an open letter to my 30-year-old self

for the last few days, i've been reflecting on how much time has passed since the last blog i wrote.

it was called 20 things i learned during 20

back then, i was in the middle of my undergrad. i was a proper bookworm, spending hours reading, thinking, and writing. somewhere along the way, i picked up a few good habits, but i also left behind many of the ones that shaped me during that time.

i still remember the exact place where i sat down and wrote that blog. funny how you can’t forget some things. a lot has changed since then.

i got my first degree.

i got my first job.

i spent some of the best years of my life in islamabad.

i moved to the uk for my masters.

i did my first umrah, Alhamdullilah.

and i got nikkahfied.

and now, as i write this, i'm mentally preparing myself to pack my bags and move back to karachi, at least for the next few years.

the world has changed too. a lot.

there was no covid back then. and the biggest shift of all has been ai.

but this blog isn't about what has already happened.

it's about what comes next.

the next five years

there are two big goals i want my 30-year-old self to hold me accountable for over the next five years.

the first: nexor labs

build a sustainable software business and invest aggressively so that i can eventually fire myself in my 40s.

this year, i started something big. it's called nexor labs.

but why did i start nexor labs in the first place?

there are three simple reasons.

first, you don't build real wealth by doing a 9 to 5 forever.

second, i wanted to move back to pakistan and do something meaningful - something bigger than myself.

and third, jobs are boring.

being a corporate employee now haunts me. as a long-time fan of naval, i believe that "if someone has to tell you when to be at work, what to wear, and how to behave, you're not a free person"

nexor labs is the most important thing i'm building right now. and considering that programmers tend to mentally retire by 30, i want to go all in on the business, without holding anything back.

this year alone, with no proper structure, a fully remote setup, and a five-hour time difference, i managed to grow the company's revenue into the five figures in dollars.

but this was just a start.

the goal is simple and very clear: by 2030, i want this year's total revenue to become just one month's revenue.

the second focus: investments

the second most important thing of the next five years is investments. i want compounding to do the heavy lifting. i've already started investing aggressively, but more importantly, no more putting all my eggs in one basket.

diversification. patience. discipline. the rules of my game. and yes, i'm always bullish on bitcoin.

a note to my 30-year-old self

if you're reading this at thirty, i hope you stayed consistent.

i hope you chose courage over comfort.

i hope you didn't let fear disguise itself as stability.

and most of all, i hope you built something you're proud of.

this is the bet i'm making on myself.

let's see how it plays out.

till next :) take care.