Saturday Success Series: Volume 18
Making life & money work for you.
Welcome back to the Saturday Success Series email!
In this edition we’ll have:
Five to Focus On: A quote, stock, book, show & a beer.
Master Yourself: Effort over outcome.
Master Your Money: Your inflation beating strategy.
And of course…
The Weekly Special: The Genius of Naval Ravikant.
The goal here is maximum value, so let’s get to it.
Oh, by the way, if you’re feeling generous, please share this newsletter with a friend.
Five to Focus on:
In a noisy world, it’s hard to know what’s good out there. Let me help.
Quote to ponder: “I’m hungry for knowledge. The whole thing is to learn every day, to get brighter and brighter.” - Jay Z
Stock to consider: ORGN (Origin Materials).
A carbon negative materials company. They’ve developed a platform for turning the carbon found in non-food biomass into useful materials, while also capturing carbon in the process.
Disclaimer- this is not financial advice, I am not a financial advisor, and you should always do your own research.
Book to read: Fear is a Choice by James Conner.
Resiliency is one of the best traits to acquire. Sure, there were way too many religious references in here for my taste. But, the story is inspiring. A courageous young guy figuring out how to traverse the world post cancer diagnosis. Oh and still manage to make it to the NFL.
Show to enjoy: The Thing About Pam on Hulu.
Everyone hates it. Except me. I love narrator. And the all star cast is giving an inspired performance. And the story is batshit crazy. Give it a chance before you dismiss it based on early reviews.
Beer to sip: Pacific Punch from Decadent Ales.
I mean, they describe it as a fruit cup! Who doesn’t like a good fruit cup? How about a fruit cup that gets you buzzed? I mean it’s 8.7% ABV so you’re gonna feel it.
Master Yourself
I get it, outputs and outcomes matter.
Outcome, in most cases, is the bottom line. It’s how we measure our lives and our performance.
But, to get to a place where you’re consistently presenting the world with excellent outputs…you need to put in the effort behind the scenes.
“See, there are a lot of guys who are all talk. They say they want to work harder and be the best, but they never pay the price. I love paying the price.” — Tom Brady
Pay the price. Prioritize the daily grind and the journey over any goal.
Teach your children to prioritize effort over output.
The studying vs. the test score.
The practice vs. the outcome of the game.
They can’t always control the outcome, but they can control their effort. This helps them value the work behind the accolades. It works for you too.
Master Your Money
Your inflation beating strategy: Cash flow, appreciation and a calm mind. Which also happens to be the ‘everything’ beating strategy.
Cash flow comes from side hustles & skill building (increasing earning potential).
Appreciation comes from buying assets (real estate, crypto, stocks, etc.).
Focus on increasing cash flow and asset ownership and you’ll beat inflation. You’ll also buy your freedom much sooner.
Weekly Special:
The Genius of Naval Ravikant
7 simple pieces of advice that will improve your life.
Naval Ravikant is an Indian-American entrepreneur and investor. He’s the co-founder of AngelList and has invested in over 100 companies, including Twitter and Uber. Naval started with very little and has now amassed a fortune of at least 65 million. But more importantly, he genuinely cares about becoming a better version of himself, constantly.
Ravikant believes that if he considers investments, the founders must be people he really likes, and that he approaches each deal with the expectation that the founders will be a part of his life for the next ten years. Ravikant looks for creators of the businesses he invests in who can help him become a better entrepreneur.
What we should ask
How can I live better?
Good life advice often boils down to- do more of the things that make you feel good and bring joy to those around you and avoid things that make you feel bad or cause you, or your loved ones, grief.
Naval’s is no different, but it’s so succinct that I’m going to print it and hang it on my office wall as a nice daily reminder to pay attention to what matters and remove what doesn’t.
What simple life advice works?
Build, sell, write, create, invest, and own.
Read, reflect, love, seek truth, and ignore society.
Avoid debt, jail, addiction, disgrace, shortcuts, and media.
What we should chase
Chase highs that do not lead to lows.
The dark side of our modern world? Cheap ass dopamine highs are messing us up. Smartphones, social media, sugar- these all provide little dopamine hits, but it comes at a cost.
We’re terrible at focusing and getting deep. We remain superficial and ADD-esque. We’re unhealthy and scatter-brained and unsatisfied. We can do better by chasing better quality highs.
Highs that don’t lead to subsequent lows
Meditation, gratitude, prayer, journaling, unconditional love.
Yoga, play, exercise, nature walks.
Creating art, reading for fun, singing, poetry.
Practicing a craft, pursuing curiosity, work done for its own sake, flow.
Thanks for reading and if you found this valuable,ase share with someone who could use iee you next Saturday!
Naval is the best 💜