155,000 People Changed My Life

Dear Reader,

Earlier last week, I hit 155,000 followers on X.

I know we throw around numbers online like candy but 155,000 people?

That’s a small city.

A stadium packed with humans who, for some reason, decided:

“I want to hear what this guy has to say.”

It doesn’t feel real because if you rewind the tape 5 years ago, you’d find a version of me that was lost, skinny, depressed.

I was working for the sake of working and was spinning my wheels because that’s what ambitious people are supposed to do, right?

Until I did something that felt so small it was laughable:

I made a Twitter account.

I didn’t start it to “build a brand” or “scale an audience.”

I just wanted to connect to share ideas and find others thinking like I was, or better yet, thinking in ways I couldn’t even imagine yet.

In Siddhartha, Herman Hesse writes:

“Wisdom cannot be passed on. Wisdom which a wise man tries to pass on always sounds like foolishness to someone else…Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom.”

Looking back, I realize that’s what this journey has been.

I wasn’t building an audience.

I was building a mirror. One that reflected me back to myself clearer, louder, sharper, and more painfully honest than I’d ever seen before.

Every post I wrote forced me to think more clearly.

Every reply I got reminded me that connection always starts with vulnerability.

Every follower, every DM, every critic, every compliment — it shaped me.

Some people say, “Don’t make your identity your business.” And I get that.

But what if your identity is the business?

What if the greatest product you’ll ever build is a clear expression of who you are (your ideas,

your values, your story, your lens)?

That’s what this personal brand has become for me.

A project of self-definition.

A feedback loop of growth.

A vehicle to meet people who would become my friends, my partners, my teachers, my team.

This account has made me millions of dollars, yes.

But it also helped me rebuild my identity from scratch.

At my lowest points, the only thing that kept me grounded was this:

Maybe someone needs to hear what I’ve learned the hard way.

That one sentence pulled me back from burnout more times than I can count.

I’ve met people through this account who’ve become family.

I’ve made friends that 17-year-old me would’ve thought were untouchable.

I’ve taught thousands and learned from even more.

And I’ve found a kind of peace in my work that I never knew was possible before this journey started.

And the crazy part?

It all began by sharing one idea online.

If you’re reading this and you haven’t started…

Start.

Don’t wait until you feel ready.

Don’t wait until you have a polished version of yourself to present.

Start now.

Build a voice.

But anyways, this email is a thank you.

To everyone who’s followed, replied, DMed, bought, partnered, supported…

You’ve changed my life in ways you’ll never fully know.

– Wiz