Dan Martell - April 18, 2025


I’m 45. If I Was 20 Again, Here’s What I’d Do


Episode Stats


Length

16 minutes

Words per minute

212.22224

Word count

3,416

Sentence count

245

Harmful content

Toxicity

19

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

If I could go back and talk to my 20-year-old self and give him some advice, here are the 60 things I would share: 1. Stop waiting for the right time. 2. Buy the way you want to be bought from. 3. Your 20s are when you get good. Your 30 s are when your get good, and your 40 s is when you become wise. 4. Don t be scared of failure. 5. Winners lose more than losers ever will. 6. If every time you make a commitment to yourself, you let yourself down by not keeping that commitment, then you'll never fight for what you think you deserve. 7. If it's not a hard no, it's a hard yes. 8. Say yes when you don't have a lot of opportunities. 9. Say no when you can afford to say no. 10. Don't complain about the outcomes you didn t get from the work you didn't do. 11. Focus on the things you do every day. 12. I pull my future into the present by being very clear on what I wanna achieve and taking action. 13. I only take advice from people who are already where I wanna be or have done the thing I wanna do. 14. The best revenge is massive. 15. I didn t make the best decisions. 16. I just focus on proving them wrong.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
00:00:00.080 Recording this today, I'm a 45-year-old multi-millionaire,
00:00:03.460 but if I could go back and talk to my 20-year-old self
00:00:05.980 and give him some advice,
00:00:07.200 here are the 60 things I would share.
00:00:09.020 Number one, stop waiting for the right time,
00:00:11.300 just make the time right.
00:00:12.720 Most people, the most important thing they gotta do
00:00:14.900 is just make a decision. 0.99
00:00:16.320 Stop waiting to get ready and just fucking do it. 0.99
00:00:19.220 Number two, broke people buy distractions, 0.99
00:00:21.980 rich people buy time.
00:00:23.220 You have to start investing in things
00:00:25.020 that are gonna save you time.
00:00:26.380 Think about wash and fold laundry or meal prep
00:00:28.660 or using the apps to bring stuff to you
00:00:30.540 so you don't spend your time running a bunch of errands.
00:00:32.640 Number three, your 20s is when you get good.
00:00:35.760 Your 30s is when you get rich
00:00:37.560 and your 40s is when you get wise.
00:00:39.600 I look at my life in 10 year increments.
00:00:42.160 The first 10 was to develop the skill to become valuable.
00:00:45.220 The next 10 was to figure out
00:00:46.540 how to make money with that skill.
00:00:48.180 The last 10 was using that to create my empire.
00:00:50.860 You have to dedicate yourself in decades to one focus.
00:00:54.200 Number four, buy the way you want to be bought from.
00:00:56.980 Most people are so cheap, they get mad when buyers are cheap with them,
00:01:01.560 but they're the ones that put the energy out there.
00:01:03.260 So if you want people to easily buy from you, easily buy from other people.
00:01:06.820 Number five, winners lose more than losers ever will.
00:01:10.640 Most people are scared to fail, but that's only true if you don't get the feedback.
00:01:15.340 If you take a shot on goal and you miss, but you learn how to take a better shot on goal,
00:01:19.360 then that is actually a win.
00:01:20.760 Don't be scared of failure, embrace it.
00:01:22.860 Number six, self-esteem is the reputation you have with yourself.
00:01:26.980 If every time you make a commitment to yourself,
00:01:29.340 you let yourself down by not keeping that commitment,
00:01:31.760 then you erode your self-esteem, your self-worth,
00:01:34.580 and you'll never fight for what you think you deserve.
00:01:36.860 Number seven, if it's not a hell yes, it's a hard no.
00:01:40.500 My frame is very simple.
00:01:41.780 I ask myself, if somebody asked me to do the thing
00:01:43.860 they want me to do and it was today, would I say yes?
00:01:46.920 If the answer is no, because I'm busy,
00:01:48.680 then it's probably no.
00:01:50.140 Even the good stuff is a no,
00:01:51.760 because if I don't say no,
00:01:52.960 then I won't have the space to say yes to the great.
00:01:55.960 Number eight, say yes until you can afford to say no.
00:01:59.880 You say yes when you don't have a lot of opportunities,
00:02:02.040 but then if you're good, you get a lot more requests,
00:02:04.460 then you gotta learn to say no
00:02:05.900 when things no longer serve you.
00:02:07.720 Number nine, the best way to predict the future
00:02:10.040 is to attract it.
00:02:11.520 Most people get confused
00:02:12.760 because they think they gotta create success.
00:02:15.080 My philosophy is that I attract success.
00:02:17.360 I pull my future into my present
