Why I Disappeared (What Happened)

Summary

In this reflective video, the creator announces his departure from YouTube after eight years, sharing personal insights and reasons behind his decision. He discusses his journey starting a channel in 2016, focusing on personal finance content when it was scarce, and the satisfaction of building an audience. The creator reveals his early goal of financial freedom by age 25, which he achieved through various forms of leverage. He also touches on the pressures of constant content creation and his desire for privacy. Looking forward, he shares three personal goals for the next five years, including starting a family, scaling his businesses to $100 million in annual revenue, and purchasing a large farm in Pennsylvania. The video serves as a heartfelt farewell and a testament to his growth and the transformative power of content creation.

Takeaways

• 😀 The creator has not posted on the channel for almost a year and shares personal reasons for the hiatus and future plans.
• 🎥 This video is likely one of the last to be created on the platform, indicating a departure from regular content creation.
• 🚀 The channel started in 2016 focusing on personal finance content when it was not widely available on YouTube, and the creator grew with the niche.
• 💡 The motivation to start the channel was to fill a content gap and the creator enjoyed building and growing the channel as a tangible achievement.
• 💰 Financial freedom by age 25 was a goal set early on, and the creator believes they have achieved this through various means of leverage, including social media.
• 🔧 The creator learned about leveraging human capital early on through a firewood business, realizing the potential of employing others to grow the business.
• 💼 The power of money as a form of leverage is highlighted, with the example of earning interest on a large sum to achieve financial stability.
• 📈 Social media is recognized as a powerful tool for leverage, allowing one-to-many communication with minimal effort.
• 🏠 A strong desire for freedom and minimal obligations in life is expressed, including the experience of living in a truck for freedom.
• 🔚 The creator stopped posting because they felt they had said everything they wanted to on their channel and did not want to produce repetitive content.
• 🔄 The 'creator hamster wheel' is described as the pressure to constantly create content, which the creator found unfulfilling and chose to step away from.
• 🤫 Privacy is valued by the creator, who has always tried to keep many personal aspects off the platform despite sharing quite a bit over the years.
• 💡 The creator is at a point where they no longer feel the need to monetize their channel or continue creating content for the sake of maintaining an online presence.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A goal for the next five years is to start a family, which the creator acknowledges requires work and is not yet a priority.
• 💼 Another goal is to scale the family business to reach $100 million in annual revenue by the time the creator is 30.
• 🏡 The third goal is to purchase a large farm in Pennsylvania, ideally 500 acres or more, by the age of 30.
• 🙏 The creator expresses gratitude to the audience for their support over the years and hints that the channel may not see much more content in the future.

Q & A

Why did the creator decide to stop posting on the channel?

The creator felt they had said everything they needed to say and made all the videos they wanted to make. They didn't want to create repetitive content or regurgitate the same ideas every year.

What was the creator's initial motivation for starting the YouTube channel in 2016?

The creator started the channel because they were looking for personal finance content on YouTube and found that it didn't exist in 2016. They wanted to fill that gap in the market and grow a channel in a niche that was developing on the platform.

What is the creator's view on the idea of 'Creator hamster wheel'?

The creator describes the 'Creator hamster wheel' as the constant pressure to create content and keep people updated. They felt this pressure to always post, even if they didn't want to, which contributed to their decision to stop creating content.

Why did the creator choose to make personal finance content?

The creator chose to make personal finance content because it was a topic they were passionate about and there was a lack of such content on YouTube at the time. They also enjoyed the process of building and growing something, which in this case was their YouTube channel.

What was the creator's goal when they were 14 or 15 years old?

The creator's goal when they were 14 or 15 years old was to retire by age 25 or at least achieve financial freedom, so they could do whatever they wanted for the rest of their life.

What does the creator value in life?

The creator values total freedom in life, the ability to make their own decisions without obligations, and the opportunity to grow and build things, such as their YouTube channel and their businesses.

What is the creator's opinion on using social media as a form of leverage?

The creator believes that social media is the ultimate form of leverage because it allows one to reach millions of people with the same effort it takes to have a single conversation.

What are the creator's future goals for the next five years?

The creator's future goals include starting a family, scaling their companies to reach $100 million a year in revenue, and buying a large farm in Pennsylvania, preferably 500 acres or more.

