10 Years Later, I Finally Get It: Why I Didn’t Grow Like I Could Have.
By 2014, I was working as a freelance graphic designer as well as doing my engineering.
It’s been over 10 years now, and when I look back, there’s this weird mix of pride and guilt.
Pride that I started early.
Guilt that I didn’t build anything out of it.
I see fresh college grads today doing freelance work, building global clients, growing audiences online. And I can’t help but think, I was doing this 12 years ago. Back when social media was still young. Back when Jio hadn’t even arrived and changed the game.
I was there, right in the middle of all of it, working in social media marketing. I had the context. I had the timing. But I didn’t have the system.
And that’s where I failed.
Why I think I Couldn’t Capitalise
- I was serious, but distracted.
I was always buried in the task at hand, never looking at the bigger picture. Always executing, never planning. - I didn’t document anything.
Had I shared what I was learning, what I was building, what I was struggling with, I could’ve built an audience. An identity. Maybe even a business. - I never built on top of what I already had.
Everything valuable in life compounds. Skills, knowledge, connections, reputation. But only if you stay on one path long enough. I kept starting over. - I didn’t leave anything behind.
No savings. No content. No trail of what I worked on.
And here’s a harsh truth:
If you’re doing work that leaves you with nothing at the end of the month…no savings, no assets, no learnings…then you’re just doing donkey work.
Whatever you save, you build.
Day by day, something should be stacking…money, knowledge, experience, content. Otherwise, 10 years will pass and you’ll look back to… nothing.
If you’re reading this, I’ve got one simple message:
Push yourself just enough.
Enough to challenge yourself.
Enough to stack new skills.
Enough to build something that lasts.
But not so much that you’re too drained to even enjoy or document the journey.
So What Now?
Now I’m choosing to document everything.
I’ve started showing up consistently on Twitter and LinkedIn.
And I’m focusing on just three pillars:
- My Career – Software Development
- My Business – Social Media + Marketing
- My Personal Brand – Who I am, what I stand for
So that when I’m 40, I don’t just have money in the bank…
I have a body of work to show. A story to tell.
And a life that actually compounded.
Vinay Mundhe 