Chapter 1: The Weight of What’s Next
Evan Carter stood on the balcony of his third-floor apartment in Boise, Idaho, a city humming with just enough life to feel alive but safe enough to leave your car unlocked on a quiet street. At 22, he was a year out of college, his economics degree gathering dust on a shelf while he worked as a barista at a downtown coffee shop called Brewed Awakening. The city’s skyline—modest high-rises and distant mountains—sprawled before him, a backdrop to the question that gnawed at him daily: What’s the point of all this?
Boise was perfect in its unassuming way—clean streets, friendly faces, a tech scene bubbling just enough to promise opportunity without the chaos of San Francisco or Seattle. But Evan felt stuck, like he was running in place while everyone else had a map. His phone buzzed with a text from his friend Mia: “You coming to the open mic tonight? Need your face in the crowd.” Evan sighed. He wanted to write songs, maybe even perform one someday, but the idea of standing under a spotlight made his stomach churn.
He thought about his dad, who’d worked 30 years at a paper mill before it shut down, leaving him with a limp and a pension that barely covered groceries. “Don’t chase dreams, Evan,” his dad had said. “Chase stability. Dreams don’t pay bills.” But stability felt like a cage. Evan wanted more—not fame, not riches, but meaning. Was there a purpose to life beyond paying rent and scrolling through job postings?
Chapter 2: The Offer
At Brewed Awakening, Evan steamed milk while dodging small talk with customers. His coworker, Nate Ellis, was the opposite—charismatic, always pitching some new scheme. Nate was 25, with a knack for making risky ideas sound like sure bets. “Evan, my man,” Nate said, leaning against the counter during a lull, “you’re wasting your life here. I’ve got a guy who’s starting a crypto trading platform. Needs a numbers guy like you. Six figures, easy, if you jump in now.”
Evan raised an eyebrow. “Crypto? That’s a rollercoaster, Nate. I’m not trying to lose everything.” Nate laughed, his eyes glinting with that dangerous charm. “You’re scared of risk, Carter. That’s why you’re stuck. You want to know what life’s about? It’s about taking the shot. You in or out?”
The offer lingered like coffee grounds in Evan’s mind. Six figures sounded like freedom—enough to live on, to maybe buy a house, to stop worrying about next month’s rent. But crypto? He’d seen Reddit threads about guys losing their savings in a single crash. Was Nate the guide to a new life or a snake oil salesman? Evan’s gut said the latter, but doubt crept in. What if this was his chance?
Chapter 3: Looking Back
That night, Evan sat at the open mic, watching Mia strum her guitar. Her voice was raw, real, and it made him think of his mom, who’d sung him to sleep as a kid before cancer took her when he was 15. She’d always said, “Evan, life’s a puzzle. You don’t find the pieces; you make them fit.” He wondered what she’d think of Nate’s offer. Would she tell him to play it safe or to leap?
He thought about his past mistakes—skipping college applications to “find himself” at 18, only to end up at a community college after a year of dead-end jobs. He’d learned then that waiting for purpose to knock doesn’t work; you have to build it. But how? The future felt like a fog, and Nate’s offer was a flickering light—tempting, but maybe a trap.
Chapter 4: The Obstacles
Over the next week, Evan’s mind was a battlefield. He googled crypto trading, read horror stories of scams, but also saw posts about guys his age making millions. Nate kept pushing, dropping by the coffee shop with glossy promises. “You’re not just joining a company, Evan. You’re building the future. Don’t you want to be someone?”
Evan’s other worry was time. He was 22, but felt like he was running out of it. His friends were getting engaged, landing corporate jobs, or moving to bigger cities. He felt left behind, like life was a race he didn’t know he’d entered. And money—always money. His $46,000 salary barely covered rent, student loans, and groceries. If he took Nate’s offer, would he have enough to live on, or would he crash and burn?
He called his dad, hoping for clarity. “Evan, don’t trust guys like Nate,” his dad warned. “They’re all talk. Stick with what’s real—your job, your routine.” But routine felt like giving up. Evan lay awake, wondering: If I take this oath, this risk, will I be okay? Or am I just chasing a mirage?
Chapter 5: The Turning Point
One evening, Evan wandered into a Boise bookstore, drawn to a self-help section he’d usually ignore. A book caught his eye: The Art of Choosing by a no-name author. It wasn’t preachy, just practical—stories of people who faced big decisions and found purpose through action, not certainty. One line stuck with him: “Life’s purpose isn’t found in answers; it’s found in the questions you dare to ask.”
Inspired, Evan started journaling his thoughts. He wrote about his fear of failure, his mom’s courage, his dad’s caution. He realized he wasn’t just choosing between Nate’s offer and his current job; he was choosing who he wanted to be. Nate’s charm was seductive, but it reeked of shortcuts. Evan wanted to build something real, not gamble on someone else’s dream.
Chapter 6: The Decision
Evan met Nate at a diner, the city’s lights twinkling outside. “I’m out,” Evan said, his voice steady. “Crypto’s not my path. I want to create, not speculate.” Nate smirked, unfazed. “Your loss, Carter. You’ll regret this when I’m driving a Tesla.” But Evan felt lighter, like he’d shed a weight he didn’t know he was carrying.
He started small—writing songs again, performing at open mics, even landing a part-time gig teaching guitar to kids. It wasn’t six figures, but it was enough to live on, to feel alive. He saved a little each month, investing in a low-cost index fund, learning from his dad’s stability but adding his own spark. Boise’s tech scene offered freelance data analysis gigs, which he took on, blending his economics degree with his need for purpose.
Chapter 7: The Long Game
Three years later, Evan stood on the same balcony, now 25. He wasn’t rich, but he was okay—$55,000 a year from freelancing and teaching, with a small savings account. Nate’s crypto venture had crashed, leaving him back at square one, but Evan didn’t gloat. He’d learned that life’s purpose wasn’t a destination; it was the choices you made daily.
He thought about the past—his mom’s lessons, his dad’s warnings—and the future, still uncertain but less daunting. He’d faced obstacles—fear, doubt, the pressure to keep up—and found that asking “What’s the point?” was the point. It pushed him to act, to grow, to choose.
Evan picked up his guitar, strumming a new song about a guy who didn’t have all the answers but kept moving forward. The city lights glowed, and for the first time, he felt like he was exactly where he needed to be.
