2018 is done! Finito! In the books, baby. I’m here to break down the top take aways from the year… ready to start 2019 with a bang. Let’s go!
I want to break down my top lessons that I learned from the year. And I think it is so important to pause and reflect on the things that I want to take with me from 2018 into 2019, and what things I want to throw away.
That is what I want to share with you – even if the lessons were small, they were still big. At least, big to me.
Hopefully that will help you to look at your lessons in a new and different light, and let that shine and guide you through the 2019 year.
Let’s dive into it…
Lesson # 1 – I have everything I need to succeed
In life we think we need one more piece of software, one more magical potion or another avenue… but the reality is – the current software and potion is working just fine.
Instead of tackling the real issue – which is being consistent – we get shiny object syndrome.
Looking at this new year – I have to get back to basics of blocking and tackling. What that means for me is getting back to looking at the charts, trends, patterns, and if I see something I like I take it and I let it go if I don’t (in regards to my stock trading).
Lesson # 2 – It’s about the big picture
Initially, I had the goal of making $1M in the stock market… and somewhere along the way I stopped sharing my specific numbers with my trades because it sounded braggadocios. I took a step back and I started to say… is this really serving my audience? Just to share how much I am making?
It didn’t feel good to me.
Once you start hitting crazy numbers, a lot of people stop relating and start tuning out.
It’s not about the stock market and making a lot of money –
How can I build the best life possible for me and my family?
And that’s it. And it will take a combination of things. To get where I am at I used a job, 401K, the power of building a business, and I used the stock market. All of those things combined help feed the ultimate plan above.
It’s not just about the money itself – it’s what it does. It’s the money that provides the time, freedom, and resources to not stress so much. It’s more about the money can buy that makes it important – not the money itself.
It’s going to take the stock market, the business, new partnerships, new business ideas, perhaps new investing ideas… to build the best life for my family and I.
This helps me keep my eyes and ears open to what would help me achieve that, too.
For example – a lot of people come to me and say, “I want to quit my full time job and trade full time”. But maybe look at it this way… maybe your current job is apart of the plan. If you didn’t have a job, you wouldn’t have internet to be able to look at stocks… That job holds it’s purpose. BUT so does investing or the stock market…
Look at the whole puzzle, not just one piece.
How do you put it together? Look at the whole puzzle in order to make a comprehensive plan to put the pieces in order.
That’s what I took from 2018… maybe it is similar for you.
A lot of the time that I can stomach the ups and downs of the market is because I see the WHOLE picture and other areas that I can have passive income.
When you understand wealth principles, then you can recognize opportunities for passive income verses linear income (doing something one time and get paid, just one form of income).
My plan is not the stock market. It is using the stock market as a puzzle piece in the big plan – to have the best life for me and my family.
Lesson # 3 – Just go out and help people
I love helping people. I love seeing our members inside of Power Trades University say things like “Now I get it! Thanks for taking the time to explain it that way”. That lights me up.
There were some times in 2018 when I held back from doing certain things because of how I would look or sound.
For example, I wanted to do more live events for local people here in Michigan… or even a live event in high concentrated areas where our members are… then all the mindset things set in.
“What if no one shows up, what if just 1 person shows up?”
Now I have the mindset – “Well, if just that one person shows up – that person is about to get BLESSED. Because I am about to unleash my knowledge out onto this one person”.
I want to just go out and help people – forget about how I look or sound or if just one person shows up.
I want to do more podcasts, webinars, etc… just to help people gain this knowledge.
I am passionate about people seeing what is POSSIBLE for them FINANCIALLY. If I am going to impact them, I am going to have to be more bold. Let’s be bolder and spread the message of financial planning.
Lesson #4 – I want to have more fun on this journey
I think people, myself included, take money SO. SERIOUSLY. Have you ever lost $100 and it ruins your day?
But you went to bed and woke up the next day and guess what? You still had electricity, you still had a job, you still had a car to get there…
Same thing with the stock market. Maybe you make some money, maybe you lose some money. But when you lose, you second guess everything and doubt that it even works at all.
But you realize LIFE IS NOT OVER – your spouse still loves you, things that matter are still there even though you lost money.
I remember thinking, “Once I make X amount of dollars, I am going to buy a Rolex”. You could NEVER tell me differently.
But once I did reach that certain amount – I didn’t want it anymore.
When you don’t have money, there is all this stuff you would think you would buy – all these brands and extras. Once you make it… man you don’t want to spend it on that!
The Rolex just tells time. I couldn’t do it and still can’t.
You want what you can’t have and then when you can afford it you don’t want to spend money on it.
Now what is important to me is freedom – making sure I do not have to go back to work for a regular job. Or making sure that what I do for work is what I love – like talking to you guys on the podcast or this blog post.
The same thing is for when you lose some money. If you’re smart and only dealing with money that you can lose – if you do lose it or something goes wrong – you learn from it and life goes on!
I just want to have more fun on this journey of becoming the best person that I can be to teach about money, the stock market, and mindset.
As a side note… I try and contribute to my church. And I typically wait until the end of the year to see how much I truly have made… because some months I am up or down… and when I go to give it, it can be a little tough. Like “Hmm, I could just keep this money…” Or change the number of how much I could give.
But I did it, and I feel good! The point of talking about it is – to address that fear we all have! Even I have it! Could I have used this money for my business, etc?
I have to remember God has blessed me this far, and I believe that there is enough money in this world to go around.
I do not want to live from the quadrant of fear, the quadrant of lack.
That would be saying “I do not think I will learn anything new this year that would help me make even more than I did this year”
I would have been saying “This money is more important for me than it is than helping people in a different way”. This cause would do things that are not in my wheelhouse. It feels good to donate to a cause.
This podcast has got to be about the mindset TOO – the fear, still thinking you are not good enough even after making money, thinking about if you have what it takes…
The point is – I want to have more fun on this journey. I want to worry less about how I look and sound, and just stick to the plan of doing my best for me and my family.
I am so excited to see what 2019 brings me, my family – and also you and your family.
Hit me up on Instagram @brownreport – I would love to hear what your top takeaways of 2019 are.