I have been developing a product that is exceeding my expectations, and it has led me to realise something simple, yet powerful: in some cases, you can lose more in a formal job than you gain from building a product of your own, whether it is small or large. So choose to do what truly moves you to achieve extraordinary results.
We often spend time living out other people’s dreams, working in offices and trying to absorb what we call the market, built upon something that is not yours and likely never will be, regardless of your direct or indirect involvement. In many cases, it does not belong to you, and deep down, you can feel that, even if only quietly.
Many entrepreneurs believe people can pursue their own dreams, yet in practice, it does not always unfold that way. People carry responsibilities, commitments and expectations, and even those who believe they are living a dream within an office can, at times, sense that they are not entirely living for themselves.
My intention here is not to criticise office life in contrast to personal life, but to expand your perspective. An opportunity can help you shape your own experience, but it does not define who you are. A company hires you because it recognises something already within you, your ability to make things happen.
And that is precisely where the opportunity lies.
This can be something profoundly positive, a genuine gateway to personal growth, provided you invest time in it, commit to learning, and rely not only on people or institutions, but also on your own imagination and determination.
The idea is simple, yet it demands attention, choose something you love, something you admire, something that genuinely makes you feel alive, an application, a website, a feature, and immerse yourself in it every single day. Buy a small notebook and begin to imagine your product, not the company’s, not the shareholders’, not the partners’, but yours. Think about it when you are relaxed, when you are happy, when you are inspired. It is in these moments that ideas begin to surface, as if they had been there all along, waiting for you.
Nurture your curiosity, because it is the source of your creativity. This is practice. There is no pressure, no deadline, only your time and how you choose to use it. Sketch ideas, speak not only with other designers, unless it truly serves your product, but with people from entirely different worlds, a cook, a musician, a doctor. Broaden your perspective, because meaningful ideas rarely emerge from confined environments.
Build your prototype without haste, but when the energy arrives, follow it. Go deeper. Channel that moment. Treat it like a game, because even if it is not yet tangible, the act of creating is real, and it reshapes the way you think.
This practice can help you develop a sense of judgement that is often left unexplored in office environments, and gradually you will begin to see things differently when you think about a product. You may look at yourself and recognise that there is something of real value within you, something that may have been dormant. Over time, it becomes clear that your capabilities can extend far beyond the system you are part of. Practise your creativity, but above all, practise it with intention and positivity.