Why did the creator feel the need to share this video?

The creator felt the need to share this video to provide closure to their audience, explain why they stopped posting, and share their future plans. They also wanted to reflect on their journey and have a record to look back on in the future.

How does the creator feel about the potential money left on the table by not continuing the channel?

The creator does not feel the need to continue the channel for monetary gain. They believe they have said everything they wanted to say and are not motivated by the potential money that could be made.

What was the creator's experience living in their truck?

The creator had a fun experience living in their truck and recommends it to others as a way to experience total freedom, being able to decide where to go and what to do each day.

Outlines

00:00

📹 Reflections on a YouTube Journey

The speaker reflects on their nearly one-year hiatus from posting on their YouTube channel. They announce this will likely be one of their last videos on the platform, emphasizing it's not clickbait and that they've been contemplating their absence. The video is personal and meant for closure, addressing concerns about their well-being and the future of their channel. They recount their start on YouTube in 2016, driven by a gap in personal finance content and a desire to build and grow something tangible. The speaker also shares their early goal of financial freedom by age 25, which they believe they've achieved, and hints at sharing insights gained from their eight-year journey on YouTube.

05:01

🚀 Early Pursuits and the Power of Leverage

The speaker delves into their early ventures, such as a firewood business with their brother, which taught them about leveraging human capital. They discuss the concept of compressing a 40-year work life into a shorter period to achieve early retirement. They explore different forms of leverage, like money and social media, which they believe can lead to massive value creation in a short time. The speaker credits social media, and specifically YouTube, as a powerful tool for reaching millions with minimal effort. They also express their appreciation for the freedom they've crafted in their life, including the ability to live abroad or travel without obligations.

10:03

🛑 The Decision to Stop Content Creation

The speaker explains their decision to stop creating content on their YouTube channel. They feel they have said everything they wanted to say and made all the videos they intended to make. The speaker didn't want to produce repetitive content and was not interested in creating different types of content. They discuss the pressure of the 'creator hamster wheel' and the fear of becoming obsolete if content creation stops. The speaker also mentions their desire for privacy and the struggle to balance sharing personal life online with maintaining personal boundaries. They express a lack of interest in monetizing the channel further, prioritizing personal fulfillment over potential financial gain.

15:05

🏡 Future Goals and Personal Aspirations

The speaker outlines their goals for the next five years, which include starting a family, scaling their companies to reach $100 million in annual revenue, and purchasing a large farm in Pennsylvania. They acknowledge being single and the need to work towards starting a family, emphasizing that they won't rush the process. The speaker also shares their passion for growing their businesses and setting a clear financial target for their companies. Lastly, they express a desire to own a significant piece of land, reflecting their love for nature and the outdoors.

🙏 Gratitude and Farewell to the YouTube Channel

In the concluding part of the video, the speaker expresses gratitude to their audience for their support over the years. They reminisce about specific types of content they've created and hope that their videos have provided value to their viewers. The speaker clarifies that they did not monetize the channel to its full potential and that their primary goal was to help others. They announce that this is likely the end of their YouTube journey, with only a slim chance of returning for personal updates in the future. The speaker thanks their audience one final time and bids them farewell.

Keywords

💡Personal Finance

Personal finance refers to the management and organization of an individual's financial affairs. In the video, the creator discusses how he started making content on this topic in 2016 when it was not as prevalent on YouTube. His channel focused on personal finance, which helped fill a gap in the market and contributed to his early success on the platform.

💡Content Creation

Content creation is the process of producing digital or traditional media content. The video's creator talks about his journey of creating videos on YouTube, which began as a way to share personal finance content that he was passionate about and couldn't find elsewhere.

💡YouTube Channel

A YouTube channel is a platform where users can upload, share, and manage videos. The script discusses the creator's experience of starting a YouTube channel in 2016, growing it alongside the personal finance niche, and eventually reaching a point where he felt he had said everything he wanted to on the platform.

💡Financial Freedom

Financial freedom means having enough wealth and assets to cover all living expenses without the need for work. The creator mentions his goal of achieving financial freedom by age 25, which influenced his early focus on building value and creating content that could generate income.

