❓ 98 million Americans can’t do THIS...

​[view in browser](=)​ How to become physically, financially, and mentally 'free' in the next 60 days. ​ ​ This week's newsletter might trigger some of you. The stats were indeed shocking to me, too but in my experience, my highest ROI investment has been in myself. To learn, build, and grow from those who have what I want. If you're ready to invest in yourself, we created our premium membership Contrarian Cashflow just for you. It's not traditional financial education, it's all the stuff they didn't want you to know...for much cheaper than an MBA. [Explore Cashflow]( ​ --------------------------------------------------------------- Today in < 10 minutes we’re going to talk about: - Wisdom and History - Why not thinking clearly can poison our minds. - How to Be the Master of Your Own Fate - Civilize the mind, make savage the body, and build the bank account for the next 60 days to become a 'Free Man'. - Why You Need to do This NOW - You are more capable than you think... so stop whining and get to work! --------------------------------------------------------------- A Sick and Stupid Nation... 43 million Americans can't write a letter. 43 million Americans are functionally illiterate. * 98 million Americans can’t do basic math... even with a calculator. ** A sick feeling fills my stomach at the thought. Ponder that for a minute. There are 329 million Americans and somewhere between 1 in 3, to 1 in 8 people can’t express themselves with the written word or speak the language of money. Meanwhile, 70 million Americans are obese. 99 million Americans are overweight. *** 133 million Americans suffer from at least one chronic illness. What does this mean? We’re increasingly a sick and stupid nation. ​ What a horrible sentence to write. And yet, the numbers tell the truth no politician would be willing to say. As I sat in foreign clime ruminating, our Independence Day of July 4th began. In America, 246 years ago our forefathers said, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I think that our increasing disease of the mind and body boils down to one thing, our ability to think clearly. There is no right to education listed in the 1,337 words of the Declaration and yet, Thomas Jefferson was trained in Latin, Greek, French, and of course, studied the law extensively. In fact, most of our founding fathers cherished two things: wisdom and history. Something insidious has happened in our society over these past 246 years. A creeping thieving unseen menace of our creation. We have lost the ability to think critically, to question, to roll ideas in our minds and let them compete. We are no longer interested in education; we are interested in interests. Those truths are why we created Contrarian Thinking. - Civilize the Mind: Make us better thinkers - Make Savage the Body: Make us harder to kill - Build the Bank Account: Make us financially free There is a battle raging. Between those who want you capable, free, strong, healthy, and wealthy and those who benefit from a nation of dependents. When you want to understand why actions are taken you always need to go to the incentives and ask one question: “Who benefits?” Who benefits from a nation of chronically sick, long-lasting diseases that don’t kill you but require more and more medical care? The industrial health complex of course. Who benefits from a nation of illiterate, poorly spoken individuals who can’t reason truth from fact or express themselves persuasively? The industrial media complex who can spoon-feed you outrage. Who benefits from a nation of poor, financially dependent citizens? The industrial government complex who can create a welfare state and thereby control your needs. There is nothing like a bus terminal and an airport to remind you of the diverse swath of humanity that is America and our world. As I looked out at my fellow citizens the sickness was visible all around. My heart hurt. It is not a purely American phenomenon but the beautiful thing about this country is that I believe we are uniquely poised to fix it. It begins with you. I’d like you to take on a small challenge with me, I’m calling it the Free Man Challenge. A year ago, during covid I did 75 Hard for the first time with Andy Frisella and it changed my relationship with alcohol, it got me closer to that ego-filled six-pack I really f-ing want, and also it focused me when the world was spinning in confusion. I took my own spin on his challenge and for 60 days here is my plan. Will you try it with me? For 60 days this is what we are going to do together: Civilize the mind - 20 minutes outside walk - 10 minutes meditating - Do 1 thing that scares you Make Savage the Body - 1 workout - No processed food or alcohol - 6 am wakeup Build the Bank Account - 20 minutes reading - Negotiate something, anything - Track your net worth (use Mint) If I could put together a daily practice to lead you to financial freedom, physical freedom, and mental freedom it is... the Free Man Challenge. Let no one be the master of your fate, except you. For 60 days you will build your sovereignty. It may be that most humans are not ready for freedom. Living with freedom is not easy. Socrates said a version of, "The free individual is free only to the extent of his own self-mastery while those who will not govern themselves are condemned to find masters to govern over them." If you are here, you are a member of the free. Together over the course of the next 60 days you