Dan Martell - I'm 46. Here's 7 Cheat Codes I Wish I Knew in my 20s

00:00:00.000 I'm going to share with you seven cheat codes that took me from a broke addict straight out

00:00:03.860 of rehab in my teens to becoming a multi-millionaire in my 20s and today running a portfolio of

00:00:09.460 companies that generates over $100 million a year. They're the same cheat codes that I use

00:00:13.940 to build my dream life, where I speak on stages like Tony Robbins, fly around on my own jet and

00:00:18.900 mentor thousands of entrepreneurs around the world. And from all those experiences, I can tell

00:00:23.260 you success is hard, but it shouldn't be. That's why you need these cheat codes to make success

00:00:29.720 easier so let's get into it starting with cheat code number one talk about people behind their

00:00:35.560 back now hear me out i believe if somebody's name comes up when they're not around you should give

00:00:42.440 them praise you should give them a compliment you should talk positively about them because here's

00:00:47.400 the thing if you say that and the person you're talking to then later talks to that person and

00:00:53.480 says hey i was with dan the other day and he said that you're one of the few people in the world that

00:00:57.480 that truly understands Facebook ads.

00:00:59.180 That goes a massive long way.

00:01:01.680 Here's how I learned this.

00:01:03.040 I would spend time with people

00:01:04.880 and some people would talk about other people

00:01:07.260 and other folks would praise other people

00:01:09.000 when they weren't around.

00:01:09.840 And I just thought to myself,

00:01:11.280 the ones that are talking crap,

00:01:12.760 I worry, are they gonna talk about me

00:01:14.680 when I'm not around that way?

00:01:16.180 But the people that are always positive,

00:01:18.080 I'm like, man, I wonder what they say about me

00:01:20.160 when I'm not around.

00:01:21.060 So I just decided I will always praise folks

00:01:24.180 when they're not around.

00:01:25.000 I just think it's a great way to live.

00:01:26.520 I really wanna give you a tactical approach to doing this

00:01:30.640 because the truth is most people give compliments.

00:01:33.780 But here's how you give a great compliment.

00:01:35.920 The first thing is you have to be genuine, right?

00:01:38.720 Obvious, I know, but just don't lie.

00:01:40.980 I always ask myself, what is on my heart

00:01:43.060 that I actually wanna say about that person?

00:01:45.840 And that's what comes out.

00:01:46.720 The other one is make it specific.

00:01:49.560 Say something detailed.

00:01:51.040 Saying great person, not detailed.

00:01:53.360 You wanna try to find something that's obscure.

00:01:55.640 again, genuine, that comes to your mind

00:01:57.880 that you could say specifically about them.

00:02:00.120 Number three, compliment the effort, not the outcome.

00:02:03.720 When I'm trying to give somebody a compliment,

00:02:05.520 I'm always saying like,

00:02:06.640 the other day, this guy on my team, Ollie,

00:02:08.240 I found out from somebody else

00:02:09.580 that he's showing up and putting in extra work.

00:02:11.900 I made that compliment to somebody else

00:02:13.880 knowing hopefully it's gonna get back to them.

00:02:16.400 And the best part, if they're a team member,

00:02:17.900 when you compliment the effort,

00:02:19.460 you're essentially shining a light on the bright spot

00:02:21.480 of what you wanna see them do more of.

00:02:23.360 Here's why it's such a powerful cheat code.

00:02:26.040 The person that you're talking to,

00:02:27.820 talking positively about the other person,

00:02:29.800 they'll also believe that you do that about them,

00:02:32.760 which is gonna open up so many doors.

00:02:34.680 People do business with folks they know, like, and trust.

00:02:38.120 This creates a massive like in their mind.

00:02:40.980 Cheat code number two, the zone of genius.

00:02:43.680 Your zone of genius is the work that feels like play,

00:02:47.500 but drives real results.

00:02:48.860 In many ways, I used to tell people,

00:02:50.600 you should start a business doing a thing

00:02:52.240 that you do when you procrastinate.

00:02:53.700 You literally do this thing

00:02:55.220 when you don't wanna do the work.

00:02:56.420 Imagine if you got paid for it.

00:02:57.980 Today, my life looks wildly different

00:03:01.540 than the way it used to be.

00:03:02.740 I used to wake up and just work and grind,

00:03:06.460 and honestly would hate certain days.

