I'm 39.

Depression.
An alcohol addiction.
10 years in banking.

All to learn 22 things —

If you're drowning in your 20s, 30s, or 40s, here's your lifeline: 1. Lost my close friend to drugs.

No purpose. No skills. So... he took drugs and ended up drowning in a river by accident.

If you're tempted to take drugs, try meditation first.

I'm 38.

When I was young I worshipped politics, went woke (broke) & believed in the myth of equality.

Then I discovered Thomas Sowell, and he changed my life forever.

12 lessons from America's most controversial & unknown philosopher: Thomas Sowell is a 93 year old badass.

• Studied at Harvard
• Political commentator
• Written for 150 newspapers
• Declined the role of Federal Trade Commissioner

He says F U to politicians and the system. His views are radical. Some good, some bad

But he'll make you think

Harsh truths I know at 39 I wish I knew at 29:

1. The solution to money problems is to make more money, not save money.

2. Entrepreneurship is hard. Being laid off as an employee is harder. 3. Cheat on everything. Not by lying or stealing, but by breaking the rules and challenging the status quo

4. Never trust a social media profile with a cartoon picture and a nickname.

5. It's easier to be weird than it is to try and fit in and be normal.

I bet my life-savings Roy Lee will become a billionaire by 2029.

Not because he made $5M in 2 months and went viral on every social media app.

Because he found the secret formula for online business (it’s so basic I couldn't believe it): 1. Take more risks

Roy risked his future job as a programmer to stand up for something he believed in.

He saw mediocrity everywhere & decided enough was enough.

Yes, he may fail and never get hired again. But that's better than 40 years at a boring job while settling for second best.

The people we look up to take risks. It's so rare so we pay attention.

Roy isn't using engagement hacks to blow up online. He's taking real risks with consequences

Harsh money advice no one wants to hear in 2025: 1. The answer to money problems isn't expense management. It's making more money. Figure out how to make more money as your #1 priority.

The most dangerous, common, and overlooked problem in the world:

Not wanting to self-promote.

It's why you lack opportunities, struggle with money & feel depressed.

Here is Gery Vee's 9-step protocol to beat the fear of self-promotion (for good): If you don't learn how to self-promote or you refuse to do it...

Then you will work for a corporation and outsource the sales & marketing to them.

That means they'll profit & you'll get far less than you're worth and have zero control / ownership.

If I woke up bankrupt and wanted to be rich by the end of summer:

• No climbing the corporate ladder
• No B.S. passive income scams
• No day trading

Here's everything I'd do (it's the simplest way to $20k/month): 1. Choose an obsession

Following trends is stupid.
Going for a niche cause it prints money is dumb.

Take what you're already obsessed with & research regardless...

...And turn it into a digital business.

I studied business, and I hate to disappoint you but:

Passive income is bullsh*t. You must chase active income.

Here's how: Passive income is one of the greatest lies ever told.

Even real estate investors work damn hard to find the right property, get loans, manage tenants, and renovate properties.

Making money while you sleep comes from doing hard work.

I studied finance, and I hate to disappoint you, but:

The faster you become wealthy, the fewer problems you will have.

Here's how: 1. A lack of money is a mental illness.

Every decision becomes clouded by "how much does this cost?"

Even friendships can be tainted by "who's paying for dinner?'

Not mastering money holds you back. It narrows your focus.

Figure out how to get wealthy so you can stop thinking about money 24/7.

I generate $150,000+ a month from social media.

No pods. No ads. No complex funnel. No 16-hour workdays

A simple system that's designed to help people instead of hard-sell them.

Here's exactly how: 1. Focus on gaining attention, not a niche

Social media isn't divided up into topics like a bookstore. Niching down is stupid.

We are multi-topic humans.

Get attention ethically then niche down with offers.

I’m 39 and recently learned what I thought in my 20s was total bullsh*t.

If you're 30+ and questioning your life... read this.