and I are going to go on a journey. If you want: - financial freedom - more time in your day - a stronger body - belief in yourself - to become the CEO of your life - better friends to surround you - a clear and conscious mind This is my answer. --------------------------------------------------------------- SPONSORED BY FUNDRISE ​ Financial freedom = asset ownership. Real estate has minted more millionaires than almost any other asset class. But with the median home price shooting up near 30% in some places* it might feel too expensive, or too hard to invest in a diversified group of income properties. Not with Fundrise. Fundrise lets you own shares of houses, apartments etc. whether you have a few thousand dollars or a few hundred dollars to invest today. For Contrarian Thinking readers for a limited period of time, Fundrise is providing you all with $10 worth of shares when [opening a new account!](​ Btw - money where my mouth is, I've been invested in Fundrise for years now. Personally, I started with just $100. It's great to automate diversification by just "setting it and forgetting it" month over month. Sometimes I just want simple dollar cost averaging way to keep investing. So give it a look: [Explore Your New Real Estate Portfolio]( *[Here’s Where Home Prices Increased the Most in the Last Year | Move.org](​ **This newsletter is sponsored by our friends at Fundrise --------------------------------------------------------------- What is the Free Man Challenge? A Challenge - 60 days of continuous execution on 9 straightforward tasks. No breaks, no excuses. If you miss any day, you start over at Day 1. 3 Parts, 9 Steps to Free YOU Complete each one of these daily. If you don't complete them, move on to the next one. And I'd suggest you use an app to track your progress (I like Way of Life App). Part 1: Civilize the mind Action #1: Walk. 20 Minutes. You can do that to start, can't you? All I want is a 20-minute outside walk while maybe listening to a nonfiction podcast. Why do we start with this? Because we as a society are too sedentary (we sit too much), we don't get enough Vitamin D (because we stare at screens all day) and we forget that flow states happen most often when in motion. Think about this - [41% of Americans]() are deficient in vitamin D. What does that do to us? Makes our very bones weak. Only 50% of Americans get the 10,000 steps recommended daily. Let's fix that. Don't cheat the mirror. Action #2: Meditate. 10 Minutes. Calm minds make healthy bodies. Meditation is the single most powerful skill I've accumulated over my life. My husband says the same thing, when he was deployed, he'd often substitute 20 minutes meditating for 20 minutes of sleep. That is the strength of the mind calmed. I don't care how you do it: Calm App, Insight Timer, guided meditation, singing meditation, transcendental meditation... whatever. Just shut up, close your eyes and sit in silence for 10 minutes. Tony Robbins said something fascinating, "If you don't have 20 minutes to meditate a day, you need two hours." He's right, give yourself this calm in the morning and watch how your day unfurls incredibly easier. We are all little teapots about to boil over and the only true release is going inward. 10 minutes every day. Shut up and thank me. Action #3: Get Intimidated. Everything you want is on the other side of fear. EVERYTHING. So, take fear by the lapels and shake him. Here's what I want you to do. Every single day you are going to do something that scares or intimidates you. Here are some ideas: - ask that person out you've been wanting to - make that cold call that's freaked you out - knock on your neighbor's door and introduce yourself - tell that stranger you love their outfit - ask for a raise - do a scary workout that may make you look ridiculous - raise your hand when you don't understand - take that big risk, take that little risk - speak up when someone bullies another - ask for a discount when it seems weird Feeling that surge of adrenaline every single day will teach you to overpower the single reason we do not accomplish what we want out of our lives... Fear. Fear is the mind-killer as Dune said. We do not let fear kill us. 99.99999% of things we fear never come to fruition or will not kill us. Yet we let them determine our life anyway. So, get your cortisol up. Do one scary thing. Part 2: Make Savage the Body Action #4: Workout. Strong minds need strong bodies, period. I am tired of people trying to get us all to feel like it is not just OK, but GREAT to be weak. It is not. You were given one life on this planet and one body. So take it for a f*cking ride. Go see how much stronger you are than you thought. Push that meat sack to the limit. Make it sweat and groan and strain. Nothing changes my psychology like moving my body. Do not make excuses. "I don't have time!" Make it. "I don't like the gym." Go for a run. "It's too cold." Do hot yoga. "I'm embarrassed." Spoiler: we're all too self-involved to pay attention to anyone else anyway. Go sweat. Every day. Action #5: No Processed Food OR Alcohol Yup, none. That means no pasta, bread, sodas, wine, tequila, no fast food, no b*llshit. If we really want to push back on the establishments, we have to start with the trash we allow to go into our temple. This isn't a diet, this is a reset. It is a reminder of what your body can feel like without their poison in it. I met up with a doctor that said it to me perfectly. She is a kidney specialist who spends 