Design and Live an Extraordinary Life

Hi readers! I’ve come back to this newsletter after more than a year, due to some major medical issues - (I recovered, but didn’t recover this newsletter!)  You can read about it on my blog - Four Things I Learned When I Almost Died in 2022, you can also listen to an earlier version on the podcast.

I've been intensely focusing on self-reflection, making improvements, and transforming many aspects of my life. To simplify, everything comes down to excellent planning followed by diligent execution.

I switched to digital journaling on my iPad, a tough decision as I'm fond of my traditional paper journals.

At Joe Herbert Realty, I've been striving to optimize our resources and provide our agents with the tools they need for success. Joe and I are also working on numerous other projects (with an NDA!), which has me using virtual assistants and going through the learning process required to make that happen.

Additionally, I've prioritized spending more time with my family by planning unique, daily experiences for my wife and children. By setting up fun activities every day for, we can make lasting memories together.

In my real estate business, I've now acquired an additional single-family home income property, taking my total count to 15 units over approximately 15 months. I also have five more units currently under agreement. My property company has formed a beneficial alliance with a non-profit organization, a development I find extremely thrilling.

I've booked my tickets, flight, and accommodation for Patrick Bet David's VAULT Conference on Labor Day weekend in Miami, an event I'm eagerly anticipating. (Let me know if you’re attending!)

Lastly, I became part of Jacob McMillen’s Write Minds group - a collaborative community of writers. At the moment, we're learning how to harness AI and various writing techniques to speed up our work and utilize its power.

Check out all the great stuff below, and I’ll see you next time - until then, keep reflecting, revising, and remixing your life.

Master the ins and outs of blogging and affiliate marketing with our guest, Chris Myles. Buckle up as we journey through the digital domain of website investing, buying, and selling websites. Discover how you can create a lucrative stream of passive income by generating content that ranks high on Google and positioning your products in front of a vast audience.

The Wrong Kind of Hope - For almost 40 years I had the wrong kind of hope and faith - and wasted a major portion of my life. Make sure your hope and faith are based on the right things, or you may find yourself in the same position as I was. Follow this journey of time-wasting, goal-setting, and honest-to-goodness personal development

I recently finished the book Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler which explores the power of exponential technology to change the world. I thought this was going to be all space and rocket science - it turns out it’s a practical book for anyone building a business.

“Reid Hoffman famously said, ‘If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.’ ”
― Peter H. Diamandis, Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World

I’m changing the way I’m doing life as a result of reading this book. Aside from the brilliant overall education from great minds, I implemented:

1. Specifically, this book taught me to think bigger, and I actually rewrote my goals.

2. Also, the speed at which we reflect, then revise, then remix our lives really matters - it gives us more iterations to actually get better. So I decided that when I reflect on my day and see a way to do things better, I’m not going to wait anymore. I will get to it the next day.

3. It is vital that I care greatly about my business and what I’m doing. It’s not always necessary to make money, but it’s necessary for me to care enough to be bold.

“Is this person who leads this company a missionary or a mercenary? The missionary is building the product and building the service because they love the customer, because they love the product, because they love the service. The mercenary is building the product or service so that they can flip the company and make money. One of the great paradoxes is that the missionaries end up making more money than the mercenaries anyway. And so pick something that you are passionate about, that’s my number one piece of advice.”

The book argues that exponential technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and gene editing, are developing at an ever-increasing rate and creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs to create wealth and impact the world. There is enough inspiration in this one book to keep your tank full for years. Besides inspriation, there’s practical advice on building an audience, crowdsourcing work and funding, and much more.

“Spending money to show people how much money you have is the fastest way to have less money.”
― Morgan Housel, The Psychology of Money

Earlier in June I read "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel. This was an incredible experience! I had to stop highlighting because I was coloring most of every page. There are some practical tips and ideas, but it struck me mostly on a psychological basis, and it changed the way I think about money. One of my favorite ideas from the book is that “if you see someone in a Lamborghini, instead of thinking ‘look how much money they have,’ think ‘look how much money they HAD!’”

“Be nicer and less flashy. No one is impressed with your possessions as much as you are. You might think you want a fancy car or a nice watch. But what you probably want is respect and admiration. And you’re more likely to gain those things through kindness and humility than horsepower and chrome.”

The book demonstrates how our individual understanding and behavior towards money, more than expertise or knowledge, can significantly impact our financial outcomes. A compelling read for anyone seeking to comprehend the often irrational behaviors associated with money, it challenges conventional wisdom and encourages a shift towards a more rational and holistic understanding of personal finance.

“Some people are born into families that encourage education; others are against it. Some are born into flourishing economies encouraging of entrepreneurship; others are born into war and destitution. I want you to be successful, and I want you to earn it. But realize that not all success is due to hard work, and not all poverty is due to laziness. Keep this in mind when judging people, including yourself.”

The tools I use to make life and business happen.

For those generous souls…

Thanks for reading this newsletter. My goal is to add value to the world expecting nothing in return except the joy I get in sharing all the things that have changed my life. For right now, I don’t make any money doing this. If you feel inclined to help out,  buying me a coffee is a great way to offset the expenses of running a podcast, website, and all the paid tools I use to get the content out to the world. Plus, I really do love coffee.