00:03:08.880 Today, I realize that when I give myself permission

00:03:11.460 to focus on my zone of genius

00:03:13.480 and find other people that play at the things I work at,

00:03:17.880 then the group of us can do more in this world

00:03:20.560 than I ever could trying to do things that I hated to do.

00:03:23.860 Great way to think about it is this.

00:03:25.720 Broke people get good at tasks.

00:03:28.160 Rich people get good at avoiding them.

00:03:30.460 Why?

00:03:31.300 Because it sucks their freaking energy.

00:03:32.960 When you're in your zone of genius,

00:03:34.800 an hour or two hours of work feel like a third of the time.

00:03:38.180 It goes by so fast.

00:03:39.660 When you're outside of your zone of genius,

00:03:41.760 that one hour can feel like three or four hours.

00:03:45.180 So here's four principles to make sure you only operate

00:03:48.480 in your zone of genius.

00:03:49.640 Number one is don't lean your ladder against the wrong wall.

00:03:53.540 For example, you might find your zone of genius

00:03:55.940 being creating videos.

00:03:57.300 So you might think, okay, well the natural thing

00:03:58.880 is I gotta start an agency

00:04:00.100 and start editing videos for other people

00:04:01.800 and then I can be in business.

00:04:03.440 But you might find out you hate agency work.

00:04:06.060 Instead, ask yourself, what would it look like?

00:04:08.200 Maybe it's finding one creator and you join their team

00:04:11.040 and then you work with that creator to create their platform

00:04:13.920 and that is actually what you wanna be doing.

00:04:15.780 The second is it looks like work, but feels like play.

00:04:19.180 I love when people get around me and they see me work

00:04:22.720 because they'll see me with my team

00:04:24.500 and they'll see me doing long hours,

00:04:26.300 but they don't realize internally, it feels like play.

00:04:30.120 Number three, build a life

00:04:31.900 that you never have to retire from.

00:04:33.700 The idea of retirement is the dumbest idea

00:04:36.960 that's ever been sold.

00:04:38.240 I'm a fan of saying, how do I make this week

00:04:41.060 feel a little bit more like retirement?

00:04:43.220 How about next month?

00:04:44.380 How about next year?

00:04:45.380 I'm taking nine months off to travel with my family

00:04:48.060 all over the world.

00:04:49.180 That sure sounds like retirement to most people,

00:04:51.780 but guess what?

00:04:52.440 It's just life.

00:04:53.480 When you create things in a way

00:04:55.140 that doesn't feel like you have to escape them,

00:04:57.500 then you're not rushing to a vacation.

00:04:59.840 Number four is that it's okay to say no to the dull thing

00:05:03.680 to make room for the exciting.

00:05:05.680 Oftentimes, a yes to something today

00:05:08.400 is saying no to something more exciting in the future

00:05:10.760 because you just don't have time for it.

00:05:12.480 I'm a big fan of curating my calendar.

00:05:15.300 I always ask myself this question.

00:05:16.780 If somebody's asking me to do something

00:05:18.380 and in two weeks or a month or six months,

00:05:20.060 I go, if I had to do it tonight,

00:05:22.400 would I be excited to do it or is it a meh?

00:05:24.900 I gotta be able to create space by saying no

00:05:27.160 to the future dull things.

00:05:29.040 So I have room to be able to say yes

00:05:31.120 to the exciting opportunities.

00:05:33.240 This is such a cheat code

00:05:34.540 because it makes hard work feel like play.

00:05:37.880 So your energy compounds over time.

00:05:40.920 That is a cheat code.

00:05:42.640 Cheat code number three, strategic silence.

00:05:45.740 this one is counterintuitive silence is a power move pausing before you speak shows control

00:05:55.420 see it makes people listen closer and it cuts out empty words the ums the likely the probably

00:06:02.600 there's all this stuff that people say because they don't take a second to think they just

00:06:08.580 assume they got to fill everything in the truth is they don't that is a cheat code for example

00:06:15.820 One of my sales guys rarely talks,

00:06:18.420 but when he does, everyone listens.

00:06:22.160 And his ability to articulate with crystal clarity

00:06:26.280 a concept that helps the other salespeople

00:06:28.420 make a lot of money

00:06:29.340 is one of the most important reasons

00:06:31.600 why we love having him on the team.

00:06:33.620 But this is the thing.

00:06:34.840 When he asks the team a question, he stops.

00:06:37.820 Because he wants to get them to integrate the outcome

00:06:41.140 that he's teaching, not just talk over them.

00:06:43.460 Another way to think about it is a well-timed silence is louder than a poorly timed opinion.

