There’s a strange kind of grief no one warns you about: The grief of becoming someone new, and realizing you may not be able to take everyone with you.
It hits in quiet, unexpected moments.
Like standing in a thrift store, holding a $4.99 copy of The Little Book of Value Investing, smiling at the steal you just found. Because to you, that book isn’t just a book, it’s a symbol of where you’re going. Of what you value. Of the version of you who plans, builds, invests, and dreams bigger than your past ever allowed.
But then you think of someone you like. Someone you’ve hoped might come along for the ride. And in that moment, the smile fades just slightly.
Because you realize:
They might not get it.
Not the book. Not the joy. Not the life you’re building.
The Higher You Climb, the Quieter It Gets
People talk about chasing dreams like it’s a team sport. But the truth?
The further you get into your goals, the more you notice how few people are actually willing to go there.
Not because they don’t want what you want.
But because wanting isn’t the same as choosing.
Because to truly have the life you dream of, you have to make choices that stretch you.
And stretching triggers the nervous system.
It asks you to be uncomfortable. Visible. Brave.
Most people would rather stay in the comfort of what’s known, even if it doesn’t make them happy.
So yes, growth can feel lonely.
Not because you’re incapable of love, but because you’re learning to love things many people won’t fight for.
We Choose the Safer Route, Until We Don’t
This is why we stay in relationships that don’t grow with us.
Why we date the familiar instead of the aligned.
Why we avoid the class, the course, the dream, the move.
Because what we really want is often on the other side of fear.
And fear convinces us that “safe” is better than “expansive.”
But here’s the truth:
Sometimes the dream you want comes in a package you’ve never seen before.
Sometimes the love you’re meant for feels unfamiliar, because you’ve never let yourself receive it.
And sometimes the life you’re building quietly demands that you outgrow the people who only talked about change.
Why It’s Lonely at the Top
Not because you’re better than others.
But because you’re the one who kept showing up.
You made the hard decisions. You stayed the course.
And one day, you looked around and realized:
Most people only dream of growth. Very few are willing to become it.
Final Thought
It’s okay if reading that investing book made you feel alone.
It’s okay if growth feels quieter than you expected.
Because what you’re really grieving isn’t a person, it’s the version of yourself who could have been content settling.
That’s not loneliness.
That’s alignment.
And the people who are meant to meet you in this chapter?
They’ll smile at the value within the $4.99 book, too.
This blog is read in 50+ countries (and counting). If you’re a student, teacher, or lifelong learner from anywhere in the world, I’m honored you’re here. Economics belongs to all of us.
The Broke College Student 
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