Niharikaa Kaur Sodhi

DM me with GROW to build your personal brand.

A writer with over 3 million views/ month. :) An educator who has taught live over 150 people from 30+ countries, and has 12,000+ customers.

✉️ hi [at] niharikasodhi [dot] com

Coming to the 'story'...

I'm a writer. And with that, I also became an educator and entrepreneur.

I side hustled for 10 months in 2020 because something was missing. 

I refuse to believe you shouldn't be kicked to go to work when you wake up. I refuse to believe that you need to reach a certain 'level' to do high-impact work. Labels and designations aren’t exciting either. 

And I strongly believe that there's enough wealth we can all create if we play by the mindset of abundance and not scarcity.

We have a duty to be of service to other people. And we only have one chance at life to tap into our potential and unleash it.

So I quit my job in 2021 to write full time.

That led to:

• becoming a 22x top writer on Medium
• creating digital products 
• having a cohort-based course that's educated 100+ people across 30+ countries 
• getting accepted to LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program 

As a writer, my purpose is to leave everyone healthier and happier. 

As an educator and entrepreneur, I want to help other creators level up their game and solve their problems.

I'm passionate about healthy living, reading, and mindfulness. I've also travelled to 24 countries and still have fear of flying.

I run two newsletters. Join thousands of people ⬇️
• On my life and self-improvement: https://niharikasodhi.substack.com/
• Side Hustle Saturdays: https://niharikaasodhi96.kit.com/profile


➡️ Collaborations:
Transparent pricing on https://www.passionfroot.me/nks

Twitter: @NiharikaSodhi

🚨PS: I have 25,000+ connection requests. If it's urgent, please send me an inmail. :)

Founder

I help writers become more consistent with my cohort-based programme that takes place 4 times a year.

Being a working woman versus a working MOM is a world of a difference… 

I now understand why my mom worked part time. 

I now understand why many women in my family are homemakers. 

Because 

➡️ It’s a 24h job to raise a kid. 

➡️ That + other housework = 2 jobs. 

➡️ The above + professional work = 3 jobs. 

While I’m slowly transitioning to get back to my work with a 2.5 month old 👶🏻, I’m grateful that I’ve built a business that doesn’t require over 3 hours a day of my time. 

This took years to build but is paying me back when I need it the most. 

But if I didn’t have this… I don’t know how I would’ve done it.

So this Women’s Day 🩷, I want to give a shoutout to all mothers. You’re not seen, your work may feel invisible, and maybe that invisibility is way too normalised to appreciate. 

(All this - whether you’re ‘working’ or not) 

But I see you, feel you, and I can’t believe I’ve never appreciated the multiple roles a mother juggles. 
 
Happy Women’s Day 🫶🏼

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8 years ago this day, I traveled solo for the first time. 

As a disclaimer, 
- I’m introverted, and 
- I don’t make friends easily

Honestly, I was SO anxious.

I zipped my passport and phone in my jacket at night and hugged them under the blanket before I slept. 

The first night, I didn’t sleep at all and imagined the worst possible scenarios that could happen to me. My hostel dorm had 32 people and my bed was right next to the door, so there was that noise too. 

The next day, I stepped out of my comfort zone to have some small talks over breakfast. 

In the evening, I hung out with hostel mates from around the world. 

I realised I enjoy sightseeing alone, especially in museums. I didn’t even imagine I’d be somebody who enjoys museums!

But I also enjoyed hanging out with people and listen to their stories. There’s something different about being in a room full of people from around the world, and that ‘different’ is what makes it amazing. 

This was the first time I spent time with myself and my thoughts in a place I don’t know at all.

The next two nights, I slept like a baby. 

Who knew, it’d lead me to travel solo nine more times. But that’s a story for another time. :) 

Stepping out of your comfort zone can unleash a whole new path for you. Try it?

#travel #summit21 #sprinterstribe

For 4.5 years, I’ve helped parents from 37+ countries to write online consistently. 
All this without being a parent myself. 

The good part? That stuff worked for them because the systems of writing and consistency I teach were tailored well around them. 

The challenge?

I’m in their boat now. 

So here’s how I’m writing with a newborn 👶🏻 - most of the time, when she’s on my tummy sleeping 🤣

Turns out, it’s not just me 😅

Another mum of a newborn DMed me saying she’s doing her client work during tummy time too. 

(I feel less alone and weird lol) 

➡️ One thing that stays constant is that it’s MUCH easier to show up for ANYTHING, when you enjoy it. 

Without any outcome attached. 

For the sheer joy of the process alone. 

It’s why I’m able to workout. 
It’s why I’m eating healthy food. 
It’s why I write even though I don’t have to. 

