People live the same life, like they’re passengers in it, just playing the part unhappily: wake up, check notifications, react to whatever fire is burning in their inbox, scroll social media before getting out of bed, and call that progress or something.
At some point, just from watching people and talking to enough of them, it started to feel like we’re not really making choices. We’re just accepting defaults. And capitalism works in a way where those defaults aren’t really built for you—maybe the 0.1%. After obsessing over that for a while, I landed on a mental framework that changed how I think about life:
Every choice you make, how you spend your Tuesday night, the accounts you follow, the projects you go all-in on, is a directional bet. Whether you’ve realised it or not, you are always "long" something and "short" something else.
If you don't pick your positions, the world picks them for you. Usually, the world picks the ones that benefit someone else’s bottom line.
Right now, my life portfolio looks like this:
"For the next decade, I’m long community building, health maxxing without needing to go to the gym, spirituality, privacy awareness, and crypto. I’m shorting AGI in two years narrative, legacy institutions, and rotting attention spans (not the internet itself, just the autopilot version of it)."
That isn't a "goals list." It’s a filter. You can look at that one sentence and reverse-engineer my entire day. It explains why I’m up at 5 AM, why I’m obsessed with new privacy solutions, and why I don't give a damn about "prestige" titles at companies that are still operating like it's 2018.
(Honestly, dating apps would be a lot more tolerable if people had to post their life positioning instead of a height requirement)
Treating your life like a portfolio isn't about being a soulless math geek. It’s about not wasting your limited time on Earth.
It kills the noise. You stop "optimising" for things you’re actually shorting. If you’re shorting algorithmic addiction, you stop caring about your follower count on platforms designed to drain you. The decision is already made.
It scales. It works for the macro (long decentralisation) and the micro (shorting that third drink).
It’s honest. You can’t hedge everything. To actually win at anything, you have to be willing to be "wrong" for a long time.
The best part? Your portfolio doesn't have to make sense to a banker. You’re a human. You can have a weirdly asymmetric life. Long community building. Long "monk mode" focus. Short sugar. Long cold showers. That’s a direction.
Most people are in deep, losing trades they never signed up for.
The goal isn't to be a perfect robot. It's to be aware. High-agency people are the ones who will actually thrive in the soon-to-come AGI era because they will know exactly what they’re betting on.
High-agency people will inherit the earth.
We’re seeing a massive shift in how people move. It used to be that only VCs or academics talked about "having a thesis." Now, the smartest people I know talk like they’re running a fund:
In 2026, your reach is global and your leverage is digital. Your bets matter way more than your job title. You aren't just watching history—you’re trading it.
I’ve had people tell me this sounds cold. They say life is about intuition and being present.
They're right about the 10 PM version of you. The tired version who's looking for a release can open a cold one and let off. That's not a failed trade; that's a human circuit breaker.
This framework doesn't kill meaning; it protects it. You aren’t trading for money; you’re trading for reality—for depth, freedom, and the ability to actually own your time. All of that requires directional energy.
You don't get to the top of a mountain by walking in circles and hoping it works out. Ignoring it a few times won’t send you a liquidation email. The point is to live your life—just be mindful about your direction.
Stop reacting. Start positioning.
I’m long ___, ___, ___. I’m short ___, ___, ___.
Look at your habits and your circle of friends. Are you having +EV interactions, or are you just burning daylight?
The future isn't neutral. Neither are you.
Treat your life like the high-stakes trade it actually is.