20 Millionaire Rules I Wish I Knew in my 20s

At the time of this recording, I'm a 44-year-old multi-millionaire, but if I could go back and give

my 20-year-old self some advice on how to get rich a lot faster, here's what I would say.

Welcome to the Martell Method. I went from rehab at 17 to building a $100 million empire and being

a Wall Street Journal bestselling author. In this podcast, I'll show you exactly how to build a life

and business you don't grow to hate. And make sure you don't miss anything by subscribing to

my newsletter at martellmethod.com. Rule number one, don't lean your ladder against the wrong wall.
Most people don't plan for success. If you're climbing a ladder and you're successful, you might get to the top and realize it's leaning against the wrong wall.
Then you got to climb all the way back down, grab the ladder, walk across the room to the right wall, and then lean the ladder back up and go through that whole process again. If you don't plan to be successful, you'll live a life of default, not design.
So don't get good at something you hate only to get there to realize it's not the life you want to live. Which brings us to rule number two.
No one needs to change for you to win. If I want to win, I got to find the people that are going to support that.
I don't care what my parents, my friends, my partner, my kids say to me. I've got to find the people that want to support my dream.
If they don't, that's fine. That's their journey.
I need to go create a scenario or find the people that are going to help make it happen. I don't ask anybody to change for me to win.
I change. I do the work.
I get good at dealing with the setbacks, the self-doubt. Everybody second guesses me.
I learn how to overcome those things because that's a world where I control 100% of my outcomes. Which brings us to rule number three, play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
So many people make this mistake. They do business with people they know are shitty.
They get involved in selling crappy products. They raise money to build software that's essentially vaporware.
Now, are there good companies in those? Maybe, but are you probably gonna find the wrong one if you're just starting off? Yes. Trying to take shortcuts today is only gonna have to teach you those lessons that you're gonna learn down the road when you actually win.
Which brings us to rule number four, avoid difficult conversations, create a difficult life. I believe that success in all areas of life is on the backside of hard conversations.
Don't let the fear of hurting people hold you back from seeking the truth. Most people would be wildly successful if they only learned to have hard conversations.
The idea of a clearing conversation, of just speaking your preferences or speaking your mind or sharing with other people your vision for life and being okay with them giving you that feedback, most people are scared to have those difficult conversations. And if you don't do them, it'll just make pain in your life.
Which brings us to rule number five, stop being so freaking serious. You're allowed to be successful and have a lot of fun.
I can't tell you how long I went, 15 years trying to be Mr. Serious Pants and realize that I wasn't having any fun the whole time.
And it turns out the fun part of me is actually a lot more fun to be around. Turns out top performers enjoy getting shit done and also hanging out with somebody that makes them laugh.
You're allowed to be incredibly disciplined and structured and also live an exciting life. The funny part is most people think that they're winning because of that seriousness.
I actually think they're winning in spite of that seriousness, which brings us to rule number six, which is success is not final and failure is not fatal. Here's the big idea.
Success is not a destination. It's a journey and that journey should be cherished.
You should understand that you have the privilege of dealing with all the challenges and setbacks and frustrations along the path of winning. And in the same breath, failing is not fatal.
It's not gonna hold you back. Failing is learning.
Finding that seed of opportunity, that lesson learned. When I create something, it doesn't work out the way I want it to, I just ask myself the question, did I learn? Yes, perfect, move forward.
That's what shapes you. That's what gets you ready to receive the thing you've been asking for.
Instead of being upset by these setbacks, you should be grateful. I give it zero effort because I don't want that negative energy slowing me down for creating in the future.
Which brings us to rule number seven, stop waiting for the right moment. Make the moment right.
Stop waiting for people to give you opportunities. Stop saying, well, I got to do A, B, C so I can do G.
It's so crazy. You're allowed to just start.
I heard a guy the other day, he wanted to be a director. He asked his friend, how do I become a director? He said, just start telling people you're a director.
Do you know how easy that is? Go create opportunities and just take ownership of what you want out of life. There's no person that you look up to that was handed the perfect moment.
What they did is they took action and then created it. That is JFDI.
If you don't know what that stands for, Google it. It's on my license plate.
It is my core motto. It is what I live by.
But that attitude will get you the results. Which brings us to rule number eight.
If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.
When you're alone, you can make precision decisions and move very quickly. Certain types of work need that because money loves speed.
However, if you're trying to build something big, meaningful, durable, valuable to somebody else in the future, then you have to go with other people. You're never going to get to your next level without other people around you.
Other people are going to shape your thoughts, are going to shape your activities. They're going to support you in creating that vision.
Learn to recruit, to involve, to collaborate with other people. Collaboration is the key.
Co-creation is the path. Learn to do that like your life depends on it because it does.
Being rich by yourself in a mega mansion is the saddest expression of wealth. Before we get back to the episode, if you want to jumpstart your week with my top stories and tactics, be sure to subscribe to the Martell Method newsletter.
It's where you'll elevate your mindset, fitness, and business in less than five minutes a week. Find it at martellmethod.com.
Which brings us to rule number nine, the best revenge is massive success. I remember when I was starting off 15 years ago, I had somebody that literally said to me, you'll never make it.
You're not as good as you think you are. And I don't even know why you try.
To my face, and I took it. And instead of allowing it to beat me up, anytime I made a decision that day forward and it didn't go the way I want, I just kept saying, watch me.
And I knew if I got up every day and I pushed and I grinded and I showed up and I did the thing and I started keeping the commitments I made to myself in private. Every day I did that was watch me.
If somebody doesn't believe in you, the best thing you can do is just win. Here's how you know you got there.
That person in the future apologizes and asks you for help. And if you've developed yourself to the point at that level where you have grace and compassion, you'll give them that help.
It'll be tough, but it'll be worth it. Which brings us to rule number 10, the results you're looking for are found in the work you've been avoiding.
I remember I did this 12 hour hike and it was one of the hardest things I'd ever done. Sounds easy, not easy.
And one of the questions I brought to ponder was this Joseph Campbell quote, which says, the cave you fear to enter most holds the treasure that you seek. That concept is life.
Most people avoid their demons when what they really should be learning how to do is how to slay them. Stop avoiding them.
The work instills the worth. Doing the work is what creates you.
Focusing on the thing that is hard is what's going to shape you to become ready to receive the thing you've been asking for your whole frigging life. And instead of being scared about it, I'm encouraging you move forward, lean into it.
Working hard isn't about long hours either. It's not about hustling.
Working hard is doing the thing that scares you most. Do that.
Which brings us to rule number 11. Don't shrink yourself to make other people feel comfortable.
I probably went a couple decades allowing myself to pull back, to play small, to communicate small because I didn't want to scare people away. I didn't want people to feel uncomfortable.
I didn't want people to feel less than because I had big visions for my life and I knew that they didn't think that way. Don't do that.
You have to be so okay being misunderstood for long periods of time by shining your light, by being so great or having a vision that makes other people feel less than or uncomfortable. It's their story, not yours.
If you want to live an extraordinary life, then you got to learn to be extra. You got to learn to be comfortable being extra.
And you should never dim your light because it blinds other people. Which brings us to rule number 12, fear will always give bad advice.
Write this down. False evidence appearing real.
I see this all the time with people around me. They're like, well, you know, I want to do this, but you know, there's always this risk.
Says who? Who told you that? The probability of that thing being true is as likely as the opposite. You have the power to create your future because you have the power to create the energy that you create from.
And if you decide

