Vaccinate yourself against the epidemic of mediocrity

TL;DR — NPC (non-player character). Alive but hardly conscious. This is the story of how I completely uprooted my life and how I took radical steps to become the much happier, more free man I am today.

It’s simple: If you’re not living the life you want to live, read this essay in its entirety. Don’t stop until you’ve finished. Then, take action. Do what I did to, in just a few months, completely change my life.


This is the face of an NPC – a non-player character. He accepts life as it is. He doesn’t mind the status quo. He doesn’t want to rock the boat.

NPC wojak

As is, life is “just fine the way it is.”

  • A just fine job
  • A just fine city
  • A just fine salary
  • A just fine social circle
  • A just fine relationship

But since when is “just fine” enough? Since when is settling okay?

The photo above may as well be a selfie of me. In 2021, I lived that life.

I was completely content with my life. But I realized there’s a huge difference between content and truly happy.

In January of that year, I went through a course called Hero on a Mission by Donald Miller. And it changed how I thought about my life and what actions I would take next.

During that course, I wrote my own obituary. Yep, morbid. I know. But without that one simple exercise, I would probably still be in the same “just fine” life patterns I was in before.

The obituary exercise is meant to remind you of your mortality, the fact that you’ll die one day and that that day could come sooner than you expect.

In the process of writing my obituary and imagining what life would be like by the time I died (let’s say at 95 years old), I broke down.

I was 24 years old. That means I was just over a quarter of the way through my life. Yet, none of the things I wrote about in my obituary was I remotely close to achieving. I wanted to accomplish so many things by the time I died, yet I wasn’t even in the right ballpark.

I didn’t own multiple homes around the world. I’d never lived in a foreign country. I didn’t know any other language. I didn’t own my own company nor have control over my schedule and time. I wasn’t making the impact nor money I wanted to create a legacy for my future family.

And I get it, I get it. You’re probably thinking, “What an impatient Gen Zer. He was just 24 years old. Those are some big life goals.

That’s not it. I wasn’t heading in the right direction.

Imagine your goal is to walk from San Francisco to New York. But without any maps or compass, you start heading right into the Pacific Ocean, the complete opposite direction of your destination.

I’m lucky to have realized this so soon in my life, rather than when I’m 40 or god forbid, 60 years old.

So what’d I do about it? I blew it all up 😅

Three months later, I quit my job with zero plans for how I’d pay rent the next month. And just five months after that, I left my home country for what I thought would be a 3-month trip in Latin America.

Man, what a 180 my life had taken in less than 12 months.

Inspired wojak

Since that crazy sequence of events in 2021, I’ve done quite a bit and learned a lot about myself and where I want to go from here.

3 months in Latin America has turned into 3 years. I grew my first business to multiple 6 figures in less than 10 months. I’ve bought a home. I’ve started toward citizenship in a foreign country. I’ve become fluent in Spanish, now working on Portuguese. I’ve dated and moved in with a Latina girl. I’ve started and scaled two other online businesses. I’ve cofounded an info-product business. I’ve scaled some of Latin America’s tallest mountains and volcanoes. I’ve lived in 10 different nations. I make in a quarter what I used to make in a year. I’ve met some of the most inspiring sovereign individuals in the world.

None of this would’ve happened had I chosen to continue on the path of mediocrity.

And don’t get me wrong – I don’t say this to brag.

I’m not satisfied (which isn’t a good trait, let’s be honest 😅). I have a long way to go to achieve the generational wealth and time freedom I want.

But here’s how you too can flip your life on its head and live the life you’ve always dreamed of…

Prompts to write your own obituary

If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking your life is “just fine,” maybe it’s time to shake things up.
If you’re not living out the dreams you had as a kid, what’s stopping you from doing so?
If you know you’re made for more, what is it that you really want out of life?

If your first thought is tangible stuff, push deeper. Why do you want that Lamborghini? Why do you want that ski chalet in France?

Break out a pad of paper, your Notes app or a clean Google Doc and ponder these obituary prompts:

  • How old were you when you died?
  • Who’s at your funeral? What do they say about you? What do you want them to say about you?
  • What stories do they tell?
  • Who were some of your best friends?
  • How did you impact people?
  • Where did you live? What communities were you a part of?
  • Why do the people who surround you matter?
  • What did you do to create your legacy? What were you known for?
  • What happened to your wealth when you died?
  • What was your mission? Did you accomplish it?

If you use this opportunity wisely, it will change your life.

This isn’t meant to be some “inspirational” fluff post. This is meant to tell you it’s okay to blow things up and start a-new.

It’s not just about reflection. It’s about action. Default to it.


If you want to share your obituary with me and ask for my feedback/advice, email or DM me.

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If I were to dedicate the next Freedom Files YouTube video to you and one challenge you’re facing right now, what would that issue be?

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  • I can’t find a remote job
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