2020 represented a unique time for humanity, despite the pandemic.
It is a time that will see increased entrepreneurial opportunities, gigantic advances in technology and increases inaccessibility.
But let’s rewind the clock 100 years.
In 1920, opportunities to build side hustles, take a leave of absence for 3 months to travel, and actively manage your day to day finances on the palm of your hand were simply not in the cards. The cards you were dealt at birth were a strong indicator of what path you would take in your life and there wasn’t much opportunity available to change that.
You were either born in wealth or you weren’t.
Take this scene from Jack and Rose as a great example.
In this scene from the Titanic, we get a glimpse into the chasm between those who had and those who had little.
100 years ago, travel was much more difficult.
Communication channels were much more archaic.
There were no subscription fees, apps, Airbnb’s and Uber’s.
Business was very transactional (trading a single product for a single price) and there was no avenue to really think or act too much outside the box.
Now, life is much different.
We can now spend waking hours not only thinking — but intentionally acting — “outside the box”.
You could come home from work on a Friday night and by Sunday afternoon have a fully functioning eCommerce platform on your website selling services and products to millions of people all over the world. Better yet, you could build a subscription package that provides you with passive income each month. And you could share it with the world in a matter of minutes.
Wait, what?
Check out this example below of Gary Vaynerchuk driving to upper-income areas of New York, buying “trash” from those who have — flipping it online to those who want, to generate passive income outside the box.
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Almost weekly I am hearing stories of individuals who have stepped outside the box to then stand on top of it, freely.
Why is this happening at an accelerated rate?
Because…
There has never been a greater time in human history to pursue wealth-generating opportunities that are “outside the box.”
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In 1920 much of the world’s wealth was held by the world’s few and the transfer of that wealth was held very tightly. Wealth tended to transfer from family to family. If you had a rich name you were rich.
Fast forward to now and the narrative is much much different.
Exhibit A: A random teenager just earned more money winning a Fortnite gaming tournament than Tiger Woods did winning a 2019 Major PGA tournament.
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Now, I am not a golfer but I can tell you this about golf:
It takes a lot of money to play (Average green fee in the US — $205).
It is usually played by affluent individuals.
It has been around long before the 1920’s.
Very few people can play golf long enough to become a world champion.
Even fewer make 3 million in one tournament of golf at the highest level.
You have to be able to train on multiple courses to become great.
I am also not a gamer, but let me tell you this about gaming:
It has only been around for a few years.
It takes less than $400 to become a professional gamer in 2020.
Anyone can become a world champion at any age.
You can earn more than 90% of the world by playing games in your mom’s basement.
Even though golf is traditionally played by more wealthy folks, for $400 any person in the world right now can accumulate more wealth from a gaming system in a couple of months than some elite golfers can accumulate in an entire career of playing golf.
The wealth of the world is changing.
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I would encourage you to think critically about this as you move into this decade. Begin thinking “outside the box” with planning your finances and your overall approach to accumulating wealth-generating opportunities that envelope our society today.
There are countless examples of folks who have taken life into their own hands and have made a life for themselves outside the box which gives them flexibility, time and alternative income streams.
Thinking differently about how you accumulate your wealth is the key to increasing your wealth in the next decade.
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Whether you are 48, 38 or in your early 20’s Your Best Decade (YBD) will provide you will the knowledge, resources, and ideas to help reach your greatest potential in the ‘Big Three’ areas of your life. If you want to live daily according to your highest values this book is for you. Start living YBD today!
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This post was previously published on Medium.
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Photo credit: Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash