Read this to the end, then tell me it didn’t make you feel something.
Didn’t wake something up.

Because one day, you might wake up and realize:
You built a life that looks good… but feels empty.

—

Don’t risk too much, Marko.
You and your big dreams.
Why can’t you just stick to being a designer?
Why do you always have to reach for more?

Can’t you just be happy with what you have?

I’ve heard those voices for decades.
From friends.
From family.
From myself.

That voice in my head telling me to stop messing around.
To grow up.
To be responsible.
To stop being selfish.

But that night, it hit harder than usual.

It was late. The kids and the wife asleep.
I was in the kitchen, in our home in the mountains,
lights off, fridge humming, thoughts racing.

I wasn’t panicking.
But I wasn’t at peace either.

Just standing there, staring into the dark.
The moon hanging low.
The silhouettes of the mountains just visible through the window.

And I kept wondering:
Is this all going to work?

And then, like clockwork, the voice came back.
Louder. Sharper. Certain.

“You have kids.”
“You have bills.”
“You can’t just do what you want.”
“Real adults don’t take risks.”
“Fulfilment is selfish.”

I’ve heard that voice every time I chose me. Every time I chose what I truly wanted, not what looked responsible.

Start a studio?
Open a consultancy?
Become a coach?
Launch a festival?

Come on, man.

You’ll lose money.
You’ll lose face.
You’ll end up broke and alone.
And worse, your kids will suffer because of you.

So play it safe.
Get a real job.
Climb the ladder.
Learn to love it in time.

That’s the lie safety sells.
The one I almost bought.

But here’s the truth:

There is no safe way.

The economy could crash tomorrow.
You could lose your health.
You could get hit by a bus on the way to that “secure” job.
Like Brad Pitt's character in 'Meet Joe Black'.

Safety isn’t real. It’s just familiar.

And here’s the deeper truth:

Safe doesn’t lead to fulfilled.
It leads to numb.

To quiet resentment.
To slow, invisible regret.
To dying with potential still inside you.

As a creative, that's what I fear most.
Don't you too?

We think we’re protecting our kids by playing it safe.
But if we trade our intuition for a paycheck,
what are we really teaching them?

Safe gave me a paycheck.
Fulfilment gave me presence.

Safe gave me structure.
Fulfilment gave me soul.

Fulfilment has a price.

It costs comfort.
It costs certainty.
It demands you walk through fear and keep going.

But on the other side?

You come out clearer. Stronger.
More present.
More alive.

Having kids gave me two options:

1. Play it safe, so they’d have a “stable” life.
2. Risk it all — again and again — so they’d see what it looks like to be fully alive.

Guess which one brings more energy.
Guess which one gives them a father who’s truly here.

Fulfilment isn’t selfish.
It’s a gift.
To yourself. To them. To the world.

So yeah, choose wisely.
Because the safe path won’t lead you to where you really want to go.
And it sure won’t teach the people you love how to live fully, either.

Marko

—

👇 If this hit a nerve, maybe it’s time.

Time to stop playing it safe.
Time to build the version of your business that actually feels like you.

For them. For yourself. For all of us.

That’s what we do at NOT on sale.
We help creatives stop hiding, show what they’re really made of, and attract better clients, bigger budgets, and work that fulfils them.

→ Reply with “Let’s talk.”

No pressure. Just a real conversation about what you really need.

‍