
You know that sinking feeling you get when you’re scrolling through social media? Everyone seems to have it figured out. Someone’s buying their first property at 23, another person just hit six figures working remotely from Bali, and there you are, feeling stuck. The comparison trap is real, and it’s crushing.
What if I told you that feeling could actually fuel your success instead of draining it? The difference between you and those people you’re envying isn’t talent or luck (though luck plays a part). It’s action. They started. That’s literally it.
I’m 24 with a six figure net worth now, but a year ago I was making close to minimum wage. Nothing particularly special about me. I just stopped waiting for the “right time” and got obsessed with doing things differently than everyone around me.
The Frugality Myth Everyone Gets Wrong
People love throwing around “live a little” whenever they see someone being intentional with money. They think frugality means deprivation, eating ramen every night, never going out. That’s not what this is about.
Spending intentionally means knowing exactly what brings you joy and cutting everything else ruthlessly. I hate spending money on transport. That TFL charge notification at 3am? Makes me want to scream. So I went through the hassle of getting a 16 to 25 railcard, bought an Oyster card from a corner shop, linked them at a station. Most people couldn’t be bothered. I saved £50 monthly, which I immediately invested.
Meanwhile, if you genuinely love that daily coffee and pastry, keep it. But ask yourself honestly: is this a choice or a habit? Did coffee shops always exist? No. You’re not going to die without one. If it’s not bringing you real happiness, you’re trading hours of your life for sugar and caffeine you don’t even notice anymore.
Stop Looking Sideways, Start Looking Up
The biggest trap keeping you broke is trying to stay “normal.” You’re stuck matching the invisible level of your peers. Everyone at work vapes? Must be what successful people do. Your friends blow their paychecks every weekend? That’s just what people your age do, right?
Wrong. You’re absorbing behaviors from people who aren’t where you want to be. Why would you take financial advice from someone drowning in debt? Why copy the habits of people stuck in jobs they hate?
Stop taking advice from people you wouldn’t trade places with. My parents had successful traditional careers, but when I talked about starting a business or building a property portfolio, their fears came through. “There’s no money in property anymore.” They meant well, but they’d never done it. Their advice came from fear, not experience.
Assets Over Liabilities Changes Everything
Rich people buy assets. Everyone else buys liabilities dressed up as assets. That luxury car losing value the second you drive it off the lot? Liability. The stocks growing 10% annually? Asset. The designer bag sitting in your closet while you have nothing invested? Makes zero sense.
I’m not saying never buy nice things. Buy them after you’ve built the foundation. Buy them when your assets could pay for your lifestyle without you working. Until then, every purchase is trading time you’ll never get back.
The Content Creation Gold Rush Nobody Talks About
If you missed Bitcoin, you’re watching the next wave happen right now. Content creation isn’t what it was in 2015. It’s harder now, the stakes are higher, but the money and opportunities are absolutely massive.
I started with my iPhone taped to a window. Zero equipment, zero followers, zero clue what I was doing. You’re watching this on a device that can start your career. The tools are already in your hand.
It took me 900 posts before I made my first five figure month. Those early videos? Awful. Bad lighting, worse editing, made no sense. But I learned. I iterated. I improved. You can’t learn without putting work out there, even when it’s not perfect.
Minimum viable product beats perfect every time. Your work needs to exist before it can get better.
Choose Your Hard
Waking up early to work on your business is hard. Not working on it and staying broke? Also hard. Exercising consistently is hard. Dealing with health problems from never moving? Also hard. Saving money is hard. Being 40 with nothing saved? Infinitely harder.
Society makes everything convenient now. Fast food, endless scrolling, dopamine hits every three seconds. When you do the opposite, when you read instead of scroll, move instead of sit, create instead of consume, you’re instantly ahead of 99% of people your age because the average person isn’t doing those things anymore.
I’m addicted to saving money. There, I said it. I wouldn’t have hit six figures by 24 without that obsession. You have to become obsessed with something. The alternative isn’t freedom, it’s regret.
Create More Than You Consume
When you only consume, you’re powerless. You’re at the mercy of algorithms, marketing, social media puppet masters. When you create, you gain leverage. Your ideas, your content, your unique perspective becomes intellectual property. That’s power.
Start writing. You don’t need to be “a writer.” Open your phone, go to Threads or Substack, and write about a problem you solved or a thought you have. That’s it. Anyone can do this.
The future belongs to creators because AI can replicate everything except genuine human authenticity and experience. Your story, your perspective, your transformation? That’s irreplaceable.
Three Actions You Can Take Today
Track your spending for 30 days. See where your money actually goes versus where you think it goes. You’ll be shocked.
Pick one high income skill and start learning. Ask ChatGPT to create a learning curriculum for copywriting, coding, video editing, whatever interests you. Then actually do the work.
Invest in one asset this month. Could be £50 in stocks, could be an hour writing your first blog post, could be a course that teaches you something valuable. Just start.
The people you’re envious of started. That’s the only difference. They took action when it was uncomfortable, when they weren’t ready, when the work wasn’t perfect. You can do exactly the same thing. Stop waiting for perfect. Start building today.
If this post sparked a thought, shifted your mindset, or gave you something meaningful — don’t let it end here.
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