Health, Wealth & Leadership [10 Mar 2024]
The 3 foundational pillars of your life
This is email #82. I write about health research, long-term investing and leadership. This tripod of Health, Wealth and Leadership is what I learn about vicariously from others and through my experiences. Let’s dive in on what they stand for:
Health is the first foundational pillar of our life. If you're unwell you aren't really able to focus on being a productive member of your family, society or country because survival takes precedence. You must take care of your health, both mental and physical, before you take on the world.
Wealth is the second foundational pillar. Money gives you freedom. It also tends to magnify who you are. Most individuals work for money. They spend their lives earning, saving and growing their wealth. The ones who cross the chasm to financial independence i.e. they don't need to sell their time for money anymore, spend their time trying to figure out how best to spend what they have. Money is an objective way of measuring the value you create.
Leadership is the third foundational pillar. You don't need to be running a company to be a leader. Leadership starts with the self. Discipline, focus, hard work, commitment, patience, frugality - if you have some or all such traits then you are a leader. Once you have the confidence to lead yourself, then sooner or later you will end up leading at home or at work. Self -> Family -> Work -> Community -> Society -> Country. There are so many levels you can lead in.
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Posts of the week
Health:
Wealth:
Leadership:
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Health: Don't major in the minors
If you spend most of your effort improving the three S’s (sleep, stress, and socializing), you’ll very efficiently improve your health issues and fitness levels.
Biohacking is rarely more effective than effort and discipline with routine habits.
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Wealth: Investing tests your nerves
You have to have the nerve to see your portfolio go the other direction.
What would you do if instead of making money, you start seeing the value of your capital fall?
I do nothing!
I wait!
And the reason I am able to wait is because I know what I own.
I know that these businesses are money making machines which compound their EPS 20% per year, every year, year after year.
So I let Mr. Market do its thing, while I go about building my own businesses.
Compounding is called the 8th wonder of the world because when it starts producing magical numbers they are so large that it looks unreal.
To hit that magical point, you needs time.
Lots and of time.
Years.
Sometimes decades.
The more time you give it, the more the probability of you hitting a home run.
The less time you give it, the more the probability of you losing it all.
Why do you invest where you invest?
You must know the answer. You must have a philosophy, a vision, a mission. You must stand for something. You must draw a line in the sand.
Because if you don't...
...if you happen to have made easy money,
then there is a high chance that you will try to make more easy money.
And then BOOM.
You make a mistake in the heat or euphoria of the moment.
Any number, no matter how big, when multiplied by a 0 is...
...0
The house always wins.
Your job is to invest,
not gamble.
If you had invested with the greatest investor of all times, you would have needed your nerves. If you're investing with Marcellus or anyone else, you will still need your nerves.
Here is a beautifully written article with proof of the swings that the markets take you through. If you knew why you had invested and stayed invested for those reasons, then you would have done just fine.
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Leadership: No one is thinking of you
Every time I feel self conscious I have to remind myself that no one gives a shit. Everyone is the star in their own movie. They are the actor, director and producer of their own show. The world revolved around them. Do you really think that they are sitting there thinking about you, what you said or what you did? Nop! They are too busy thinking about their own worries and their own work.
So get out there and do what you want to do without fear. The thick skin to protect you from criticism will build. The first critic to overcome is the one that lives right inside your own head.
I post everyday on LinkedIn and WhatsApp.
I build businesses by growing revenue through systems and processes. Region Head @ EthosData VDRs (16 years). Founder @ Happy Ratio Diet (13 years). Long-Term Investing Evangelist @ Marcellus (3 years).