Fabricio Duque's Linkedin Analytics

From the outside, I had it all - success, money, respect, and recognition. But as I climbed the ladder, I realized that I was chasing an illusion. As a high-achiever and hard worker, I was always one step ahead of the competition. I studied, interned, and hustled my way into the best opportunities, all in the pursuit of success. In school, it was all about getting into the best college. In college, it was all about the best work opportunities. The one thing I had in my mind was: “What could make me the most successful the fastest?” Before graduation, I started working in a FinTech startup. The pay was nice and that industry was meant to eat up the world. I started working… A LOT. Constantly pulling 80-hour work weeks and all-nighters. The path was clear to me: - Work your way to money. - Work your way to power. - Work your way to success. I didn’t know it consciously, but I was trying to work my way into validating myself through power, control, domination, and money. All in hopes that the people around me would give me the respect and recognition I deserved. I needed to fill a void that I hadn’t even recognized I had. How wrong I was. Without me knowing, I was running towards money and recognition as much as I was running away from being a nobody, being disrespected, and being forgotten… I knew that I was meant to accomplish great things. But at the same time, I was never enough. I was never satisfied. Everything changed when I gave myself permission to really review what I wanted in life. Am I some type of millionaire monk now who has transcended human problems? No. But something clicked in me. And when that happened, I liberated heavy loads that I didn’t even know had been weighing me down. Loads that I had been carrying for countless years. I didn’t do this alone (obviously), and I was fortunate to find someone who could reflect myself back at me without judgment. After just a few weeks of letting myself speak out loud, everything became so much clearer. Interestingly, I became more driven because I finally knew what I really wanted in life. Those moments where I lacked energy and motivation started to dissipate magically. I became much more relaxed and confident. I knew I was great. No one else needed to validate me. And, paradoxically, I’m now the most influential I’ve ever been. The less I cared about others' opinions, the more they listened to me. And finally: f*ck work-life balance. That’s for people who try to escape their life through their job, or vice-versa. When you know what you want, everything is life.