🧠 4 truths I always SWEAR by

Welcome to reThinkable – my weekly newsletter where I share actionable insights, strategies, and resources to build a wealthy healthy life.

2 weeks ago, I spoke at The Asian Creative Festival, an event attended by creative organizations, industry leaders, and creators in New York City.

I had fantastic conversations with many of the attendees.

Although everyone was at different life stages, ages, career tracks, and socioeconomic statuses, there were 4 common questions, pain points, and anxieties that kept coming up in my conversations.

I believe these 4 questions are pretty universal, so in today’s newsletter, I want to share the insights and perspectives that I shared.

✌🏻You Have 2 Choices In Life

“Risk” was undoubtedly the word of the two-day event.

The most common theme people brought up was how can they get comfortable taking risks.

Here’s my perspective, there are two big choices you can make in life:

You take risks

You work for someone who takes risks

Most people choose the 2nd option because they worry about the downsides and failing.

The truth is, you never know whether something will work out or not, but you know for certain that if you don’t take risks, you’re guaranteed to fail.

I always tell people to take calculated risks. Do your research and expect to fail. When it does, figure out why so you can avoid doing that next time.

Failure is inevitable, so you might as well embrace it and learn from it. Perfection isn’t attainable, and pretending like it is is delusional.

I want you to think about all the risks you took in the past 6 months. If you can’t immediately come up with at least one example, then let this be a wake up call.

🛣️ Am I Going The Right Way?

I got the sense that many people were anxious about the lack of a “clearly defined path” in life.

I remember that feeling — I still get that feeling.

The truth is, no one has life figured out — especially not me.

Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to chat with many successful entrepreneurs. For some reason, I always expect them to be these huge figures that have the secret to success that will change my life forever.

They never do.

They’re all just regular people with a few extra accomplishments.

I’ve realized society loves to put successful people on a pedestal — as if they figured it all out. But we’re all just kids running around in “adult bodies,” and no one knows what we’re doing.

I say this because I want you to stop believing that a “clearly defined path” exists. There is no “right” or “wrong” path—there is only a path, and you need to decide if you want to stay in your current spot or if you want to keep walking.

My advice is to keep moving forward — follow your curiosity and interests because that’s how you’ll discover your opportunities, passions, and purpose that will create a life of fulfillment.

🚫 Stop Doing The Motion

At the event’s after-party, one of the attendees asked me for business advice.

He told me he spent the past few months reading, watching, and studying different strategies for his business and wanted to see what else he needed to learn.

I told him, “you don’t need more information, you need to execute.”

The problem is, doing the motion (e.g., planning, strategizing, and learning) makes you feel like you’re getting things done. But in reality, you’re just procrastinating and “preparing” to get started.

Motion doesn’t lead to results.

Instead of gathering more information, ask yourself, what’s a tiny action you can take today with the information you already have?

📈 The Financial Reality

Naturally, a lot of people brought up the topic of money and financial security.

The average person has little to no savings and oftentimes spends more than they earn. The problem is, all it takes is one layoff, one unexpected medical bill, or one car malfunction to make the average person fall into spiraling debt.

Prioritizing financial literacy and managing money is the only way to avoid this.

Saving and investing isn’t just about retiring early or telling your boss “screw you” while driving off with a Lamborghini.

It’s about being financially secure enough to have peace of mind.

Money can solve a lot of problems. It can help you stop worrying about dumb, silly things.

While I don’t believe money can make you truly happy, it sure can prevent a lot of unhappiness.

🔎 reThink More

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Many people who bought a house during Covid aren’t going to be happy…

What’s really happening to grocery prices right now

❤️ Community Space

Last week, I wrote about This man CHANGED my life. 80% of you got the right answer to the question, “Why does your net worth explode after reaching $100,000?”

The answer: Compounding interest really kicks in, working harder than ever to grow your wealth.