The safe choices are the real risk.

The Chain of Safe Choices

Every safe choice makes the next one automatic. Nobody warns you when the chain starts falling away from the life you wanted. The choices that made no sense on paper built everything I care about nowadays. Most people rely on the reasonable path, the one that is the most common, where every link makes sense. You get good grades, then a safe job, work hard for a promotion, buy a house, start a family, and repeat the cycle. Each choice is defensible, and each one makes the next a little more automatic until breaking the chain feels reckless.

Unreasonable vs. Reasonable

I first heard these ideas in an article called Unreasonable by Justin Welsh. It’s one of the best things I’ve read in weeks. Justin writes that the unreasonable choice gets loud warnings, while the reasonable one gets decades of applause and quiet approval. People are loud about risky decisions, but the invisible risks are the ones embedded in the reasonable path. Those invisible risks are the ones we rarely think about.

My First Break: Leaving College

My first break from the reasonable path happened in 2020. I quit college and started from zero. I had been spending five hours on a bus every day to study and work, and when the pandemic forced us all to stay home, I stopped going to college and cancelled my degree. I had no degree, no clients, and no plan. That decision set me on the path that led me to where I am today.

Learning to Program

After leaving college I had to learn to program because I had no other options. I tried a lot of projects and tasks until I found my own direction. It was a messy, trial‑and‑error process, but it taught me that I learn best by doing, not by waiting until I feel ready.

Speaking English on Camera

Another long‑standing goal was to speak English on camera. I dreamed of it since I was 14, but I didn’t start seriously until I was 27. For more than a decade I let my fear of mispronouncing words and my Portuguese accent hold me back. Once I began posting a video every day, even though I hated hearing my own voice, I gradually built confidence. After reaching 100 subscribers I felt comfortable speaking English, even if I’m not a native speaker. My mistakes are now part of my personality, not a barrier.

Selling vs. Leveraging AI

People kept telling me I needed to get good at selling. I planned to focus on sales, but after I started working with AI I bet on leverage instead. Together with a close friend we landed the biggest project I’ve ever worked on; I didn’t sell it, my friend did, but we closed it together. The pattern is clear: I learn by doing, and with AI a wrong attempt costs almost nothing, so I can afford to bet before I’m sure.

Choosing Freelance Over Security

I stopped asking whether a decision was safe or whether my family would approve. Those questions keep you on the reasonable chain, one link at a time, and make it harder to break out if the chain leads to a life you don’t want. I chose to become a freelancer, even though my family is well‑connected in my city and could have offered stable opportunities. The early months were tough; I earned little to nothing, but it was the path I wanted.

A New Unreasonable Bet

Now I’m facing another unreasonable bet. I moved back in with my parents two years ago, and I’ve been staying month after month, year after year. Living with my parents feels too comfortable, and I don’t think it’s healthy for a man to stay that way. I’m considering moving out and living alone again, even though I’m not financially stable. It’s a risky move, but I’m willing to make the bet and see how it turns out. I’ll share the outcome with you when the time comes.

That’s it for today. See you in the next video.