I read this book 3 years ago, and its shaped my current and future decisions immensely
These are 8 lessons and applications to today world that are most relevant
1. The internet & the digital world are infinite in size & have supplanted the power of the "nation state"
The digital economy is GLOBAL, you are not limited by geography, and no one country can control the digital world, its too big and increasingly decentralized
What does this mean for you:
The internet is the next frontier for wealth creation. Even as countries lose power and people become more "tribal", the market that is the internet economy will grow,
The "sovereign" individual has immense digital skill & can do business anywhere
2. Be a GLOBALIST
Countries and nations may "niche down", but the global economy will grow regardless.
Its an ever growing pie, and you can have a piece of it, with income from multiple sources
Business can happen anywhere and everywhere
3. Class warfare and class upheaval
The blue collar vs white collar was the old divide, "uneducated" vs educated
But sovereign individuals upset all that,
they have unlimited earning power, and are the "bleeding edge" of the work force
Whats this mean for you:
People locked into the old system will insist on college, and that is whats needed to be "elite"
But its not true. The real arena to build skill power reputation networks prestige, its digital world
if you're not skilled there, you are outmoded
4. There will be Conflict and Violence
The ruling class elites are small in number and must keep the masses attention away
Race warfare, tribal warfare, Us vs Them narratives, this keeps people at each others throats...
Governments and institutions are SLOW
Small groups of individuals can innovate and act Faster and better
Grievance politics and the dumbing down of culture does not create competitive individuals,
People who want to play these cultural victim games are playing zero sum
Whats this mean for you:
A nation is only as good as its incentives
The "national identity" is a recent phenomenon, if a country wants to be competitive, it can recruit.
Or it can fall
if you want to LIVE somewhere you are treated better, you CAN
Sovereign individuals WILL
5. Power is INFORMATION and KNOWLEDGE
The internet is a galaxy of information, ever expanding
People PAY for good information, they trust information from reliable individuals
They seek out information for every decision they make
Information is leverage, its value...
A Sovereign Individual has the MINDSET to create a niche for themselves based on their unique portfolio of skills, knowledge, experience
There are no constraints on what you can, you're limited only by your discipline, action taking, and how big you can think
6. Reject the OLD narratives
The old world of nation states and the futile culture battles of failing societies are meaningless
They are attempts to preserve outdated systems, they are pure cope. They'll amount to nothing
The mainstream has no interest in an innovated future..
its a fight to keep things the same, and keep people battling in the same tired paradigms
The mainstream is where truth and thinking go to die
You dont have to accept any of it. You dont have to be controlled by it...
Better sense making and overlooked information give you an edge,
Truth is found at the margins and will be unpopular
Vote with your feet, vote with your spending, make a statement with what you live by and according to,
The world is bigger than you think, much bigger
7. Control your own education
Mainstream education caters to the lowest common denominator. College is compromised
The best teachers, the best information sources, they are found online
They are found in old books
They are found by finding the people who are DOING & thriving
Not critiquing and observing
Standardized education is for suckers
Specialized and customized education is the future for those who Excel.
8. Personal Responsibility
You will never become "free" by accident. You must act with intention and take control in every area of your life
Your health, your wealth, your relationships,
"this is the way things are..."
NO. The way is whatever you decide it to be and ACT on
Read the book people.
I write an occasional newsletter where I talk about the changing world we live in, and my particular way of operating in it as a Sovereign Individual
1. Lack of Discipline-you cannot have freedom without discipline
Working for yourself does not change the reality of needing to get work done and follow a schedule
If you're too reliant on external structure, you will struggle
2. Lack of Goals
Working for ones self requires creating your own idea of a "promotion", thinking hard on how to grow and what must be done, and then setting out to do it
If lacking a Set path frightens you, you'll need to get over it, or you'll retreat back to the familiar
3. Lack of Vision
How BIG can you dream? What is the highest peak of success you believe you can accomplish?
These are serious questions, questions that most jobs will never ask of you
If you dont believe in yourself, you wont succeed.