“Why didn’t you answer your phone? I tried reaching you a few times you bastard!”
A friend gave me hell for not answering my phone. I didn’t answer my phone because I was busy. I never make any apologies for being focused and working on my goals.
“To avoid criticism: say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.” — Aristotle
I firmly believe that you have to do what’s best for you 99% of the time. You can’t let others dictate what you’re going to focus your energy on. It’s your life and sometimes you only get one shot. While working hard will get you ahead, sometimes you have to be strategic and look past the usual “work hard” advice that you find online.
This is why I need to introduce you to my system for reaching financial freedom/having enough beer money for the weekend.
What’s The YOU System?
You have to do what’s best for you. You can’t worry about what others think of you, what others want you to do, or about what everyone thinks you should be doing with your life.
It’s far too easy to get stuck in some trap where you’re always seeking validation, worrying about what your friends have to say, or just letting any person get in your way of what you want.
Don’t worry, you’re not going to lose all of your friends. Everything is explained in here. I just want to get ready to be a little selfish.
[Mandatory read: What Wikipedia Won’t Tell You About Investing in Yourself.]
How do you do what’s best for you?
Doing what’s best for you comes down to two key ingredients:
- Focusing on your goals.
- Getting the best possible training/coaching/help possible.
As simple as both of these ingredients sound, they’re difficult to apply.
Are you really in control of your time, energy and attention?
Are you really getting the best possible training?
You need to be ruthless about your focus. I attend a BJJ class three times per week in the middle of the day. I don’t let anyone get in the way of this class. As I type this, I’m at Starbucks chugging coffee with my headphones on. I know that I need to get away from the world to get shit done.
Are you getting away to focus? Is your energy going where you want it to?
I also go to the end of the Earth to find the best possible training. This year alone I traveled to Portland and New Orleans for conferences. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on wrestling seminars.
Are you getting the best training possible to help you get ahead in your goals?
I don’t care what your goal is because everyone should be investing in the best training possible.
To recap: for this secret system for making tons of money in your 20s to work, you have to focus your energy where you want to and you need to be investing in the best possible training consistently.
Do you have to be selfish?
Yes. Once in a while you have to be selfish. You have to be selfish with your time, energy, and attention. You can’t let others control your day with a text, useless emails, another meeting, or pathetic. complaints.
I want you to make lots of friends and be social. You just can’t be afraid to turn your phone off when you have work to do. It’s your life and your money. Nobody else will care about your money as much as you do.
What’s the #1 rule for The YOU System?
You have to give back and care about others. You just have to take care of yourself first. Then you can give back and be an asset to your friends.
You should also be there when friends need you for a real problem.
For example, last night a buddy needed a ride home after the snow storm. That’s something you can never bail on. You can never let your friends down.
If a friend wants to call you to waste time, text you about negative stuff, or just get wasted in the middle of the day (okay sometimes), you need to know that it’s okay to say no or to just ignore them.
Yes, sometimes you might have to be a douchebag, but that’s okay.
Further reading…
Are you ready to be a little selfish? Good. I want you to bookmark this page and check out the articles linked within this post. Two more mandatory articles are:
The Ultimate Guide For Financial Freedom by 30 — Get started right now and never look back. Financial freedom is within reach. This guide makes it very possible.
The Studenomics MBA — Screw paying tons of money for a formal education. This article is all that you need to read. Are you ready to earn the Studenomics MBA?
“To be successful you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish. Stay reachable. Stay in touch. Don’t isolate.” — Michael Jordan
Sick post Martin. I love my “me time.”
The computer, the hot chick, some hand lotion… oh wait that’s the wrong “you” system.
Agreed on the cellphone though – I almost never pick up for calls. I usually text back saying “Why can’t you send me a text like a normal person?”
Here’s another awesome tip I’m going to implement most likely in the coming new year (Tim Ferris talks about it in 4HWW) where you set up an answering system so when someone calls it plays 2 recorded options: The first is to leave a voicemail and the second says “if this is an absolute emergency, press 2 and I’ll pick up”
Haha I like that. My voicemail system is simple: my max is two messages and I never check them. There’s no such thing as an emergency 99.9% of the time. Most people just want to control your time!
Great post! I agree, you have to put yourself first so that you can be your best for others. If you always put yourself second or lower on the list of priorities, you can’t be your best and you only give your loved-ones second best. We found that when we lived for others, we had a false sense of ourselves. We bought things we couldn’t afford, lived way beyond our means and became mired in debt. We realized that we couldn’t afford that lifestyle when we realized we were mostly living beyond our means to impress or be accepted by others. That has since changed.
That’s the biggest problem with worrying about other people — you conform to their goals. It’s important to stay true to what matters to you. Glad to hear you changed things around!