No One is Coming to Save You

I've heard the phrase "No one is coming to save you" probably a thousand times:

• In motivational TikToks/Instagram Reels.

• On business podcasts.

• From fitness influencers shouting through my phone.

And for the longest time, I thought it sounded overly dramatic and, honestly a bit cringey.

But then I watched a video by Jordan Welch where he shared some of the most valuable life lessons he's learned. And that same phrase came up again: "No one is coming to save you".

Normally, I would've rolled my eyes and kept scrolling.

But this time, something made me pause. Maybe the mental maturity finally started to kick in.

And when I actually sat with the idea, I realized just how much it applied to my life.

As a senior in high school, preparing for college, I’ve been working hard to carve a path in public health and research.

I’ve been emailing researchers, hoping to find a mentor—someone to give me direction, or at the very least, some guidance.

But despite sending dozens of emails—and only getting a few responses—I still felt lost. Still hoping someone would take my hand and lead me forward.

That’s when the quote hit me differently.

I realized I had been hoping someone would swoop in and make things happen for me—that someone else's help would magically solve my problems.

But here's the truth:

Even if you do find a great mentor, they won't hold your hand forever.

And when they're not around, it's you vs. the world.

If you haven't trained yourself to handle the unknown—you're f*cked.

As uncomfortable as it sounds, you have to take full responsibility for your life.

That's what "no one is coming to save you" really means.

It's not about rejecting help—it's about building the strength to survive without it.

Because you can't control everything:

• You can't control what or how your teachers teach.

• You can't control what your friends say behind your back.

• You can't control rejection, breakups, or whether people show up for you.

But you can control how you respond:

• Can't find a mentor? Become your own.

• Someone insults you? Shake it off.

• You got rejected? Learn, level up, and move on.

Even if life feels unfair—even if it is unfair—the best thing you can do is own your situation and act anyway.

For me, that means showing up even when no one answers my emails, doing the work even when no one's watching, and failing, learning, and trying again.

And for you—if you're reading this, maybe you needed to hear it too.

Stop waiting for someone to fix things.

Stop hoping someone will come save you.

You already know what needs to be done.

Start walking toward it.

This is the 6th installment in my project of publishing a mini essay every day to achieve 100 public pieces. Check out the full list here, and the previous letter here.

If you liked this post, I’m sharing more unfiltered lessons as a 17-year-old trying to figure this whole life thing out—check my other socials here🫡