that fear is something you've made up, then you can decide the opposite is also true. You could ask yourself a simple question.
What needs to be true for me not to be scared to make this decision? What needs to be true for me to move forward without the fear? Because it's giving you bad advice. You need to create from a place of abundance.
Abundance? That source? That energy? that gives great advice. Before we get back to this episode, if you prefer to watch your content, then go find me on YouTube.
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Now let's get back to the episode. Which brings us to rule number 13, exhaust the body, tame the

mind. If you follow me on Instagram, you will see me post almost daily a picture of me working out

with that quote. Why? Because I learned that the more I put my body through struggle, through

stress, I decided to go in the pain cave. When I do that, my mind gets clear.
My mind gets sharp. All the problems I thought were problems just magically dissolve because I've decided to go all in on the physicality strategically throughout my day to reset my energy all the time, especially if you're 20 years old and you're just starting off.
If you can get your fitness in check, if you can learn delayed gratification, if you can learn how good it feels to go into the pain cave and rip those muscles, if you can build that consistency and build your confidence by keeping those commitments you make to yourself at 20, wow, bank accounts fill up. Which brings us to rule number 14, not everyone will be happy for your success and that's okay.
As you start being more successful, the people that you thought had your back are going to probably talk crap. And the reason why is that in your winning, you've shown them where they've decided to pull back.
Like in Australia, they call it crabs in a bucket. It's a metaphor for people trying to get out and do better and everybody pulling the crab back down in the bucket

when if the crabs just got together and worked as a team,

they could all pull themselves out of the bucket.