And it’s why I continue chickening out of social gatherings 😁

19 days, 7 cities, 6 countries, 21 years old.

This day eight years ago, I travelled solo.

Coming from a place where girls don't venture out alone, leave aside going to a different city or country, I took a leap of faith.

Of course, my socially awkward self was super nervous. I *still* have a hard time talking in social situations and meeting new people.

In this picture, I'm in front of Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany.

I arrived in Berlin and a few minutes into walking from my train station to my hostel; I had a racist encounter. Two women looked at me, passed a remark, and spat on the road. 

Then they giggled and carried on. I was so scared! I wanted to cancel everything and go back.

But this was my *only* racist experience in 19 days.

On my first day, I was starving and entered the first cafe I saw. The owner didn't know English and I didn't know German. I somehow communicated 'cheese sandwich' and later got to know cards weren't accepted.

That man waited for 45m for me to find an ATM and get back to him. Not sure how he knew I'd return.

People told me not to ask the locals to click photos, as they can be rude. They not only clicked my pictures, but a couple even walked me to my destination when I couldn't comprehend Google Maps.

Here's what I learnt:

"Look at the world with a blank slate and let experiences fill in the colour. Let go of your preconceived notions."

None of the generalisations I was told were true. More on this in the coming days. :)

____

For the next few days, I'll share my five most transformative experiences from this trip.

This is part 1/5. 

PS - cities visited are Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, Bratislava, Ljubljana.

#travel #lifelessons #sprinterstribe

Being a solopreneur looks ‘unproductive’ from outside. Trust me. 

On random weekdays, I
- meet mom for lunch
- head out for coffee date with the husband
- stay back with my grandma coz we can't get enough of gossip

When I do this, my total time worked is sometimes just... 2 hours!

Unproductive, right? 

I used to think so too in my beginning days and feel like I’m not doing enough and I’ll lose the race. 

Until I realised:

• this isn’t a race, and that’s why I quit one race. 

• I need to stop measuring work in hours and measure business impact. 

• the point of quitting my job at 25 was to be happy and make time for things that matter. Family is priority one. 

Gotta stop feeling guilty because I doubt at 60 I’ll think of “I wish I worked on that article”.  

It’s easy to slip into feeling you’re not doing enough. But the best thing about solopreneurship has been

• owning the finite - my time 
• an ease of just… being 
• more mental peace 
• more family time
• doing what I love 
• better health 

Happy Tuesday, and I hope you achieve all that you’re striving for. In that process, don’t forget to monitor how you speak to yourself and be kind. 

Easy to preach kindness, difficult to give it to yourself. :) It’s time you do that.

This one experience challenged me on an emotional, physical, and mental level, even though I’ve done plenty of ‘inner work’.

Pregnancy!

💪🏼Physical level:

- My body was changing drastically, and I had days when I’d cry because I couldn’t recognise it.
- Tiredness has a whole different meaning.
- My acne reappeared after years and didn’t go for months.

🧠Mental:

I felt depths of sadness I never thought an optimistic and aware person like me had the ability to feel.

💫Spiritual

- I was negative, hopeless, and upset. 
- I became pessimistic instead of my naturally optimistic self


I guess life has a way of putting you through things so you can come back stronger. 
So during my time off during my maternity leave, I hope I do too. 

With newer realisations, goals, and more.

Your content is flopping because the algorithm isn’t ‘picking it up’? Join the club 👀

I’m seeing a lot of discourse on people blaming the algo for their content not growing. 
Yet their most recent post is a platitude 🤨 

So if you’ve been posting consistently but your content still isn’t getting you reach or conversions… 

You might be missing the #1 thing that matters: 

Proof > Theory

I was on the same bandwagon when I started writing online. My content didn’t grow for months.

But then I cracked the code and well… The results are in front of you. 

Tomorrow, I’m decoding why your content might not be landing and how to fix it without posting more or reinventing yourself.

This issue of Side Hustle Saturdays includes:

 ➡️ the real reason your posts feel forgettable
 ➡️ the #1 writing mistake every creator makes
 ➡️ how to build visibility without trying to “sound smart”
 ➡️ the system that makes consistency easy

If you’re creating but not growing, this will help you see what to change.

Join 14,000+ readers 👇🏻

https://lnkd.in/gy6UnjRQ

Side Hustle Saturdays just turned 200 weeks old 🎉 And I’m celebrating:

 💫 5 years of side-hustling
 💫 4 years of solopreneurship
 💫 zero planning, just a whole lot of showing up

In case you don’t already know, it’s my weekly newsletter.

