Noah Kagan joined Tom Bilyeu on his Conversations with Tom podcast to discuss whatever their big brains brought up. (Including some cringey jokes at the very end.) Okay, here are the highlights.
1. Coronavirus is the ultimate equalizer. Everyone’s got a chance to prove themselves. Don’t waste the extra time you’ve been given, courtesy of quarantine.
2. You’re gonna get more of what you focus on. Yes, COVID-19 is killing people. Yes, everyone’s losing their jobs. Sure, the economy could crash. It sucks. It’s stressful. But what about the first responders? Their heroism is intoxicating. And how ’bout the way we’re all coming together? Isn’t that inspiring?
3. Lack of control causes anxiety. The way you get control of your income is, you look for opportunities and then develop the skills you need to cash-in on them. Also, keep in mind: the brain rewards activities that are pro-survival. So move forward. “Hunt.” Action is Xanax.
4. Track your mood throughout the day. Rate it on a score of one-to-five. Also write down why you feel that way. Then, when you have a low score, jot down something you can do to get a higher rating. A walk. A set of push-ups. Whatever it is.
5. Get some quick wins. Make your bed. Drink a glass of water.
6. What elements make a great day? List ’em out. Now. How can you do more of those things?
7. Be careful though. You wanna make work fun, but you’ll still need to do things you don’t wanna do. Momentary happiness is not the goal; fulfillment is. And that sh*t’s born outta suffering.
8. The pursuit of money without meaning will leave you emotionally bankrupt.
9. Ask. Noah Kagan coffee challenge: next time you cruise through Starbucks drive-thru, ask for 10% off. Then, when they inevitably so no, realize you didn’t die. Do this again and again to vaccinate yourself from the fear of rejection.
10. Persistence beats resistance. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.
11. Follow your curiosity. Learn one new thing every week. Figure out your learning style. Take responsibility for your learning. Don’t blame the book. It’s on you. Oh, and don’t forget to practice. Two hours a week, minimum.
12. Not where you wanna be? Go find the person who’s living your ideal life and offer to work for them for free in exchange for knowledge and connections. Money only spends once; knowledge and connections are evergreen.
13. You can’t “ask up” if you’re not “helping down.” Don’t expect someone you look up to to help you, if you’re not helping someone less fortunate. Especially at a time like this, if you have more than enough, you need to find a way to give.
14. Enough foreplay. Buying domains, making websites, watching more YouTube videos, creating content nobody’s gonna see. Go score! Pre-sell someone. Then figure out how to fulfill.
15. Don’t fight who you are. Don’t run from it. Explore it. (Psychedelics are one option.) Same goes for when you’re feeling down. Don’t try to escape it. Sit with your sadness. Learn from it. Endure it. The sun will come up tomorrow.
16. Schedule time to recharge. Play chess. Get a massage. Something that’ll help get ya back to 100%.
17. Noah makes a great point about sleeping with that gun under his bed: it’s one thing to have a tool, it’s another to know how to use it. Get trained up.
Related: Russell Brunson on Impact Theory.
