Welcome to the Growth Guide, a weekly newsletter where I share actionable ideas to help you Live Better, Achieve More and Be Financially Free.

The Growth Guide Podcast

If you enjoy the newsletter,

You’ll love our Podcast, the Growth Guide.

Every week, we talk to a subject matter expert or an accomplished author to help you, and me, be healthier wealthier and wiser !

While you’re there, please, do me a favor, drop a rating or review on Apple Podcasts

If you do, we climb the charts, which allows us to talk to more authors and the guests you want on the show.

The Fisherman and Businessman

I just finished reading The Good Enough Job, by Simone Stolzoff, for an episode of the Growth Guide and he shared one of my favorite parables, which illustrates the And Then Mental Model.

Let me share my version of the parable with you and then we can break it down.

In a quaint Caribbean village, a fisherman, lean and fit with a serene expression, was returning early in the day, carrying a few large fish on his rod and a guitar on his back. His tan skin glistened under the sun, and he moved with a relaxed, almost Zen-like calmness.

Observing this, a heavy-set businessman, red-faced and sweating profusely in the tropical heat, approached him. He was curious about the fisherman’s early return.

How long did it take you to catch those fish? the businessman asked, wiping his brow.

Not long at all, the fisherman replied with a peaceful smile.

Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish? the businessman inquired, puzzled.

The fisherman explained, This is enough for my family’s dinner. Tonight, I’ll play my guitar by the fire on the beach with my friends and share some rum and good stories.

But what do you do with the rest of your time? the businessman pressed on.

The fisherman described his simple life: I sleep late, fish a little, play with my kids, take siestas with my wife, and spend evenings with my friends playing guitar while we talk, sing and dance around the fire.

The businessman, eager to offer advice, said, I have an MBA. You should spend more time fishing. With the extra fish, you could buy a bigger boat.

And Then? the fisherman asked.

With a bigger boat, you’ll catch more fish. Then you can hire people to fish for you, the businessman explained.

And Then? the fisherman repeated.

Soon, you’ll be able to afford several boats. Eventually, you can move to the city, and then to New York City, to manage your expanding enterprise, the businessman said with growing excitement.

And Then? the fisherman continued.

You could go public, make millions! the businessman exclaimed, his face growing redder with enthusiasm.

And Then? the fisherman calmly asked again.

You’d retire. Move to a small coastal village, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, and spend evenings playing guitar by the fire with your friends, the businessman concluded.

The fisherman smiled warmly, thanked the businessman and walked away.

The Games You Play

And Then

It’s such a powerful question.

It’s a question I learned too late in life.

After all, you don’t want to Win a Game You Never Wanted to Play.

And, you’re only going to know whether you want to play or not if you play out the possible outcomes.

Let me share one of my many stories where And Then would have helped me.

In 2016, our townhouse had appreciated significantly in value and, I realized, it would be my chance to buy a single family home in Vancouver.

My wife, said to me, I don’t think we need it, but I was adamant and pushed until I eventually got her onside.

The problem was, I never asked myself the question, And Then.

We moved our family of four into 750 sq ft apartment while our home was being built and the build took 1+ years longer than expected and was ~ $500k over budget. Gut punch after gut punch.

We went from a small mortgage on a wonderful townhouse in one of the best areas in this city to a massive mortgage on our dream house.

But, remember, I never asked And Then.

It wasn’t long into the build process that I realized I may want to make a life pivot sooner than later, but…

Now I had a big mortgage…

Now I had my wife sold on a dream house…

Now, I was shackled to the home and it removed optionality…

If I’d asked myself the And Then question as it related to the house, I would have realized, it’s only nice for a certain period of time And Then we’d downsize to a townhouse…And Then, we’d have more options with what to do with our life and future…And Then, we’d have Freedom.

Remember, my friends, it isn’t about the money. It’s about the Freedom the Money provides and I’d taken away my freedom by not playing out the multiple scenarios that could unfold.

But, all’s not lost.

We will be downsizing.

You heard it here first, team, we walked it through to the end.

By selling our home and downsizing to a townhouse, we increase our options and soon, I look forward to sharing what that means with you…

TGG Podcast

This week on the Growth Guide Podcast, we talked to Mark Divine, an entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, philanthropist and one of the world’s top leadership and coaching experts.

After a successful 20 year career as a Navy SEAL and SEAL Commander, Mark was hired by the Navy to create a nationwide coaching and leadership program for the SEALs.

Mark joined us today to talk about his best-selling book, The Way of the SEAL: Think Like an Elite Warrior to Lead and Succeed.

Life is hard.

Whether the process is hard,

Or it’s the results that are hard.

You get to choose your version of hard

In this episode, we talked about Doing Hard Things and so much more, including how it can change your life: