From an early age, entrepreneur Delos Chang believed passionately in time-location independence, or in other words, working in whatever timezone, whenever you choose. While this may sound lofty to some, Delos has succeeded in carving out a lifestyle that enables him to live life on his own terms.
“In life, you reap what you sow,” explained Delos. “You can only take out what you put in. I work hard, not for money for its own sake but for the freedom it entails and also for personal fulfillment. As a result, I can pursue my passions, travel the world at a moment’s notice or just simply wake up whenever I want. I am grateful everyday for that gift. One interesting byproduct of this approach to life is that with enough mindfulness, you will notice you start gradually spending time on doing the things that you love. I find that to be incredibly exhilarating.”
Delos Chang made his first forays into the world of startups at the age of 19, when, as a student at Dartmouth College, he raised seed money to found his own software start-up. Subsequently, he began his investing career. By the age of 25, his instinctive understanding of the art of investing had paid huge dividends and Delos has since accumulated the sort of capital that allows him to live life on his terms.
Delos explained, “In my opinion, learning how to invest properly is an often overlooked skill. It’s such a crucial tool to have in your toolbox because the older you get, the harder and less practical it becomes to trade your time for money. In a way, investing is similar to startups in the sense that you begin with a thesis of what the market wants, and you hold that thesis until you are either proven wrong or you succeed.”
In Delos Chang’s case, living life on his own terms meant pursuing his passion for magic and working as a professional close-up magician. It may seem an odd choice for someone who made his name as an entrepreneur and investor, but for Delos, it is simply yet another study of applied psychology.
“Magic, at the end of the day, is a study of human behavior. Sleight-of-hand is a part of it but what I find the most interesting is how our desires and our emotions manifest into a culminating moment of astonishment. To me, that’s similar to the study of markets, investing and trading. And with enough luck, you can be on the right side of those moves.”