People marvel at the end result:

- the 3-hour workdays
- the time/location freedom 
- the “wow, you’re so lucky” comments

But I know what it actually took was:

- Being questioned, misunderstood… constantly
- Making sacrifices no one claps for
- Doing the inner work most people avoid

Side hustling isn't cute 🙄 

It teaches you who you are, what you can handle, and what you’re capable of becoming… 

In ways a job, a degree, or a networking group never could.

It’s growth in its rawest form.

This week’s issue is special to me.

I’m sharing 20 hard truths about side hustling 💪🏼

What I wish someone had told me when I was starting out. These will make your journey easier if you accept them.

Join 14,000+ readers here 👉🏻 https://lnkd.in/gy6UnjRQ

🥂 Here’s to the next 100 issues… and to you building something that’s 100% yours.

When I'd tell my family that I don't enjoy my work and am not satisfied with the money, they'd say - "it's how the first few years are. You'll get there."

Call millennials and Gen-Z impatient but time's moving too damn fast, especially with technology and not all of us want to work till eternity. 

"Earn with your mind, not with your time." - Naval Ravikant

Yes, humility is important. Gratitude is even more essential; it's what makes every day a blessing.

But dissatisfaction is important too. Because when you know what you're not ok with, you work to bridge the gap between your dream and reality. 

For me, this was the following exactly in this order:
• starting a side hustle
• quitting my job
• working under 4h a day
• teaching
• creating digital products

For you, it will be different. But the first step is being aware.

I'll end with one last quote,

“There is no passion to be found playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” ― Nelson Mandela

Back in 2020, my dream was to make $1,300/month.

I was publishing a few articles a month, making $100–$300 from random gigs.

It wasn’t a lot, but enough to stay excited. 

But one day I asked myself: 

What if I actually go all in?

5 months later, my side hustle income crossed $3,000/month 🤯

That was 5x my monthly corporate salary!!!

That number changed my mindset about money and how the world + creator economy works.

- It gave me options
- It gave me confidence
- It gave me the freedom to quit my job

Many people underestimate how life-changing your first $1,000 outside your 9–5 really is.

Tomorrow, I’m sending out the 199th issue of Side Hustle Saturdays – a free newsletter where I share the cheat codes I wish I had when I started building my side hustle. 

💥 This one’s got the top 5 steps to making your first $1000 outside your full-time job. 

Sounds like something you’d love? 

Join 14,000+ readers 👉🏻 https://lnkd.in/gy6UnjRQ

As a woman, being a solopreneur is the most empowering move I’ve made for myself. I’ll show you how, and I’m certain you’ll be able to resonate:

💍Being married as a financially independent woman in the South Asian society is a power move.

🤝🏼As a couple, things get a lot easier when you’re both earning well. We travelled ~15 countries in the first 2 years.

🙈I’m one of those people whose partner is their favourite human. Because I work fewer hours and WFH, I prioritise my time with him when he’s home. No meeting can come between us having chai and gossiping.

👩‍👧‍👧I hang out with my mom on weekdays over lunch most of the time. Because who wants to deal with weekend parking and rush.

🥰 I’ve realised that unlimited family time adds a lot of value to my life - nothing I can buy can make me feel the way I feel with my loved ones.

🧘🏻‍♀️Most importantly - I have time for myself. 

_

As women, we juggle multiple responsibilities. And solopreneurship makes it easier for me to do it all and stay sane.

It’s also because as a person, I prefer a life that isn’t rushed.

You could be different, and that’s okay.

The entire point of life is to discover your inner weird streak and create a life nourish it.

Your personal brand stands out by doing the easy stuff, but you're probably too busy trying way too hard!

Okay, here's what I do:

• 98% YouTube videos are made without make-up
• No professional lighting or camera for videos
• All photos are unedited

With my LinkedIn and newsletter writing,

• I don't stress about the likes
• I write about what I think adds value
• I don't shy away from my quirks/ weirdness

I've realised that it's easier to be me and say: "I'm lazy, so I can only work for 3-4 hours. I dislike networking events and social stuff."

Than to portray myself as someone who wakes up at 5am and is crazy productive.

My journey of solopreneurship is a consequence of self-awareness.

And while the internet lures you with vanity metrics to chase, I recommend you start and lead by looking within :)


PS: Here's a YT thumbnail photo from the front camera!

My grandfather always topped his studies. In fact, excellent is an understatement and he truly enjoyed learning. He wanted to join the army, but his father passed away when he was 17.

Being the eldest of six siblings, his only choice was to take care of his family and work at the farm.

So what did he do in the coming decades? 

Devoured himself in books. Today, he has sacks filled with books. Ask him about any war and empire with names and dates, and he knows it all.

