Hey all! If you are in your 20s or 30s and find yourself lost in a sea full of uncertainty and tons of confusing information, then you’re not alone.

When the internet was just emerging, it was an amazing experience to surf the web and be inspired by everything you found there. However, you might remember that the internet was very limited, and not every answer to every question was there.

Yes, there was a lot already around the 2000s you could access but for most things, if you really wanted to learn something it was still needed to go out into the world, take some classes and read books.

Nowadays, it feels like nonsense to do that right? It’s impossible for a respectable book author or teacher to catch up to everyday advancements and new discoveries. Social media people are uploading hours of content per week, and the platforms are making sure that we consume every minute of those. So why should we read a book or take a class that was released 2 months ago when it’s probably already outdated?

I’m not exempt from that feeling, and after consuming content throughout my whole lifetime, I came to the conclusion that relying solely on the internet to learn can become a huge risk.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against e-learning at all, but I do think that we should be very careful about the sources that we decide to trust. We are in the era where a 30 seconds video can teach you how to be a millionaire or how to master certain skills. That’s tempting for sure, but it’s 100% unreal.

If you are not sure about your purpose and what you’re looking for, then surfing the web might get you even more confused. Contradicting sources, idealist narrators, made up characters that pretend to be someone skilled, people doing so many different things that you were not even aware existed or were possible; all of that tends to confuse our brain and makes our search even more complicated.

Does any of this feel like something you’ve been through? I have some insights I’ve been reflecting on and might resonate with you too.

Purpose

Finding purpose is not an easy endeavor, and it's also not a task you ever complete. For me finding purpose is an everyday job. Most of the time you might be certain of what you do, but there's probably sometimes that it's tempting to look across the street and wonder if what you are doing is really what you want to do.

It’s ok not to be blind and learn about different options, but for me being constant and consistent with what you do is what leads to success. Switching all the time or losing interest frequently in what you pursue might eventually leave you empty-handed.

If you find yourself in a time of confusion, it's better to shut down whatever is taking you off the road and reflect yourself if that’s where you belong or not. Don’t leave more distractions make that decision for yourself.

Control your anxiety

If you want to learn a new skill, I recommend not relying only on the internet content. Finding a specialized book or some university courses might not be as fast as watching a 20 min free video on YouTube but it might probably provide better tools for whatever you are seeking.

Think about this: most people are going to learn from the same places you are planning to, so if you really want to distinguish yourself from the crowd, you might as well go through a different path. An easy way to know which to choose is to look for the ones that most people avoid because of the complexity or the demanded effort.

Sometimes is better to be patient and do the extra mile to achieve better results rather than going through the fast lane to nowhere.

Create

Never stop creating, it doesn’t matter if you are coding the next big unicorn or you like painting for yourself. It’s important to keep your mind creative and be able to accomplish something that you are proud of. It doesn’t have to go public or be interesting for anyone else than you but never stop doing it.

For me now, it’s writing this blog. The challenge of facing a white canvas and expressing my ideas in a tidy way is something I’m always afraid of at the beginning, excited and frustrated through the process, and pleased at the end. Trust me on this one, your brain and soul will thank you for that.

Choose your sources wisely

If you happen to grab whatever piece of information that appeared at the top of your search results, or even some answer that AI-generated for you, then you might want to reconsider your methods.

As previously said, the internet is unfortunately full of unverified information, so trusting whatever you find there is like asking something to a stranger in the streets and dying with that.

I don’t even trust 100% every boor or big media companies. I usually prefer to select individual specialists to follow their work through interviews, talks, books, articles, etc. rather than just believing some random 20 years old supposedly living in Dubai earning 100k per month.

Also, big institutions might be a good place to start if they are aligned with your interests. Don’t take an institution's orientation lightly though, it could make a great difference if your interests and their focus are not aligned.

Alright, that’s it for today. I hope some of my ideas resonate with you and help you filter some of the noise that is out there. Until the next one.

Cheers!