00:06:49.840 Here's how I like to use strategic silence.

00:06:52.700 First, take a second before you speak.

00:06:55.640 If you're in a meeting, especially if you've got an emotional reaction to what was just said,

00:07:00.660 do yourself a favor and just take a second to breathe.

00:07:04.540 Hmm.

00:07:06.100 I like to go curious.

00:07:07.560 That's what I think in my head.

00:07:08.780 Be curious, Dan.

00:07:09.560 Be curious, Dan.

00:07:10.240 Be curious, Dan.

00:07:10.880 From that place, then I can speak.

00:07:13.860 Second is count the seconds in your head.

00:07:16.640 If you wanna practice, try five seconds.

00:07:19.280 You know, especially if you're in a communication role,

00:07:21.820 sales role, business development role,

00:07:23.760 once you present somebody an option, count to seven.

00:07:26.960 I dare you.

00:07:28.260 You give them the price.

00:07:29.760 One, two, three, four, five.

00:07:34.020 And usually have five seconds

00:07:35.400 when the other person leans in.

00:07:37.140 If you move on too quick, you don't give them a second

00:07:39.920 to give you the real reason they're thinking.

00:07:42.920 The third is eliminate filler words.

00:07:45.120 Those words like, literally, ums,

00:07:48.160 they're all fillers

00:07:49.220 because you haven't given yourself time to think.

00:07:52.300 Just stop.

00:07:53.380 The cool part, practice makes perfect.

00:07:55.660 My favorite exercise comes from my friend Vin.

00:07:58.080 What he recommends you do

00:07:59.240 is record yourself talking for five minutes.

00:08:02.120 And then that way you can go back

00:08:03.940 and look at all the times.

00:08:05.340 You said the likes, the ums, the pause, the literallys,

00:08:08.160 all these filler words that don't add anything

00:08:10.740 to the conversation, it'll change the way you talk.

00:08:14.100 In a world addicted to noise,

00:08:16.380 silence is a signal of confidence.

00:08:18.500 This is why it's such a fricking cheat code

00:08:20.900 is that it builds perceived power without saying a word.

00:08:24.940 Cheat code number four, the preloaded year.

00:08:28.020 Most people react to their year by default.

00:08:31.020 I want you to do it by design.

00:08:32.960 Before doing this, my life was nonstop conflict.

00:08:36.560 I had somebody pissed off because I missed a birthday.

00:08:39.280 I was mad at myself because I put on weight.

00:08:41.140 My life was reactive.

00:08:42.820 I wasn't proactive.

00:08:44.420 So this is how we do the preloaded year.

00:08:46.840 First off, you can click the link below in the description

00:08:49.220 to download my template and the whole structure.

00:08:51.820 So you have a one page document on filling it out.

00:08:55.200 So it makes it crystal clear.

00:08:56.760 I always do my preloaded year at the end of the year

00:08:59.380 for the following year.

00:09:00.720 So the first thing is I'm planning the most important stuff.

00:09:04.460 So at the end of my year, what I've done is I've written down all the things that I want to

00:09:09.300 consider. So my buddies might invite me on a ski trip. I write that down. Somebody else might say,

00:09:14.260 Hey, next year we should do this. I write that down. Think of it like rocks in a jar. I've got

00:09:18.100 my big rocks. I'm talking birthdays, reoccurring trips with my family. All that stuff are the big

00:09:23.780 rocks. These are the things that are most important. The pebbles, the business stuff,

00:09:27.680 the trips, those are important too. We're going to get them in there. But sand is like stuff that

00:09:31.740 will just fill in between. That's like the day-to-day stuff that you can say yes to in real

00:09:35.480 time. It doesn't take any extra space. Number two is I like to visualize and color code. My template,

00:09:42.320 that one page, I can block in all these different things and I use different colors based on what

00:09:47.800 they are. Being able to step back, visualize it, and ask myself the energy of how it would flow

00:09:53.280 is a game changer. The third is to have one place for all of it. I like to use the one page to

00:09:59.040 design it. Then I have a Google Doc where I save all my ideas this year or next year for

00:10:03.660 consideration to add it to my one page. The reason why it's such a cheat code is because it reduces

00:10:08.440 stress. It avoids the rework, forgetting to do something, paying last minute for flights,

00:10:13.340 or doing something you know you need to do that you didn't plan for. And it protects your

00:10:17.120 priorities. And that is the most important. Cheat code number five, the 95-5 rule. Most results,