But that's not human nature.

Mentors turn into critics and that's okay.

You need to just understand it's coming.

Stay close to the people who want more for you

than more from you.

People that are closer to your goals,

not far from your goals.

Those people are gonna make the transition easy. Which brings us to rule number 15, consistency can fix 90% of your problems.
As I've already mentioned, consistency is the foundation of winning. That foundation is what you install everything else on top of.
If you can't get consistent, how are you supposed to do big things? You're 20 with a big vision and you wanna create, but it's like shooting a cannon from a canoe. Your foundation isn't there.
I don't care how rich you want to be. If you can be consistent doing the thing that you know will support your dreams, then it's not going to work.
So my challenge to you is this. Are you willing to do the boring work for a thousand days? Never missing.
If you can commit to that, you will come out that other side a completely different person. Which brings us to rule number 16.
Nobody cares about your story until you win. Some of you want your parents to care about how hard you work.
Some of you want your friends to acknowledge that you're now successful, but you don't realize that you've only been doing this for a few years. And they've seen you be a complete twerp for a decade plus.
You got to understand you have not proven to them that you are that person yet. And guess what? No one cares how hard you work.
Nobody cares how long you work. So just go win.
Don't worry about the praises, the victory. If you need praise to move forward, you've already lost the race.
You have to learn to be okay making decisions with nobody praising you for you to win. So just go out there and do it.
And trust me, all the setbacks, all the failures, they will forget the moment you win. Which brings us to rule number 17.
The pain you feel today creates the strength you feel tomorrow. Most people can't deal with problems.
And here's a crazy idea. You've never learned anything when things went right.
Period. Full stop.
What I've learned is over the years, when I was in my 20s, every setback, every frustration, every failed company was teaching me how to deal with higher level problems. And as I look back, the size of my problems dictates the size of my life.
If I don't go through those challenges, I'm not going to develop the armor that I'm going to need for the next monster. At every level, you will find a new devil that has to be overcome.
And the only way you learn how to do that is if you deal with the first one. Which brings us to rule number 18.
Peace begins when expectations end. Some of you think you're winning because of your perfectionism.
And I'm telling you, the thing stopping you is your decision to be perfect at every step. Stop demanding perfection and start embracing progress.
Evaluate where you've gotten to so far and celebrate that. Don't beat yourself up.
You know, my coach at my let says this all the time. He's like, you can desire for more.
And in that same breath, be blissfully dissatisfied for what you've achieved. Acknowledge the journey and the person you've developed into today.
Let go of what you think life should be and just start focusing on what it could be. Before we get back to the episode, if you actually want to know what my real life looks like and see the people and the businesses and the companies I buy and my family and just like how I make it all work, go follow me on Instagram, Dan Martell, 2Ls and Martell on Instagram.
It's where I show the behind the scenes, the real deal, real time. I'd love to see you there.
Have an amazing day. Which brings us to rule number 19, you receive what you desire for others.
The moment I stopped making it about me and started making it about other people, my whole life changed. When I realized it wasn't about me getting rich, it was helping other people get rich, I got richer.
It's so crazy because you see this with artists. Oliver Anthony, he wrote an incredible song, Richmond, North of Richmond.
He was interviewed by Joe Rogan and asked him, why do you think that out of all the songs you've ever written your whole life and being somebody that was a drunk living in a trailer, why you? And he said two things. I started reading the Bible and two, I stopped making about myself and I started making about other people.
The more you desire other people around you to achieve, I'm telling you, it comes back tenfold, which brings us to rule number 20. The world will show you where you're not free.
It is one of the most powerful reframes I use on a daily basis. Anytime I'm facing a challenge or I'm frustrated with a situation, I get curious.
I go, interesting. I'm not free right now.
What is it about this situation that's causing me to be triggered? Because I believe it's in the discomfort of life that we are given our assignments to go do the work. And if I could have figured that out in my 20s, holy crap, I would have been even more of a weapon.
Every obstacle is literally an invitation to break free from your old patterns. If you do that right, you will grow so fast.
You will have so much abundance in your life. People won't understand how you've been able to do it so quickly.
There's this book that's been written called Trauma. Most people like get this book and put it on the bookshelf, never to be open.

And I'm gonna encourage you to actually open it up and read it because as you do that work,

you're actually doing it for yourself,

but more importantly,

you're doing it for the future family you're gonna build.

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