“You shouldn’t say anything. There’s nothing to say.”
This was solid advice from a friend when I asked about how I should respond to a situation. He was 100% correct. Instead of talking, the best thing to do was to shut up. In this society it’s difficult to shut up. We always feel like we should be saying something.
If you want to see your bank account grow, you need to shut up.
“The more you say, the more likely you are to blow past opportunities, ignore feedback and reveal weaknesses before you’ve had a chance to work on them. Because you’re too busy talking to hear any of it.” — Ryan Holiday
You’re a broke joke because you’re always talking. You always have something to say. You’re always complaining about some problem that you have no control over. You’re always blaming the world for your problems.
You don’t always have to post your problems online. You don’t have to complain about the world. You don’t need to be ranting about another conspiracy theory.
In a world that tells you to share your emotions and feelings 24/7 I’m here to tell you that you need to shut up if you want to see your bank account grow.
Why do you need to shut up for your bank account grow?
You’re not learning when you’re talking.
When you’re talking, you’re simply not listening. You should be absorbing knowledge in your 20s instead of always talking about yourself.
Think about to that time that you met up with a really successful person. Did you learn anything? Nope. Why? Because you kept on talking. You interrupted them and you spoke about some useless experience. You added no value to the conversation and you missed out on valuable information.
You should be working.
“Among my most prized possessions are words that I have never spoken.” — Orson Scott Card
Working solves all problems. If you’re in debt then you should be working your face off to pay this debt off. If you want to get in better shape then you should be training and finding new ways to work on your eating habits. If you want to quit your job, then you should be working on finding a freelancing client or saving up enough money to give your job the middle finger.
Sure, it’s fine to share that article about a new workout that you researched. You can debate the logistics and the details with your friends. You guys can talk about why the workout works and why it doesn’t work.
OR…
You can do the workout first.
You catch my drift?
Do first and then talk about it later when you actually have something to say.
Go hustle.
I’ll say it again. You should be hustling instead of talking.
- Pay off your debt first and then talk about it.
- Get in shape and then show off about that new workout.
- Grow your business and then talk about the success of your clients.
Don’t be talking until you’ve hustled. Once you’ve been hustling for a long time, keep on hustling. When you’re busy making cool things happen, you don’t have time to talk about yourself.
When you’re really successful you can write a biography and say everything that you want to.
You don’t have anything important to say.
What makes you think that what you have to say is important?
Does anyone need to hear your thoughts on the latest political issue or the last episode of The Walking Dead? Do you have to give your opinion on everything possible on social media?
This is the harsh reality. Too many of us feel like we have the solution to life’s problems. We don’t. We’re not movie stars like The Rock nor are we rich like Mark Zuckerberg. We have a lot to learn. If you don’t have anything important to say, it’s better to not say anything at all.
The one thing that bothers me the most is when someone asks me for advice and then they don’t listen. I try to respond and they keep on talking. They leave the conversation not having picked up a single bit of knowledge. They were too busy talking about themselves and they had nothing important to say.
How stupid is that? I’ve helped readers reach amazing results, yet friends in real life insult me by power talking over my advice. They have nobody to blame but the person in the mirror when they don’t get the results that they want.
Do you want to be the friend that everyone listens to or the person that everyone avoids because they talk too much?
Nobody really cares.
You should let your results do all of the talking for you.
- Nobody cares about your comeback.
- Nobody cares about what you’re going to do.
- Nobody cares about why you never did anything.
- Nobody cares about why you failed.
- Nobody cares about that obstacle that happens to be in your way this time.
- Nobody cares about how your girlfriend left you.
Simply put: nobody cares about anything you have to say until you show results.
I wanted to start a podcast forever. This was all that I talked about in 2011. Then I launched a few episodes and gave up. So pathetic. Do you know how stupid this looks? I do. I feel like a fool. When I launched a new podcast with Sahil in 2015, I didn’t write anything about it until we were ready to go LIVE. We recorded a bunch of episodes first and then we started talking about it.
You should always let your results do the talking.
I see friends promoting on social media when they have NOTHING to promote. What the hell are you promoting? You haven’t done anything. Go and do something. Then you can talk about it.
People will make fun of you.
“Never tell your problems to anyone…20% don’t care and the other 80% are glad you have them.” — Lou Holtz
Why give people ammunition for making fun of you? Don’t lie. We all have that friend that makes us roll our eyes whenever they post something stupid on social media. Don’t be that person. Stop posting about all of your problems.
I’ve covered this topic many times on here and in my books. Social media is supposed to be fun. Relax a little.
[Must read: How-to use social media without wasting your time.]
You haven’t created anything yet.
“If you don’t ship, you actually haven’t started anything at all. At some point, your work has to intersect with the market. At some point, you need feedback as to whether or not it worked. Otherwise, it’s merely a hobby.” — Seth Godin
Have you created anything yet? Have you grown a business? Have you paid off debt? Have you reached your goals? Have you done anything worth talking about?
It’s okay if you haven’t. That’s what your 20s are all about. Discovery. Having fun. Getting wasted. Learning.
Focus on creating something before you go out talking about yourself.
“I’m looking into starting a blog or something. I don’t know yet. I’m just looking for inspiration.”
I attended a conference in Portland once and every single person there had the same story. This made no sense to me. Why would you worry about promoting before you’ve taken the time to create something? You should do first and then talk about it. Nobody cares about how you’re looking for inspiration.
If you want to see your bank account grow you need to create. Put together a product, a book, a course, or just a simple blog.
Nobody cares about how wasted/messed up you got.
We all drink and have fun. It’s a key part of going through your 20s. The thing is that nobody needs to know about how wasted you got and how you puked all night. You can leave certain details out. You also shouldn’t brag about getting messed up/lit/high/faded/whatever you want to call it.
There’s nothing wrong with posting a picture from a party or a social gathering. There’s no need to brag about getting stoned or wasted. Who are you going to impress with this? Do you think a future employer is going to be happy for you because you’re sitting at home getting stoned? Do you want your relatives to see that you can’t handle your booze?
Studenomics is all about financial freedom without missing a party.
You don’t have to write a dissertation about every party you attend. You don’t want to miss out on opportunities because you’re perceived as irresponsible. I saw this happen first hand one time. This guy bragged to my buddy about how he got wasted and didn’t remember anything. Then a few minutes later he was asking the same friend if his company was hiring. People at a certain age don’t care to hear about how much booze you chugged. You can say that you don’t care what people think of you. The problem is that you should care what future employers/customers think.
In the world of social media, everyone is watching. Between your Instagram, Twitter, Snap Chat, Facebook or Periscope, there are some important people watching. Don’t give them any reason to doubt you.
You don’t want to miss out on freelance work or a promotion at work because you felt the need to share a picture of you with a joint or a bottle of vodka in your hand.
Are you ready to see your bank account grow?
Please note that I’m very guilty of all of this. I talk far too much. I need to listen more. I’m not here to preach to you. I’m sharing what I’ve noticed in my experiences and what I’ve been guilty of myself.
As tempting as it is to say something, try keeping your mouth shut. Focus on the results. Focus on the process. Get some work done. Create something. Watch your bank account grow. Nobody needs to know about everything that’s going on in your life.
“Much talking is the cause of danger. Silence is the means of avoiding misfortune. The talkative parrot is shut up in a cage. Other birds, without speech, fly freely about.” — Saskya Pandita