Last Friday night I invested time with my old college roommates. We packed a lifetime of memories in the 18 months that we lived together. We shared stories, memories, and banter.
We talked about time well-wasted.
Days with no agenda, throwing parties, playing Mario Cart, wrestling (sometimes fighting), laughing at our mistakes, making fun of the jobs we had, and just being kids.
Net worth didn’t matter.
It wasn’t a topic, a concern, or matter of discussion.
The worries of the world didn’t enter our mind. We hugged multiple times. A few tears from laughing so hard—hell, my cheeks still hurt from laughing.
It was a simple equation—sharing a good meal, a cup of coffee, and listening to good music. Satiating experiences. Nowhere to be, nothing to do. No posts to social media, just shared moments. The gift of being present. Just sitting around the fire, grateful to have people who care.
Relationships matter. Some have a shelf life, and others grow through your entire life.
This year, I want to grow our relationship. By sharing this weekly newsletter. Asking for your feedback. Getting your responses to these emails. Hearing what impact this, or my books, make in your life.
I want to know about your success and struggles.
What topics are of most interest?
How can I be of the most value?
My commitment:
To listen.
To learn.
To keep sharing.
To learn.
To keep sharing.
My passion, my purpose, and my desire are to support on your path to economic independence and creating the life you don’t want to retire from. For you to unlock and see your value.
I’ll keep providing the frameworks to simplify an integral topic. Well, topics:
Purpose, cash flow, prosperity, quality of life, financial independence, legacy.
Purpose, cash flow, prosperity, quality of life, financial independence, legacy.
Let’s challenge the status quo.
Let’s bring love and purpose into the topic of money.
Let’s heal and help others heal their relationship to money.
Let’s bring love and purpose into the topic of money.
Let’s heal and help others heal their relationship to money.
It is time to move beyond guilt, shame, and isolation to prosperity and fulfilment.
December was a transformation month. One of momentum. And for the first time in the last few years, I didn’t gain weight, or take too much time off, or feel bad about sliding back.
Instead, I took time to write, reach out to peers, mentors and friends. I outlined 26 episodes of the podcast that I launch tomorrow. I filmed half of those episodes.
I feel excited, even exhilarated. I want to give you even more access, tools, and resources to champion financial freedom and make purpose profitable… to break free from the constraint of reductionist thinking.
It is time to get beyond love or money and into the abundance of love and money. To enjoy life along the way, turn potential into production, turn money into an asset and ally, and break free from fear, constraint, comparison, and judgement.
You are not alone.
You can do this.
We can do this.
We all make mistakes.
Mistakes are part of the process.
I’ll share mine so you can face yours.
I’ll share mine so you can face yours.
I’ve made mistakes with money. Investing in an NFT, getting overleveraged with real estate, selling my business for less than was offered by other parties, and more.
Sometimes we have wins, sometimes we have lessons. Too often people don’t learn the lessons and repeat the mistakes. When we aren’t clear about money, it’s place, how it works, or what it means to us, we can be misled.
If you don’t have a plan, someone else will sell you theirs. If you are unclear, more money will never be enough. And if you fear money, or love money (more than people), money will continue to be a mystery and missing piece of the prosperity puzzle.
This is why community matters.
Mentorship matters.
Sharing matters.
Isolation is the gateway to scarcity.
Guilt destroys peace of mind.
Shame is a losing game.
What we hold in, holds us back.
What we are afraid to face minimizes our future.
It takes work but doesn’t have to be a grind.
Work ethic is part of the equation but leads to burnout without clarity and collaboration.
What is possible when money is no longer your reason or excuse for doing or not doing something?
What would life be like, feel like, and look like when you live the life you love?
If you could solve one area of concern in your finances that would make the most difference what would that be?
If you could add $500 or $5000 a month to your bottom line with financial savvy, what would that mean to you? What would that look like? How would it show up day-to-day?
What matters most that money can’t buy?
The win is in the work.
So, what work is worthwhile?
What is it that you want to do?
How do you want to create and deliver value?
When you know and live the answer: The win is in the work.
It may come from time with friends, colleagues, mentors, family, or in your hobbies and moments alone. It is when you remember who you were born to be. In moments, not monuments.
Don’t let one thing define you: how you look, the size of your house, your car, your awards or accolades.
Those things don’t bring sustained happiness—especially if you are trying to prove something to someone else. Trying to prove something to someone else may be motivating initially, but it leads to bitterness and anger, fed by a feeling of lack, of scarcity.
The cure. Stay open. Listen to your intuition. Ask for support. Ask better questions, more questions. Not learned, but learning. Not educated, but educating. Not arrived, but present. In this moment.
When was the last time you reached out to old friends?
The next time a name pops in your mind, make a call, send a letter, share some gratitude.
Again, you’ve got this.
We’ve got this.
It’s your time.
Ready to Stop Guessing With Your Money?
Most financial advice tells you to save more and spend less. That’s a losing game. Garrett’s free book Killing Sacred Cows reveals why the conventional wisdom is costing you—and what to do instead.
Do it yourself? Try the free Money Snapshot tool on X1 Wealth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can money not buy?
Money can’t buy time, memories, or genuine relationships. Net worth didn’t matter during those college days — what mattered was laughing, living, and sharing moments without worrying about the world.
Why do we forget what truly matters when chasing wealth?
Because we get caught up in accumulation and comparison. We trade the present for a future that might never come, missing the moments that make life worth living.
How do I enjoy life now without sacrificing financial security?
Focus on cash flow and living wealthy, not just building net worth. Create a life you don’t want to retire from by enjoying the journey, not delaying all satisfaction for decades.
What’s more valuable than net worth?
Time well-wasted with people you love, memories that make your cheeks hurt from laughing, and moments where worries don’t enter your mind. That’s the wealth money can’t buy.
