#138 A BTG Cheat-Sheet

Welcoming you back with a curveball!

Unfortunately, we do not have a new Behind the Grind interview ready to go for you today. Basically, life happened - unexpected circumstances set us back, and rather than rushing it to post, we’re gonna save it for October.

But when life gives us lemons, we make lemonade…and then we open a lemonade stand, run that sh%$ until a Big Beverage company comes calling with an offer, and retire to an island where they have every tropical fruit but lemons…

Anyway, today’s issue features Prof Mike taking a look back at our previous four BTG interviews. He’s gonna professor it up and bring his own spin accordingly.

Enjoy!

• Behind The Grind: Finding Common Threads with Prof Mike💰️ 📈 🚀 
   

• Food For Thought About Writing 📈 🚀

BEHIND THE GRIND 💯 

REVIEW: A BTG Study Session with Prof Mike 🧠

I’m a big fan of this interview series and commend Dan for the job he’s done with it. I do believe we can learn from every individual’s personal experiences and perspectives, but when a second, and then a third, and then a fourth can corroborate?

Now we’re cooking!

So I went back through our past BTG interviews, looked for common themes, and put them together below. Here’s what stood out to me:

LET’S FATTEN THAT WALLET 💰️ 

How do you define a rich life?

TM: A rich life is a happy life…[which] is one that allows you to be the best version of yourself. For me, it’s always been [about maximizing] time with friends and family. Creating memories through different experiences. Having a job that gives you a sense of fulfillment and purpose.

EM: A balanced life. Working hard and enjoying. Thinking big picture and executing on a vision consistently.

EP: A rich life isn’t just about money. It’s about meaning. It’s living on your terms, with clarity about what matters and the courage to prioritize it…[For me] it means waking up energized, doing work I respect, creating things that didn’t exist before, having deep conversations, taking care of the people I love, and having the discipline to walk away from anything that doesn’t align.

DK: Rich to me doesn't necessarily mean how much money you have. I know plenty of unhappy “rich” people. Happy, healthy kids and a spouse that is by your side could never have a price tag.

🧠

What jumps out to me here is balance with an emphasis on loved ones.

How many people do you know living imbalanced lives? People who live for the weekends because Monday thru Friday is strictly reserved for working, sleeping, and then using what’s left to prepare for / commute to work, not to mention taking care of standard adult responsibilities?

When you look back, say, fifty years from now, you won’t regret that you didn’t work more; you’ll regret that you didn’t live more. So from where I’m sitting, we have two options:

1. Make your work your passion. Do something you truly love so it never feels like you’re just selling your precious time.
   

2. Create the sort of work-life boundaries that allow you to maximize your free time. Don’t let your job dominate your life; instead make sure that you always have time for friends, family, and whatever else brings you joy.

Both are easier said than done, but what’s the alternative? Being one of those “unhappy rich people” who misses out on what really matters?

LET’S BOOST THAT PRODUCTIVITY🚀 

What is one lifestyle habit that boosts your productivity to get sh!t done?

TM: Sweating. Getting a workout in. Always clears the mind and makes me feel better.

EM: Being physically active.

EP: Exercise!

🧠 

Speaking of balance...

Take a moment to break yourself down. Maybe you prefer a simple mental vs. physical split, or maybe your breakdown is something more involved, like:

• Physical

• Mental

• Intellectual

• Spiritual

• Emotional

• Social

• Professional

• Etc.

No matter your approach, it comes back to balance. One aspect impacts the other (or the rest). Which means if you’re not taking care of yourself physically, you’re seeing consequences elsewhere.

Exercise is about much more than building muscle or losing weight. Carve out some time for your body, and watch everything else improve along with it, including your productivity.

LET’S ELEVATE THAT BRAND 📈 

What’s a communication skill that changed the game for you and why?

EM: Active listening and asking the right follow-up questions.

EP: Learning to listen more than I talk.

I used to feel like I had to contribute constantly to the conversation, but the more I slowed down and really listened without planning my next response, the more I realized how much I was missing…

DK: Listen. Just listen. You learn a lot from not being the one always talking. For me, when a customer trusts me enough to tell me something important or exciting or sad in their lives, it means they value our relationship both in business and beyond. Sometimes people just need an ear to lean on.

🧠 

I begin every semester with a definition of rhetoric, which is just persuasive speech. Then I ask my students, “Can anyone give me an example of non-persuasive speech?” and I watch them briefly furrow their brows or dart their eyes before raising a hesitant hand.

It’s a trick question. The answer is no. All speech is persuasive.

Not persuasive in the sense of trying to get you to agree with me, but persuasive in the sense of trying to get you to do, say, think, or feel something. All speech has purpose, and every person who speaks wants something from someone else.

But to get it, you first have to give. You have to know what your audience wants, likes, and/or values, and then you craft your speech around that in order to achieve your purpose.

So good communicators know their audiences, which is to say: good communicators listen.

Our interviewees gave nice, selfless answers about establishing genuine connections and relationships. I love that. It’s nice to know there are still people who care. But even if you put those good intentions aside, listening is still crucial.

To get what you want, you must know how to get it.

To obtain that knowledge, you must listen to whomever you hope to get it from.

It’s simple as that.

RAPID FIRE FUN 🔥 

If you could text your younger self one quick message, what would it say?

TM: When in doubt, take the chance.

EP: Keep going. You'll be ok.

DK: It’s all going to work out.

Any last gem you want to drop that would benefit our readers?

EM: It’s always worth it to bet on yourself. Just make sure it’s a good bet.

🧠 

These two sentiments go hand-in-hand. When you have the mindset that “you’ll be ok” and things are “going to work out,” you’re more willing to take risks. This, to me, is an underrated aspect of hope and positivity. Of course it’s great for your minute-to-minute mood, but it also unleashes a world of possibilities that other mindsets don’t allow.

So go for it! One way or another, it’ll all work out 🙏 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT 💭 

Before You Go

Hope you enjoyed this Prof Mike Curveball edition.

Next week, we’ll be back with more unexpected content — since it’s the 5th Tuesday of the month, it’s a Bonus Edition. And Prof Mike will be back doing the heavy lifting since I’ll be busy GETTING MARRIED!

Thanks to the professor for stepping up, and thanks to every single one of you for your continued support!

As always, see you next Tuesday 🤝 

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