This is for those who Feel Stuck

If you are currently pursuing a Master’s, a CFA, or something similar—that’s great. You already have a short-to-mid-term goal to work toward, and I wish you the best of luck!

This post is for those who don’t know what to aim for, or who feel a bit stuck and unable to move toward a goal.

Five or six years ago, I felt what we now call a "mid-life crisis." I assumed it was a one-time event that would just pass. Oh boy, I couldn’t have been more wrong. It keeps coming back—and it is perfectly fine if you feel stuck momentarily.

I would say: Go back to basics. Go back to your roots.

Often in our day-to-day work, we lose touch with the fundamentals we once studied. It is a great idea to revisit your old reference books or walk through your old code and repositories. I am sure there are topics you struggled with back then—maybe chapters you kept as "optional" just to pass the course. Go back to those chapters now. Prepare as if you were studying for college exams, or look into new developments in your core area of expertise. Reinforce your foundation with new technology.

This may not directly unlock your "next step," but it re-strengthens your foundation. When you eventually figure out a goal in a few weeks, that reinforced foundation will ensure you achieve it much faster. Being an engineer, I’ll use a personal example: Integrals. I used to solve complex integrals in my sleep; now, when I see one, I find myself wondering how to even approach it. Picking that back up is a powerful way to reset.

Think of Creed 2 (or the Rocky movies) -- When Adonis is lost, Rocky takes him to the desert—away from the noise, the ego, and the comfort. He makes him go back to the basics to master what he once knew. It’s the same in Rocky 4. You cut off the distractions and return to the foundation. This is where you get rid of the doubt and the noise.

The Second Path: Learn something entirely new.

This is the opposite approach—inspired by the likes of Alex Hormozi. Learn something totally irrelevant to what you have learned so far to build new capabilities. This requires you to be ready to "suck" at something. You have to be willing to be bad at something for a long time before you can be great at it.

If you are a Doctor, maybe learn about AI. If you are an Engineer, learn about sales or philosophy.

A word of caution: When I say "learn something new," I don't mean a two-hour crash course or a quick YouTube tutorial. Learn from the base. If you are learning finance, pick up academic reference books or join a rigorous 6–9 month course. This deep dive might even land you on a new path you never considered.

In this fast-paced world, these ideas are "slow grinders." They require time, effort, and patience. However, both approaches help fire up your "learning neurons," which improves your thinking and helps you find clarity in the moments you feel most stuck.

This is for the people who want to play the long game. When you’re in a crisis, a pause—spent either returning to basics or learning something new without the pressure of a specific goal—will go a long way.

Trust me, it always pays off in the long run.