00:10:23.200 if you truly analyze them, look at your life and see what have been needle moving activities. It

00:10:28.400 actually comes down to about five percent out of a hundred percent that truly move the needle the

00:10:33.760 95-5 rule is the 80-20 Pareto principle on steroids the Pareto principle is essentially this

00:10:41.760 guy Pareto that analyzed wealth distribution and he realized that like 20 percent of the population

00:10:48.640 had access to 80 of the wealth but if you look at most things from a distribution point of view

00:10:53.680 it follows the same 80 20 rule i've noticed within that there's actually the 95 5 rule

00:10:59.760 which means that if you focus on the right decisions or activities you can get 95 of

00:11:05.040 the results with only 5 of the effort if you focus on the right 5 and completely ignore the rest

00:11:12.080 it's a game changer it reminds me of this time years ago i hired a marketing leader and we're

00:11:16.800 doing probably 3 million in revenue in the business and they jump on and they hit the

00:11:20.720 ground running auditing funnels and refining all the marketing six months later we fired them the

00:11:27.120 reason why is they never moved the needle because they didn't stop to actually analyze and focus on

00:11:35.120 the things that actually were working oftentimes if you just look at all the effort on a team

00:11:41.120 for your own work you'll find those key elements that are actually having the biggest impact when

00:11:46.720 When you say no to everything else

00:11:48.120 and double down on those, that's where the gold happens.

00:11:51.220 This is why it's such a massive cheat code

00:11:53.960 is you stop optimizing for problems that just don't matter.

00:11:57.680 How often do you actually try to put out

00:11:59.880 what I call a kitchen fire?

00:12:01.760 How often do you actually try to put out a dumpster fire?

00:12:05.060 When you get good at deciphering what is the 95 versus the five,

00:12:09.760 you will become lethal in your ability to produce results.

00:12:12.860 Cheat code number six, the 5AM club.

00:12:15.800 This one is my favorite.

00:12:18.160 Now I'm gonna give you permission to aim towards 5 a.m.

00:12:20.460 I'm up earlier.

00:12:21.680 Why?

00:12:22.520 Very simple.

00:12:23.380 I believe the earlier you wake up

00:12:25.580 from when other people naturally wake up,

00:12:28.360 gives you the more time to actually do

00:12:30.280 some of the most important work for the day.

00:12:32.480 Because you're awake while everybody else is sleeping,

00:12:35.580 which means there's no distractions.

00:12:37.180 It builds momentum.

00:12:38.360 So 5 a.m., when everybody else is getting up at 6.45 or 7,

00:12:42.020 gives you a couple hours to yourself.

00:12:45.240 That time is where I use it to create, connect it to my creator, where I look for opportunities

00:12:50.780 to feed my mind, to educate myself, to design and dream, where most people are still horizontal.

00:12:58.100 I've built momentum getting up early to start my day.

00:13:01.760 15 years ago, I'm talking to my dad and he's asking me those questions that dad's asked

00:13:06.340 that make you feel like you're still not actually doing much with your life, which is crazy

00:13:09.880 because even at that time I was a multimillionaire.

00:13:12.140 But you know what?

00:13:13.600 He wasn't wrong.

00:13:14.320 I had convinced myself that I had made it and I was sleeping in, wasn't focused. The next day

00:13:22.760 I made a commitment to just wake up earlier. I just started with 15 minutes earlier than what

00:13:27.860 I was used to at the time, maybe 7.15. So that went to seven, then 6.45, then 6.30. Now it's 4am.

00:13:34.220 Sometimes I wake up at 3.23 and I'm awake. Guess what? I just get up and I start my day. Other

00:13:39.380 times I will let myself sleep in, but it is rare that I can even make it past 5am anymore because

00:13:44.280 it's who I've become and I look forward to it it's my favorite part of my day this is why this

00:13:50.560 strategy is such a cheat code is because you get hours of deep work while the world sleeps while

00:13:56.920 everybody else is still trying to find themselves in the morning you probably got more done in that

00:14:01.860 morning than they'll do their whole day cheat code number seven energy stacking time isn't the real

00:14:08.100 limit your energy is sometimes you're doing something and it can feel like a lot of time

00:14:13.180 and other things can feel like it goes really quick.

00:14:15.900 When you align your work

00:14:17.160 with your natural energy levels throughout the day

00:14:19.820 and then do batch tasks,

00:14:21.700 you stop forcing motivation and start building it.