I wasn’t a history buff, but my dad had the gene, thanks to his father.

19 days, 7 cities, 6 countries, 21 years old - I did this solo trip eight years ago at this time.

One day, I casually called my father while walking by the Berlin Wall (picture below) and told him I’m taking a stroll.

“Do you understand that there’s so much history beneath your feet? People have died crossing where you’re standing and fearlessly walking right now.”

That sent chills down my spine.

Standing at a place where the ground has experienced so much darkness, and now light.

For the coming days, I made sure to research deeper about everywhere I go so I can take a moment to visualise the past and compare it to the present.

This experience to date has put me in a habit of zooming out and living a holistic life instead of a tunnel vision of 'my' life, 'my' stuff, and 'my' world.

Don't forget to appreciate how easy your life is as compared to your ancestors instead of cribbing about things.

Don't forget that you're a part of something bigger than yourself, and everything is connected.

Don't forget to send your prayers to the world instead of asking for what you want.

_____

For the next few days, I'll share my five most transformative experiences from this trip.

This is part 2/5.

Linking part 1 in the comments.

PS - cities visited are Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, Bratislava, Ljubljana.

#travel #experience

Were you always average growing up? Were you low on confidence? Did you always feel like you weren't good enough? ME TOO :)

- Average marks
- No sports
- Overweight until 18 
- Lots of acne till 2023
- Too tall that makes me stand out
- Got laid-off from my first job (low self-worth got lower)

I see a huge opportunity in this.

I've also noticed that the high performers in school and university don't always end up achieving life outside of it.

Maybe it's the pressure because they're only used to winning?

I don't know.

But people like you and me have a huge advantage because:

- Nobody expects from us. Including us, lol.

This is AWESOME because we don't function with results attached to things. We focus on the process and enjoy the process because we're not used to 'winning' at everything growing up.

When you focus on the process, outcomes follow.

But when you focus on outcomes, you'll always be unhappy.

I love this line from the Bollywood movie, 3 idiots:

"Chase excellence and success will chase you."

Noy being used to success helps us with that.

So don't let your past define your future. I dropped 25kgs 10 years ago and I still need to work hard every single day with my exercise and eating habits because of my genes. I still workout 6x a week and eat healthy everyday.

But this journey has taught me the importance of patience, hard work, and delayed gratification. 

Traits that I'm using across areas of life.

All the best!

One of my friends is 26 and is working hard to climb up the ladders in one of the best firms in the world. 
 
If you know about the top consulting firms that pay a bomb and make you slog for it, you know the place I'm talking about. 
 
He sleeps 5-6 hours a day so he can squeeze in a workout. 
 
He says most of his leaders look older than they are because of receding hairlines and a belly. They don't have the time to work out and the long hours screw up healthy eating habits too. 
 
So he sleeps less, squeezes in a workout, has quit alcohol and eats healthily because he doesn't want to be unfit. 
 
My conversation with him reminded me of my ex-boss. 
 
She worked 14 hours a day and all weekends. She also had kids. And her boss worked 12-16 hours + weekends. 
 
Motivation for me to get a promotion? Looking at them, zero. 
 
"It's also our collective delusion that overwork and burnout are the prices we must pay in order to succeed." — Arianna Huffington

We have more people playing the victim mindset. They lose out on all opportunities, and might never know it.

There’s too much of:
- The world is unfair
- One is meant to struggle
- Blaming environment and circumstances
- Money is evil (while they secretly desire money)

A mind like this will…

Stay where it is.

What makes it worse is social media. It’s constantly making you feel ‘less’.

It’s so hard to feel good about anything when it ultimately isn’t ‘good enough’ because what someone else has is better.

The good thing about your beautiful mind? 
You can require it just as well.

So more of:
- There’s enough for everyone to succeed
- Money is GOOD, you deserve it
- Action towards ideas
- Taking responsibility

Rewire your mind to change your inner universe, and you’ll see your other universe flourish.

This costs and $0 makes you better than others:

• reading
• kindness
• no drama
• working out
• self-awareness
• accepting you're wrong
• choosing relationships > ego

You don’t need more exposure, money, or connections. Back in 2020, I had none of those going for me.

No mentor. No plan. No audience.

And honestly… no idea what I was doing.

But, while everyone else waited for the ‘right time’, I posted my first Medium article and prayed someone would read it. 

(8 people did, and I was thrilled!)

I wasn’t the most talented or the most confident. But I thought,

“I’ll start now, and figure it out later.”

That one sentence carried me from cheating on my 9–5 → to quitting → to growing a ~250k online audience → to launching digital products + courses to 16,000+ people across the 🌍

Resourcefulness built my entire career.

