This year I turned 28, on the 28th of October. It was a special birthday. I spent the weekend with a close group of friends in Austin doing a lot of deep work (and some partying too).
Out of it came a lot of lessons and reflection. And so here are 28 lessons from 28 years of my life that will make you more money, a sharper entrepreneur, and an even better human.
1. You’re just one split test away from 1m/month
I’ve seen this time and time again in multiple internet businesses. It’s why I founded this blog. It’s how I’ve built 2x (nearly 3) 7 figure companies in just 2022 alone.
Here’s the secret: Entrepreneurship is not about creating a winning marketing funnel out of the gate. It’s about testing your way to success.
It often just takes one variation of an existing marketing system to go from in the red, to printing 1m/month and in the green. Never forget that and you’ll make millions.
2. You’re also one split test away from anything you want in life
Lately I’ve been trying to split test everything. My diet, sleep, supplements, dating, businees, finacnes, travel, the list goes on.
If I’m going to be doing it for the next 70 years, I want to get it right sooner than later. The beneficial compounding effects are unfathomable, and will lead to the life you want.
3. People Over Profits, Profits Over Revenue (P>P>R)
P>P>R is a philosophy I developed that has not only helped make me a ton of cash, but also helped me build real businesses that impact the world and the people (and dogs) using our products.
A business that’s doing a million a month, but keeping less than 50k, is a headache and nearly worthless (yes, I know quite a few businesses doing that).
The way to avoid that is to focus on putting people (your customers) first. Deliver a killer product and create a movement. Stand for something.
Watch then as your marketing becomes effortless and goes from revenue generating to profit printing.
4. Take 30-60min walks everyday, without technology.
This one is huge. Today we live in a 24/7/365 plugged in world, where we’re bombarded with messages, ping’s, notifications and calls ALL THE TIME.
Our brains’ are not hardwired for that at all. Our brains run on sprint and rest cycles. The constant flow of stimulation leaves zero time for boredom and downtime for the brain to rest, process, and think.
Which is why I recommend taking walks without technology. This lets the creative juices flow and forces your brain to go into rest and thinking mode.
The creative breakthroughs you will have as a result will change your life and your business. Plus it’s a nice side benefit hat walking helps to melt fat, improve recovery and make you happier.
5. Learn how properly set and respect boundaries
This one was tough for me. But learning to set your own boundaries (aka what I will and will not accept) and actually enforce them will completely change your life for the better. Just expect to have a lot of people pushing back on you.
6. Choose your partners wisely
This goes for both business and romantic. On the business end, you should only get involved with people you can do handshake deals with (and then of course still have contracts in place).
But more importantly, you need to have opposing skill sets. Too many business owners partner with other people who have the exact same skill set. While this is comforting, it’s not good for business.
On the romantic side, all I can say is this. The person (or people) you chose to be with will have a far greater influence on your life than you can imagine.
Take your time and choose wisely. This alone can make or break your entire business (and life).
7. The 20 food rule
This one comes from my bestselling book – the 77 laws of six pack abs. As often as possible, limit yourself to 20 types of food every day and week. You will perform better, you will be healthier and you will enjoy those times you aren’t eating these foods so much more (like at parties, restaurants, during travel etc.)
My 20 food list: Grass fed beef, free range chicken, wild caught fish, lime’s, lettuce, sweet potato, russet potato, popcorn (in coconut or avocado oil), coconut oil, olive oil, ketchup, banana’s, strawberries, blackberries, pasture raised, free run eggs, grass fed butter, pork, chocolate, white rice.
8. Write out your perfect average day. It will come true.
In 2012 I did an exercise by Frank Kern. The exercise involves you writing out your perfect average day from beginning to end. Not your perfect vacation day. But your perfect NORMAL day.
I saved that letter on my computer. Last September (2021) I randomly stumbled upon it again, only to realize I was living it everyday.
I was waking up on the beach with an amazing woman. I would walk along the beach in the morning. Do some writing, make calls. At lunch I’d go and hang out by the ocean. I’d hit the gym. Work some more. And in the evening I’d go out with friends for an awesome dinner, only to return back to the beach condo with my partner.
My only regret was not dreaming bigger. You should do the same. Take some time and write out your perfect average day. Where are you living? What do you do? Are you fit? Do you have a partner? Kids? The more detail the better.
Walk through every hour of your perfect average day. Then read this letter to yourself every single morning. And watch as you bend the will of the world to paint your own reality.