00:02:19.600 by being very clear on what I wanna achieve
00:02:21.900 and taking action.
00:02:22.860 Number 10, you can't complain about the outcomes
00:02:25.720 you didn't get from the work you didn't do.
00:02:28.260 Stop expecting things to be easy.
00:02:30.480 They're not and they never will be
00:02:32.200 because if you're not doing the work,
00:02:34.000 then you can't get the outcome.
00:02:35.480 Number 11, broke people talk about people.
00:02:38.400 Rich people talk about ideas.
00:02:40.340 Just listen to yourself when you're with your friends.
00:02:42.440 Are you talking about other people
00:02:43.980 or you're talking about possibility?
00:02:45.640 Are you talking about ideas
00:02:46.840 or you're talking about creation
00:02:48.000 or you're focusing on talking about
00:02:49.760 the easiest thing to talk about, 0.99
00:02:51.060 which is shit about other people that aren't even there. 0.99
00:02:53.620 Number 12, don't take criticism 0.99
00:02:55.520 from people you wouldn't take advice from.
00:02:58.080 My philosophy is very simple.
00:02:59.540 I only take advice or criticism
00:03:00.880 from people who are already where I wanna be
00:03:03.080 or have done the thing I wanna do.
00:03:04.880 Number 13, how you do anything is how you do everything.
00:03:08.920 Most people discount the small things,
00:03:11.200 but those small things lead into big things.
00:03:13.320 If you take care of your environment,
00:03:15.120 then the business will be taken care of.
00:03:16.760 If you take care of your space,
00:03:18.340 then your team will be taken care of.
00:03:20.420 focus on doing the small things right
00:03:22.360 to get the big things to come to life.
00:03:24.280 Number 14, the quality of your life
00:03:26.720 is determined by the quality of your habits.
00:03:29.380 So you gotta figure out what are the three to five things
00:03:31.620 that if you do every day will set you up for success.
00:03:35.040 Number 15, the best revenge is massive success.
00:03:39.100 When I was growing up, I was that kid
00:03:40.940 that the other kids in my neighborhood
00:03:42.260 weren't allowed to play with.
00:03:43.680 Now I earned that label and trust me,
00:03:45.640 I didn't always make the best decisions.
00:03:47.400 But when I decided to turn my life around,
00:03:48.980 I didn't focus on proving them wrong.
00:03:51.060 I just focused on becoming undeniable.
00:03:53.540 Number 16, winners focus on winning.
00:03:56.380 Losers focus on winners.
00:03:57.880 If you compare yourself to everybody else, 0.96
00:03:59.960 then you're always looking for why you're not good enough.
00:04:02.160 And the truth is you're only competing against one person
00:04:04.160 and that's you from the past. 1.00
00:04:06.080 Number 17, most people are too afraid of looking stupid 0.99
00:04:09.220 to ever get good at anything. 1.00
00:04:11.100 Think about all the people you see on social media.
00:04:12.920 The reason they're good is because they decided to start.
00:04:16.440 Even though in their head, trust me,
00:04:18.040 because I'm one of them.
00:04:19.080 I thought I have nothing to share. 0.97
00:04:21.040 People are going to think I'm dumb. 0.99
00:04:22.480 This is dumb. 0.99
00:04:23.480 I still decide to do it 1.00
00:04:25.000 because if you think everything makes you look dumb, 0.99
00:04:27.200 you'll never try anything. 0.96
00:04:28.280 Number 18, it's not about having time.
00:04:30.660 It's about making time.
00:04:32.300 The truth is, is nobody creates time.
00:04:34.040 Nobody has extra time.
00:04:34.980 We all have the same amount of time.
00:04:36.120 You either decide to allocate it properly
00:04:38.180 or you don't, you're 100% accountable for that.
00:04:40.620 Number 19, your mind will believe
00:04:42.480 what you repeatedly tell it.
00:04:44.160 Anytime somebody asks me, how you doing, Dan?
00:04:46.280 I always answer the same way, incredible.
00:04:49.340 Incredible, freaking amazing, awesome.
00:04:52.020 Thanks for asking, why?
00:04:53.280 Because you will believe what you repeatedly say
00:04:55.760 so I reprogram my mind using mantras like that
00:04:58.700 and many others to keep myself focused
00:05:00.540 on who I wanna become.
00:05:01.820 Number 20, 80% of your problems would be solved
00:05:04.780 if you just went to bed on time.
00:05:06.760 It's kinda crazy, but this simple life lesson
00:05:09.160 will change everything for you.
00:05:10.640 Set an alarm for when you go to bed and just honor it.
00:05:14.180 Get to sleep.
00:05:15.040 Nothing exciting happens late at night
00:05:17.180 when you can have an early start to your day.
00:05:19.700 Number 21, the problem isn't lack of resources,
00:05:22.780 it's lack of resourcefulness.
00:05:24.720 Most people think, well, I don't have the money