Tomorrow, I share why this is the skill that makes you unstoppable in 2026… and how to:

 ➡️ build it even if you feel like you’re starting from zero
 ➡️ start before you feel ready
 ➡️ stop crumbling when things go wrong
 ➡️ make resourcefulness your advantage over everyone

If you’re done overthinking and just want to move, this one’s for you.

Join 14,000+ readers here 👉🏻 https://lnkd.in/gy6UnjRQ

Make peace with this to avoid disappointment:

• Nobody cares about you
• Not everything is about you
• Your past doesn't define your future

Once you detach from being the centre of your universe, you'll come close to what truly matters.

Come closer to
• Finding why you're here
• Doing your crazy dance moves
• Defeating societal notions and following your zing

As a new mom, I can’t imagine my ex-boss’ lifestyle that involved working 14 hours a day + weekends sometimes.

When I was in a corporate, I saw my leaders working 12-14 hour shifts frequently. Their lives were hectic and stressful.

As a 24-year-old, I wanted to grow to
• get a promotion
• get a 'managing' role
• get paid super well (duh)

But I also saw that this would come with
• lots of responsibility
• increase in workload + stress
• working weekends is becoming normal

It's one reason I wanted to get away from this black hole.

As a 29yo new mum, I’m glad I side-hustled at 24 and quit my job at 25.

This quote fits in beautifully with what I witnessed:

"By working faithfully 8 hours a day, you may eventually get to be the boss and work 12 hours a day." - Robert Frost

The point isn't whether to work for 4h or 12h, it's doing what works the best for you, your health, your family, and sanity. 

One template doesn't fit all - some people thrive with 10-hour days, I personally don’t and have accepted it + created a life around my being instead of the other way round.

Aussie writer with 1B+ content views in 10 years | I teach people to use writing online to create career opportunities | Let's connect: tim@timdenning.com

I quit my eCommerce startup with 100+ employees. Then got depressed, developed an eating disorder, and got a minimum-wage job in a bank. I now work for myself and make 7-figures writing.

I'm not that smart and have no college education. The way I used the internet made the difference.

And going to a Tony Robbins event changed my mindset. He taught me to go from being a victim to be in control.

This led to:

• 1B+ content views
• Financial freedom
• Book deal with a major publisher
• Meeting my heroes (like Tony Robbins)
• Quitting my banking career forever in 2021
• Multiple successful businesses fuelled by obsession

My mission: Help 100,000 people start online businesses. 

My beliefs that drive everything I do:

- Anything is possible
- Positivity above all
- Ego is the enemy
- Challenge the status quo
- Chase obsession, not passion
- Always be kind, grateful, and a good person

How can I help you?

• Social media audience building
• Starting or growing an online business

Join my email list with 200,000+ other high performers for more helpful insights:
https://timdenning.com/start-social-hustle-linkedin-bio/

Tim Denning

Corporate "culture" is the biggest lie in business. 

Nobody wants to admit it.

I spent over a decade in banking watching companies obsess over culture. We had culture committees. 

Culture surveys. Culture town halls where executives would stand up and talk about how much they valued their people.

Then they'd go back to their offices and send emails at 11pm expecting responses.

━━━━━

I remember when remote work first became a thing at my company. They treated it like a privilege. You had to apply for it. You needed manager approval. 

You had to prove you could be trusted to work from your own home like some kind of child asking for permission.

Then C0VID hit and suddenly everyone could work remotely. T

he company didn't collapse. Productivity didn't tank. People actually got more done because they weren't spending two hours commuting or sitting in meetings that could have been emails.

For about 2 years, everyone pretended this was the future. Executives gave interviews about how they'd never go back to the old way.

━━━━━

Now look at what's happening.

The same companies that said remote work was revolutionary are demanding people come back four days a week. They're calling it "collaboration." They're calling it "culture."

I've been in those offices. I know what actually happens.

People show up, put on their noise cancelling headphones, and do the exact same work they were doing at home. 

They sit in open plan offices designed for collaboration and spend eight hours trying to block out the noise so they can concentrate.

The only difference is they wasted an hour getting there and another hour getting home.

━━━━━

When I got fired in 2019, I was devastated. 

I'd given that company 10 years. I'd shown up to the office every day because that's what good employees did.

Looking back, getting pushed out was the best thing that happened to me.

I started building my own business. I work from wherever I want. I don't have to pretend that sitting in traffic is "culture."

━━━━━

Companies don't actually care about culture. They care about control.

They want you at your desk because it makes managers feel important. They want you in the building because they signed expensive leases and need to justify them.

