While reading the autopsy of my father-in-law, I found myself thinking about how right the Dalai Lama truly was.
When someone asked him what surprises him most about humanity, he replied:
“Man, because he sacrifices his health to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recover his health. And he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present. As a result, he lives neither in the present nor the future. He lives as if he will never die, and then dies without ever truly living.”
My father-in-law had everything. A wonderful family. A loving wife. Two princesses. His own business. Everything a man could wish for. And I’m sure he had his own dreams, too. I’m sure he dreamed of sitting by the sea in old age, his wife beside him, grandchildren running nearby.
Like all of us, he waited and made plans—plans that never came to life.
He was only 45 years old when he passed away.
A whole lifetime ahead of him… gone too soon.
Today, he lives in the hearts of those who loved him. He lives through his wife and his two beautiful daughters, who have grown into incredible human beings. And I know he would be proud of them—especially of my Klavdija. She is his clone. A woman with a huge heart, an empathy I’ve never seen anywhere else, unbelievably capable—just like her father. Seeing her reminds me daily of how his legacy endures.
The reason I’m sharing this is simple: the greatest truth is that we must make the conscious choice to live fully, not merely exist. The reality is, any of us could be gone tomorrow—me, you, anyone. We all have dreams and plans. The question is: how many of us actually act on them?
Instead, many of us wait, putting real living on hold.
We wait for the weekend.
We wait for the new year.
We wait for summer so we can go on vacation for one single week.
We work the entire year for that one week of freedom.
We wait for our salary—which disappears five days after it arrives—and then we wait again.
We live in Waiting for Godot.
If you can even call that living. It feels more like surviving than truly living.
Surviving until the next paycheck.
Surviving the month.
Always surviving—rarely choosing to truly live.
How many people do you know who are genuinely free? Who can stay home if they want to? Quit their job? Take a long vacation? Follow their dreams without fear?
Are we free, or are we quietly trapped by loans and modern obligations?
The Trap of the Modern World
The moment people become “credit-worthy,” they take a loan. House, apartment, car—it doesn’t matter. And there is nothing wrong with that. To be clear: I also have loans. For my house. For my car. I’m also a modern slave.
The problem? The happiness lasts a moment. The worries have lasted for years. Questions like:
- How will I pay the mortgage this month?
- What if I lose my job?
- Will we survive the month?
- What if my partner goes on maternity leave?
This constant fear destroys people. And with fear comes illness. I know a man who got COVID. When he returned to work, he realized he could no longer perform his job. His loan was insured. If something happened to him, the insurance would pay off the loan.
He took his own life.
Sadly, stories like this are not rare.
We are not financially educated. Schools teach us everything—except life. Nobody teaches us financial literacy.
The Book That Should Be Mandatory
I genuinely believe that Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki should be mandatory reading for every adult.
In his book, he explains:
- His educated father taught him that the solution is a high-paying, secure job, yet he stayed financially stressed and stuck.
- His “rich dad” taught him that the key is financial literacy and building assets—things that generate money—so you can escape the rat race.
And that is exactly my second life goal:
To escape the rat race and live life on my own terms.
Financial freedom.
No more modern slavery.
Freedom is living by my own values, goals, and rules.
My third goal is connected to this one—but I’ll talk about it another time.
Why Trading Time for Money Will Never Make You Free
Trading time for money always limits you. A day has only 24 hours.
You must trade precious time—family, parents, partner, kids—for income.
Unless…
You make your money work for you.
In the past, I tried many side jobs:
- food delivery
- working at a rent-a-car agency
- other jobs where I was paid exactly for the hours I worked
But in all those jobs, you never set the rules. And there is always a ceiling.
You can be the best delivery driver—but you can only deliver so many orders.
You can be the best hairdresser—but you can only cut so many clients.
Trading time for money never frees you.
The more you want, the more you work; the more you work, the less time you have.
And at some point, you must ask:
What matters more—money, or your health and your family?
If you make your money work for you, you can have both:
Money.
Time.
And most importantly—freedom.
This has always been my real goal.
It was never about the money.
It’s always been about freedom.
The Beginning of My Journey
I spent 20 years in the rat race.
I may spend a few more years, too.
But the goal is clear:
Exit the rat race.
And that’s why I’m building Momentum — working on myself, for myself.
Photography was my first step.
My love. The thing that pushed me to change.
To stop waiting for “11.11 because it’s a nice date.”
Those days are gone.
I start today.
I start now.
Momentum is in motion.
Every effort, every step, is aimed at one thing:
freedom.
You Need More Than One Path
It’s unrealistic to expect one single thing to make you millions.
There’s a saying: “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
And it’s true.
Your chances of success grow when you’re consistent, when you try different things, and when you don’t let failure stop you.
I created a children’s coloring book called Frenchie Adventures.
I have two French bulldogs whom I adore, so I created a coloring book where Frenchies act like humans.
Next, I’m building an online clothing store—starting with T-shirts and hoodies—called Imperfect Paws, to raise awareness that all dogs deserve love. Even those with health issues.
And another thing is this blog.
With consistency, I believe it will grow into something I will be proud of.
There are many plans. Many dreams.
Some will happen, some won’t.
But I know one thing:
With consistency and belief in myself, I will achieve much more than I did in the first 37 years, when I only planned but never acted.
My Two Goals
- To run the New York Marathon 2026
- To exit the rat race.
And I truly believe I will succeed, because as Theodore Roosevelt said:
“Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.”
Now ask yourself:
What dream will you start working on today?
Make one small step right now. Choose action instead of waiting.
