EP. 90 – The Art Of Persisting

[Intro]

Okay… so!

A few years ago - 5 years ago actually - I gave up on a big part of my life.

Growing up, I thought I wanted to be a lawyer.

I went to University - and I am not gonna lie - I loved the first semester.

However, as time went by, the honeymoon was over, and the excitement did not last. So by the second semester, I was already getting tired of the whole thing. By the third semester I was pretty sure that was not for me.

I had a job - which paid extremely well considering I was just at the first year of University.

And I had a very clear quote end quote stable career path ahead of me. I had two options already laid out by the time I was 17 years old:

Become a lawyer at the office I was working at (this was highly likely, and I'd be in an extremely good position straight out of Uni);
Become a lawyer at my parent's office. Then again, if I had decided to do it, I'd be in an extremely good position straight out of Uni.

Most people would have loved to be on my shoes. Not only had I been studying what I thought I loved, but I also had a very clear career path in front of me, with practically open doors to the job.

I am not even gonna mention the social part of my life at the time. Friends were a big part of my life, I was very active playing poker with some of them, drinking beer at pubs almost weekly with colleagues at work, and partying pretty hard at Uni.

So… what happened then?

Well, long story short, I felt compelled to move to Canada with my sister. She's the one who really decided to come in the first place.

So, to most people, I gave up.

I gave up Law School
I gave up a Career
I gave up friends and family in Brazil
Etc

In 2016 I moved to Canada

And I went to go after a Bachelor's Degree.

And I gave up - again.

At this point, I had no idea what I was going to do.

So I started taking teaching English more seriously

In 2017 I started a podcast. And… I didn't create as many episodes as I should have. The podcast was called "The Journey", and the idea was to document my - well - my journey. Again, I had no idea what that "journey" was. I was just trying to document it.

I met cool people along the way - some great people, and great entrepreneurs - which got me thinking about that aspect of life. Maybe I could become my own boss? Maybe I don't need "a job to go to".

Also in 2017, I decided to start an Instagram account to help me get some students. Here the idea was: I just need some students to help me put some food on the table! Trust me when I say I had no money at all.

Of course, mom and dad helped. But I was 20 years old, trying really hard to "be independent". Which, as I've learned, takes a lot more effort than I initially had thought.

So, also in 2017, in this same podcast now called "O Podcast Para Aprender Inglês" - but which was then called "The Journey", I recorded this episode called:

"The Art of Giving Up"

And although it was written by my 20 year old silly self, I still believe every single word of that episode.

Giving Up is a skill you'll have to learn. Letting something - or someone - go is just as important as never letting them into your life. I needed to go through Law School to learn that was not for me. And when I gave up, that opened new avenues.

Anyways, you can go back to the EP.02 of this podcast - the art of giving up - and you'll understand what I mean.

But today's episode is called

"The Art Of Persisting"

And why is that the name of this podcast?

Because once you find the thing you wanna do for the rest of your life, you should persist.
And when you persist, things happen.

Such as:
500 new students on my online courses around the world in 12 months.
1M listeners on the podcast.

I now have a real business in Brazil. A business that generates not only revenue, but also has a team that collaborates and works together to help solve the problems that Brazil faces regarding language teaching and learning.

Next year this same business will probably grow exponentially, to the point where we'll need to hire more people, a larger team, to serve a larger audience, and help more and more people.

Our goal is to reach a 1000 new students next year. That's very difficult to do in just 12 months.

But we're gonna do it.

I have also found a career path in Canada - in Marketing - most likely Digital Marketing, but that's not very clear for me yet.

I have found a job in a Tech Startup… which is just a perfect match for my current skills…

Because of my VISA and of Immigration regulations, I need to work in Canada as an employee for at least a year before I can stop and continue full-time on my own business (unfortunately, the Canadian Immigration Services are too dumb to recognize the entrepreneurial habilities most of the immigrants have, but anyways…)

And how about we talk about what really matters?
I now have a wife - well, almost wife

And… a baby on the way.

If I told my own self who recorded the first episode of the Journey here 3 and a half years ago that he'd have a baby in 3-4 years…

He would tell me to F* off. No joke.

But here we are.

And all of this only happened because I persisted.

And not only did I persist… I also gave up what didn't matter.

So here's the deal.

It's the art of persisting on what matters,
While giving up on what doesn't.

That's absolutely it.

Thank you so much for listening.

I'll see you on the next one!

Peace!