I spent years in school learning math, history, and how to write a proper five-paragraph essay. Nobody mentioned that the entire educational system was quietly training me to be the world’s most obedient employee.
Plot twist: I want to be an entrepreneur.
Cue dramatic music.
The Goal That Won’t Leave Me Alone
The hardest personal goal I have set for myself is not running a marathon. It is not learning Mandarin. It is not finally figuring out how to mine Bitcoin. It is becoming an entrepreneur, and I am still very much in the “trying to achieve it” phase (emphasis on trying).
The goal is not hard because I lack ideas or motivation. It is hard because I am fighting decades of mental programming that whispers sweet lies like:
- “Employment is the only sensible way to earn a living”
- “Selling is kind of sleazy, isn’t it?”
- “Just do what you’re told and everything will work out”
- “Entrepreneurs are either lucky or delusional (probably both)”
Thanks, conditioning. You have been a real pal.
The Training I Didn’t Know I Was Getting
Here is what I have realized: my entire upbringing was a masterclass in becoming a fantastic employee. Good grades were about following instructions perfectly. Raising your hand to speak taught hierarchy and waiting for permission. Group projects prepared you for corporate meetings where someone is definitely not pulling their weight.
These are not useless skills. But they are employee skills. When you are trying to build something of your own, waiting for someone to tell you what to do next is a problem, mostly because nobody is coming.
It is like training your whole life to be a classical pianist and then deciding you want to be a jazz musician. You know music theory, but now you have to unlearn the part where playing the “wrong” notes is bad.
The Invisible Chains Are the Heaviest
The tricky part about mental conditioning is that it does not feel like conditioning. It feels like common sense. It feels like reality. It feels like “just the way things are.”
When I think about selling something I have created, I get a knee-jerk cringe. Where did that come from? Probably from absorbing the cultural message that salespeople are pushy, manipulative, and slightly desperate. Never mind that every business requires selling something to someone.
When I consider taking a risk on my own venture, a voice says, “But what about the steady paycheck? The benefits? The security?” As if employment in 2025 is particularly secure. (It is not.)
Why I’m Telling You This
I am sharing this because I know I am not alone. There are probably thousands, maybe millions, of people out there who want something different but feel stuck in the same mental loops I do.
I want to become known for helping people overcome the conditioning and mindsets that work against their goals. Once you can see the programming, you can start to rewrite it.
Will it be easy? Absolutely not. I am living proof that awareness does not equal instant transformation.
Will it be worth it? I am betting everything on yes.
The Journey Continues
So here I am, still trying, still learning, still catching myself falling back into old patterns. Some days I feel like a fraud for even calling myself an aspiring entrepreneur. Other days I feel like I am finally breaking through.
This blog is my attempt to document all of it: the wins, the setbacks, and the moments where I realize I have been self-sabotaging in fascinating new ways. If you have ever felt like your own mind is working against your dreams, you might find something useful here.
Or at least you can take comfort in knowing someone else is stumbling through this too.
Subscribe to follow along. We will figure this out together, or at least collect some interesting stories along the way.
What conditioning do you need to unlearn? Drop a comment below. I would love to hear what mental programming you are working to overcome.
