One of the most repeated songs from my youth was "Remember The Name" by Fort Minor. This reflection showcases my unwavering passion, my competitive drive, and the intensity that shapes who I am.
When I truly love what I do, I never leave it broken; I stay with it until it's fixed. At around 11 years old, my computer broke on a Friday. Over that weekend, I troubleshot it myself, got a replacement power supply, and fixed it. That experience ignited a devotion to tackling challenges in innovation.
At about 12 years old, I obtained a real butterfly knife. I spent three consecutive nights perfecting a complex trick until I could reliably perform it. Later, when I got my motorbike, I ended up in the hospital twice. I scraped my arm down to the flesh, nearly submerged the bike in a lake, and repeatedly crashed on asphalt before finally mastering a proper wheelie.
I embrace pain; my mother half-jokingly labeled me a "sadomaso" (sadomasochist). Pain only hardens you for the future. I am obsessive, sometimes to extremes.
Driving Forces
History suggests that people with obsessions or unusual mental states often accomplish extraordinary things. I'm not afraid to admit how driven I am. When I fixate on a goal, my competitiveness propels me toward it without hesitation.
Yet what keeps me from going entirely over the edge is my ability to contemplate my decisions. I need to understand whether I'm doing something right or wrong, and whether it aligns with my ambitions before fully committing. I excel in B2B and client communication. Notably, clients I've worked with know I'm moving on, and they specifically requested I select my own successor—someone with a mindset akin to mine. That request didn't go to my company; it came to me personally.
I perform work that often exceeds my job description, mainly because I love it. I request compensation accordingly because I know my worth and stand by it. Though I sometimes falter, I'm strictest with myself. Nobody needs to supervise me; I do that for my own sake.
Hand me a task—impossible, new, bizarre, or burdened with difficult people—and I'm the one who steps up. I'm punctual and adhere to deadlines. I swiftly grasp new concepts, often quicker than others around me. So if a client adopts a new system, I'll ensure it functions flawlessly, even when no one else understands how. I've been known as, "Trouble Resolver" before, I'm an analytical thinker.
My formula is simple: it's ten percent luck, twenty percent skill, fifteen percent concentrated willpower, five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain—adding up to a hundred percent reason to remember my name.
The Journey
I've made many wise choices and even more poor ones. That's precisely why I know what I want and who I aspire to be. In the past year, I never skipped a day of work. I put in extra days whenever possible. I'm capable of doing things I was never formally taught. Risk-taking is ingrained in my life. I've learned from my own experiences and from others, evolving at every turn.
I'm not perfect. I'm not fully aligned with conventional expectations, and I don't particularly care. My foremost concern is achieving my goals. In the process, I don't hurt anyone—though I admit, my family and closest friends have sometimes been affected by my relentless pursuit. Not anymore, though. Now that I'm seeing success, I want them to benefit as well.
I have pushed away people who cared about me because they didn't understand my path or saw it as damaging. They might have preferred stability, but stability alone won't produce the outcomes I seek. Pushing boundaries defines me, and that habit often becomes a surprising strength. I'm still learning how to manage my personal free time more effectively.
I also recognize I engage in habits or behaviors that may harm me in the long run. Sometimes, in the current context, I continue them out of immediate need or short-term pleasure.
—Jakub Cydejko
My Philosophy
My journey shaped the person I am now. If you want my simplest, and perhaps most self-serving perspective: I consider myself above 99%. And if I fail, then I fail. That mindset keeps me moving forward. Each mistake teaches me, strengthens me, and expands my insights. I'm grateful for those who took a chance on me during difficult phases and allowed me to grow.
Intelligence isn't everything. Grit, a strong work ethic, and recognizing the value of learning from those with more experience carry immense weight. It puzzles me why younger generations sometimes ignore the wisdom of their elders.
Not every piece of older knowledge applies to the modern world, but understanding its origins cultivates a deeper perspective. You can't build a house, let alone a thriving community or empire, without first laying a sturdy foundation. Greed and wisdom rarely coexist. Where wisdom spans from fundamental roots to advanced steps, greed attempts to skip entire levels, eventually collapsing under its own weakness or superficiality.
That's the essence of my devotions.