Walk Until the Day Gets Interesting — Bilal Zaidi

Here are the top 10 key takeaways from Bilal Zaidi's conversation with Paul Millerd about building an unconventional career path, finding authentic fulfillment, and maintaining curiosity in both work and life.

1. Money provides security but shouldn't drive lifestyle creep

The balance between financial security and avoiding unnecessary spending creates genuine peace of mind. When you don't have money, basic needs like paying rent on time or buying your kids proper shoes become major stressors. These fundamental requirements matter more than people who've never experienced poverty realize.

The key lies in defining your personal minimum threshold. Once you identify the amount needed for true comfort and security, anything beyond becomes a bonus rather than a necessity. This approach prevents the endless chase for more while ensuring you maintain dignity and stability.

2. Immigrant mindset creates both motivation and pressure

Growing up as a Pakistani family in the UK meant navigating multiple challenging scripts simultaneously. The scarcity mindset developed from watching monthly spreadsheets where expenses exceeded income created lasting awareness of financial vulnerability. Every month brought the reality of going into overdraft despite careful planning.

The "othering" experience of being one of only five brown students in a predominantly white school added another layer. Racism and name-calling fostered an underdog mentality that demanded proving worth to everyone around them. This combination of financial stress and social alienation often drives immigrants toward safe, respectable careers like medicine, law, or engineering.

The parental emphasis on safety makes complete sense given their struggles. They wanted their children to have stable jobs that guaranteed house ownership, marriage prospects, and social respectability. This protective instinct comes from lived experience of uncertainty and wanting better for the next generation.

3. Early technological curiosity often predicts future career paths

Childhood fascination with computers, software, and technology frequently signals deeper patterns that persist into adulthood. Playing Championship Manager for 10-12 hours daily wasn't just entertainment—it involved scanning thousands of player profiles with 20-30 numerical attributes each. This developed rapid pattern recognition and data analysis skills that proved invaluable later.

The progression from gaming to website creation, then to e-commerce, followed natural curiosity rather than strategic planning. Each step built upon previous interests while adding new dimensions. The Arsenal fan site at 16 combined technological skills with genuine passion, creating authentic engagement that couldn't be manufactured.

The same analytical mindset that enjoyed scanning player statistics eventually excelled at Google's data-driven environment. Numbers provided grounding for creative decisions throughout various career transitions. Following genuine interests often leads to unexpected professional advantages.

4. Corporate experience offers valuable learning despite eventual limitations

Google provided exposure to international perspectives that small companies couldn't match. Working alongside colleagues from 12 different nationalities created worldview expansion impossible in smaller environments. The relationships formed during those seven years became lifelong connections worth more than just professional networking.

The timing mattered significantly—joining Google in 2009-2010 felt different from today's massive corporation. The company still encouraged 20% projects and maintained startup-like innovation culture. Employees could pursue independent initiatives and work in small, experimental teams rather than rigid hierarchies.

However, the learning curve eventually flattened as responsibilities became repetitive. When 80% of time went toward convincing people of good work rather than actually doing good work, the environment became stifling. The company's growth from 18,000 to 200,000+ employees fundamentally changed its character and opportunities for individual impact.

5. Prestige can become a trap that prevents authentic choices

The brand association with respected companies creates identity entanglement that's difficult to recognize and harder to escape. Working at Google provided easy conversation starters at social gatherings and family visits. The external validation felt increasingly important as the actual work became less fulfilling.

This golden handcuffs phenomenon intensifies over time as stock options and salary increases accumulate. The financial incentives grow while personal satisfaction diminishes, creating internal conflict between security and authenticity. Many people stay far longer than they should because leaving feels like abandoning valuable assets.

The real question becomes whether you're living the prestigious story or just telling it. When work performance becomes primarily about managing perceptions rather than creating value, the disconnect becomes unsustainable. Recognizing this pattern requires honest self-assessment about motivations and priorities.

6. Geographic moves accelerate personal growth but bring emotional challenges

Moving to New York offered business opportunities and cultural exposure unavailable elsewhere. The intensity of the city created extreme highs and lows that compressed years of experience into shorter timeframes. Within a single week, someone could have the best and worst days of their life.

The transition period involved questioning fundamental assumptions about happiness and success. Achieving traditional markers like career advancement, good income, and active social life didn't produce expected fulfillment. This realization triggered deeper examination of values and authentic desires rather than inherited expectations.

The contrast between European social safety nets and American pure capitalism added philosophical complexity. Growing up with free healthcare and education while embracing entrepreneurial ambition created internal tension about societal structures. These conflicts often contribute to adjustment difficulties that pure logistics cannot address.

7. Long-term travel differs fundamentally from traditional vacations

Month-long stays in single locations create completely different experiences than week-long tourist trips. Living in Buenos Aires for several months meant shopping at local grocery stores, developing routines, and building temporary friendships. The depth of cultural immersion cannot be replicated through hotel stays and guided tours.

The mindset shift from checking off tourist attractions to experiencing daily life opens unexpected discoveries. Walking without predetermined destinations allows cities to reveal themselves organically. This approach requires comfort with uncertainty and willingness to follow interesting paths rather than efficient itineraries.

One month represents the minimum for meaningful connection, though it still feels like warm-up time. Just as relationships begin forming and local rhythms become familiar, departure time arrives. Longer stays of three to six months provide better balance between settling in and maintaining fresh perspective.

8. Depression often emerges when external achievements don't create internal satisfaction

Accomplishing everything society deems successful while feeling empty creates existential crisis that's difficult to understand or explain. High-paying job, active social life, and impressive experiences should theoretically produce happiness but often don't address deeper needs. This gap between expectations and reality can trigger prolonged low periods.

The masking aspect becomes particularly challenging in social environments like New York. Maintaining fun, outgoing persona while experiencing internal emptiness requires significant energy. Others see success and enjoyment while the individual struggles with questions about life's meaning and authentic desires.

Recovery involves examining both philosophical questions and basic self-care practices. Understanding personal values versus inherited scripts requires dedicated introspection. Additionally, fundamental health practices like proper sleep, exercise, and nutrition significantly impact mental well-being but often get neglected during career-focused periods.

9. Curiosity-driven learning creates more sustainable motivation than external validation

Following genuine interests produces better long-term outcomes than pursuing impressive credentials or titles. The natural progression from gaming to web development to e-commerce happened organically through exploration rather than strategic career planning. Each step built skills that proved valuable in unexpected contexts.

Podcast creation emerged from desire to understand interesting people's paths rather than building media empire. The conversations satisfied personal curiosity while providing value to others with similar questions. This authentic motivation sustained consistent effort through years of growth and evolution.

The contrast with traditional career advancement becomes stark over time. Climbing corporate ladders requires playing political games and managing perceptions that drain energy from actual productive work. Curiosity-driven activities feel energizing even during challenging periods because the fundamental interest remains intact.

10. Adventure mindset transforms routine experiences into meaningful moments

Maintaining sense of wonder doesn't require exotic destinations or expensive activities. The "adventure hat" concept represents intentional approach to daily experiences that seeks discovery in familiar environments. Even routine errands can become exploratory if approached with curiosity and openness.

Living in New York for ten years could create complacency about the city's offerings. However, deliberately revisiting tourist attractions or exploring forgotten neighborhoods with fresh eyes reveals constant change and hidden details. The same principle applies to interactions with service workers, neighbors, or family members.

The key lies in choosing engagement over efficiency when time permits. Taking longer routes, starting conversations, or following interesting observations can transform mundane activities into memorable experiences. This mindset shift costs nothing but dramatically improves daily satisfaction and maintains connection to life's inherent richness.