“99% of the world’s population doesn’t make over 60k a year. Think about that before you come on here bitching about your portfolio.”
I read that and just… paused.
Not because it was new information.
But because it was a mirror.
I’ve caught myself spiraling over market dips, missed opportunities, or that one person i know just closed a bigger round, got a better job, or launched faster.
I’ve caught myself thinking “I should be doing more.”
And in that moment, I forgot everything I already had.
That’s the danger.
That’s predatorialism.
It’s easy to point at the world and blame the system — capitalism, social media, hustle culture — but the truth is, it’s also inside us.
It’s not just a system; it’s a state of mind.
One that turns striving into scarcity.
One that tells us we’re behind, even when we’re ahead.
But here’s what I’m learning:
You don’t have to kill your ambition to find peace.
You just have to ground it.
The Myth of Escape
When you first notice how toxic the system can be, the instinct is often to reject it completely.
Quit the job.
Delete the apps.
Go off-grid.
Trade ambition for silence.
And hey — sometimes that is the move.
But most of us aren’t escaping the world. We’re staying in it.
We’re still building. Competing. Creating.
Because we care. Because we want to grow that’s what was always the driver.
So the better question becomes:
How do you stay inside predatorialism without letting it hollow you out?
How do you play the game without becoming the game?
Three Anchors I’m Still Learning to Hold
These aren’t polished life lessons. These are things I keep reminding myself of.
I don’t always practice them. But I’m trying.
1. Gratitude isn’t soft — it’s armor.
Everyone talks about gratitude like it’s a nice little wellness habit. But it’s more than that.
It’s a shield.
When I take even two minutes to list what I already have, the noise quiets.
But I forget — often.
Most mornings, I still reach for my phone before I reach for presence.
Still working on it.
2. Build from enough, not emptiness.
So much of my drive has been fueled by lack — by fear, by feeling behind.
And it works, until it burns you out.
I’m learning that when I build from a place of wholeness, the work is better.
It lasts longer. It feels less like survival and more like expression.
But I slip. Often.
I’m trying to notice the difference sooner.
3. Zoom out. Constantly.
The internet makes everything feel urgent, personal, existential.
But when I zoom out — timewise, globally, spiritually — the pressure eases.
I remember I’m lucky.
I remember most of my problems are rooted in too much, not too little.
Still, it takes effort to zoom out when your brain is wired to fixate.
I’m not great at it yet, but I’m learning to reach for it like a rope in rough water.
The Night That Shifted Everything
A few weeks ago, I had what I thought was a “bad” day in the market.
Lost a chunk. Stared at numbers. Felt sick, because i had and have a strong conviction.
Laid in bed doing math in my head like that would somehow fix it.
And then it hit me:
I was in a warm bed.
In a safe apartment i was always dreaming of.
With food in the fridge and options for tomorrow.
With people around me i value and happy to have them.
That’s not failure. That’s fortune.
I didn’t promise myself I’d stop chasing.
I just promised I’d stop forgetting.
The Real Win
This post isn’t about guilt.
It’s not “be grateful and shut up.”
It’s “be real with yourself and be grounded.”
Because yeah — the system is rigged.
It wants you to chase endlessly and more aggressively at each new Level.
But you still have agency.
You can choose to build with peace.
You can choose to measure success by more than just numbers.
You can stay inside the beast — but not lose your soul to it.
Try This Tonight
Write down 3 things you have today that you once wished for.
Let them land.
Sit with them.
Then tomorrow, build again —
Not from hunger, but from wholeness.
If this landed with you, share it. Not for likes, but because someone in your orbit might need this reminder too.
I now do it — by writing about my experience with it.