💡Leverage

In the context of the video, leverage refers to methods or means by which one can amplify their output or potential for success. The creator discusses different forms of leverage such as human capital, money, and social media, which he used to achieve his financial goals more quickly.

💡Freedom

Freedom, in this video, signifies the creator's value of having autonomy and flexibility in his life. He talks about the importance of being able to make choices without constraints, such as living in a truck or traveling to Japan, and how this aligns with his desire for independence.

💡Creator Burnout

Creator burnout is a state of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion caused by the demands of content creation. The script mentions the 'creator hamster wheel,' illustrating the pressure to constantly produce content and the eventual burnout the creator felt, leading to his decision to stop posting.

💡Privacy

Privacy, in the context of the video, refers to the creator's preference for keeping his personal life out of the public domain. He expresses his discomfort with sharing too much of his life online and his desire to maintain a level of privacy, which influenced his decision to step back from content creation.

💡Life Goals

Life goals are the objectives or aspirations an individual sets for their personal and professional life. The creator shares his goals for the next five years, which include starting a family, scaling his companies to $100 million in annual revenue, and buying a large farm in Pennsylvania.

💡Content Monetization

Content monetization is the process of generating income from digital content. The creator reflects on his decision not to monetize his channel aggressively, despite the potential for greater earnings, choosing instead to focus on providing value to his audience.

Highlights

The creator discusses why they stopped posting on their channel and shares future plans.

Announces this will likely be one of the last videos created on the platform.

Reflects on the personal nature of the video and its intended purpose for self-reflection and closure.

Recollects starting the YouTube channel in 2016 to fill a gap in personal finance content.

Mentions the growth of the channel alongside the niche on YouTube.

Shares the early doubt about starting a YouTube channel in 2016 and the subsequent success.

Expresses the joy of building and growing a YouTube channel as a tangible achievement.

Reveals early financial goals to retire or achieve financial freedom by age 25.

Details the concept of value creation through leverage, such as human capital and money.

Explains social media as the ultimate form of leverage, influencing the decision to start the channel.

Talks about the importance of freedom in life and how it has shaped personal and professional choices.

Describes the experience of living in a truck as an embodiment of freedom.

Discusses the reasons for ceasing content creation, including feeling repetitive and a lack of fulfillment.

Mentions the 'creator hamster wheel' and the pressure to constantly produce content.

Shares the struggle with privacy and the desire to share less about personal life over time.

Contemplates the potential waste of the channel's potential but decides against it for personal fulfillment.

Outlines three main goals for the next five years, including starting a family, scaling business, and buying a large farm.

Expresses gratitude to the audience and reflects on the journey of the channel.

Hints at the possibility of rare future videos being personal updates rather than algorithm-driven content.

