How successful people make decisions

Let’s go back in time to when I’d just graduated from college. I desperately Can't view this email properly? [View in Browser]() {NAME}, Let’s go back in time… …to when I’d just graduated from college. I desperately wanted to move to San Francisco. I was living near Palo Alto at the time, running a startup with a couple of friends. We weren’t making much money yet, so we paid ourselves a modest salary (I made $11,000 one year), and worked from home. I would visit my friends at Google two or three times a week so I could eat their free lunches. After a while, we started growing and raised some money. Business was getting better! But…we were still small. And scrappy. After work, I found myself going to San Francisco 4x/week to hang with my friends. But who wants to drive two hours a day just to hang? After a while, I told myself, “Why am I driving so much? I should just move to SF.” Ramit and his college friends With some friends from college Problem was, it wasn’t a financially great move. PROS of moving: - SF = meet more cool people, eat at cooler restaurants, go out to cooler places. Oh yeah and art/culture/blah blah. - Why was I working so hard? So I could have an awesome lifestyle and hang out with my friends. - Less driving time = I could do the things I wanted to do (work, hang out) instead of wasting hours every day. CONS of moving: - My expenses were ultra-low, and I lived in a good place. It was an awesome deal. - Moving to SF would DOUBLE my expenses, including going out, eating out, parking, a more expensive apartment… Should you trust your gut on a risky move? Technically… I should’ve stayed put. My apartment in the Palo Alto area was a steal. I was saving tons of money every month. I had some savings, so moving to SF wouldn’t crush me, but from a strictly financial analysis…well, moving wasn’t ideal. And yet, I did it. I moved to SF! I did the analysis. Then I totally ignored it and followed my gut. Weeks later, I packed my bags and moved into a new SF apartment, which gave me the freedom I was seeking. Here’s another example, this time from a podcast listener: Podcast feedback Buying a house [isn't always a great financial decision]() (even if your family and your real estate agent say it is). This listener calculated the extra hidden costs, weighed them against what they’d gain from owning a home, and bought the house. I love it! Sometimes you have to make decisions NOT on the financial analysis, but on what intuitively feels right. This is why [the “debt snowball” works](), even though it’s not the mathematically correct way to pay off debt. A lot of engineers and economists reading this are sputtering right now, saying, “But Ramit…what about the NUMBERS?” These people find more comfort in Excel models than in the reality of how humans actually behave. Plus, my decision to move wasn’t just a random decision… Mistakes people make when they consider risk This is a pattern I’ve seen among my successful friends, over and over: They make decisions that seem ultra-risky to outsiders. See, people tend to panic about risk, entertaining thoughts like these: - Quitting my job = being out on the street. No thanks! - I can’t invest in the market. I’ll just lose all my money. - If I try to start something new, I’ll fail…and then it’s all over for me! But successful people embrace some risk, thinking instead like THIS: - I’ll keep the foundation of my life stable…so I can afford to be ultra-risky on choices that really matter to me. - I’m scrappy. I can jump feet-first into risky situations. My skills will help me figure this out. - Am I guaranteed success? No. But even if the worst happens…how bad is it really? On that last point: If I ended up not being able to afford SF, the world wouldn’t have ended. I would’ve just packed up and moved back. Sure, making these kinds of decisions can be scary. But you can successfully navigate the unknown—thoughtfully and confidently. When was the last time you let a risk hold you back…and waited for someone else to tell you were “ready”? And when did you say, “Screw it—I’m going to try this and see what happens”? Which one gave you MORE? MORE options, MORE results, MORE freedom? That’s the power of applying Success Triggers. Success Triggers (By the way, guess what? A month after moving, I got a $20,000 raise. Never expected it! But by moving to SF, I forced myself to start thinking bigger. So opportunities arose.) Successful people routinely step into situations they’re not “technically” equipped for…because they trust themselves to find a way to succeed. Examples of applying this [Success Trigger](): - Applying for your dream role, though you don’t “technically” meet the requirements - Emailing a potential mentor to meet for coffee, though they’re “technically” way more important than you - Joining an advanced skill-building program, even though you “technically” don’t feel ready for it This is just one Success Trigger. There are MANY more. Learn the best frameworks to rewire your brain Here are just a few psychological frameworks you'll learn in [Success Triggers](): - Why successful people don't fear failure … and how to free yourself from fear of failure, too - How to uncover the game being played around you in any field … and systematically dominate it - How to differentiate between a shortcut and a dead end - The universe's most powerful force — no, it's not love — and how to leverage it for your gain - The #1 ingredient in personal change — and one simple hack for making your weeks twice as productive - How to stop beating yourself up all the time and start living guilt-free … even when you make mistakes - My step-by-step processes for uncovering and neutralizing the invisible scripts that are holding you back - The "Worry Vault" Technique — which eliminated 99% of my worries - The #1 investment you can make (HINT: The most successful people invest in this like crazy and it's never too late to start) - I love this one — How to NEVER stress about having to find work - How much you're really worth — financially, at work, in relationships — and how to start increasing that value - How to optimize your time — know exactly when to think, when to act, and when to quit Get all 30 Success Triggers by [joining today](). [Signature] P.S. You have a choice to make. A year from now, you can be haunted by the “invisible anchors” that hold us ALL back (me included). Like fear of failure, success, and critics. Or confusion from the endless choices around you. A year from now, you can be in the same place, if you don’t take any action. OR... You could take a chance. You could invest in yourself. You could learn from some of the best mental models ever assembled in one place — complete with detailed analyses, stories, and “apply to your life” study questions. What if you had a vault of mental models you could depend on…in any situation? It’s funny to think that in a year, our critics are going to be in the exact same place they are now—miserable and complaining. But I don’t accept that for you. For the people who are ready to take a step off the ledge…to unlock the potential that’s already inside…and to MASTER the mental models that can accelerate your personal and professional lives… I’m thrilled to invite you into the program. [Click here]() to join Success Triggers. [Programs]() [Podcast]() [Netflix show]() [Books]() [Website]() [IG]() [in]() [X]() [YT]() Was this forwarded to you? [Sign up here](). [Unsubscribe here](. 548 Market St #89946 San Francisco, CA 94104-5401