For a long time I was always convinced that I need to be “somewhere” to start doing what I actually want. For example I always wanted to start my own business/startup, but I was always saying “I only can start a startup when I move to the US”. Not in Egypt, not even in Europe, not in Canada, just the US. But lately I started to realize that this mindset is just putting myself in a prison when I don’t have to. I mean, I live in Egypt, there is nothing that can prevent me of doing business here, why the hell I have to go the US to start one? What is the point? There is no point, it’s just putting myself in a prison. Another excuse that I tell myself is: “I have a military service that I need to go to, so until I finish it I won’t be doing anything”. All of these excuses seems to me as nonsense right now, because there is NOTHING actually prevents me of doing anything, I can do whatever I want. But I decided to be imprisoned in my own mind.

The problem with excuses like these is that it’s very easy to tell, and it’s almost always convincing, but the result at the end is that you end up doing nothing in your life, and you don’t even chase the dreams that you always had. I’m not just talking about starting business, I’m talking about doing literally anything in your life. I started to believe that you can just do things. And you always have cards, btw. Maybe you weren’t born at the most perfect place, maybe you wasn’t raised perfectly, maybe you live in the country not in the city, but you ALWAYS have cards, and the thing about the game of life is that you have to use your cards, because you literally have no other option. My cards right now is that I have internet, I have programming skills, I have time, I live in the country (actually that can be a card if you think about it, because life is much cheaper here than living in Cairo or New Cairo). There are stories of people who succeded only through the internet without irl presence, why can’t I do like them? Literally nothing can prevent me, it’s only me who prevent me.

The point is, if you wanna win (or at least score some points) in the game of life, you need to define you cards and use them. And don’t imprison yourself in your mind, you don’t have to do that.