# Introduction

For being 35 years old, people say that I have achieved a lot in my life. 
I don't really see it that way. The past, to me, is a source of knowledge. 
And not being too attached to it allows me to see it for what it is.

At 18, I was one of the youngest elected 'first successors' in Belgium. I 
managed to spark a great deal of discussion around discrimination with my 
decision to participate in Big Brother. I wrote a book when I was 21 years 
old and started a protest movement around mandatory voting in Belgium at 
the age of 25. I became a world-record-breaking professional gamer when I 
was 26 and capitalized on this with online videos that made me one of the 
first successful gamers on YouTube. At this point, YouTube was in its 
infancy and monetization was not yet possible. So I got into poker and 
turned 5 dollars into more than $300,000 in the course of one year. This 
was the result of persistent dedication, playing 16 hours a day, 24 tables 
simultaneously and at one point even managing to set the world record of 
playing one million hands in one month. I made several documentaries which 
reached millions of people and started my efforts on charity when I was 31, 
raising more than $20 million for children in need. This led to my 
appearance on many media outlets such as CNN, Fox, The Wall Street Journal, 
Bloomberg TV and others. I realize this can look impressive, but I do not 
derive any sense of identity from these accomplishments, because I know 
that if it was not for my environment at those specific points in time, I 
would be an entirely different person. This book won't change your life 
but applying the insights will.