Transcripts

all right so it's been almost a year

since I've posted on this channel and I

felt like I should come on here and

share with you what has happened why I

stopped posting on this channel um and

what's going to be happening in the

future uh so just for full context this

is probably one of the last videos that

I'm going to create um on the platform

uh this is not clickbait I think people

probably saw this coming for a pretty

long time considering that I really

haven't posted very much especially in

the past couple of years um there's a

lot to talk about today you know if you

normally come here for information and

to learn something this video might not

be the one for you it's going to be a

bit more on the personal side I'm really

making this video for myself and uh I

think it'll just be interesting to look

back on in 20 years uh but I thought it

would be helpful to have some type of

closure instead of me just disappearing

had some people reach out ask did did

you die are you still alive I'm still

here I'm doing well um but I just wanted

to to to create this here so where

should we start um I I think to

understand why I stopped creating

videos and my thoughts on this we need

to go back to why I started on this

platform in the first place and this was

in 2016 is when I started the channel

which is about eight years ago um so

look I grew up on YouTube I mean I

YouTube was founded in what 2005 I was I

was six or seven years old at the time

and so I spend most of my life watching

YouTube videos so you probably did as

well that's probably why you're watching

this video right now you spent a lot of

time in the platform right and and so

spending so much time on the platform uh

at some point in 2016 when I was a

freshman in college at Penn State um I

decided that I'm finally going to start

making videos and it's it's not

something that I generally wanted to do

like I've never been drawn to creating

content per se uh it was more so that

there was nobody making personal finance

content on YouTube in 2016 and I know

it's kind of difficult to like think

about now because there's so many videos

on personal finance and investing um or

productivity and all these different

topics but it really didn't exist in

2016 I was just talking to Graham Stefan

about this when he started his channel

around the same time in 2016 um and I

think I was in a really lucky position

to start that Channel at the time that I

did uh and I kind of grew with the niche

as the niche grew on this platform um

and I remember people saying in 2016 it

was too late to start on YouTube and I

almost didn't create the channel because

I thought it was too late YouTube was

too mature of a platform um and looking

back on that now it's kind of funny

thinking about it it was actually pretty

early 2016 um to to create a channel but

you know I've I've lived and breathed

YouTube for for so long for almost eight

years and I've learned a lot over that

time period and I think there's a couple

of things that I could share about that

um but the reason why I started was

because I was looking for that content I

couldn't find it and I thought someone

should create it you know there was a

bit of a gap in the market there um and

so I started to just create videos and

just started pumping them out one after

another and one of my favorite things to

do in life is is to to build something

to to grow something um and so growing a

YouTube channel was a really easy like T

like tangible quantifiable thing to do

was to grow a channel and so I had so

much fun doing that you know along the

way connected with so many people um and

then there were also some byproducts of

that as well like making money I never

sold any online courses or anything like

that on this channel but you know

certainly made a decent amount of money

from this channel just sort of as a

byproduct of sharing ideas and creating

content for this platform and I think

that was also a really great bonus um to

to everything all right so when I was uh

14 or 15 years old I set this goal that

I wanted to retire by age 25 um or at

least have Financial Freedom by age 25

so that I could do whatever I want for

the rest of my life um and I'm not sure

why I hit this phase like this this

phase of my life at an really early age

like most teenagers I think were just

having fun and and doing cool things

with their friends I was pretty weird um

and I don't regret that I mean like

that's just how I was so um but yeah I I

didn't spend a lot lot of time hanging

out with friends I didn't have many

friends I was just obsessive over this

um and so I guess it has worked out in a

sense but I think I have hit that that

goal of Financial Freedom by by 25 and

so kind of looking over the past 10

years of how I got to that point um and

reflecting on that quite a bit so when I

was younger what I was trying to do was

find a way to have massive value

Creation in a very compressed period of

time so like let's say that like for

example

um most people are going to work 40

years in their life say from age 22 to

62 they're going to work about 40 years

and I wanted to find a way to compress

that into a five or 10 year span of work

up front like basically front load it at

an early age so then you could then

cruise for the rest of your life and

hopefully this is making sense uh as I

say it aloud here but um and so in order

to do that I I realized that there's

like a couple of different forms of

Leverage that you could use to get to

massive value Creation in a in a very

compressed period of time and so one of

those one of the first ones that I

learned was human capital right and so

this was uh one of the first businesses

that I started with my brother Mike I

was 14 he was 16 we started a firewood

business he got his driver's license and

we'd go around cutting up trees selling

firewood and um the first like

realization that I could potentially

retire at a much earlier age was when I

started to hire some of our friends in

the firewood business and basically make

a spread on their work and you know I'd

pay them $8 an hour and they would make

