Things You Think You Want (But You Don’t)

A clear financial point gives you the desire to put in the work. The problem is many of you think you want something, but you actually don't really care about it that much. They are just words.

Here are 15 things you think you want but you actually don't. First up, a billion dollars. You don't want a billion dollars because you don't need such an astronomical amount of money. There's nothing in this life that requires a billion dollars. Like Mark Zuckerberg once said, nobody actually wants to be a billionaire. You see, you don't earn a billion dollars; that amount just happens naturally after a certain point when you've built something that's exploded in value and millions of people use it every day. It's not something you aim to achieve.

What you really want is financial freedom. In the modern age, where things get increasingly more expensive and uncertain, what you want is an escape, an exit strategy, a way to not have to deal with whatever your government or the economy decides to do next. You want to be shielded from any kind of financial diversity so you have the mental peace to do what you actually want to do in the first place. And to be able to do that, well, you don't actually need that much money.

From the top of your head, how much money do you think you need to earn in a year to be an official part of the 1%? If you think a couple of millions, well, you're wrong. You actually only need around $700,000 to $800,000. You see, even when you don't make a million a year, you're still a part of the 1%. And if that's not enough money to do whatever it is you want to do, well, no amount will ever change that.

While it's true that being a millionaire is not what it used to be, the idea that you need multi-millions to afford what you really want in life is highly romanticized. What you really want is the magic number. In the most basic definition, the magic number is double the amount you would need to live for what you consider to be a very comfortable life. So imagine a comfortable life with everything you think you need in order to achieve that. Figure out how much that will cost and how much you'll have to earn in order to sustain that. After you get that number, double it. That's the amount you actually want.

A multi-million dollar mansion or penthouse, the expensive villa with the heated pool, the top floor penthouses with panoramic views, they've been sold as the ultimate dream for multiple generations. From the James Bond mansions to oceanside villas and hidden properties up in the hills— that seems to be what the world considers to be your goal. But if you look at where people who actually made it live, you'll find farms, countryside cottages, and other things like that.

So in other words, you'll find a sanctuary, something only you can call home because it's designed around you. It has all the things that you particularly need, and everything that makes you comfortable and at peace. That's why nobody actually lives in the multi-million dollar apartments around Central Park. As a matter of fact, nearly half of them are empty. Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of real estate, with extraordinary views and unmatched luxury, just sitting there collecting dust. They're just investments. Nobody actually calls those places home because they've got no soul.

A home, in contrast, is the polar opposite of that. It doesn't really matter how small, big, expensive, or exclusive it is, as long as it checks all the boxes for you.

Prince Charming or Sleeping Beauty—the idea of a perfect partner is a fairy tale for one. Perfect people just don't exist, and secondly, you're also not Prince Charming, nor are you Sleeping Beauty yourself. And you see, it's one thing to have something to offer and to set some standards for yourself, and it's another thing to wait forever for that special someone. In reality, what you really want is someone real; someone with whom you can connect, grow, and face life's challenges. It's not about finding a person who meets every single one of your idealized criteria; it's about finding someone who complements you, challenges you, and stands by you through thick and thin.

What you really want is stability and growth.

A passion that makes a lot of money. They keep saying you should do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life. Technically, it's true, but practically, you need out of this world luck to ever be in such a position. Typically, it involves some sort of creative work, because let's be real—okay, nobody has a burning passion for Excel sheets, besides the people who participate in the Excel World Championships, which we just recently found out is an actual thing.

But back to the point: statistically speaking, your passion has a very low chance of getting you close to the magic number we've been talking about. At 0.1, you might love working on it; you may not even feel those 12-plus hours a day. But making it work financially? It's unlikely. Even more so in most cases when you try to mix money with passion. It just becomes extra work. Now you're not a passionate creator anymore; you're a manager, and you're managing someone else that's working on your passion. That floaty feeling you had toward it slowly fades away.

Instead, your passion should remain just that—something you do just for yourself, without expecting anything in return. And if by some stroke of luck and great circumstance you do manage to get something in return, consider yourself extremely lucky.

Endless free time. For many, the perfect life is one where they don't have anything to do. They imagine waking up every morning like it's Sunday morning, taking their time to make their coffee, going for a nice long walk, scrolling through some social media, and living life day by day, hour by hour, without any kind of worry. And when you say it just like that, it does kind of sound great. But you see, it just doesn't work that way. The only thing that free time gives you is boredom and unhappiness.

Humans are wired for productivity and achievement. This is not just some corporate talk; it's a real thing. Free time feels great after work but kind of weird when it comes after yet another free time period. That's why those who manage to retire early, even if they take a break for a year or two, eventually get back to work.

And finally, a life of endless party and fun. You see, all work is boring and unsatisfying, but all fun is just escapism from an empty life. True joy comes from a balanced life that includes work, relationships, personal growth, and yes, fun. What we've found as we've grown older is that balance among all things is really the secret ingredient that ties everything together. You can't have too much of anything because you upset the natural order of things. When you have just the right amount of everything, that's when things become more clear.

Lastly, what you think you want is perfect circumstances. Now look, okay, we're not going to lie here; do early circumstances have a great impact on your future development? 1,000% yes. Okay, for example, if your parents could afford to give you the circumstances you need to grab an Ivy League degree, well, you're statistically going to make 46% more money than your peers straight out of college. That's just facts and numbers.

And as a matter of fact, great circumstances can bypass years of hard work. But if you can't have that, there's another thing that you can get, and that thing is luck. But not that kind of luck, okay? We mean a special kind—the kind of luck that happens when preparation meets opportunity. You see, opportunity is ever-present, and at every point in time, there's something that can be done. It just needs someone to take advantage of it.

So think of all the artists that have published a ton of work online, and nothing happened; and then something did happen, and now they're superstars. Imagine a board with a thousand dots, and one of those dots is lucky. There you'll find the opportunity you need; you just don't know which dot it is yet. The only way to find out is to take each dot, one by one, day by day, and put yourself out there, getting the work done and making progress.

Sometimes you hit that dot. One day, you'll get a phone call or an email, or something will catch your eye, and you start connecting all of the dots. Now you have something solid to work with. That is how you get lucky, my friend.

We hope you learned something valuable here today. Alexir, we'll see you back here next Sunday. Until then, take care! Thank you for watching this video, Alexir. If you found it valuable, consider subscribing to our channel and joining our awesome community. And if you're still hungry for more, we have picked this video for you to watch next, or head over to our website for more amazing content. See you! [Music] Tomorrow.