I’ve interviewed over 400 high performers and top achievers on my podcast and nearly all of them were 35+.
After talking with all of these men over the past half decade I have found a couple of common themes that they ALL followed in order to become hyper successful (many of them were complete failures in their 20’s and then turned things around).
Here they are.
Take your health seriously
Your metabolism slows as you age making it VITAL that you take care of your health now.
Eat 80% whole foods, more greens, drink plenty of clean water, supplement wisely and go to the gym at least 4 times a week. Once a week sweat like you’re running for your life.
Save and invest 20%
Consider this an additional 20% tax from uncle Sam.
Put aside 10% of every paycheck into an opportunity fund and the other 10% into a low risk/high yield index fund or something similar. When the market crashes you’ll have cash to buy assets at a massive discount. This is how average people can become wealthy.
Educate yourself daily
Seriously, every day for at least 30 minutes read books, listen to podcasts or audiobooks, take online courses, talk to mentors.
You won’t regret it.
Start sleeping 8 hours+ a night
You do not get more done with less sleep because you end up doing more average work.
You will perform at least 70% better than you normally do.
Try to be in bed by 11 p.m. and awake between 6:30 and 8:00 a.m. depending on your needs (if you are active you will need more sleep).
Blackout the room, turn off all screens and devices by 9 p.m., drink a cup of hot water with 1 Tbsp honey and 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar. Goodnight…
Your life will never be the same.
Get a coach
It might seem kinda weird at first, but having a men’s coach helped me accelerate my life, relationships and business in ways that I can’t even count.
Regardless of your current level of success, you NEED a coach to help you identify your blindspots, spot opportunities, and ensure that you stay accountable during your 30’s so that you can enjoy your 40’s.
All the things you procrastinated on in your 30s you will pay for your in your 40s and beyond.
Take it easy on yourself
10,000 years ago, simply making it to 30 years old would be considered a massive “Success”.
Today, you aren’t a “Success” unless you have a super model wife, 7 figure bank account, and a body like Adonis.
This is a load of crap.
You aren’t doing as badly as you think and you can always do better than you realize.
Learn to relax and take it easy on yourself, love yourself, and take care of yourself. Enjoy the present moment otherwise you’ll miss it all.
Stop listening to broke, unhappy people
Unless you want to learn what not to do, stop listening to broke unhappy people.
Even if they are your friends or family.
If they don’t have the results you want in life then of course show respect but move on and do what you want to do anyways.
Give Up the major vices
In your 20’s, you can smoke cigarettes, pound the booze, snort lines, and huff who knows what and wake up the next day and hit the gym strong in the morning. As you break into your 30’s this is no longer the case.
Not only is your body no longer able to take the same abuse that it once could, but you are significantly increasing your risk for a premature death if you engage in these vices on a regular basis.
If you want to have a sip of bourbon with some friends or the occasional smoke, let it be. If it becomes a part of your daily lifestyle then you will certainly limit your potential and have regrets in your 40s.
But if you are a slave to any substance or bad habit it needs to get cut out NOW.
Quit doing stuff you hate
Look, life is too damn short to constantly spend it doing things that you hate.
You are not your income.
You are not your relationship.
You are not your past mistakes.
If you hate your job, relationship, or city… Change it. Find the lessons, learn from them and don’t look back.
Be present
The WORST thing you can do with your 30’s is what so many people do with their 20’s.
They go through this amazing decade of their lives without actually enjoying it.
They are constantly trying to get to the next thing in search of happiness and eventually they wake up old and dying only to realize that they never truly lived.
Don’t let this be you.
Embrace your mortality
You’re just 1 doctors visit away from a diagnoses that could severely limit your lifespan or quality of life. We are all victim to this disease we share called being human and there is no escaping it. So while we are here (and don’t actually know for how long) live your life in the best way possible that is alignment with your values and what you want out of this beautiful experience we call life.
I’ll leave you with a poem that I love from Chief Tecumseh:
So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours.
Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.
Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
- Ferebee is Founder of Knowledge For Men and a Best Selling Author whose works have appeared in HuffPost, Forbes, Apple News, etc.
