Driving a Ferrari, Yet Trapped in 'Living Hell': A Wealth Creator's Year-End Reflection

比推Published on 2025-12-31Last updated on 2025-12-31

Abstract

Despite achieving significant financial success, including a fourfold growth in his media production business, paying off all debts, making profitable investments, and even buying a Ferrari, the author reflects on feeling increasingly unhappy. He realizes that his obsession with wealth accumulation, leaderboards, and the gamified nature of online success—particularly through crypto and social media—has turned him into a slave to constant work and digital dopamine hits. This 24/7 pursuit of opportunities left him distracted, unfulfilled, and disconnected from his original skills and purpose. To reclaim balance and intentionality, he commits to three changes: prioritizing creation over consumption by dedicating focused time to produce without distractions; reducing task-switching by organizing his day into two-hour blocks for single roles or tasks; and disconnecting from the digital world after 7 PM to recharge and mentally rest. He acknowledges the internet’s role in his success but emphasizes the need to preserve his identity beyond monetary gains. The piece serves as a reminder that while chasing financial growth, one must not lose sight of deeper values and well-being.

Author: MINHxDYNASTY

Compiled by: Deep Tide TechFlow

Original title:I Became Rich, Why Am I Still Unhappy?


It's not about the money, but about the sacrifices I made for it.

As the year comes to a close, I have more money than ever before, yet I am unhappier than ever.

Objectively, this year has been a success.

Our media production business quadrupled.

We paid off all our bad debts.

I made some good investment deals.

I even bought a Ferrari, something I thought I would never achieve.

So, why do I still feel so unhappy?

During the holiday break, I finally had time to sit down and reflect.

I had read stories online about those "successful people" who still felt empty. I thought I would be different from them.

Turns out, it was my turn.

The unsettling truth is actually simple: In the process of entrepreneurship and pursuing generational wealth, I became obsessed with money. I was infatuated with leaderboards, addicted to scores.

I used to love the game.

But in the end, I became its slave.

The internet changed my life in ways I couldn't have imagined. In 2020, it pulled me out of bankruptcy and gave me a gamified platform. Since then, I gradually shifted to cryptocurrency and Twitter. Every year life got better and better.

Life became my video game.

But at some point, I stopped focusing on the quests and became addicted to the thrill of piling up gold coins. What a boring way to play the game.

I became so addicted to the dopamine hit from opening social media and messaging apps because I had been conditioned by the mindset that "every time I open it, I'll find an opportunity."

I was addicted to waiting for the bell to ring, constantly watching the door, while neglecting the very skills that initially brought me opportunities.

Thus, I fell into a 24/7 state, always thinking about how to scale the business, find more opportunities, always searching, never resting.

If you let it continue, this is a living hell.

Starting today, and with more focus in 2026, I am reclaiming an intentional, purposeful way of life.

Create More Than You Consume

Before writing these words, I hadn't opened my favorite social media app. This is a huge change, and I already feel a noticeable difference. At some point, I had become a mechanized "work machine."

So, before I open any information window, I will set aside 1 hour and 30 minutes to focus solely on creation. During this time, it's just me, a pen, a camera, and a blank canvas. The goal is to create without any interference or distraction.

Right now I'm only 22 minutes and 45 seconds in, but I've already accomplished a lot. What humans can achieve when focused is truly beyond imagination.

Try it, you'll be surprised.

Reduce Frequent Switching

I have many identities: a creator, an operator, a husband, a friend, a son.

Like you, I have multiple roles.

For a long time, I thought this represented freedom, but it actually means fragmentation.

Throughout the day, I constantly switched between writing scripts, filming, checking charts, trading, replying to DMs, tweeting, attending meetings, and so on.

This year, I often spent 15-minute blocks jumping from one task to another, then refreshing what I had just checked, just to get an extra bit of dopamine, before returning to what was truly important.

Busy.

Distracted.

Yet achieving almost nothing.

Now, I'm starting to plan my time in two-hour blocks, focusing on one role, one thing at a time.

As for checking social media, I will schedule it for two fixed periods during my workday. I've noticed that the smartest people rarely play on their phones; some don't even use them at all.

Focus.

Log Off, Reconnect with the Real World

A few weeks ago, I pulled my calf muscle while exercising.

In that moment, I switched to the other leg and immediately started blaming myself. Because I already knew, during my warm-up that day, that my body was exhausted from daily, non-stop workouts. My legs felt heavy and weak.

"Shouldn't have played today," I thought.

So, the moment the calf muscle pulled, I wasn't surprised.

Our minds are so powerful, but in such cases, it's hard to detect if they are tired because fatigue is intangible.

If we never "log off" from the internet, never disconnect from the digital world, we will never truly rest, nor recharge.

So, I've set a new rule for myself: I must log off every night after 7 PM.

Here are the beliefs that support me in adhering to this rule:

"I believe in the effort I put in today."

"I believe in the effort I will put in tomorrow."

I never want to go back to having nothing, that fear of failure drives me forward. But I also understand that everything has its limits, and life requires balance.

Life is a game of push and pull.

We constantly learn, progress, fail, live the life we want, and live the life we don't want.

If we don't like something, we change it, and that's what I'm doing.

We live in a beautiful and chaotic online world. Like it or not, it is deeply integrated into our lives.

Like me, those of you reading this are probably also addicted to constantly improving your lives. And often, that means pursuing more "gold coins."

But remember, in the pursuit of digital growth, there are other truly important things worth cherishing.

The internet and social media have always been a part of my life.

They are the main reason I learned real skills while studying those "useless" courses in university.

They allowed me to master skills, make friends, gain opportunities, and even build my career.

They are core to my identity and the way I create value in this world.

But in all of this, I never agreed to trade my entire identity.

I'm still trying to balance it all, and maybe I always will be.

Because in the end, you have to ask yourself:

What is all this for?


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Original article link:https://www.bitpush.news/articles/7599434

Related Questions

QWhat is the author's main realization about their pursuit of wealth?

AThe author realized that while they achieved financial success, they became obsessed with money and rankings, turning into a slave to the game of wealth rather than enjoying the process, which led to unhappiness despite material gains.

QHow did the internet impact the author's life and career?

AThe internet rescued the author from bankruptcy in 2020, provided a gamified platform, and facilitated their transition into cryptocurrency and Twitter. It helped them acquire skills, build connections, and create opportunities, forming the core of their career and identity.

QWhat specific changes is the author implementing to improve their lifestyle?

AThe author is prioritizing creation over consumption by dedicating 1 hour and 30 minutes to focused creation daily without distractions, reducing frequent task-switching by planning time in two-hour blocks for single roles, and disconnecting from the internet after 7 PM to recharge and maintain balance.

QWhy does the author describe their state as 'a living hell'?

AThe author describes it as 'a living hell' because they became trapped in a 24/7 cycle of constantly seeking opportunities, scaling businesses, and chasing dopamine hits from social media, leading to burnout, distraction, and a loss of joy and purpose.

QWhat lesson does the author want readers to take away from their experience?

AThe author emphasizes that while pursuing financial growth and self-improvement is valuable, it's crucial not to sacrifice one's entire identity and well-being. They encourage balancing the chase for 'coins' with appreciating other important aspects of life and maintaining intentional, focused living.

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