Real culture isn't about where you sit. It's about whether you trust people to do their jobs.

The companies forcing everyone back to the office don't have a culture problem. They have a trust problem.

P.S. What's your experience with return-to-office mandates?

If you want to level up your career faster, then join my unconventional Substack newsletter with 183K others: https://lnkd.in/gMkRFmj9

Aussie writer with 1B+ content views in 12 years | Teaching high performers to build million-dollar digital businesses | Let’s connect: tim@timdenning.com

Most people chase the wrong version of success.

I know because I used to be one of them.

When I worked in banking, I had a colleague named Steve who bought a brand new Mercedes. He parked it in the premium spot every morning. 

Made sure everyone saw him get out of it. He talked about the leather seats, the sound system, the way it handled on the freeway.

Steve also worked 60-hour weeks. He missed his kid's school plays. He had to ask permission to take a long weekend. He was stressed, tired, and trapped by a car payment that demanded he keep showing up to a job he hated.

I remember sitting in a meeting with him one afternoon. His phone buzzed. He glanced at it and his face dropped. It was a photo from his wife. 

His daughter had just lost her first tooth. He missed it. He was stuck in a conference room listening to quarterly projections while his kid was at home wondering where daddy was.

Steve had the car. But he didn't have the life.

━━━━━

When I got fired, I lost the salary. I lost the title. I lost the security that comes with a corporate job.

But I gained something I didn't expect. Time.

I started building my own business. The first year was brutal. I made less money than I ever had. But I also had something Steve never did. 

I could be home on a random Tuesday afternoon. I could take my daughter to the park while other dads were stuck in meetings. I could watch her discover the world instead of hearing about it secondhand.

That's when I realized the Lambo dream is a lie.

It's not about the car. It's about what the car represents. People think if they get the Lambo, they've made it. They've won. They can finally relax.

But the Lambo requires the income to maintain it. The income requires the job. The job requires the hours. The hours steal your life.

You end up working for the car instead of the car working for you.

━━━━━

I've coached thousands of business owners since leaving my corporate career.

The ones who are actually happy aren't the ones with the flashiest stuff. They're the ones who built businesses that give them flexibility. 

They're the ones who can pick up their kids from school. They're the ones who don't have to ask a boss for permission to live their life.

The pattern is always the same. The people chasing status symbols are running on a treadmill that never stops. The people chasing freedom figured out how to get off the treadmill entirely.

━━━━━

My daughter just turned 3.

Today I took her to get ice cream at 1PM on a Monday. The shop was empty. We sat outside in the sun. 

She got chocolate all over her face and laughed about it. No rush. No meetings to get back to. Just a dad and his daughter enjoying a random afternoon together.

That moment is worth more than any car

I don't want the Lambo. I want more Tuesdays like that

What does success look like to you?

If you want to level up your career faster, join my unconventional Substack newsletter with 181K others: https://lnkd.in/gMkRFmj9

I gave a company 10 years of my life. They gave me 2 weeks notice.

When I got made redundant, I remember sitting in that meeting room thinking about all the times I'd stayed late. All the weekends I'd worked. All the family dinners I'd missed because something "urgent" came up at the office

I thought loyalty meant something. I thought if I just kept showing up and doing good work, the company would take care of me. That was the deal, right? Work hard, stay loyal, and you'll be rewarded.

Turns out I was the only one who believed in that deal.

━━━━━

There was a guy in my office named David who'd been at the company for 22 years.

He started there straight out of school. He trained half the managers in the building. He knew every system, every process, every client relationship. The company was his entire identity.

When they restructured his department, they let him go with a standard severance package. Same as everyone else. Twenty-two years of loyalty got him the same exit as someone who'd been there for two

I watched him clean out his desk. He looked confused more than anything. Like he couldn't understand how this had happened. He'd done everything right. He'd been loyal. And none of it mattered when the spreadsheet said his role was redundant

━━━━━

I used to judge people who job-hopped.

I thought they were disloyal. I thought they didn't understand the value of commitment. I thought staying at one company and working your way up was the honorable path

Now I realize those job-hoppers understood something I didn't. They knew the relationship between employee and employer is transactional. Always has been. The company will keep you as long as you're useful. The moment you're not, you're gone

That's not cynical. That's just how business works

━━━━━

Loyalty to a company that would replace you in 2 weeks is insanity

I'm not saying be a bad employee. Do great work. Hit your targets. Be reliable. But don't confuse being good at your job with owing your life to an organization that sees you as a line item on a budget

Your company is not your family. Your manager is not your friend. Your job title is not your identity. These are business relationships. Treat them that way

━━━━━

The only loyalty that makes sense is loyalty to yourself

Be loyal to your own growth. Be loyal to building skills that travel with you when you leave. Be loyal to creating options so you're never dependent on one employer's decision about your future

I spent a decade being loyal to a company. Now I spend my time being loyal to what I'm building. The difference in how I feel every morning is hard to describe.

