In 2006, Yahoo offered Mark Zuckerberg $1 billion to buy Facebook.
$1 billion…with a B.
For a 22-year-old who’d been coding in his dorm room just two years earlier.
His board told him to take it. Investors pressured him. Everyone thought he was crazy to even hesitate.
But Zuckerberg said NO.
Not because he had a perfect 10-year plan mapped out, or because he knew Facebook would become a trillion-dollar company. He had no idea about the future.
He said no because he had clarity on one thing: the vision was bigger than the offer. He had clarity of what he wanted.
That move was risky as hell. It could have gone wrong, but here’s what most people miss about that moment—the decision itself created the path forward.
Over the years, one thing I’ve noticed working with engineers and high-income professionals: we’re often the worst decision-makers.
Not because we’re not smart. But because we’re too smart.
We think too much…we see every variable, every risk, every possible failure scenario.
We run mental simulations until we’re paralyzed.
I get it. I’m the same way. My engineering and risk management background taught me to evaluate consequences, to ask “what if?” for every scenario.
But here’s the truth nobody talks about: Perfect information is a myth. The perfect plan doesn’t exist.
And while you’re waiting for certainty, time—your most valuable asset—is slipping away.
“But I’m Just Being Careful…”
I know what you’re thinking: “But Alex, isn’t careful planning exactly what separates smart decisions from reckless ones? Shouldn’t I think things through?”
Yes. And no.
There’s a difference between thoughtful analysis and analysis paralysis.
There’s a difference between managing risk and avoiding it entirely.
The real risk isn’t making the wrong choice—it’s making no choice at all. Because indecision is still a decision. It’s just the one where you let circumstances decide for you instead of taking control.
A Simple Framework for Moving Forward
When I’m stuck on a big decision—career move, business pivot, major investment—I use what I call the Clarity Framework. It’s simple, and it works:
1. Outcome – What’s the result I actually want here? Get specific. Not “I want financial freedom” but “I want to build $500K in invested assets by the time I’m 40.”
2. Options – What are my real choices? Write them down. Usually there are only 2-3 viable paths, not the 47 your brain is inventing.
3. Consequences – What’s the best case? Worst case? Most likely case? For each option. This is where the engineer in me gets to play—but keep it simple. Don’t overcomplicate.
4. Commit – Pick one. Set a deadline. Decide.
5. Review – Schedule a check-in. In 90 days, 6 months, whatever makes sense. You’ll adjust along the way. That’s the point.
You don’t need perfect clarity before you decide. The decision creates clarity. All you need is a vision; know what you want.
Clarity brings confidence. Confidence brings execution. Execution brings results.
So think about your own life right now:
- What decision have you been putting off because you’re waiting for the “perfect time” or the “perfect plan”?
- What would change if you committed to a direction this week—even if you adjusted it later?
- What’s the real cost of staying stuck where you are for another 6 months? Another year?
Look, I’ve wasted time overthinking investments, career moves, business ideas. Waiting for certainty that never came.
Here’s what I learned: Smart people can engineer their way into indecision. We’re so good at seeing risks that we talk ourselves out of opportunities.
But the people who build wealth, who create the careers they want, who change their family’s financial story? They make decisions with 70% of the information and adjust as they go.
They understand that getting it wrong teaches you something valuable. And getting it right moves you forward.
And get this: whatever decision you make, make it come out right.
So pull the trigger. Make the call. Start the thing.
Your future self is waiting on the other side of that decision.
To your success,
Alejandro
P.S. — The clarity you’re looking for won’t come from more research or another planning session. It comes from committing to a path and walking it. Give yourself permission to be imperfect and make the move.