00:05:26.240 to start that or the friend group or the experience.
00:05:28.920 The truth is most people that have won in life,
00:05:31.260 they're just more resourceful.
00:05:32.760 They don't make a list of things
00:05:33.880 that tell them they can't do something.
00:05:35.440 They get good at finding the resources
00:05:36.980 needed to solve the problems.
00:05:38.760 Number 22, learn to be alone without being lonely.
00:05:42.240 One of the most powerful skills and processes
00:05:44.740 I've learned is become the person who needs nothing from anybody. If I can be happy with
00:05:49.480 nothing, then I'm going to be ecstatic with a lot. Number 23, work while they sleep so you can live
00:05:55.200 like they dream. Most people would rather sleep in and snooze on their life, but you're different.
00:06:01.120 You're going to get up early every day, do the hard things and live a life that 99% of people
00:06:05.420 only dream of. Number 24, you teach people how to treat you. If somebody does something that I don't
00:06:10.680 agree with, I say it right away. I don't accept people stepping all over me. Number 25, money is
00:06:16.660 a tool, not the goal. I think of money like a battery. It's an energy source. And we want to
00:06:22.140 use money as a tool to improve our life. You don't want to hoard it. Number 26, if you're always
00:06:27.280 available, you're not valuable. You should be the kind of person that puts themselves out there so
00:06:32.240 everybody knows who you are. You should be easy to find, but hard to get a hold of. That's what
00:06:37.260 makes you valuable. Number 27, you don't attract what you want. You attract what you are. Most
00:06:42.700 people think they got to do more to be successful. I would argue you have to be more. It's not do
00:06:48.380 then become. It's actually become then do. Number 28, no response is a response and a powerful one.
00:06:55.220 You don't have to reply to every email that comes to you. You don't have to answer every phone call
00:06:59.180 and you don't have to reply to every text. Don't feel like you need to explain yourself to everyone.
00:07:03.280 Number 29, you either get better or you get bitter.
00:07:06.840 I remember going to my high school reunion
00:07:08.440 and every time I'd meet somebody,
00:07:10.040 they would say stuff like,
00:07:11.160 hey, remember back in the day we did this or that?
00:07:13.440 And I'm just like, what have you been up to lately?
00:07:16.360 Because it sounds like you've been just living the same life
00:07:18.540 and honestly regressing.
00:07:19.960 Don't be that old guy saying,
00:07:21.660 back in my day, I used to bench 225.
00:07:24.260 Where are you at today?
00:07:25.400 Number 30, time is the most expensive thing you have.
00:07:28.480 So don't waste it scrolling on social media
00:07:31.100 or talking to people that take your energy.
00:07:33.660 Focus your time on things that matter most to you,
00:07:36.340 like your family, your health, your goals.
00:07:38.660 Push your life forward.
00:07:40.180 Number 31, wealth is built with patience
00:07:42.480 and loss with ignorance.
00:07:44.400 The people that have created real wealth,
00:07:46.480 sustainable wealth, they got rich and they still got it,
00:07:49.080 it's because they've kept being curious.
00:07:51.040 They wonder what's going on around them.
00:07:52.780 They don't pretend like they know it all.
00:07:54.680 Don't get cocky as you build your empire.
00:07:56.440 Number 32, the secret to success is consistency,
00:08:00.340 not intensity. I'm not impressed with somebody that can get up and go to the gym for 14 days
00:08:05.260 in a row. I am impressed that somebody can be consistent over six months. Number 33,
00:08:10.280 you're only as strong as your weakest habit. Having a bunch of vices, habits, decisions that
00:08:15.760 you're not proud of, like eating too much, drinking too much, being addicted to your phone.
00:08:19.920 It's kind of like going on a hike with a backpack full of rocks. You can do it. It's just going to
00:08:24.440 be way harder and it'll definitely slow you down in a big way. Number 34, regret will hurt more
00:08:30.020 than failure ever will.
00:08:31.940 I call this regret minimization.
00:08:33.780 When I fast forward to my last day, my last breath,
00:08:36.620 I don't wanna be laying on my deathbed
00:08:38.400 with a bunch of regrets.
00:08:40.120 So every day I minimize my regrets by taking action today.
00:08:44.180 I don't wait, I don't push off, I don't get in the mood,
00:08:46.640 I don't wait for my feelings to feel good, I just do.
00:08:49.480 Number 35, never argue with someone
00:08:52.300 who is committed to misunderstanding you.
00:08:54.540 Truth is, most people aren't gonna get you
00:08:56.320 and it's not your responsibility to have to explain it.
