Everyone’s chasing money, but nobody’s talking about the foundation that actually makes wealth possible. After building 19 companies and investing in over 80 startups, I learned something that changed everything: getting rich isn’t about luck or grinding yourself into the ground. It’s about building the right mental framework first. Let me share the seven principles that made me wealthier and smarter, and how you can start using them today.
Your Circle Determines Your Ceiling
The people around you are either lifting you up or holding you back. There’s no middle ground. When I sat down with successful entrepreneurs, I could literally feel my intelligence expanding. You don’t need to pay for fancy mentorship programs. Most valuable content is already free online. Watch it, absorb it, learn from it.
Never be the smartest person in the room. I once sat at a dinner table full of billionaires, and I was the only one who’d “just” built a multi-million dollar company. Listening to how they thought taught me more than any course ever could. Build diverse circles too. Hang out with people who think differently than you. Your partner matters more than you realize. My wife is smarter than me, and that’s exactly why our success multiplied.
Choose your inner circle like your life depends on it, because it does.
Theory Is Worthless Without Action
Knowledge sitting in your head isn’t wisdom. It’s just information taking up space. Wisdom happens when you actually use what you know. I started with a cheap microphone and terrible audio quality. Now we get more views than the BBC. But it started small, really small.
You need to repeat relentlessly. My first episodes were awful. The second ones were still bad. But I kept going for five years, every single day. Failure became my teacher. Every mistake is a data point showing you what works and what doesn’t. That’s why straight-A students often work for D students. The D students learned early that failure isn’t the end of the world.
Show your work publicly. When you share your process, not just your results, people can give you feedback you never knew you needed. Building in public accelerates your growth because you’re learning in real time.
Create Space for Breakthrough Thinking
Your best ideas won’t come during back to back meetings. They’ll come in the shower, on walks, in quiet moments. Schedule white space in your calendar like it’s a critical appointment. Block time with no meetings, no calls, just thinking.
The idea for content that helps people lift their IQ came to me in a hot tub. Walking, journaling, doing nothing at all lets your adrenaline drop and your creativity bubble up. Keep your phone ready to capture these sparks. I drop ideas into a WhatsApp group with creative people who help them grow. We follow one rule: every idea gets “yes, and” not “that’s crap.”
Reflect weekly and pick one idea to act on. Moving a mountain happens one small rock at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself with ten goals. Focus on one thing, execute it well, and that success will fuel the next action.
Move Your Body to Unlock Your Mind
If I haven’t exercised, I’m not as sharp at my job. Period. Even a 20 minute walk boosts your brain function. I’m not a health guru, but I learned this the hard way. After selling my company, I exercised daily and wrote a book. Me, a dyslexic guy who couldn’t read the blackboard at school, wrote an actual book.
Studies prove regular exercise grows new brain cells. Richard Branson credits biking for Virgin’s success. When successful people tell you exercise is their number one productivity hack, listen. Try strength training, track your progress, celebrate small physical wins. They build confidence and sharpen your thinking in ways you can’t imagine.
Purpose Beats Money Every Single Time
Chasing money makes you look for shortcuts. Chasing purpose makes you find routes that grow you. I’m obsessed with fixing the broken education system. That purpose keeps me learning at 3 AM because the problem matters beyond making money.
Align your work with your values. I’ll never work for tobacco or vape companies. Those values keep my learning brain switched on. Use money as fuel, not the finish line. Once you realize you don’t need money to start a business, your mind opens up completely. Think long term. I did this for five years without worrying about metrics. Purpose keeps you learning when quick wins would make you lazy.
Forget Work Life Balance
This whole concept is a trap designed for factory workers who hated their jobs. The pitch was “hate your work Monday through Friday, but hey, you get weekends!” That’s not life. That’s survival. Work with people you like. Bring your family into what you’re building. Share the upside with everyone involved.
Burnout doesn’t come from hustling. It comes from having no purpose.
When you love what you do, work integrates with life naturally. There will always be highs and lows, even on weekends. Stop separating them and start enjoying the journey.
Double Down on Your Strengths
The school system lied to you. They said if you got a D, you should study that subject more to get an A. Wrong. That D is telling you it’s not your strength. Whatever you got an A in? That’s where you should go all in.
Identify your edge and build everything around it. I’m good at business. That’s it. 35 years learning business, now applying it to help others in business. That’s why this works. Delegate your weaknesses because trying to do everything drains you. Build around your gift and watch confidence compound into expertise.
Smart isn’t knowing everything. It’s leveraging what you naturally do well and getting great at it.
Take Action Now
Every successful person applies these principles. Write them down. Pick one to implement this week. Start small, repeat relentlessly, and watch how your intelligence and wealth grow together. The foundation matters more than the hustle. Build it right, and everything else follows.
If this post sparked a thought, shifted your mindset, or gave you something meaningful — don’t let it end here.
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