00:14:24.480 The other day, I was chatting with somebody on Instagram

00:14:26.700 and they were like, tell me how they were burnt out.

00:14:28.980 Well, tell me about your day.

00:14:30.120 And they're like, you know, well,

00:14:31.080 this morning I had a sales call at 7 a.m., blah, blah, blah.

00:14:33.540 And I'm like, why did you take the call at 7 a.m.?

00:14:35.360 They're like, I don't know, the person,

00:14:36.720 that was the only time they could talk.

00:14:38.240 Did you ask them if they could talk at a different time?

00:14:41.000 No.

00:14:42.280 Interesting.

00:14:43.180 The way I like to think about it is this.

00:14:44.860 If you don't set boundaries, somebody else will,

00:14:47.980 and they won't be for your benefit.

00:14:49.560 So stop managing your time and start managing your energy.

00:14:52.940 Here's how you do it.

00:14:53.900 The first is schedule for energy.

00:14:56.020 The way you do your mornings

00:14:57.360 is completely different than your afternoons

00:14:59.440 and probably your nights.

00:15:00.760 So figure out what types of activities

00:15:02.640 you wanna do in each spot, and every person's different.

00:15:05.020 So for example, not only do I like to do

00:15:07.460 all my meetings in the afternoon,

00:15:08.960 I like to do all my one-on-ones on a scooter.

00:15:11.220 When I have meetings with people,

00:15:12.500 when it's just them and I, I wanna be on the waterfront.

00:15:15.460 I wanna be talking.

00:15:16.340 It also puts my mind at ease so that it's more fun for me

00:15:19.780 and from an energy point of view, it's actually better.

00:15:22.600 The second is you have to batch your work.

00:15:24.680 When I look at shooting content

00:15:26.620 or doing deal reviews at Martell Ventures

00:15:29.440 or sitting down and doing financial meetings,

00:15:32.300 I batch that together because I wanna have the focus,

00:15:35.600 the context be ramped up, similar energy.

00:15:38.720 So I use the batch work

00:15:40.520 to manage the energy throughout the day.

00:15:42.500 I do that so that I don't lose a lot of energy

00:15:45.820 switching between things.

00:15:47.420 So for example, if I asked you to just say out loud,

00:15:49.900 one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,

00:15:50.980 all the way to 26, and then go A, B, C, D, E, F, G,

00:15:53.500 all the way to Z,

00:15:54.580 you could probably get it done in about 27 seconds.

00:15:57.460 But if I asked you to go one, A, two, B, three, C,

00:16:01.980 most people, if they got it done,

00:16:03.460 because they get confused,

00:16:04.800 will take about a minute and a half.

00:16:06.320 Think about the amount of energy you save

00:16:08.920 by not switching context and doing batch work instead.

00:16:12.500 number three net time which stands for no extra time i already mentioned the scooter meetings

00:16:18.100 but i also do all outbound messages while i'm in the hot tub why looks like work feels like play

00:16:24.260 when i'm in a hot tub doing text messaging it does not feel like work i like to do workouts

00:16:29.300 with other friends i like to do founders hikes where i invite anybody in the world including

00:16:33.540 yourself if you want to fly to kelowna every tuesday although i'm going to be traveling for

00:16:37.380 the next nine months i won't be here is a great opportunity for me to say yes to people to get a

00:16:41.300 a workout in have a conversation it's just a great way to use the energy that's appropriate for that

00:16:46.500 time and not take away from something else that i need to get done why this is such a massive cheat

00:16:51.460 code is you stop operating from a place of needing to be motivated and start operating from alignment

00:16:57.300 your energy is just more efficient so those are the cheat codes to achieve anything that being said

00:17:04.260 if you have big dreams the effort and discipline need to match you got to take big actions you

00:17:11.700 can't have big dreams and take little action you can't have big ideas and think small you have to

00:17:18.260 match the effort so now that you've heard all these awesome cheat codes i need you to just pick

00:17:23.620 one and commit to it 30 days just pick one leave a comment below let me know what it is and commit

00:17:31.780 to it for the next 30 days that will integrate it into your identity who you are and will stack

00:17:38.420 the habit of success if preloaded year is the one you want to do then just click the link below in

00:17:44.340 the description to grab your template so it makes it really easy to get it done now if you want to

00:17:49.060 to learn the 40 brutal truths i wish i knew in my 20s click the video and i'll see you on the other

Dan Martell - December 30, 2025

I'm 46. Here's 7 Cheat Codes I Wish I Knew in my 20s

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