A&B #51

Hey everyone,

I spent this week learning how to use a DSLR camera. It was an expensive purchase and took some time to learn, but you ladies and gents have invested in me so I figured it's only far I invest in creating better content for you. Stay tuned for some awesome high-quality videos.

I also wrote a thread this week with 

from Shaan Puri, Dickie Bush, and Nicolas Cole.

Lastly, here's a unqiue way of looking at your books:

• Look at your library as a medicine cabinet. When you have a problem, ask yourself: What book can I consume to improve my situation? 

Alright, let's dive into this week's newsletter.

📚 Book Lessons:

This week's book is The Great Rat Race Escape by MJ DeMarco.The book shares 120 wealth-building strategies and principles to help you become part of the 1%. If you enjoyed MJ's other books (Unscripted and The Millionaire Fastlane) you'll enjoy this one. Don't let the title turn you off, it's actually a great book.Here are 3 lessons from it:1) Hard To Copy, Easy To ReplicateIf you're starting a business, the ideal product to sell is one that's hard for your competitors to copy, but easy for you to replicate.MJ tells the story of a friend who started his own cologne with a unique scent. It took him a long time to create an original scent but once he did, it was incredibly easy to make thousands of bottles of that cologne. Here are a few more products that are hard to copy but easy to replicate: A book–the information is copyrighted but it's easy to print millions of copies. An online course–create it once and sell it to as many people as you want. An app–once it's built, it costs nothing for another person to buy and download it. 2) Stop Taking Fake ActionBuilding a business is hard, and whenever something is hard, we tend to procrastinate on the most important task. MJ calls this action-faking.For example, if you're printing business cards and t-shirts with your company's name before you even created a product, you're action-faking. A few action-faking activities to avoid: Editing your investor slides when you don't plan on raising money anytime soon. Reading another business book after you read over a dozen. Rewriting your business plan instead of actually testing it in the real world.If you find yourself doing any of these activities, stop and take action instead. As MJ writes, "At some point, you have to stop reading about swimming and jump in the pool." 3) Follow The 1/2/3 Marriage StrategyWho you marry will be your biggest expense (and even bigger will be getting divorced if things go wrong). To save yourself from a bad marriage, follow the 1 Hour, 2 Days, and 3 Years strategy:1 Hour: Spend one hour discussing the five relationship killers of marriage (politics, religion, children, career, nutrition). 2 Days: Spend two days with your partner in hell (a tough situation where you both must endure each other in the worst of conditions).3 Years: Spend three years regularly dating (seeing each other at least once a week) and some time living together so that you get to know the person to their core.Marriage is one of the most important decisions you'll make in life, don't rush into it.

✅ Actionable Advice:

1) Make your product hard to copy but easy to replicate:

• If you're starting a business, think of a product that will be difficult for your competitors to copy but easy for you to reproduce.

2) Stop taking fake action:

• It will give you a false sense of accomplishment but won't get you closer to having a profitable business.

• Spend your time and energy doing things that actually move the needle (improving your product, getting it in front of customers, etc.). 

3) Follow the 1/2/3 Marriage strategy:

• Spend 1 hour having a detailed discussion about "marriage breaking" topics such as politics, kids, diet, money, and religion.

• Spend 2 days with your future spouse in a tough situation to see how they deal with stress and pressure.

• Spend 3 years regularly dating your partner and some time living with them to truly know if they're the right person for you.

🎧  Podcast Update:

No new podcast this week BUT...Here are 3 of my most popular YouTube shorts (videos shorter than 60 seconds): 

• 5 Awesome Books You Can Read 1 Page Per Day

• 5 Awesome Books Less Than 100 Pages

• 5 Most Impactful Books After Reading 200+ Books

📖  Reading Lesson:Tip to read more books:  

• Keep a book next to your TV

This way the next time you're looking for a source of entertainment, you'll have two options to consider instead of one.Also, if there's nothing on TV, you know you can always turn it off & pick up the book instead.

⭐️  Weekly Quote:“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.”-Mark Twain

🙏  Support:This week's sponsor is Podcast Notes.They have summaries on 1,000+ podcasts and 100+ exclusive member-only articles, such as their Guide to Reading More & Becoming A Better Reader. If you love podcasts and want to save yourself hundreds of hours of listening time, sign up for their membership.Use code "BOOKS" to save 10% on your subscription here.

Thank you for your support everyone, I'll see you next Sunday!Read on,Alex W.