25 highly controversial truths I'd tell my 25 year old self every day:

1. If you fit in, you're replaceable. Do the opposite of society if you want to get what you want. 2. The worst mental health issues come from being average. It's a death sentence. There's no need to settle. Chase obsession

Naval Ravikant and Tim Ferriss changed my life.

I watched 100s of their videos over the last 5 years.

Here are the 12 best philosophies I learned that will change your life: 1. "The only real test of intelligence is if you get what you want out of life."

Makes a lot of smart people look stupid.

If you're not getting what you want out of life or settling for second best, it's time to change.

I retired at age 34.

I could have retired by age 24 if I had started these 12 habits earlier: 1. Stop working a job sooner than everyone else

After a year a 9-5 job holds you back

• Risk of layoffs
• New learning stops after 90 days
• Boring. No creativity.

Get a job then use your free time to build a business (even if it's a solo business)

I own a 7-figure online business. I've been building it every day for 11 years and I’ll tell you in 2 minutes:

Here are 20 controversial views I hold about online business: 1. "Making money online is bullsh*t"

It's a bunch of pyramid schemes built on the myth of passive income.

Build a real business with customers instead.

My #1 regret in life:

I wish I didn't lose $1.2M to a digital wallet hack.

11 pieces of brutally honest money advice that I’d give to my younger self (so you can avoid my failures): 1. Never put your life savings in one place

I stupidly put a large amount of cash in one place. When I got hacked I made it easy for them. Instead, do this...

• Multiple banks
• Multiple wallets
• Multiple crypto exchanges
• Multiple stock trading platforms

It took me 11 years to figure out and I'll tell you in 2 minutes.

We all hit income plateaus.

If your income hasn't grown for 2+ years, and it bothers you, that's an opportunity.

Here’s how to increase your income (without paying a business guru): Income plateaus are universal. Everyone, including me, has them.

• Are rising prices hitting you hard?
• Do you think about money too much?
• Do you feel poorer than 2 years ago?
• Do you see expenses instead of investments?

This is likely an income plateau.

$240K/year is where your life transforms the most.

• Mostly blank calendar
• Work 4 hours a day
• Nice house with a backyard
• No boss

Here's how you can make that monetizing the existing skills you already have: An employer pays you the lowest amount for your skills.

That's how they make a profit. A salary also won't make you rich.

It's better to sell your skills to the open market

I wasted 1,040 hours on X for 2 years.

Then a bizarre thing happened and I gained 7,000 followers in 4 weeks.

Here are 10 things I wish I knew on Day 1 in 2023: Biggest learning: post 100% long-form content every day for 1-3 months.

This is what I did. The algorithm rewards time spent on content and depth.

One-liners won't get you followers.

I’m a business owner. I’ve been helping other business owners for 11 years and I’ll tell you in 2 minutes:

Here are 18 BRUTAL TRUTHS about building a business—most people won’t tell you: 1. Building a business isn't easier than working a 9-5 job. Ignore the laptop lifestyle p0rn. It's 10x more fulfilling though & will eventually make you wealthier.

I'm 38.

It only took 10 years in banking, a layoff, mental illness, & being an alcoholic... to sort my sh*t out – and not give a f*ck what anybody thinks.

If you want to transform your life in your 30s & 40s, read this: 1. Make having a job short term. Climbing the corporate ladder is full of broken dreams. Start a digital business instead & become an owner.

Today is my 39th birthday.

This year I've had some powerful breakthroughs that changed the trajectory of my life forever.

Here are all the things that I know at 39 which I wish I knew at 20. 𝟭. 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀

Most people head toward a goal in a lukewarm way.

They’re interested, mildly passionate, or even curious, but their level of intensity is off. So no one pays much attention to what they’re doing.

The work they do is mostly ignored. Their results stay at zero or close to. Their motivation goes wildly up and down like the Bitcoin price.

When you take an extreme approach to a goal there’s little competition. You instantly stand out and people think you’re smarter.

An extreme approach means you don’t have to ask for permission because successful people are attracted to you.

Be extreme or don’t do it all.