━━━━━

Stop sacrificing your life for an organization that would post your job listing before your desk is cold

Build something that's actually yours. Or at least build skills that nobody can take away

That's the only job security that exists anymore

P.S: Have you ever felt burned by corporate loyalty?

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If nobody's rejecting you, you're not doing anything with your life.

Harsh but true.

In my banking days I watched colleagues avoid asking for anything. They wouldn't pitch ideas to leadership. 

They wouldn't ask for raises. They wouldn't apply for roles they actually wanted.

When I asked them why, the answers were always the same. "I don't want to look desperate." "What if they say no?" "I'll wait until the timing is better."

They were protecting themselves from rejection. And in doing so, they were rejecting themselves before anyone else had the chance.

━━━━━

I remember the first time I pitched an idea to a senior executive at my company.

I'd spent weeks preparing. I rehearsed my talking points in the shower. I ran the numbers over and over. I was convinced this idea could save the company money and make our team more efficient.

He listened for about 90 seconds, then told me it wasn't a priority right now. Meeting over.

I walked back to my desk feeling like an idiot. My face was hot. I kept replaying the conversation, wondering what I could have said differently.

But something interesting happened the next week. 

That same executive stopped by my desk and asked me about a different project. He remembered my name. He remembered I was someone who brought ideas to the table.

The rejection didn't close a door. It opened one I didn't even know existed.

━━━━━

When I got fired, I had to start pitching myself constantly.

I pitched my writing to publications. Most said no. I pitched my services to potential clients. Most ignored me. I pitched ideas to people I admired. Most never responded.

In my first year of building my own business, I probably heard "no" more times than I had in my entire corporate career combined.

And my business grew anyway.

Because every rejection meant I was actually doing something. I was taking swings instead of sitting on the bench hoping someone would notice me.

━━━━━

The people who never get rejected are the people who never ask for anything.

They stay safe. They stay comfortable. They stay exactly where they are.

I've worked with thousands of business owners. The ones who struggle most aren't the ones getting rejected. They're the ones who won't put themselves in a position to be rejected in the first place.

They won't send the cold email. They won't post the content. They won't make the offer. They're so afraid of hearing "no" that they guarantee themselves a lifetime of "nothing."

━━━━━

Rejection is proof that you're in the arena. You're not watching from the sidelines. You're actually playing the game.

If you're not getting rejected regularly, you're not taking enough action. You're playing it too safe.

Go get rejected this week. Pitch something. Ask for something. Put yourself out there.

The worst they can say is no. And that's not the end. That's the beginning.

P.S. What's a rejection that ended up being a good thing for you?

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The weirdest people I've met are also the most successful.

I don't mean weird in a bad way. I mean they never tried to be normal. 

They refused to follow the script society handed them. In banking I worked with hundreds of people over a decade. 

Most of them were interchangeable. 

They dressed the same. They talked the same. They had the same opinions in meetings because they were too scared to say anything different.

Then there was Dave.

Dave wore sneakers to client meetings. He'd interrupt senior executives mid-sentence if he thought they were wrong. He'd leave at 3pm on Fridays because he wanted to pick up his kids from school.

Everyone thought he'd get fired. Management talked about him like he was a problem to be solved.

Dave got promoted three times in four years. He became one of the youngest directors in the company's history.

━━━━━

I asked him once how he got away with it. He laughed and said he wasn't getting away with anything. He was just being himself.

"Most people spend their whole careers trying to fit in," he told me. "They're so busy copying everyone else that they forget to be useful. I'd rather be useful than popular."

That stuck with me.

I spent years trying to fit in at that company. I wore the right suits. I laughed at the right jokes. I stayed late because everyone else stayed late. I was so focused on not standing out that I became invisible.

The people who got ahead weren't the ones who blended in. They were the ones who had the guts to be different.

━━━━━

When I got fired, I realized I'd wasted years performing a version of myself that wasn't real. I'd been so worried about what people thought that I never asked what I actually wanted.

Building my own business forced me to stop pretending. 

There's no corporate dress code when you work from your living room. There's no manager to impress. There's just you and the work.

I started writing what I actually thought instead of what sounded professional. I started saying no to things that didn't interest me. I stopped trying to sound smart and started trying to be helpful.

My audience grew faster than it ever had before.

━━━━━

Fitting in is a survival strategy. 

It keeps you safe. It keeps you employed. It keeps you average.

