How to Make Hard Decisions

Hey Friend,

Today, I'm sharing an exercise I discovered for finding clarity in moments of doubt.

It helped me, and I hope it does the same for you.

Plus, a new addition to the newsletter.

Let's get into it.

My Stressful Dilemma

There is a young man named Iman Gadzhi.

He is 22 and a self-made decamillionaire.

I've been following him since 2020, and he is who I learned from to build the business that let's me travel the world.

And he never fails to make me question everything.

Well, not everything. Only whether I should put energy into business A (advertising agency) or B (personal brand).

Oh, and he makes me anxious.

Why?

Because I compare myself to him.

Every time I watch his videos, I feel a deep anxiety, insecurity, and guilt for not making at least $10,000 per month.

I feel like I should give more effort scaling it, getting more clients, and making money to buy my freedom and safety.

Like I am not a "real man" if I don't.

I spent 4 hours today feeling some of the strongest anxiety in a long time because of this.

All because of this decision I felt like I had to make.

So what did I do?

My Personal Board of Directors

Most of us know the phrase, "board of directors."

From Wikipedia: "a panel of people who are elected to represent shareholders".

Their job includes "making decisions about important issues a company or organization faces."

In an age of solopreneurship, individuals need this just as much as corporations.

If we wish to build something big by ourselves (or simply live life well), we need advisors.

Most of us have an informal list of mentors (our favorite authors, authors, etc.). The next step is to formalize this list and categorize it.

Why?

Because then, you can choose who to "ask" for advice based on the problem you are facing.

I chose Aubrey Marcus (founder of Onnit and Fit For Service, a community I joined in 2021 and went to Costa Rica for).

I chose him because I respect his life wisdom more than someone who is just wealthy. And I wrote him a letter.

I opened up Notion and explained my entire situation as if I were writing him an email.

I never sent it. I didn't need to. Because I know him well enough to know almost exactly what he would say.

And if you have someone that you have listened to or read endlessly, you'll know, too.

Then, you just take your own advice.

Conclusion

That's it. Two takeaways:

1) Form your own personal board of directors.

2) "Write them a letter" the next time you are stuck.

Chances are, you already know the answer.

You just need to tease it out.

As always, if anything in this email piqued your interest, shoot me a reply. I’d love to chat about it with you and see if we can’t both grow a little wiser.

Until next week,

Much love,
Ryan

P.S. Favorite Discoveries + New Content

I'm trying out a new section of this newsletter. I want somewhere I can share all the podcasts, books, advice, etc. that I come across and find valuable.

At the end of every newsletter, I'll throw in a mix of my own content and my favorite bits I've consumed.

A favorite quote:

“Entrepreneur’s mind, athlete’s body, artist’s soul.” - James Clear

What I'm listening to:

Kevin Kelly on Excellent Advice for Living, Universal AI Assistants, Time Machines, and the Power of Fully Becoming Yourself. Kevin is a fascinating man, and someone I wish to emulate more. He co-founded Wired Magazine and has since done 101 vastly different things (such as building his own house from scratch and trying to bring back mammoths). I bought his recent book, Excellent Advice for Living, and will be treating it as my portable pocket of wisdom.

What I'm re-reading:

Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur. A simple, fun, energy-GIVING approach to business. Derek Sivers accidentally founded CDBaby, sold it for $22 million, gave it to charity and now spends all his time with his son in New Zealand. Talk about someone who isn't in it for the money.

Content from Me