I’ve met 5 billionaires one-on-one. All of them shared the same thing.
In this newsletter, I’ll reveal why you’re not getting the results you really want, even though you’re working harder than everyone around you.
Focus
Every billionaire I’ve met is incredibly focused.
They all started from the bottom, building something with no guarantee of huge success.
They chipped away at it year after year, pushing through setbacks (usually over decades).
Most of their wealth came from a single business.
But their focus didn’t stop at the number of businesses they chose to pursue; it affected everything in their lives.
Presence
I met one of the 5 billionaires for only 15 minutes. That was how long our appointment was scheduled for.
In those 15 minutes, however, he was 100% focused on me, a little nobody he knew nothing about before meeting me.
It felt like I was the only person in the world to him in those 15 minutes.
He focused 100% on the current moment.
Yet he only allowed himself 15 minutes with someone who had nothing to offer him in return.
Time protection
While each billionaire I met gave me their full attention while I was with them, they carefully protected their time.
It takes months to get any time with most billionaires.
They know how important their time is and that every minute must be spent intentionally.
The greater your success, the greater the demand on your time.
The most common response to a request for time is “no”.
Values
Not all billionaires seem like great people. Many, like less wealthy people, have broken marriages and questionable values.
Fortunately, the ones I’ve met have all tried to live up to higher values.
Create great products.
Treat employees and partners well.
Be kind to strangers.
Use success to do good for others.
In the short term, bad players can get away with deception. In the long term, good players rise to the top.
Staying in the game
They also all take care of their health, make time for family, and design their lives for low negative stress.
They’ve realized that the greatest rewards come from staying in the game. If you hustle, grind, and burn yourself out while sacrificing everything else in life in the pursuit of success, you’ll only achieve a fraction of what you’re capable of because you’ll be out of the game before reaching your full potential.
We’re all juggling many balls in life. Some are rubber and will bounce back if dropped. Some, like relationships and health, are glass. Such a ball may never bounce back or may only be repaired through a lot of painstaking effort.
Don’t be a dilettante
I recently read the book Trillion Dollar Coach about Bill Campbell, a college football coach turned executive coach to some of Silicon Valley’s most successful billionaire founders.
Toward the end of the book, the authors provide advice on staying engaged throughout life. One piece of advice: don’t be a dilettante.
“Don’t just do a portfolio of things. Whatever you get involved with, have accountability and consequence. Drive it.”
Focus, caring, passion, commitment, these are the keys to a great life, whether you wish to become a billionaire or not.
Thanks for reading,
Matt