CHAPTER 51: LESSONS FROM THOMAS FINCH [2]

"I’ll help you, don’t worry. I was once there." Finch said with a calm and sincere voice.

Alex looked up, genuinely surprised. He widened his eyes, as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard.

"You... will?"

"Yes," Finch nodded. "But not in the way you might expect. I won’t tell you what to do, because that defeats the whole point. I won’t hand you a blueprint. But I’ll guide you..."

Alex’s face softened as he smiled. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Finch smiled back, then added, "But before we dive into this new project of yours... there’s something else I want to revisit."

Alex raised his brow. "Something else?"

"Your previous project," Finch said. "What was it called again? Neospace, right?"

Alex’s smile faded a bit. He nodded slowly. "Yeah... NEOSPACE."

"I read a bit about it," Finch said. "It never made it to the public stage, right? Because of what happened... with Rebecca?"

Alex gave a short nod. "Yeah. Everything fell apart after that. The project was shelved, and honestly... I haven’t touched it since."

Finch leaned forward slightly, his tone gentle but curious.

"I need to ask you, Alex... how did you come up with it? What inspired Neospace in the first place?"

There was a pause. Alex glanced down at his hands, rubbing them together slowly as if trying to warm up the memory.

"Honestly..." he began, "it all started when I was working with Philip. Remember his Phoenix project?"

Finch nodded. "Of course.

"Well," Alex continued, "during that time, I was exposed to a lot. I started reading and thinking. I saw the potential in creating a digital environment where people, students, professionals, and creatives could come together, learn, build skills, and grow. Like... a safe place online for development. Not just another social platform. Something more meaningful."

Finch was listening intently.

"It started small," Alex said, "but then the ideas just kept coming. I stayed up late every night, sketching designs and writing outlines. I was obsessed with it. Not because someone told me to do it. But because... I wanted to."

Finch nodded slowly, his eyes not leaving Alex’s face.

"So," he said, "you’re someone who needs an external spark to get started. An idea from something you see or from something you experience."

Alex looked up. "Yeah. I guess that’s true."

"Let me tell you something," he said. "Loving your project, that’s where the real strength comes from. That’s the difference between giving up halfway... and staying up all night even when you’re exhausted."

Alex listened carefully.

"If you want to build something truly powerful," Finch continued, "you have to care about it. Deeply. Not because it’ll get you promoted. Not because people are watching. But because you believe in it. Because it reflects a piece of you."

"So what do I do now?" Alex asked quietly. "How do I find something new to build? Something I can actually love?"

Finch walked back to his chair and sat down.

"You look inside," he said. "You ask yourself, what am I curious about? What frustrates me in the world? What makes me feel something? What kind of problem would I be proud to solve?"

Alex nodded slowly.

"Now listen, Alex," he continued. "I told you earlier that loving your project is important. That’s true. But there’s more to it than just passion."

Alex nodded slowly, paying close attention.

Finch continued, "Secondly, you need to figure out how that passion of yours can actually solve real problems for real people."

He stood up and walked across the room slowly, as if letting the words settle in the air.

"Here’s how it works," Finch said, turning around. "The more people your project can help, the more problems it can solve, the more value it creates. And value... always brings returns."

Alex tilted his head. "Returns... like money?"

Finch smiled. "Yes, but not just money. Impact, influence, growth. Money comes naturally when you build something that people need and love. The higher the number of people your idea can reach and help... the higher the possibility of it becoming successful."

He paused for a moment, watching Alex absorb every word.

"That’s the difference between a good idea and a great one," he added. "Good ideas sound nice. Great ideas solve something. They make life easier, better, or more meaningful for someone out there."

Alex looked down, thinking deeply. It was beginning to click.

"But don’t stop there," Finch said, his voice gaining energy. "Don’t wait for the whole thing to be perfect before you start. Build a small version first. A sample. Something simple that real people can interact with."

Alex looked up again. "Like... a prototype?"

"Exactly!" Finch said, snapping his fingers. "Ask questions. Go out there. Meet people. Speak to them. Online, offline, anywhere. Find out what they truly need, not what you think they need. And then look at your idea again. How does it match their problems? What part of your passion connects with their pain points?"

He walked back to his chair, sat down again, and looked Alex in the eye.

"If you do this properly, carefully, reasonably, with a clear mind and open heart, you’ll be surprised what you’ll build. You’ll create something beautiful. Something people will remember and talk about. And most importantly... something they’ll use."

Alex sat there, almost frozen. His mind was racing, but in the best way. He wasn’t confused and lost anymore. He felt... awakened.

It was everything he needed to hear.

All this while, he had been searching for clarity, wondering how to begin, doubting his ideas, comparing himself to others. But now, it was like someone had opened a window in a dark room.

Fresh air was finally coming in.

He leaned back in the chair, smiled faintly, and said, "Wow..."

Finch smiled back. He could see the spark returning to the young man’s eyes.

"I knew you were good," Alex said, almost in a whisper. "But I didn’t know you were this good."

Finch chuckled. "Nah, not good. Just been around long enough to know what works and what doesn’t. And I’ve seen many smart people like you lose their way simply because no one ever told them where to look."

Alex stood up as his energy rose.

"Alright then," he said. "I guess I’ll have to start from somewhere."

Finch nodded. "Exactly. Start small. Start simple. But start. Don’t wait till it’s perfect. Progress beats perfection."