People keep asking me how I manage work-life balance.
And every time, I have to stop myself from laughing.
Because here’s the truth:
If I had chased balance, I’d be nowhere.
No startups. No gains. No global adventures. No bruises, no scars, no fucking stories.
When I was younger, I thought balance was something to aspire to.
Work a little, rest a little, Chill on the weekends, four weeks off in summer — and if you’re lucky, early retirement at 65.
But the more I built, the more I burned, the more I saw through the system, the more I realized:
“Work-life balance” is a slogan designed to keep you soft.
Comfortable enough not to rebel.
Just tired enough not to create.
I didn’t get to build the things I built because I switched off at 6pm.
I got here because I stayed obsessed. I missed parties. I missed sleep.
I said yes to things that made no sense at first. I dove in head-first and figured it out mid-air.
Was it balanced?
Hell no.
But it was alive. Real. Mine.
People love to preach about avoiding burnout.
Of course — burnouts are real. I’ve crashed before.
But you know what’s worse than burnout?
Rust.
That quiet corrosion of your spirit when you’re not chasing anything that lights you up.
That invisible death that comes from doing “just enough.”
That voice in your head that whispers: “You had more in you. But you chose comfort.”
Balance didn’t build Tesla.
Balance didn’t write great novels.
Balance didn’t change the world.
Obsession did.
And alignment — deep alignment with your mission — is the only balance that ever made sense to me.
I don’t need time away from what I’m building.
I need more time inside it.
Because it fuels me. Because I believe in it. Because I chose this path — and I’ll walk it fully.
If you’re looking for a soft life, that’s fine.
But don’t pretend it’s the path to freedom.
That’s a carefully manicured cage — with an HR handbook and a standing desk.
If you want to escape the hamster wheel, you have to sprint — not jog.
You have to tip the scales, not balance them.
And yeah, it’s messy.
But at least it’s yours.
And in case you’re wondering —
Yes, I’m writing this at 3:00 AM San Francisco time,
after a full day of meetings and a late-night sync with my team back in Dubai on a Sunday.
Because when you care this much,
you don’t wait for the “right” time.
You just build.
