How Adding Value Will Let You Live Your Dream Life
The most common question I get asked is how was I able to create a life where I get to monetize my passions, hobbies, and lifestyle.
The answer: I started living this life long before it was monetized in any way.
For a decade, I lived my “dream” before it ever paid me a dollar.
I believe that what you get out is a direct correlation to what you put in.
This ethos holds true with:
Diet
Career
Training
Content
Relationships
Business
This article shares my thought process behind turning your hobbies into your dream career and life.
How to Know When to Add Value and When To Take Value
I believe that providing value is a fundamental aspect of success for athletes, entrepreneurs, and creators.
Making “providing value” my default setting is what allowed me to turn my passions into my career.
That being said, I also think there are times when you should be quiet and take value, especially when you are early in your journey.
So much of what I have learned in both sport and business is a direct result of getting around people who were further along in the process.
When I was in my 20s and pursuing triathlon, I made a conscious decision to place myself around successful triathletes to learn from them:
How they trained
How they structured their days
How they fueled
And then I hired a coach. I recognized that I wasn’t an expert on writing training plans and knew that in order to accomplish my goals I needed help.
I also tried to provide value back in each of these relationships. When I learned that my body has an abnormal ability to burn fat as a fuel source, I recommended that other triathletes get these tests done to understand how to fuel properly for their bodies.
I documented every training session I did for years, how I felt before, during, and after, how I fueled, and the volume/intensity. After years of doing this, I had a massive data set that I was able to share with my coaches and help them improve their programming.
Probably the most important thing, however, was that none of these decisions ever felt transactional. I have never gone into a friendship thinking, if I give you this, I will get this in return.
Instead, I prioritize building genuine relationships, where there is an equal amount of value giving and value taking from each side.
*If you realize that all you are doing is providing value, and you are never getting anything back in return, this is not a healthy relationship.
That’s not how things are supposed to work.
Every day, every week, and every year, there are times when I provide value to my friends and partners and there are days when I take value and learn from them.
How to Earn Respect
Respect is never given, it’s earned. The same thing is true with success.
It takes time, humility, and a lot of hard work.
On January 4th, 2000 Mark Cuban purchased a majority stake in the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks for $285 million.
At this point he could have any office in the building, but do you know where he chose to sit?
In the middle of the open-floor plan office with the nine other salesmen trying to sell season tickets.
In an interview with GQ, Cuban stated he “didn’t give a sh*t about an office. I wanted everyone who worked with me to see that if I asked them to do it, I’d do it.”
Why? Because he wanted to earn the respect of the people who were working with him.
You can’t buy respect. You can’t demand respect. The only way to gain respect is by putting in the work.
If you are running a company or training for an ironman, there are no shortcuts.
Inputs equal outputs.
The same principle applies to designing your dream like.
I added value for a decade before monetizing my passions and hobbies.
I put in the work to:
Build a network
To become a subject matter expert on a specific topic
To gain other’s respect
To attract opportunities
Your actions dictate the likelihood of success.
The more action you take, the more you increase your chances for success.
Today's Optimization
Maximizing efficiency in daily actions gives me control over my schedule. The reason I am able to get outside and move everyday is because I have optimized time in other areas of my life. This is why I love Max Muscle Nutrition — I can buy all my favorite supplements in one location. Right now, this is my go-to supplement stack: HVMN, Human Improvement, Klean Creatine, Carnosyn Beta Alanine, L-Citrulline, Maxxtor, and Create Gummies.
The biggest difference I feel with supplementation comes with consistent action. This week, Max Muscle Nutrition is offering Movement Memo subscribers a deal: 15% off your entire order using code “Ehinman” + any order over $99 gets free shipping.
Today's Movement
Complete for time: 21-15-9
- Deadlights (225 lbs / 155 lbs)
- Bar Facing Burpees
