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When you leave your 9-to-5, the biggest challenge is saying goodbye to predictable outcomes. Many people who venture as an indie developer aim at having savings or even an existing income. But money alone is not enough. You need a mindset that keeps you going, and most importantly, that keeps your mind healthy.
I tried going indie in 2016 and I couldn’t handle all the anxiety that came from not knowing what’s next.
Nine years later, I managed to go from “I will be ok when xyz happens” to “I am ok now, even when I don’t know when xyz will happen”. I still plan carefully, but I don’t let my plans block me from living in the present.
So, how do we go from a goal oriented mindset, to one of experimentation?
Own uncertainty
No one knows what they are doing or what’s coming next, not even the brightest minds. Everyone is building the plane as they fly it.
The iPhone is Apple’s best product, yet Steve Jobs initially didn’t want to go into the smartphone business.
YouTube was initially launched as a video-sharing dating service, its founders quickly realized of its potential and pivoted to become the world’s largest video-sharing platform.
Slack originated from a failed gaming project, then its founders turned into a leading team communication tool.
Notice the pattern? Breakthroughs often arrive disguised as detours.
The trick to not knowing what lays ahead, is doing your best with what the universe puts in front of you. But if you are too distracted, worried about the future, you will miss on life’s groundbreaking opportunities.
Navigate with a North Star
You cannot go through life chasing every opportunity. You need to say no to the good things to open space for the great things. But how can you tell one from another?
As many things in life, the difference between good and great is relative and only you can know for sure.
Having a North Star is essential. It is not a rigid goal, it is a compass to navigate life’s twists and turns. I discovered my North Star as part of the LifeTheme cohort with Mike Schmitz.
My LifeTheme is “I use my creative abilities to build joyful experiences that provide value, empowerment, and freedom”, and it has guided me on every critical decision in my life since 2023.
With your compass in hand, you need to trust in something. No matter how you call it: gut, heart, god, love, destiny, universe.
Walking the line between certainty and flexibility demands constant effort. As Young Pueblo says:
You have to work with the universe instead of against it.
To work with the universe, you need to be in the right mindset.
Engage daily
A 1% progress every day will put you 37 times ahead of yourself by the end of one year. My indie developer journey started in April 2025, and little habits like reading 30 minutes at night have given me the biggest returns. Small steps compound over time.
You are not only showing up for yourself but for the unexpected opportunities that will appear. You’ll notice these opportunities if you know where are you going, and you’ll have the courage to follow through if you have trust.
This is how I ended up writing the first issue of my newsletter: months ago, I signed up for a Creative Coaching program, but I struggled to publish consistently while building my first iOS app. Then the Shipaton popped up (completely unplanned) and gave me the extra push to start sharing my journey.
Show up every day to do the work, learn from your mistakes, and learn from others. Stand up on the shoulders of giants—coaches, mentors, books, friends—and one day everything will connect. You’ll see the next steps clear as day. Don’t give up! Even when the next step is still hidden from view.
- Own uncertainty
- Navigate with a North Star
- Engage daily
The ONE mindset is not an overnight change. You build it piece by piece. Start with your identity, your North Star. Work on yourself, make your best effort to reflect at least once every quarter (that’s how my reflection journey started). Embracing change is not something to be mastered, but to be practiced and reminded of every day.
So don’t just keep moving. Keep moving in a direction that matters to you, even when you can’t see the whole path yet.