00:08:58.860 it's okay leaving people in the reality that they find themselves with. You want to learn to pick
00:09:03.880 your fights because you don't want to be in a fight with somebody who doesn't want to see you
00:09:06.600 win. Number 36. If you're always the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room.
00:09:11.980 It feels good to be the top dog, the smartest person in the room, the person that has all
00:09:15.760 the answers. Problem is the way to be successful is you got to get comfortable being the smallest
00:09:19.620 person in the room. Number 37. Don't let temporary people create permanent wounds. Friends come into
00:09:25.900 your life for either a reason, a season, or a lifetime. If you know the difference, you decide
00:09:31.240 to let those people stay in the past. Number 38, distractions destroy more dreams than lack of
00:09:36.920 resources ever will. Most people don't lack opportunity, they lack focus. Number 39, if you've
00:09:43.360 never contradicted yourself, you're not growing fast enough. What that means is that if you're
00:09:47.740 truly on a growth journey, and you're reading, and you're investing, you're going to develop
00:09:51.620 new points of view, which means that your new beliefs are different than the old ones. So if
00:09:55.760 you keep believing the same thing you used to believe, then are you really growing fast enough?
00:09:59.640 The key in all of this is to be confident about what you believe. That's why I say often wrong,
00:10:03.880 never in doubt. Number 40, get obsessed with the process, not the outcome. Fall in love with the
00:10:10.100 art and the betterment and the person you're becoming as you pursue the goal, not the actual
00:10:15.660 goal itself. If you disconnect from the need of achieving something to be happy, instead be happy
00:10:21.100 in the process of achieving that's a life of fulfillment number 41 winners make adjustments
00:10:26.460 losers make excuses if you want to win you're gonna have to tweak things you're gonna have to
00:10:31.420 learn from whatever happened and move forward the people that try and never try ever again 0.97
00:10:36.140 is because they make excuses for themselves it's never their fault and they don't learn anything
00:10:40.220 don't fall into the trap of explaining yourself out of winning number 42 if you want an extraordinary
00:10:46.140 life stop making ordinary choices the whole point of being extra is that you're doing things that
00:10:52.300 other people wouldn't do if everybody around you is saying that's a good decision you might want
00:10:57.100 to be concerned because for you to be extraordinary you need to be extra number 43 if you hang around
00:11:03.260 with five winners you'll be the six most people are the byproducts of the people they spend the
00:11:08.780 most time with if you do not make a decision to find those other five people and work your way
00:11:14.060 into that friend group,
00:11:15.340 then you're just gonna make it hard on yourself.
00:11:17.000 Number 44, the best investment you'll ever make
00:11:20.140 is in yourself.
00:11:21.320 If you can invest money in becoming better
00:11:23.640 so you can increase the money you make when you do work,
00:11:26.600 that's the best return you'll ever get.
00:11:28.640 Stop investing in stocks initially
00:11:30.340 and start investing in you.
00:11:32.060 Number 45, you don't get paid for time,
00:11:34.780 you get paid for value.
00:11:36.320 If you could take a million dollars
00:11:37.860 and turn it into 10 million in 30 minutes,
00:11:40.480 you would get paid a lot of money,
00:11:41.900 millions of dollars for that magic trick.
00:11:44.060 It's not the amount of time you work,
00:11:45.780 it's the value you create in that time.
00:11:47.700 So focus on increasing your value
00:11:49.480 and disconnect your earning from your hour.
00:11:51.940 Number 46, if you chase two rabbits, you'll catch none.
00:11:55.600 Sequencing equals success.
00:11:57.720 If you want to be successful,
00:11:59.280 you need to know what's the one thing,
00:12:01.200 the one domino that if you go all in
00:12:03.180 will help you get that result.
00:12:04.820 You have to pick one focus and go all in.
00:12:07.220 Number 47, success is never own, it's rented.
00:12:11.060 Every day, you have to pay rent.
00:12:13.040 you got to pay your dues. You got to show up. You got to be consistent. You got to put a smile on
00:12:17.480 and you got to do that over long periods of time. Rent is due every day. You need to stay consistent.
00:12:23.440 Number 48, money follows momentum, not perfection. Money loves movement. Money loves speed. Money
00:12:29.860 loves decisiveness. The key is you have to move fast and fix things as you're building. Number