us an extra5 or $6 an hour uh profit for

basically doing nothing from just hiring

them and so making a spread on labor I

guess you could say was like one of the

first realizations that I had of maybe I

can find a way to do this in a much

shorter period of time um there's

there's other forms of Leverage as well

like money for example this is why they

say that the the rich stay Rich right or

the rich get

um and it's it's very true like if you

have $10 million in the bank and you're

getting 5% interest on that bank account

that's $500,000 a year in free money

just for having money so um this is why

rich people generally stay rich and so

uh if you can get to a point of a large

sum of money at an early age you could

probably cruise on that indefinitely

this is why people talk about like the

rule of 72 and they talk about the 4%

rule you can withdraw 4% per year

compound interest you've probably heard

a lot of that already so I won't go too

into the Weeds on that point um but

money is an excellent form of Leverage

and so if you can get to it at an

earlier point of life uh that can be

extremely valuable and I think one of

the big epiphanies that I had when I was

um going into college when I was about

18 the reason why I started this Channel

or one of them was realizing that social

media was like the ultimate form of

Leverage and maybe I spent too much time

watching Gary vaynerchuk uh in my

teenage years uh cuz he was always just

screaming about content um but it's it's

true I mean you can you can spend time

talking to one person about an idea or

using YouTube you can speak to Millions

tens of millions hundreds of millions of

people with the same effort that it

takes to have one conversation with

someone um and I think having that

realization is really the reason why I

forced myself to just start creating

videos and you know that sounds kind of

selfish of like one of the reasons why I

started but it it's true you know it's

because

um I realized that there was quite a bit

of Leverage there from social media I

think I also have really valued having

total freedom uh in in my life as well

and you know tomorrow if I wanted to I

could go fly to Japan and live there for

a month and I don't really have many

obligations and i' I've kind of crafted

my life in in that way um and it's it's

good and bad I mean I've always liked to

do that have total free

uh where I don't have to clock into work

tomorrow it's it's really even with the

people that work for us it's it's very

much automated that's just how I have

set everything up in my life so far um

and that's something that I value a lot

I think at some point I'm going to have

to um give up quite a bit of that

freedom just as I go through my life and

you know start a family and other things

that I I will willingly give up a lot of

that freedom because it's it's worth it

uh to to do that but um you know for

examp example I spent a couple years

living in my truck that was such a fun

experience I'd recommend uh anyone and

everyone who is capable of doing that

even if it's just for uh a couple of

weeks in the summer just go out on some

government land live in your car do some

camping uh it's just one of the best

experiences uh having that freedom of

you know waking up tomorrow and just

deciding where you're going to go and

and that's something that I've always

really try to prioritize and try to find

a way to get to um but yeah I would

definitely recommend it's kind of a

sidebar living in your car for some

period of time just just because I think

it's really fun um and and that really

truly is like total freedom all right so

I think we should just get into um what

happened and why I decided to officially

stop creating content on this channel

and then what's going to be happening

going forward in the future and some of

the goals and things that I'm I'm

looking forward to um and so there's a

handful of reasons why I stopped posting

content on this channel uh and the

biggest one is because I felt like I had

said everything that I needed to say

I've made all the videos that I wanted

to make and and and and the thoughts

that I wanted to share I feel like 95%

of those I've already done and so it got

to the point where I had to I basically

reached the crossroads of do I want to

make repetitive content and do I want to

create the same type of content

regurgitate the same stuff every year um

or should I not do that I and you know

sure I guess I could find other types of

content to create but I really didn't

want to and so I look at someone like

Dave Ramsey for example which I have a

lot of respect for um but he he goes

into the office every day for the past

40 years and he says the same thing

every day and to me that is not

fulfilling personally um and like I said

no no no hate towards Dave uh he has

some really great advice um but that's

not something that like I looked in the

mirror and said I I don't want to do

that I don't want to to say the same

thing every day

um and I really don't like repeating

myself because it felt like it wouldn't

be growth or it wouldn't be as

fulfilling to do that and so that was

one of the big reasons why I ended the

channel and you know people would say

well why don't you just make other types

of content uh and I didn't want to I

wanted to create personal finance

content or minimalism or productivity

content and the things that I really

genuinely wanted to share with you as an

audience and so I think there's this

this pressure of basically you could

call it like the Creator hamster wheel

um where there's this pressure to

constantly create content and keep

people updated and keep it going because

if you stop posting there's this fear

that you'll kind of fall off or become

Obsolete and people will forget about

you and so you have to keep stoking the

fire continuously and I did that for

about seven years I kept posting I

really didn't take much time off maybe I

took a few weeks off here and there but

it was this constant pressure of always

needing to post even if I didn't want to

and I think a lot of creators and

influencers uh can relate to this in in

some way um and I really didn't like

