Preamble
I turned 20 yesterday.
Two years ago, at seventeen, I wrote my last manifesto. I wanted to leave Ukraine and bootstrap a software career, so I put a number on a piece of paper on the wall, fifteen hundred dollars. That’s exactly what happened. I moved to Warsaw, now my home, started working as an engineer at eighteen (big win!), and my first salary came close, about sixteen hundred dollars after tax. It has more than doubled since.
So I’m writing another one. To do it well I need to be specific, to visualize who I want to become, and to have the courage to verbalize it.
I’m setting goals for the next 3 years, until I’m twenty-three, one section per part of my life, each a thesis that I then break down. Later, these will be complemented by shorter plan articles with concrete actionables and reflection notes.
Let’s begin with the self, since everything stems from it.
Self
“I am a grounded man, with great self-control, a good psysique, and aesthetic appeal.”
“grounded”
There’s been plenty of suffering these years.
Poor self-esteem, loneliness, self-hatred, and isolation shaped most of my mental state. I’ve struggled with indecisiveness and overthinking, and too often I’ve let my emotions take the upper hand. I fell into smoking and drinking, and my attention, admittedly, has become easy to seize. I’ve also carried an existential crisis, unable to see the point in going on.
Notably, more of this suffering came from within than from without. And since there’s already no shortage of competition out there, why would I add to it by turning on myself? It’s unreasonable.
“You can solve almost any problem but you have to work prudently” – Charlie Morgan
I believe I can resolve this piece by piece (bad habits, negative thinking patterns, childhood trauma, etc), and that the closer I get to my goals, the clearer the “why” will become.
Here is how I envision myself three years from now:
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I’ve quit the vices (smoking, drinking, pornography)
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My attention is expensive and hard to win. I can be bored without reaching for anything.
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I’m confident and at ease. I can just exist. Anxiety and stress have dropped away.
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People can see the true me, no longer hidden behind the curtain.
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I’m surrounded by people who are ahead of me and pull me forward.
My declining ability to concentrate and get things done is perhaps my biggest loss of the past few years. Until the foundation is steadier, the thing that fuels the rest and breaks the inertia is self-discipline.
”with great self-control”
A couple of years ago, “resilient” was a word in my everyday vocabulary, the way I would have described myself. Now I had to look it up to write this, because I’ve forgotten it. This pretty much summarizes the shift.
Two years ago I could string together several sessions of deep work and slip into flow state every day. That ability matters enormously in a business, where the main asset is my mind.
As Usyk, the Ukrainian world boxing champion, put it:
Motivation is for good, discipline is for the greatest.
You wake up in the morning and you have to train with the team. It’s no matter of emotions, or any matter. It just has to be done.
Most of the incredible things I achieved came when (1) I pushed myself and went the extra mile, and (2) I did what I feared most. This is the only way to success, and the cornerstone of everything else.
”muscular”
I have exercised for about 5 months in Poland, and before I emigrated I had very intensive workout sessions in Ukraine. That combined progress has let me gain muscles and get into shape – big enough for people to notice. I’m 68kg at 173cm, S–M t-shirt, athletic but not yet muscular.
That’s a good starting point, but I want to go must further: to about 77–79kg lean, around 10% body fat.
”aesthetic appeal”
In addition to the body transformation, I want to make changes to my overall look and face. I want to get a more masculine profile and experiment with my appearance. The rationale is (1) better self-esteem and confidence, (2) richer social life, network, and relationships, and (3) business impact (covered below).
Business
I’m the founder of a $5 million business, an engineer and a salesman.
”a founder of $5 million business”
Recently I founded Kestrel – a sales outbound platform. I aim to raise money and get it to five million dollars valuation.
”an engineer”
I have a mathematical mind and have loved engineering from a young age. I’ve achieved more than most people do by my age, with one or two years of commercial experience. I’ve worked at an outbound company and a UK-based organization with 7 million MAU.
I don’t plan to stop. Now I’ll use that experience to build a software company of my own.
Engineering is also a great way to sharpen my problem-solving and challenge myself.
”a salesman”
Already an engineer, I’ll be expanding into sales. I want to be able to sell anything.
Sales is an unparalleled skill, important to (1) strengthen my communication and persuasion, (2) understand Kestrel’s ICP, (3) sell the software (or anything else), and (4) become a real businessman and stay competitive in the AI era, where engineers are increasingly being replaced.
Relationships and people
Love
I don’t believe that having a partner and building a great career are in conflict, and there’s plenty of evidence for that. So I’ll stay open to relationships but never force one, letting it happen naturally, while I pour myself into the work.
“If you spend your time chasing butterflies, they will fly away. But if you spend your time building a beautiful garden, the butterflies will come. And even if they don’t come… you still have a beautiful garden.”
Family
I left home largely because I didn’t have a good relationship with my family. Two years abroad helped me appreciate them. I’m lucky enough to have loving parents and a younger brother, and I want to spend more time with them, the way we did when they came to visit for my birthday.
And I want to be a good example for my brother as he grows up. I don’t think my parents are doing a good job here, so it’s even more important. I owe him my time, love, knowledge, and help.
Future family
I also want to be a good example for my future kids, and to have a lot to give when the time comes.
Acquaintances
I made a mistake of hanging out and trying to get into companies I don’t like. So instead, I should look for my people much more. I hope that by building a business that will also find me.