00:12:34.980 49, if your goals don't scare you, they're too small. I used to think I was thinking big and
00:12:41.080 then I moved to San Francisco. And it went from being a millionaire to being a billionaire. Because
00:12:45.740 if you showed up to a coffee shop talking about your million dollar ideas, people would literally
00:12:50.060 stop talking to you and walk the other way. You have to dream bigger, but even more important,
00:12:54.980 execute harder. Number 50, confidence isn't thinking you're better than others. It's knowing
00:13:00.260 you don't have to compare. Confidence isn't a lack of being humble. It's the certainty that you know
00:13:05.380 you do the things you say that you're going to do because of who you are. That's why you have to
00:13:09.340 learn to run your own race. Number 51, if you can't lead yourself, don't expect others to follow
00:13:14.720 you. Just like in a plane, before you help anybody else, you have to put your mask on. And too often
00:13:19.940 people are ready to give everybody else advice on what's going wrong in their life, but they don't
00:13:23.900 want to look in the mirror and ask themselves, am I being honest about what's going on in my life? 0.76
00:13:27.580 Number 52, good is the freaking enemy of great. The most people that achieve a little bit of
00:13:33.000 success, they stop. Now all of a sudden they've got something to lose. They forgot why they started
00:13:37.920 in the first place.
00:13:38.720 They climbed that mountain of success
00:13:40.340 and set up shop halfway through
00:13:42.100 because things are now good.
00:13:43.560 There's nothing to run away from.
00:13:44.820 There's no pain to avoid.
00:13:46.700 The challenge is, is all great people never settled.
00:13:50.200 And that's what a mediocre life comes from.
00:13:52.000 If you wanna live a great life, never settle.
00:13:54.400 Number 53, you're not overthinking,
00:13:56.960 you're under-executing.
00:13:58.600 All your self-doubt comes from a lack of doing.
00:14:01.560 Just get up and move forward towards your goals.
00:14:03.780 It will erase all self-doubt.
00:14:05.480 Number 54, if you want better answers,
00:14:07.920 ask better questions. The better the question, the better the life. And what's crazy is your
00:14:13.280 questions will dictate your future. Number 55. If you hate Mondays, you're doing life wrong.
00:14:19.380 You have to design a life where you get excited to get out of bed. It's the people, it's the
00:14:24.360 projects, it's the energy, it's you. At the end of the day, what you put out is what you get back.
00:14:29.760 So find work that lights you up. Number 56. Your vibe attracts your tribe. It's so crazy,
00:14:35.340 but your energy, how you feel attracts other people
00:14:38.500 that also vibe and feel that way.
00:14:40.920 So what you need to do is just put out your vibe.
00:14:43.160 If you're a happy person, smile.
00:14:44.460 Somebody asks you how you're doing, say freaking amazing.
00:14:46.420 If you love to work out,
00:14:47.720 tell everybody about your last workout.
00:14:49.560 Like be the person who expresses themselves
00:14:52.200 so that other people that resonate with that
00:14:53.980 will lean in, they'll talk to you.
00:14:55.640 Number 57, you receive what you desire for others.
00:14:58.980 If you want to get in the best shape of your life,
00:15:01.040 desire that for other people.
00:15:02.180 If you wanna be rich, help other people get rich.
00:15:04.460 if you want to be happy, help other people be happy. It's so interesting that what you want
00:15:09.580 for other people is what you'll get back in return. Number 58, your life is the byproduct
00:15:15.260 of your most dominant thoughts, feelings, and actions. If you're not happy with where you're at,
00:15:20.480 then ask yourself, what am I thinking about? How am I feeling about my situation? And what am I
00:15:25.760 doing about it? If you look at those three things, you can change your whole life by just that focus.
00:15:30.920 Number 59, weak people chase pleasure,
00:15:33.900 strong people chase purpose.
00:15:35.740 If you want to live a life of fulfillment,
00:15:38.040 you have to do hard things.
00:15:39.480 You have to continue to expand and to grow.
00:15:41.960 If you keep looking for the easiest path,
00:15:43.960 then you'll never live a life of purpose.
00:15:46.380 Number 60, you don't need more information,
00:15:49.380 you need more execution.
00:15:51.160 Some people are addicted to shelf help. 0.85
00:15:53.280 The truth is, you already know what you need to do.
00:15:55.740 Now it's time to just go do it.
00:15:57.400 So those are the 60 things I would share
00:15:59.340 with my 20-year-old self.
00:16:00.560 If you wanna learn the best businesses
00:16:02.460 you can start in 2025, click the video
00:16:04.780 and I'll see you on the other side.