At 18, I believed moving abroad was the key to success—that once I got out, everything would fall into place. But reality had other plans. From health struggles and lockdowns to finally achieving a “comfortable” life that still felt empty, I learned that success isn’t what I thought it was. This is the story of how everything I believed got challenged—and why starting over became the best decision I could make.
The Dream vs Reality
At 18, I believed that moving abroad would change everything for me. I thought once I left home, I would have endless opportunities to prove myself, and success would naturally follow. When I moved to China in 2019, it felt like I had made it. But that feeling didn’t last long.
Just two months in, I had serious health complications that required surgery, and right after that, Covid hit. Everything shut down. Classes moved online, opportunities disappeared, and I was left trying to figure out how to survive in a completely unfamiliar environment. For nearly three years, I wasn’t building the life I imagined—I was just getting by, relying on support and doing whatever I could to stay afloat.
Getting Comfortable… and Questioning Everything
By late 2022, things finally started to improve. I found a tutoring job, started earning money, and slowly stabilized my situation. Eventually, I moved into my own apartment, had a steady income, and even bought a PS5. On the surface, it looked like I had achieved the life I once wanted.
But that’s when a different kind of discomfort set in. I started asking myself whether this was truly enough—whether this income could support the life I envisioned, whether I actually enjoyed what I was doing, and whether this path would ever lead to real freedom. The honest answer was no. I had worked hard to get there, but it felt like I had traded my time and energy for a life that was simply average, not meaningful.
The Reset and a New Direction
That realization changed everything. After reading Millionaire Fastlane, I understood that the problem wasn’t just the job I had—it was the entire path I was on.
No one had ever taught me what real wealth is or how to build it, and I couldn’t keep moving forward blindly. So I made a decision that didn’t make sense on the surface. I quit my job, sold the things that kept me comfortable, and moved back into a small dorm room to start over. Since then, I’ve been learning, building, and figuring things out through trial and error. I’m not where I want to be yet, but I know I’m moving in the right direction.
And this time, instead of waiting until I “make it,” I’m documenting the journey as it happens—because sometimes the biggest step forward begins with the courage to start again.
