Saturday Success Series: Volume 9
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: No one owes you anything.
Master Your Money: Make credit cards work for you.
And of course…
The Weekly Special:
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: “Be open to learning new lessons, even if they contradict the lessons you learned yesterday.” - Ellen DeGeneres
Stock to consider: URA (Uranium ETF), URA is a targeted play on uranium mining and the production of nuclear components. Professor Scott Galloway predicts nuclear will be huge moving forward. I trust his predictions. Disclaimer- this is not financial advice, I am not a financial advisor, and you should always do your own research.
Book to read: Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty. Jay runs through a lot of great topics in an easy to understand way. He gives us the framework to first let go, then grow and then, ultimately, give. Personal growth and giving back are two things every human should strive for, daily, until the day they die.
Show to enjoy: Man in the Arena on ESPN+. Tom Brady breaks down all 10 Super Bowl seasons. This is an intimate series that really digs under the façade of Brady. Anyone this successful is worth hearing out.
Beer to sip: Holiday Cookie from New Trail. “Holiday Cookie is a Hazy IPA brewed with Lactose and Vanilla. Brewed in the spirit of the Holiday Season with copious amounts of oats, and heavy handily hopped with Azacca. We hope to bring your pallet back in time to the first time you enjoyed the sweet delight of a Holiday Cookie.”
Master Yourself
Nobody owes you a thing. Really.
Nope, not even your spouse. Not your parents, once you’re an adult. Your children certainly don’t owe you. Nor do your friends or co-workers. Strangers definitely don’t.
No one owes you a single thing. They don’t owe you love or respect. They don’t owe you gifts or attention. They don’t owe you their time or money.
You don’t automatically deserve things. You must earn them. And even then, you can’t force others to give you what you want or need.
You give love and loyalty but they do not owe it return. Sure, maybe they SHOULD give it. But they don’t owe it. Your boss doesn’t owe you a raise. That girl you flirted with doesn’t owe you a date.
If someone in your life doesn’t give you what you need, you ask for it then decide if you can accept their response or, if not, you leave and move on. You don’t get to demand, you can’t get angry or punish them.
You owe it to yourself to understand no one else owes you anything at all.
Master Your Money
How to make credit cards work for you?
Treat them like cash- you don’t put more on them than you can actually afford.
You pay the balance off in full every month.
You only use 30% or less of your limit. If your limit is 1k, you don’t put more than 300 on your card each month.
You get a card with reward points (I love my Discover for everyday use). You use those points to purchase gift cards (at a discounted rate). You’ve now gotten free money twice.
I use my gift cards to pay for the nights we want to go out to dinner. We used gift cards to pay for portions of Christmas gifts. Use it for whatever you want.
Weekly Special:
Which Metrics Actually Matter in Life? These 8.
Recently my girlfriend and I did an experiment. We wanted to see where/how we could improve our lives. So, we picked the top few things we felt mattered in 8 main categories.
Here’s my list (I’ll protect her privacy and not share hers, but it was great! I’m very lucky).
These are the top main metrics to measure in one’s life. These 8 main categories work for anyone and cover all the bases. And then also below are my main actions to measure within each. We’ll get to subactions a little later.
Body:
Diet
Exercise
Sleep
Mind/Emotions:
Reading
Mental models
Journaling with purpose
Relationship:
Open & consistent communication
Date nights
Frequent, fulfilling sex
Family:
Quality time
Boundaries/rules/chores
Adventures/games
Social/fun:
Couples dates
Phone chats
Feed into positive friends
Business/Career:
Deep work during work hours
Continuing education
Create quality content
Money/Finances:
Save
Invest
Create multiple streams of income
Spirituality:
Meditation
Nature
Gratitude
So, in each of these categories, I believe the things I listed are the top things for me to focus on in order to achieve optimal results.
It’s sort of like the 80/20 Principle. Sure, there are many things we could list for each category, but forcing yourself to narrow it down to 2–4 top actions will enhance your results, and therefore your life.
Yours will look different because your life is different. If you don’t have a relationship, put what you would if you were in one. If you own your own business put the metrics that matter for that (sales, referrals, etc.). If you’re religious, I’m sure your spirituality section will look different. Whatever it may be, make sure your list is yours.
Now there’s a bit more to it, of course.
One, you have to actually focus on your top actions.
Two, you need to refine this list as you move along in life.
This list of mine will probably not look the same a year from now. And it really shouldn’t. As we grow, so do our lists, standards and habits.
Three, there are subactions and they matter too!
We’ll use Body as an example of how I add subactions.
Main Category: Body
Main Action #1: Diet
Subactions: 25+ grams fiber daily, 100+ grams protein daily, 1,500–2,000 calories per day
Main Action #2: Exercise
Subactions: 10k steps a day, gym 3x per week, pliability training 3x per week
Main Action # 3: Sleep
Subactions: 7+ hours per night, 15–20 minute power nap daily between 1–3pm
Now because I’m a dork at heart, I track as much of this ‘Areas of My Life’ list as possible.
Date nights go on my calendar. I have spreadsheets to track my diet and exercise. I have a spreadsheet for my finances. A To-Do list for continuing education. A book list to make sure I keep reading. Check marks for journaling, meditating, being in nature, showing gratitude, etc.
We measure what matters and what matters should be measured.
We need to know where we are if we wish to improve.
Plus, when you look at a calendar or spreadsheet, you can’t lie to yourself. You only went to the gym twice the past 2 weeks?? Could’ve swore it was 5 times. Eh, the sheet doesn’t lie, but your brain does.
Now go make your list! Good luck.
Thanks for reading and if you found this valuable, please share with someone who could use it. See you next Saturday!