For years, a decade and even more, I am trying to find my way, my focus, my passion and my purpose. I have tried endless times, in endless industries. I had tens, if not a hundred or so of product launches. I tried to work with others, by myself, with my brothers, for others. Why am I getting lost again, and why haven’t I find my authentic self? My story?
Last time I was as lost, slightly more even, was in 2020, when I spent a few months after finishing my service trying to build a new company, in the AI space. I locked myself in my room, all day, everyday - learning all about AI, and building, before it was sexy or cool. I was early to the LLM trend, and around that time, almost three years prior to ChatGPT release - I was already playing with GPT-2. With products like AIBro, which was an LLM helping you talking with girls, or Vivify, an app to clone your beloved ones from text messages, which I built after my grandma passed away. But I couldn’t get it off the ground, and slowly slowly I got lost.
I lost my way and broke all my promises, and joined a startup. It had its benefits, and I am grateful for that time - but it distracted me from my true quest.
I want to be the top innovator of our time. I want to contribute greatly to humanity, and our collective story, as well as to the Judaism-Israelites story. I want affect people’s everyday life, and be a character of aspiration and inspiration. I want to be a lover, a father, with a loving family. I want to be a better friend, the supporter kind, the one that is rooting for you. I want to be more easy-going, more friendly, better with people. I want to be one of the greats. I want to be the greatest. I want to matter.
I have ambition, I have ideas, and I execute. I don’t shy to express myself, and I put my creations out there in the world. And yet - I don’t feel like I am any close to the person I want, and ought to be — and every day, every year that passes, I feel ever farther from him.
I believe the reason for this is that I am missing one core feeling—the sense of a calling. Everything else is in place, and I was put here with my character in the perfect way to receive a calling. Yet, my faith is falling short, and I see the world as more meaningless than most.
It is as if I was gifted with too much agency, it all feels tasteless. I only wish I had faith, I had known my purpose. The thin thread that is still holding it all together is of the “soon”. I wonder if it will hold forever.
I do have a storyline in mind about how things can positively fall into place after all. I need to build a very successful company in the next two years while also increasing my public presence with my authentic self. I need to put myself out there not just with my products, but with my thoughts, ideas, and existence. I can’t keep this side-notes on Substack—I need to put it out there. That includes ideas around my shows, judaism, philosophy, history, society, startups, companies, and the future of humanity. I need to get more involved with more startups, from investments to building ones. But more than anything: I need more fucking wins.
I need to think bigger, I need to work harder.
The time passes, and I am losing momentum.
How can I become a main character?
Who am I?
What is my story?
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This very essay and others I write here on Substack are actually not the first time I am writing about my struggles and my challenges of my journey. I started this concept in the 2018, with similar blog posts about my ambition and journey of building something big and meaningful — I encourage you to find them! ;)
Saw a comment of yours on X, and something clicked. Ended up on a few-hour binge recapping your journey.
I totally get your struggle—but from the other side of the coin.
We’re both builders, just using different tools.
Funny how we ended up creating similar products, each with its own twist.
Feels like there’s a conversation waiting to happen.
You can WhatsApp me anytime: 0524328736
Raz Newman