But there are still big challenges ahead, and first we must be vigilant in our own lives. Just like airline flight attendants tell you to put on your own mask first in the event of cabin depressurization, you’ve got to have your own life protected before you can start saving others.

The same thing goes for the rapidly changing world around us. I care deeply about this country, and our future generations – like many of you, I will have grandchildren. Without being a fearmonger, all aspects of life and business are going to be tougher going forward. The standard of living and the American Dream which our country built through free-market capitalism (which is a bygone in this age of crony capitalism) is going to be jeopardized, because it’s going to become harder to actually build and maintain wealth. 

Why is wealth important? For me, it’s not about lifestyle – it’s about having autonomy, freedom, and choices. Once you have true freedom, you can do what you want, when you want, how you want, and with whom you want. I don’t have a problem with being active in a business. But it’s harder today, and even if you’ve been successful so far, you can’t keep doing things the way you have been. 

I’m not here to be a pessimist, and I do want you to be optimistic about the year ahead. But I am a realist – and if you don’t change your current models, you’re going to get slammed. I want you to reap the rewards of your hard work, investments, and risks you’ve taken so far in life. I want you to have the freedom and autonomy to make a bigger impact wherever and on whatever size scale you want.

In 2021, I’ll be laying out some key constructs and frameworks: lessons that I learned through my life experience, which has been a tortuous turn of ups and downs. But I realized that I could reach out and find other people to run with who had already gone down the path and figured out where the minefields were. Try to go solo, and you’ll keep stepping on those bombs that set you back. 

Magnetically attracting the right people takes work and effort. I’ve spent my entire life doing this and now, my network and relationship capital are expansive. You need to start building a network. You need an inner circle of at least five people who you know, like, and trust, from different backgrounds and experiences. If you’re not building a tribe that can start stepping you up, increasing your framework, mindset, and mental capacity – then all the work you’re doing now can only take a linear path to improvement, and one that’s easily offset by bumps in the road.

You need an exponential path to get you to that freedom point faster. It’s what we do in Freedom Founders. I’ve created these constructs through my own experience and thousands of hours spent with other people, gleaning the best of the best life principles.

You start with the principles, break them down into strategies, and then into tactics. Too many people do it the other way around. They’re all tactical with no plan – Give me this and that shiny object! You’ve got to have a program, a plan, a clear vision of your life, and a pathway to get there.

If you’re just going back to work as usual at the beginning of this year, godspeed to you. I’m glad you’re healthy and can do it; but wouldn’t you rather do it in a smarter, faster way – without having to reinvent the wheel? How many more decades do you want to spend doing what you’re doing?

My point is, it’s imperative that you change your models – which means you’ve got to change your thinking. You can’t just abdicate your future to advisors and other people who promise great things, despite likely being no better off than you in terms of their own autonomy and freedom.

You want to find people who’ve actually gone there, done it, and figured it out. Jim Rohn says you become the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Who are you spending time with? What are you reading and taking in? What kinds of groups are you a part of? That’s where you should be investing for yourself. Yes, you need some CE and specialized training – but don’t put all your focus there.

Focus instead of improving yourself. Start with what’s between your ears – be willing to shake up how you’re thinking and be open-minded. Make this the year you remove the fear-based thinking that holds you back, keeping you from exploring new ventures. You want to get back to that childhood sense of exploration. 

So why don’t you? You’re fearful of screwing something up, right? How can you overcome that fear?

You’ve got to get around people who are also blazing trails, where you can mitigate risk. Instead of thrashing through the jungle yourself, you’ll have people with you when you come upon challenges or obstacles. If you’re running solo today, you’ve got to stop. Be strong, be resilient, and have perseverance. But find other people who will help you do that. You’ve got to clear the air and be open to change. 

I’ll be laying out many more of these constructs through this year. I hope you’ll stay involved and check out my videos and blogs, because I’m going to help share clarity and vision to lead you where you want to go. You’ve got to be lifting yourself up on a regular basis, looking at the big picture, driving those big leverage points, and not getting sucked into the little things that don’t matter.