3 insights that have helped me for 20+ years

Growing up, I went to a public high school in California. As you might expect To view this email as a web page, [click here]() {NAME}, Growing up, I went to a public high school in California. As you might expect, my immigrant Indian parents were focused on education. (The old joke about getting a 99% and your dad saying, "What went wrong?" is not really a joke.) I had a competitive group of friends. We were all gunning for good grades. The SAT was important to me because I wanted to get into Stanford, so I started buying SAT books. You know the ones: Princeton Review, Kaplan, etc. That's why I deeply understand "info product" junkies — the people who buy course after course, then never do anything with it. That's exactly what I did! I bought 10+ thick-ass SAT books and did everything except actually read them. Eventually, I cracked a couple open, but I still wasn’t getting it. Especially the math, which I’ve never been great at. Then I heard about this Kaplan class. It included special examples, classroom instruction and an expert instructor who would walk you through the examples. It was something like $800. That was a TON of money for my family. When I brought it up to my mom (like a scared Indian boy), I’ll never forget what she said: "We’ll find a way to pay for it." And they did. And it worked. Thank you mom and dad! [Ramit's parents] I’ll never forget that class. I realized three things about success that nobody ever talks about. INSIGHT #1: If it’s important, there’s ALWAYS a way to pay for it This is classic Indian parenting. They may not have money to buy you the coolest clothes or eat out a lot, but if it comes to education, they’ll find the money. I took the class. They drove me 30 minutes each way, on weekdays, so I could better prepare for the SAT. Now that’s love. INSIGHT #2: Investing in yourself works It’s not just about money. It’s about mentally acknowledging the need for help, and then finding a way to make it happen. My mom and dad didn’t have the money or the time — but they found a way. And for me, the security of knowing I could get personalized help from the instructor...wow. Looking back, could I have done it without that $800 class? Theoretically, maybe. Was I doing it on my own? No. Having an instructor who could work with me and help walk me through the examples was priceless. It was also nice to be around other students who had the same struggles. I realized I wasn’t alone. INSIGHT #3: Ask for help One of my biggest takeaways from that class was how to ask for help. Success in any area of your life — your finances, business, health, career, relationships, etc. — takes time and money and work. Success is almost never effortless. So why do we pretend that it is? Why do we so often avoid getting help, especially in critical areas like our money? The surgeon Atul Gawande wrote one of my favorite quotes: "Professional athletes use coaches to make sure they are as good as they can be. But doctors don’t. I’d paid to have a kid just out of college look at my serve. So why did I find it inconceivable to pay someone to come into my operating room and coach me on my surgical technique?" I wish I could tell 15-year-old Ramit that there’s no shame in asking for help. Of tapping into the expertise of someone who knows more than you do and accelerating your growth. - If you want to learn Spanish, get a few books from the library or download an app. If that doesn’t work, get a tutor! - If you want to learn to cook, spend $150 on a cooking class. There are a ton out there. 2 years from now, you won’t remember the $150, but you’ll love having the skill of being able to make a delicious meal, anywhere, any time. - If you want to improve your finances, [get a good book on money](). Or better, [get help directly from a money expert](). I admit I need help! I didn’t know how to dress, I didn’t know how to gain muscle, and I didn’t know how to grow my business. I got help for each one of those things. Over time, I’ve come to be proud of what I’ve invested in learning and improving my life. Let others scoff at self-improvement. That old chestnut "LOL! What a scam! You could just do that yourself for free!" or "You can find all that info online" starts to look pretty old when you realize...they haven’t actually done it themselves. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to improve yourself. In fact, we have over a million IWT readers who are unapologetic about wanting to improve their lives. If this resonates with you — if you’ve ever felt ashamed asking for help because it seemed like you should do it on your own — send me a note and tell me about it. [Signature] P.S. Let me help you achieve financial freedom — at any income level. On Thursday, 3/16, I'm hosting a free class for members of my Money Coaching community. If you're tired of stressing about money, I can show you how to create a Conscious Spending Plan in less than an hour. You'll be able to put your bills, savings, and investments on autopilot — and enjoy your spending, guilt-free. [You can find everything you need to know about joining (and there's a whole lot more to Money Coaching) here](). [How to create you Conscious Spending Plan in less than an hour]() This is a perfect opportunity to stop putting off taking control of your money and to finally make it happen. I'm here to help. [Get Money Coaching here](). Featured Products [Learn how to be your own boss, do what you love, and earn more.]() [What if you woke up EXCITED to go to work? I show you how to achieve it, step by step.]() [Ready-to-use mental frameworks for increased happiness, confidence, & success.]() [No guilt, no excuses, no BS. Just a 6-week program that works. Over 1,000,000 copies sold.]() The I Will Teach You To Be Rich Podcast Raw, unfiltered conversations with real couples: - One partner is $300,000 in debt, but shrugs it off. The other cries at night, anxious about the future. - A couple that’s so worried about money, they feel like they’ll never have enough. They go to a restaurant and order chicken instead of steak to save $10. Their household income: $600,000. - Two parents who feel overwhelmed by work, kids, and debt. When I ask them how they’d describe their lives, they instantly say the same word: “Stuck. ” Listen in to hear real money conversations from behind closed doors today. [Apple Podcasts] [Apple]() [Spotify]() [Google]() [IWT]() Follow Ramit: [insta]() [Twitter]() [twitter]() [youtube]() [Linkedin]() Was this forwarded to you? [Sign up here.]() This email was sent to {EMAIL}. If you no longer wish to receive these emails you may [unsubscribe]( at any time. 548 Market St #89946 San Francisco, CA 94104-5401