See that massive bouncy castle obstacle course thingy in the water above?
That's on the island of Brac in Croatia.
And each and every year we go to that thing so Nick can chase all the kids around it for what seems like forever. LOL!
I don't go on it, no way. I've taken too many spills off those things to do it anymore.
But Nick will go on and run around it chasing his two daughters, his niece and my son ... screaming in joy for hours.
I'm on the beach for a bit then under those trees, at the far right of that picture above, are the most amazing cafes ... espresso, smoothies, crepes, they have it all.
I'm in there chillin' in the natural shade, LOL!!
One year, at the very tip of that beach, we pulled up on a boat, picked up a member of the Rock Star team and zoomed over to the island you see in the distance.
It was incredible. Good memories on that island for sure, we're grateful.
It's been a process to get here. Let me explain...
In my 20s I read 250-300 personal development books.
After a while, the messages in them started repeating.
But there was one quote that I picked up that always stood out to me.
"Watch what everyone else does - do the opposite. The majority is always wrong." - Earl Nightingale
And I put it into practice everywhere I could...
After University, I paid more money to go to a post-grad Information Technology school when my schoolmates said not to ... told me it was "silly and unnecessary".
But I wanted to ride the trend of IT in the late 1990s and this was my way in. It worked out, others followed.
I quit my RBC Programmer job to go work at Oracle in Technical Support ... considered a "step down".
But I wanted to get into a company that was the leading supplier of databases to big tech globally. It worked out, others followed.
I quit "Tech Support" to go into commission-based Oracle Sales ... I was told I would lose my tech skills and that's bad, others then followed.
I left Oracle to join a startup called NetSuite ... I was literally laughed at, others followed.
I started investing in real estate when everyone was buying Nasdaq tech stocks in 1999 ... again, laughed at, others followed 15 years later.
I quit NetSuite right before the IPO on the NYSE to start Rock Star with my brother Nick ... again, told not to do it, it was the wrong move ... best decision of my life!!
Bought a place in Croatia on the coast that "cost us" 3 Hamilton rental properties back in 2009 ... told that it was silly and to buy the assets instead ... but I wanted to live life ... we now have 15 years worth of family memories over there, incredible new friends and it's still going on.
The list goes on and on and on.
Doing the opposite of the majority is almost like a "cheat code" to living life on your terms.
And I'm not sharing this to say we have life "all figured out".
Far from it. Nick and I have both made our fair share of mistakes.
Dismissing Bitcoin in 2016 and 2017... and in 2018 and 2019 was an awesome multi-stage mess up, LOL!
Nick hasn't bought a rental property that doesn't leak. Not one. New or old doesn't matter ... they all leak on him, LOL!
Selling a student rental for $700K that is now worth approx. $1.2M ... not fun, LOL!
But it doesn't dismiss this truth.
The majority, the masses ... they're always wrong.
Simply doing the opposite of the masses works incredibly well.
Diversify your investing? No thanks, we focus and concentrate.
Balanced life? No thanks, we'll take 3-5 years of focused, unbalanced work for a lifetime of freedom.
Be conservative and keep a "good job"? LOL, yeah, no thanks.
Study Marketing deeply for 10+ years? Yes, please.
Wake up each morning at 5am for 10+ years? Affirmative.
Write down a to-do list each and every morning for 5+ years and sort the list by importance? Yes, thank you.
Change my diet, go to the gym regularly, meditate, save more than you spend ... yes, yes, yes and yes.
If you want to save for retirement, live life on your terms, build a nest egg, spend more time than average with your family, travel more ... you're going to have to do things that most people do not do.
Where you stand right now is a product of all your daily habits for the last 5 years.
Your fitness, your finances, your relationships ... everything.
So if you want a great change in one area of life the process to create that is super simple.
Decide today, right now, that starting tomorrow morning you are changing your behaviour in that area.
And then keep that change going, no matter what, every day.
Make it a habit. Force it, no matter how you feel in the morning, keep the change going.
You'll wake up in no time to a completely different life.
I remember in 2009 taking a ferry to an island off the coast of Croatia.
I used to stare at the private boats and think, "Who exactly is on those boats darting around the islands like that?"
A little while later we've been fortunate enough to be the people on those private boats scooting around between islands.
Your life can be anything you want it to be. Absolutely anything.
Even in a wild world of interest rates, debasement, inflation, and political silliness ... your future is literally up to you.
You can craft and bend the Universe to your liking. It's true, we know.
Listen, if two brothers from Mississauga can live life on their own terms then you absolutely can too.
Decide what you want. Make daily changes to your habits. The universe will respond.
We're busy planning the Your Life. Your Terms. Event on Saturday, October 5, 2024.
Wait until you see what we have planned! We're pumped.
If you need a boost of energy, mark your calendar now for it and stay tuned for details.
We've got an A+ level of people booked in and the people in the room give off an incredible energy.
You won't want to miss it. Details coming soon, promise!!
Enjoy the Labour Day long weekend!!!
Tom & Nick
