Unfortunately not everyone will be able to be the best at everything due to competition, lack of resources, scarcity and poor focus.
Deliberate focus through consistent effort is a top 1% skill that most lack because it seems too good to be true.
But what if there was a secret formula that stated all you need to follow to become the best version of yourself and accomplish everything you want is through strengthening your character, leadership, grit, dedication and focus?
After all, you should never fail due to a lack of effort because effort requires no skill.
Most people still wouldnât follow it.
Why?
Because itâs simple but challenging.
It shouldnât work that way.
What seems simple should be easy right?
Increasing the odds of creating wealth is perceived as complex from the outside but in reality, the most boring slow steps more often than not offer the most guarantees.
WEALTH
What does this word mean? We throw it around all the time. From the Forbes 500 List to the term self-worth.
Is wealth nothing or all?
Wealth for everyone means different things but we can all agree that assetsâââliabilities = balance. It is your financial indicator on how you are doing.
Now donât get me wrong. Wealth can be skewed big time. Judging a book by its cover isnât going to cut it except when observing someoneâs primary residence since majority of Americanâs net worth is tied up in their property which is not only risky because thereâs no diversification present and theyâre relying on their home to keep them afloat, but also not sustainable for the long run since the average home owner stays in their home for roughly 8â10 years and simply does not take enough calculated risk.
Although liabilities such as taking out a mortgage and paying off student loans typically help accelerate oneâs wealth for the future, they are still seen as liabilities.
Unless you are profiting off of it today, it is seen as an expense.
To quickly increase your net worth, buy more real estate. That way you are already diversifying your assets, earning supplemental passive income, building relationships with tenants to turn into possible clients for your own business in the future, owning and charging a business and not earning W2 income anymore. Itâs a win-win with a little creativity and thinking.
I have a feeling most people donât use a majority of their brains. They are hardwired to think and act like their parents who lived in a completely different era. No wonder since 1989, people under the age of 40 have seen their share of the nationâs wealth plummet from 19% to 9%. For the first time in U.S. history, young people are no longer better off financially and economically than their parents. This causes angst, frustration and rage to poor down to generations.
Luckily, thereâs a proven formula that is too basic for most to believe and follow but works wonders if followed properly over time.
How to Increase the Odds of Reaching Financial Prosperity and Economic Advantage:
Brought to you by Professor Scott Gallowayâs formula.
Focus X Stoicism X Time X Diversification =Â Wealth
Focus
Dedication is hard to have in this day in age. With our short attention spans and instant gratification, we become more depressed using our phones but feel the same way away from them. We are attached to devices that for the most part donât make our lives better but are still convinced.
Focus is putting yourself in a position to be financially successful. You canât accomplish anything without having dedication.
How do you expect to graduate without focus in your studies or being thoughtful with concentration at work?
Ultimately you want to make yourself indispensable and by doing so, you need to be thoughtful and put yourself ahead. No special talent or IQ needed just diligence.
When you look at the wealthiest companies in the world, mostly the FAANG stocks, Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google, they were able to deal with the uncertainty of the dot-com bubble and now the Corona virus pandemic by being defensible and always in demand as growth stocks.
Without consistent practice, focus and deliberate effort towards keeping it together on their path, they wouldnât have made it farther than Pets.com.
Stoicism
Along with focus, stoicism is mainly developed through a practice of patience and diligence. Trillions of advertising dollars are flooded into markets each year to manipulate consumers into buying things they donât need with money they donât have to impress people they donât like. From apps to games, investing retail platforms to gadgets, a majority of the things we have are a waste. Resisting temptation is hard but can all be done when you know what you are worth and what is in your power to control.
One of the most powerful ways Iâve resisted much temptation, addictions and created lasting change with my habits was going 100% in. Not 98% or 50% but all in.
When I want chocolate instead of saying, âjust this timeâ or âtoday only and not for the rest of the weekâ I tell myself, âChocolate isnât for meâ or âThatâs not what I eatâ which helps me divert my attention to something else and immediately not be tempted to have it.
By no means am I restricting chocolate. I just have a dangerous sweet tooth and this method has helped me practice stoicism in my lifestyle and in my investments as well to live a healthy financial and physical lifestyle.
Time
Itâs sad how people complain they donât have enough time yet have no idea where it goes.
Time is your most precious asset along with your attention a.k.a focus because without it, you canât finish anything.
And FYI, itâs better to finish something than try to make it âperfectâ which doesnât exist since itâll never be done then!
By being irreplaceable, even if someone else can do the same job which most of the time happens, you differentiate yourself by getting it done faster and with more quality with your unique personality, attention, focus and desires.
No one in this world no matter how much money they have can buy time. Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day and the way you live your life in the small daily habits makes the biggest difference.
Ever heard the saying less = more? Itâs all in there. Itâs not the once in a while changes you make such as taking a workout break on vacation. Itâs in the every day consistent habits that lead to incremental change overtime.
When it comes to investing, time is your most powerful asset (holds value) because the earlier you invest, the more gains you see but most importantly compound interest works wonders. Compound interest is interest on top of interest. Itâs principal that doubles overtime as the more you invest, the more you earn.
Diversification
Itâs unfortunate that 70% of Americans will go into debt if an unexpected $1k charge comes up. They are truly not diversified.
Quit the portfolio and start looking at your life for a second.
Do you have enough emergency cash on hand?
Do you have passive income streams?
Do you know how to save without killing yourself?
Your risk tolerance is determined by a variety of factors from assets under management (AUM) to asset to liability ratio, age and short/long term goals .
Ultimately the older you are, the more risk averse you are because you have a shorter time span and cannot withstand any dramatic downfalls which are sure to happen due to natural volatility that markets face as they are operating efficiently.
The younger you are, the more risk you can handle because you have decades ahead of you, hopefully several income streams you will establish to keep yourself afloat with stable pay and possibly a spouse since 80% of couples grow their wealth together and 2 is always better than 1 when it comes to growing your wealth.
If you implement diversification into your relationships, meal plans and portfolio, you are set. Donât put your eggs in 1 basket. This means be exposed to a variety of asset classes from commodities to equities, fixed income such as bonds and close-ended funds like municipal bonds, TIPS(inflationary treasury strips) and real estate.
Whatâs certain is uncertainty. Plan for the worst hope for the best because the unexpected will come. Itâs better to be over prepared than underprepared.
In financial terms this means:
-Having a cash cushion
-Not relying on 1 dependent or the govât to keep you afloat
-Not investing in yourself
-Expenses > Income
-Not living below your means
-Not enough discretionary income and savings
-Not maxing out your 401 (k)
BONUS: LUCK
Luck isnât included in the algebra of wealth formula but really should be. Itâs a key indicator of how far you will go. If you were to choose any random interview/transcript based on any successful personâs path to stardom, I guarantee you they would mention a whole lot of luck that was involved.
Itâs not something we can control or plan on but you can manifest and create more of it by doing more!
The hardest part is starting and there will always be haters. The more you do, the more trolls there will be. Thatâs part of life. They have opinions and are jealous.
Thatâs it.
If you didnât do anything, they wouldnât be mad or say anything but you have to get over the âwhat ifâsâ and take more adjusted and responsible risk to curate your luck.
The hardest part is starting.
Planning for life is difficult because there are millions of unknowns but focusing on where you divert your attention to, how you spend your time and where your investments are allocated are the key principles to skyrocket returns.
Remember to stay humble, live below your means and set realistic goals as well to become a change maker not selfish brat on this earth solely here to impress strangers.
Thereâs more to life than that.
Life is so rich.