Money, Mistakes & Dad Lore (aka Character > Cash)

So I went down a rabbit hole today not of scrolling on insta but more like…
“what the hell am I doing with my life?”

And while I was there, I understood few things.

Sometimes, when you are in the middle of building things, uncertain about the next step, second-guessing every move, it’s easy to start thinking:

And then comes the worst one:

Flashback to April 2024:

I dropped all my personal clients, walked away from solid, predictable freelance income and went all-in on building my agency.

And my income dropped HAAARDD.
Like, “bro, where’s my next rent coming from?” kind of drop LOL.
200% drop, to be exact.

Now this is what I have never told online…
As a freelancer, I could easily pull ₹7 to 8 lakhs/month (~$10K) and even if I delegated the work I would be left with 50% of the amount.

So naturally, the question haunted me:

What if I just stuck to freelancing, scaled that?
Would I be richer?
Absolutely.

BUT

Would I be better?
Not even close.

Let me explain:

At 22, making that kind of money is almost like fuck you money.
And with that kind of money at that age people get reckless.

And honestly, back then, I was financially dumb.
Silly spending, after every confusion going to TRIPS to HeAL.
Instead of confronting, I escaped the confusion and stress.

I would have kept making those mistakes because I had the money to cushion the consequences.

But when you lose that cushion is when…
You grow fast and you unleash your real potential.

Choosing struggle gave me something cash couldn’t:

Character development.

I learned to sit with discomfort.
To not run every time it got hard.
To face the internal chaos and actually do the work instead of avoiding it.

And that’s why ditching freelancing to go all-in on my agency, despite the income dip, was the right call.

Not because it made me richer.
But because it made me stronger and still is.

So if you’re in a dip right now…

If things aren’t going as planned.
If you are questioning your decisions.
If you feel like the universe is putting you through it...

It’s not punishment.
It’s preparation.
You are not just building a business.
You are building you.

This is the arc.
The lore.
The character-building montage your future self will look back at and go:

I call it Dad Lore.
The good stuff you will tell your kids about one day.
The stories that shape you.
The pain that turns into power.
The chaos that turns into legacy.

TL;DR:

You can be rich and still be weak.
Or you can get forged in fire, and come out with depth, discipline, and actual peace.

So if life’s testing you right now…good.
You are not breaking.
You are building.
One mistake, one decision, one low-income month at a time. (Low income point was personal XD)

Keep stacking the bricks.
The compounding will hit.
And when it does, you won’t just rise… You’ll fly like Sonny Hayes in F1 (I hope you have watched F1 movie).

Cheers from my mancave,
Mradul

P.S. If you’re a freelancer (or someone trying to scale without losing your mind), you will love my ebook. It’s basically a behind-the-scenes blueprint of how to earn more, scale faster, and stop guessing what to do next. Plus, you will get a private video module and access to my exclusive Discord community where we talk real growth strategies.

For India - https://rzp.io/rzp/themraadul

Outside India - https://mradulicious.gumroad.com/l/ptmkc

OR

If you are a freelancer looking for a personalised solution, you can directly book a consultation with me.

Here’s an Exclusive 30% OFF link (lifetime) save it - https://topmate.io/themraadul/1450126?coupon_code=30off