90% of her time on patients with diabetes. I asked her how much of the dialysis, meds, and hospital visits could be fixed with the diet she said.... 99.9%. And I quote "I'd be out of a job if that happened." Then I said well, how much time do you spend on nutrition and fitness? The answer? Basically none. Insurance doesn't pay for organic meals, but it pays for dialysis and prescription pills for life. F that. If it isn't meat, vegetables, fish, nuts, or fruits... we're not eating it for 60 days. Action #6: 6 am Wakeups. This is your day, after all, what is each day but a series of fights between the right way and the easy way. When you make the choice to turn your back on what's comfortable, safe, and even for most common sense... THAT is day 1. The voice we are training here is one of defiance. That reminds you why you set your alarm in the first place. Now the voices in your head start telling you why it's too cold, dark, or early to get out. Your aching muscles lie in rebellion. But the truth is, you didn't ask their opinion. It's not a choice. Training yourself to eat frogs in the morning, to do the hard things, to struggle when others seek to avoid it. This is how contrarians and free men are made. So wake the f*ck up. Part 3: Build the Bank Account Action #7: Take A Net Worth Picture Where your attention flows, your energy goes. If you follow what we've done here, if you keep going on this 60-day mission, your life and your assets have a sneaky way of growing right along with your self-confidence. Most people don't know what they're worth financially. You are not most people. I need you to open up Mint right now (or whatever net worth tool you use) fill it out, and every day I want you to track it. It sucks in the beginning if you're not where you want to be. But if you don't pay attention to your money, someone else will. Take a picture now and each day going forward. Let's see where you grow. Action #8: Negotiate Something Yes, anything. Could be: - bedtime on time for your toddler - a raise - increase prices with your clients - a discount on a cup of coffee Most people take what they are given, few people ask for what they want, and fewer people demand what they're worth. We are going to start getting a little pushy. What does this do? It loosens up those vocal cords, it gets you used to have tough takes. It builds up the resistance to pushback. If I could have done one thing when I was younger it would be, learning to ask the right way, how to get what you want, and having the other person want to give it to you. Action #9: 20 Minutes Reading. I don't care if you audiobook-it or read it on a scroll. We need 20 minutes of reading a book on money, wealth, business, sales, success, finance, economics, or math. Give me something you can learn from. Leave the Netflix and chill with the rest of them. We have whole universes to consume and learn from. Why Should You Do This Now? It takes 21 days to form a habit, and it takes 60 days to make it stick. You are not going to spend the rest of your life on this challenge (although I do it multiple times a year) so make it count this one time. I can tell you that you are infinitely more capable than you think you are, this challenge will remind you of that. It will speak up to that inner little scared whiny child inside of all of us that says, "I can't." I can safely tell you this, I have never in all my decades of making my teams, friends, and families apply this to their life had someone say, "I wish I had never done it." Instead, they usually tell me what else I should add to the roster. But that can be your challenge. This one is just to break your chains. Don’t be like everyone else, we need you, Codie & The Contrarian Thinking Team --------------------------------------------------------------- TLDR, Free Man Challenge: Civilize the mind - 20 minutes outside walk - 10 minutes meditating - 1 thing that intimidates you Make Savage the Body - 1 workout - No processed food or alcohol - 6 am wakeup Build the Bank Account - 20 minutes reading - Negotiate something, anything - Track your net worth (use Mint) --------------------------------------------------------------- The 'Not So Boring' Section: - Take the Plunge - Trust me... you will feel like a savage if you also add [THIS]() to your daily routine. This is where I do some of my most clear thinking. - Alien Invasion - If aliens ever invade, this is probably [what it would look like](=). - Workforce Shift - Jobless claims rose to the [highest claims since January](=) as layoffs still soar. Pay attention to this shift. --------------------------------------------------------------- Shaq made $400M from Carwashes & Franchises?! If you’re going to take financial advice from an athlete, make sure that athlete’s Shaq. Basketball’s friendliest giant is making more money as a retiree with boring businesses than he did during his legendary 19-year NBA career. 7’1’’ or not, that’s the upwards wealth trajectory I’m after. =​ [Watch The Full Breakdown](=) --------------------------------------------------------------- ​ Share Contrarian Thinking, Win Cool Stuff! Now you can invite friends, family, colleagues, ANYONE to read the newsletter. When someone you refer subscribes to the Contrarian Thinking crew, there are awesome prizes that await you! Taking 30 seconds to share will bring you more chances for exclusive access to content to make your bank account grow faster. 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