that that hamster wheel feeling now I'm

also a very private person and although

I've shared a lot of things over the

past seven or so years on this channel

I've also kept a lot of things private

and I've always tried to do that because

I just don't like airing out all of my

life online um and so as we went through

from 2016 to 2024 each year I wanted to

share less and less about my life uh and

I think that's just because I'm a very

private person um the only reason why

I've really had social media in the past

few years especially was just because I

felt like some obligation to update

people on what was happening um in my

life and I don't know if that's the

right right way to do it and I I think

I've I've realized that um I shouldn't

be guilted in into feeling like I I have

to create content uh I don't even know

if that's right to to say that but

that's that's just how I feel um and

so I think the only other reason why I

struggled to to end this Channel or why

it took so long to stop creating content

was because uh there was also this

Factor especially this came from other

influencers where you know you don't

want to waste the potential of the

channel that you've built um and maybe

we're getting a little bit into the

weeds here but I'm just speaking my mind

here um and so there's this idea of you

know you've built up this this YouTube

channel

where I could make a video every week

and get a sponsor they could pay a

pretty decent amount of money and I

could probably you know squeeze a few

more million dollars out out of this

channel pretty easily by just making

videos every week and automating it have

a script writer and doing all that and

so that was like something that was

difficult to to let that go and say you

know what I really don't I don't need

the money from this either like that's

not the reason why I created this

Channel I didn't do it to make money um

and so I don't need to do that going

forward either I don't care if I'm

leaving money on the table or potential

on the table in any way because it's

just not really something that I feel

like doing anymore um so so yeah that's

that's that's basically what happened

that's why I don't post anymore it's

just because I genuinely feel like I've

said everything that I wanted to say and

shared everything that I wanted to share

all right so going forward um three goal

that I have for the next 5 years uh I

just feel like it'd be fun to share

these and uh look back on this video

when I turn 30 and and and see where

we're at so uh goal number one it'd be

really great to start a family um have

to work on that you know not not very

far along there uh still single so need

to figure that out um and I think

actually from like 18 to 24 I really

didn't Focus too much on on dating I was

just focused on um other areas of life I

think if I had to prioritize from 18 to

24 I would say my priorities were my

family uh my businesses and then

priority three was like dating or

relationships that was from 18 to 24 I

think it's probably going to shift quite

a bit as I prioritize um starting a

family uh at some point hopefully in the

next 5 years maybe 10 years I'm not

going to rush it because I don't think

that's something that you can really uh

plan that easily um definitely don't

want to rush that uh but yeah that's

that's something that I would really

love to get to buy age 30 at least to

kind of work towards it incrementally uh

in in some fashion uh goal number two

would be really great to get to $100

million a year from our companies um I

don't really share a lot of this but my

brother and I have um some companies

holding company with some other

companies and and uh you know it's it's

it's doing okay uh but I would love to

really scale that up and grow it more

and like I said earlier I really just

love growing things and so what I did

with my YouTube channel I would love to

continue to do with our company and uh

that's just something that I want to be

able to wake up every day and have

something to work towards and that's

what I've been doing the past uh year

and a half two years with my brother

that we've really been trying to scale

this um and it's been working quite well

uh but yeah $100 million by $100 million

per year by ag30 uh is the goal and I

honestly think that it's achievable um

but yeah we'll see how this video ages

of course that's kind of why I'm making

this and then uh goal number three would

be to just buy a very large farm

somewhere in Pennsylvania uh at least 50

acres but hopefully more like 500 Acres

this is kind of difficult to come by to

get like a really large farm uh there's

not that many that come up on the market

the ones that I want um and so that's

just a goal that I would I would love to

get to uh by age 30 as well those are my

three goals for the next 5 years all

right so I think that is going to wrap

up the video um I I sincerely appreciate

everyone who has watched this channel

over the years whether it was like an

apartment tour in 2019 or uh an

investing video in 2017 or something

more recent on on my Channel about you

know phone addiction for example um all

those videos were something that I I

really hope were helpful to you that you

found some value in that's always been

my goal um like I said I I didn't really

try to monetize this channel I I didn't

really try to you know like I didn't

squeeze as much juice out of this

channel as I probably could have as some

people told me to um and I I've I've

enjoyed this process uh it's been such

an incredible journey for myself and I I

appreciate each and every one of you for

supporting me so I just want to thank

you one last time before I sign off here

um I probably won't be making any more

content on this channel there's a very

rare 5% chance that I will and if I do

make any future videos uh it's it's not

going to be for the algorithm it's going

to be just kind of personal videos maybe

a life update every few years but that's

probably about it so I think for the

most part this channel is is um kind of

closing the chapter here so uh I

appreciate all of you thank you and uh I

guess that's it