07/28/2026
I turned 28 last week.
I’ve been thinking a lot about my 18 year-old self.
What were his goals? His worries?
To be honest, I don’t think I’ve changed that much since then.
Back then, I thought I would work for a big international company. Travel the world on work assignments.
If I have to really think about why… well I thought that would be my best chance to see the world. To meet interesting people. To live free.
I didn’t really think I would be good at much else.
I was a sharp kid for sure, but a lot of skills didn’t come naturally to me.
And I definitely never saw myself as a creative person, someone who could tell a story, or make art.
To some extent, I still don’t see myself that way.
There’s definitely a hard wiring of Yemeni small business / entrepreneurial mindset that is programmed into me.
Man, I thought this would be an easy video to make, but sifting through ten years of clips is not easy! I don’t really love the video as it is, but I’ve spent too much time on it already 😆
All this to say: I wish I could tell 18 year old me I have it all figured it out by now, but in some ways I think he was a bit wiser and than I am now.
What I know he would be proud of is that I stopped thinking that I wasn’t capable of certain things.
Anyone and everyone is capable of learning anything!
Not everything you’re doing in the moment will make sense, but the sum of all your experiences will get you to where you want!
What would you tell your 18 year-old self?