The people who refuse to fit in take a risk. They might fail. They might get laughed at. They might get fired.

But they also might build something remarkable. They might become the person everyone else wishes they had the courage to be.

I admire people who refuse to fit in.

Not because they're rebels for the sake of it. Because they trust themselves more than they trust the crowd.

P.S. When did you stop trying to fit in?

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If you're easily offended, you're easily controlled. 

Most people never realize this.

I spent years in banking letting random comments from colleagues live rent-free in my head. Someone would make a snarky remark in a meeting. 

I'd replay it for days. 
I'd adjust my behavior. 
I'd shrink myself to avoid future criticism.

I was a puppet. And I didn't even know who was pulling the strings.

━━━━━

Getting offended is a choice most people don't realize they're making.

Someone criticizes your work. You can let it ruin your week. Or you can ask yourself: Is this feedback useful? If yes, use it. If no, delete it from your brain and move on.

That's it. That's the whole framework.

But most people skip the evaluation step entirely. They go straight to emotional reaction. They let strangers control their mood, their confidence, their entire day.

━━━━━

I've coached thousands of people trying to build businesses and careers.

The ones who struggle most aren't lacking talent or ideas. They're paralyzed by what others might think. 

They won't post content because someone might disagree. They won't launch products because someone might criticize. They won't charge what they're worth because someone might call them greedy.

They've handed the remote control of their life to people who don't even think about them.

━━━━━

Being easily offended means being easily manipulated.

Think about it. If I know exactly which buttons to push to make you angry, sad, or defensive, I control you. Politicians know this. Media companies know this. Toxic people in your life definitely know this.

Every time you react emotionally to provocation, you've given someone else power over your mental state. You've become predictable. Controllable.

━━━━━

Training yourself to not get offended isn't about becoming cold or emotionless.

It's about being selective with your energy. It's about choosing which battles actually matter and which ones are just noise designed to distract you.

Someone disagrees with your opinion online? Good. Let them. You don't need everyone to agree with you. You need to stay focused on what you're building.

Someone talks behind your back? Good. Let them. Their opinion of you is none of your business. Your opinion of yourself is the only one that pays your bills.

━━━━━

The most successful people I know have thick skin and selective hearing.

They hear criticism, evaluate it quickly, keep what's useful, and discard the rest without emotional attachment. They don't waste mental energy defending themselves against every slight.

They're too busy building to be bothered by people who are too busy judging.

━━━━━

Want more peace in your life?

Stop giving random people the power to disturb it. Train yourself to pause before reacting. Ask yourself if this will matter in a week, a month, a year.

Most things that offend us today won't even be memories tomorrow.

Save your energy for what actually matters.

What's helped you develop thicker skin?

Most people's version of freedom looks like this:

Work 40+ years. Save enough. Retire. Do nothing.

They call this "the dream."

I call it a slow death.

━━━━━

Retirement isn't freedom. It's delayed living.

You spend your best years trading time for money. Your healthiest decades sitting in meetings. Your most energetic moments answering emails.

Then at 65, you finally get permission to live. Except now your body hurts. Your energy is gone. Half the things you wanted to do require a younger version of you.

The math doesn't work.

━━━━━

I watched my friend’s dad do this.

He worked his whole life for a company that didn't care about him. Saved diligently. Did everything right. Finally retired at 64.

Two years later his health started failing. The travel plans got shelved. The bucket list gathered dust.

He traded his best years for a retirement he couldn't fully enjoy.

━━━━━

Freedom isn't an age. It's a feeling.

It's waking up and deciding how your day goes. It's saying no to things that drain you. It's having options instead of obligations.

You can have this at 35. Or 45. Or right now.

But not if you keep waiting.

━━━━━

I used to think freedom meant "not working."

I was wrong.

Freedom is working on what matters to you. It's building something you own. It's choosing who you spend time with and what problems you solve.

The people I know who "retired early" and did nothing? Most of them are miserable. No purpose. No growth. Just endless days of golf and Netflix.

That's not freedom. That's a comfortable cage.

━━━━━

Society sold us a broken definition.

Work hard now. Sacrifice now. Live later.

But "later" isn't guaranteed. And even if it comes, you'll be a different person with a different body and different energy levels.

Stop optimizing for a future version of yourself that may never exist.

━━━━━

Redefine what freedom actually means.

Freedom isn't quitting everything. It's designing a life where work doesn't feel like work. Where Monday doesn't feel different from Saturday.

Start building that now. Don't wait for some magical age when you're finally "allowed" to live.

The permission slip you're waiting for doesn't exist.

Give it to yourself.

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Tim Denning

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The Battle

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