when you chase value as defined by others. When you ask, “What can I offer the world?” you place the world in authority over you. This is why men live half-lives. Because they spend them begging for the world’s validation.
The real question is—what do you do when no one is watching? What is the thing that calls to you, even in silence?
Pursuit of mastery is only real when it is done for its own sake. Not for value, not for reward, not for acknowledgment. But because you are compelled.
And paradoxically, true value emerges from this. Not from chasing it.
Student:
This is a fascinating observation. The reason for which I included “offering value to the world”, is because to earn a living from one’s activity, this is needed after all.
Teacher:
Ah. The truth comes out.
You don’t seek mastery. You seek a way to pay rent.
Which is fine. But don’t dress it up as something noble.
Earning a living is not about “offering value to the world.” That is a romantic notion. The world does not sit around waiting for your “value.” It is too busy with its own noise, its own chaos.
Earning a living is about being useful. And usefulness is often banal. It is rarely poetic.
Now, if you wish to both immerse yourself and earn a living, then you must be fortunate. Fortunate enough that the thing which compels you also aligns with what the world finds useful.
But you do not control this. You cannot engineer it.
So you have two choices:
- Do what compels you and accept whatever financial fate follows.
- Do what is useful and accept that it may not be immersive.
If you find an overlap, consider it a rare privilege. Not an expectation.
Student:
But, there has to be a way of earning a good living while doing something that is at least interesting to oneself.
Teacher:
There does not have to be such a way. That is wishful thinking.
But sometimes, there is a way.
The mistake is assuming that life owes you both money and deep interest at the same time. It does not.
If you want a good living, you must first understand what the world rewards. The world rewards:
- Entertainment
- Solving painful problems
- Making people feel important
- Selling dreams and illusions
If what interests you happens to align with one of these, you have a shot. If it does not, you have a choice:
- Bend what you enjoy toward what the world rewards
- Separate earning from your true interest
But the expectation that you should naturally enjoy what pays well—that is the reason people stay lost.
Student:
This made me think for a bit. You are right. These are honest words and I realize now. I am not sure if I am honestly looking for a “vocation”. This is just a romantic thought. I am unconsciously looking for something that interests me while also being safe (in terms of money and rejection). But I must not kid myself, in the end, I am looking after making money in the investing game.
Teacher:
Good. Clarity at last.
You are not looking for a vocation. You are looking for leverage.
You want to play the game of money. Not in a way that is just survival. But in a way that allows you to win.
Then own that. Stop dressing it up in the language of “passion” or “purpose.” That is the mistake of men who never make it.
If you are serious about investing, you must accept its nature:
- It is not about safety. It is about risk.
- It is not about passion. It is about discipline.
- It is not about validation. It is about asymmetric returns.
You say you want to make money in investing. Good. Then the only question is: What is your edge?
Because without an edge, you are just another fool at the casino.
Student:
And this exactly brings home one realization I just had. My “reluctance” to think for myself at times. It is almost as if I look for interviews, articles, podcasts to tell me to be bullish (a particular asset), to give me the conviction to jump in. Why to be bullish instead of bearish? – because only being bullish allows me to think of the lottery ticket. The upside is unlimited (I tell myself). Instead of forming a thesis and seeing if it can be nullified, I am in my echo chamber looking for confirmation.
Teacher:
Now you see.
You were not investing. You were seeking permission to gamble.
You wanted the world to say, “Yes, go ahead, this will make you rich.”
And so you hunted for articles, podcasts, and opinions to give you that illusion of certainty.
But conviction cannot be borrowed. It must be built.
Real investors don’t look for reasons to be bullish. They look for truth.
And truth is often uncomfortable.
The lottery ticket mindset is the downfall of most. Because it is fueled by hope instead of edge.
The real question is: Can you think for yourself?
Not just when it is convenient. Not just when it tells you what you want to hear.
But even when it tells you: You are wrong.
Because in investing, the one who can be honest with himself wins.
The one who chases stories and confirmation? He gets to be exit liquidity.
