The Most Influential Person in My Life
In the Article:
Introduction
There’s a concept called the “Butterfly Effect.” It describes the idea that even the smallest actions or changes can lead to big, unpredictable consequences over time. It’s about how everything in life is interconnected, and how even the tiniest choices or events can shape the future in ways we can’t imagine.
Looking back, I’ve experienced two major butterfly effects in my own life.
The first was when I read the book “Rich Dad Poor Dad.” That single decision ultimately led me to quit preparing for government exams after years of struggle.
The second was when I started following Ali Abdaal. That one choice opened a whole new world to me—a world of knowledge, self-discovery, and opportunities I hadn’t even realized existed before.
Ali taught me lessons that reshaped my perspective on time, money, and life itself. He made me respect my limited time. He introduced me to different passive income streams I could explore. He helped me realize that self-awareness and clarity are the keys to a fulfilling life, often through his powerful journaling prompts. He was the one who sparked my interest in money and business. He introduced me to the Second Brain system, which became a life-changing tool for me. He showed me that we can design our ideal life—a life where good health, meaningful work, and time with loved ones coexist in balance. And he introduced me to the three most powerful concepts of success: financial freedom, location freedom, and time freedom.
For those who don’t know him, Ali Abdaal is a content creator, productivity expert, YouTuber, entrepreneur, and former doctor (who left medicine to make videos on YouTube 🙃).
Here, I want to share the five major things I’ve learned from him and how they changed my life for the better.
1. He Made Me Respect My Limited Time
We grow up in a world where money is given utmost respect. From early on in life, we’re taught to earn money, and once we start earning, we’re told to save it, protect it, and spend it wisely. While there’s nothing wrong with this, we often forget to give the same respect and attention to time, which is far more precious.
We tend to use our time like a free cake: giving the largest slice to our work or job, a smaller slice to our loved ones, an even smaller slice to our crazy dreams that only live in our imagination, and often leaving just crumbs for our health, passions, and hobbies.
I was no different. I never really thought about how I was spending my time until I started following Ali. It was then that I truly realized, “Yes, indeed, time is money.”
I began asking myself:
- Out of 24 hours, do I want to spend 8 of them working for something—or someone—that I don’t care about?
- Do I really want to give my precious time to something that doesn’t matter to me, even if it pays me?
The answer was a clear and simple “No.”
The key takeaway here is this: Unless you start valuing your (precious, limited) time, you’ll always trade it for money/work—even if that work drains your health and well-being. Because often, you only value money, not your time.
Once I started valuing my time more than money, everything shifted. I began spending more time with my family and loved ones. I paid attention to my passions and interests. I focused on my health. I started exploring career options where I wouldn’t have to sacrifice my precious time just to earn money.
On a practical level, I started using Google Calendar to manage my time effectively. I worked in focused batches—two hours of deep work—instead of endlessly working for 6–7 hours. I began enjoying house chores and gave proper time to preparing food so I could try and experiment with healthy recipes. I cut down meaningless scrolling on social media.
The result? I felt happy, fulfilled, and content with my life. That’s the power of valuing your time. That’s the value of not trading your time for money. And I owe this shift in mindset to Ali Abdaal.
👉 Start with this video if you want to take control of your time:
2. His eye-opening Journaling Prompts
We live in a fast-paced world where hurry has become the new normal. Most of us move through life without much introspection, self-awareness, or clarity. Decisions are often made in haste, with little thought given to their long-term consequences. And if someone dares to slow down, society often perceives them as “falling behind,” because life is treated like a race rather than a journey.
Ali’s journaling prompts changed that for me. They forced me to slow down, reflect, and actually think about the decisions I was making—especially the ones related to my career and work.
Here are some of the most powerful prompts that brought clarity and awareness into my life:
- What would you like people to say at your funeral?
- What would you do if money were no object?
- If I repeat this week’s actions for 10 years, where does it lead—and is that where I want to be?
- Imagine a world where you have all the money and all the time. How would you use your talents and skills to serve others?
- What activities in the last two weeks energized me, and which ones drained me?
- If you knew you’d die in two years, how would you spend your time?
And among all of them, the one that impacted me the most was:
What would your life look like five years from now if you continue down your current path?
That single question changed my life completely. I’ll share about it in a separate blog.
👉 Here’s his video on journaling prompts:
3. The Concept of a Second Brain
I once read that if you want to solve your problems, start by writing them down. Put them on paper, stare at them, then write down possible solutions. Why does this work? Because writing helps organize the mess inside your mind. You can’t jump straight from problems to solutions without reflecting on the problem itself—and writing bridges that gap.
This is the essence of the Second Brain system: organizing the chaos that our brains carry. It’s about writing everything down—your bigger goals, crazy dreams, work projects, book notes, daily tasks, birthdays, and more. The idea is to offload these into a digital brain, freeing your real brain for critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and meaningful work.
I created my Second Brain on Notion and here’s how it looks like now:
👉 If you want to learn more about the Second Brain system, watch this video:
4. I Got Interested in Money and Business
Since I began valuing my time, I became determined to spend it meaningfully. I didn’t want to waste it on work I didn’t enjoy or that felt meaningless. So I started exploring career paths that would allow me to:
- Add value to other people’s lives.
- Protect my precious time with loved ones.
- Do work that feels fulfilling to my soul.
Ali introduced me to books like The Millionaire Fastlane and The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, which deeply influenced my perspective on money. They taught me how to make money without endlessly trading my time for it.
I also began exploring various passive income streams like content creation, building a website, affiliate income, the stock market, and more. Along the way, I started learning meaningful skills like talking to the camera, video editing, and website development.
👉 Here’s the video to watch if you want to learn how to make money while respecting your time:
5. Anyone can create their Ideal Life
When you take care of your physical and mental health, when you do work that excites you, when you spend time on passions and hobbies, when you have the freedom to be with the people you love, when you earn enough to support your lifestyle, and most importantly, when you feel free, happy, and fulfilled—that’s when you know you’ve created your ideal life.
And what once felt abstract or unrealistic started feeling completely possible once I began applying what I learned from Ali.
👉 Watch this video if you want to create your ideal life:
Final Thoughts
I can’t thank Ali Abdaal enough—for existing, for creating such meaningful content, for inspiring people like me, and for teaching valuable life lessons that I carry with me every day.
His work is a reminder that success is not just about working harder, but about working smarter and more intentionally. The way he simplifies complex ideas and makes them practical is what sets him apart. His content doesn’t just make you efficient; it makes you reflect on what truly matters in life.
If you want to dive deeper into time management, productivity, meaningful work, business, health, and designing your ideal life, check out his website: aliabdaal.com. It might just give you the spark you’ve been looking for.
And if you take even one lesson from his journey, let it be this: life becomes extraordinary when you stop living on autopilot and start designing it with intention.
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