For a walkthrough, watch this video by Frank Kern.
9. Pivot fast and hard
In life, you learn to adapt or die. The Pandemic tattooed that to the inside of our skull. Business is no different. If something is not working, pivot. If a team member isn’t working out, pivot.
If your gym routine isn’t getting you results, pivot. Life is a game of constant course corrections, reassessing data, and action. That’s how you achieve all your dreams in the short time we have.
10. Ownership is everything
If you don’t own equity in a business, you are missing out one of the highest leverage ways to increase your wealth. Otherwise you are stuck on the hamster wheel of trading time for money.
There’s a time and a place for getting paid to work – my little brother is currently in that phase.
But your goal, if you want financial independence, should be to own as many assets as possible that produce wealth and income while you’re working or not. Plus it then becomes something you can potentially sell long term.
11. You can get everything you want, just not all at once
If you’re reading this newsletter, chances are you are an action taker. A go getter. You bend the will of the world to you. You create reality. And you want everything in life. The business, the wealth, the health, the social circle, the partners, the family. I do too.
What I’ve learned is that you can get it all, but not at the same time. Each area of life requires intense focus for extended periods of time. And the more you focus on one, the faster you can achieve it and move on to the next one.
12. You’re already dead. Live like it.
Recently I was on my way to chick-fil-a to meet fellow marketer Mike Abramov. I didn’t make it. Instead I ended up in the ER after I passed out in a bush in front of UCLA hospital. Stuff like that happens. That’s life.
And it makes me grateful that everyday I get to wake up and do what I love to do. And continue to work towards the things I want more of in my life.
Because before you know it, you’ll be 80, sitting in your rocking chair, analyzing your life. The question is:
Will you regret not doing certain things? Or will you have done them?
The choice is yours. And not choosing, is still a choice – remember that.
13. Learn to analyze your bloodwork and fix any deficiencies
When I was 16, I had a bad concussion which completely messed with my hormones. When I was 22 I decided to take matters into my own hands and learn how to read and analyze my blood work. Turns out I had Hashimoto’s and low Testosterone (<400ng/dl).
Once I fixed these deficiencies, my life got 100x better. Now I sleep amazing, I’m leaner, more muscular, and my businesses have exploded because I have more drive, fire, and creative energy.
Even if nothing is wrong, it’s worth getting yourself checked out. And then doing something about it. Sometimes when you’re deficient for so long, it seems normal to underperform.
14. Read the same best books over and over again
As you progress in your career and life, you get new persepctives.
This opens up new areas of books that you read. New ideas. It’s better to read the best books over and over again and absorb top tier genius from new perspectives, then it is to read mediocrity. You will learn more, and become better in every area of life.
Currently, my go to books are: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant; The best of NO BS (Dan Kennedy), Deep Nutrition, Psycho-cybernetics, & Models by Mark Manson.
15. Speed > perfection
The faster you move, the luckier you get. If there’s one thing I’ve done differently this year, it’s move fast. Every time I get an idea, I execute on it as fast as possible. And I’ve learned that the faster you move, the luckier you get.
Put your ideas out there. Let the market tell you if it’s a good or bad idea, what needs to be fixed, and if you have a business or not.
The faster you fail, the faster you can succeed and innovate.
16. Buy high quality clothes and custom suits
It doesn’t make sense to me that people still buy $10 T-shirts. Your clothes have a dramatic effect on who you are, how people perceive you, and what you are telling your subconscious. And once you go custom, you’ll never go back.
And just the experience of getting a custom suit made will give you a masterclass in marketing to the affluent.
17. Get and stay in the 10-12% body fat range (men)
Getting to this body fat % unlocks a whole new level to the world. People respect you more. The universe aligns to give you more. I’ve seen it time and time again.
You’ll be healthier, happier and everything starts to work in your favor. Obesity rates are skyrocketing everywhere. By being in this range you’ll separate yourself from the masses.
Plus unlike most things in life that can be bought, your body can’t. It has to be earned. Through discipline, sweat, and hard work. And that builds your character and self image like nothing else.
18. You have my permission to live YOUR Life
I really only started living life when I turned 27. For the first 27 years of my life, I lived the life my parents wanted for me. The life society boxed me into. The life that made my now ex-grilfiend happy – but me miserable.
Then I was sitting at a thai restaurant, in the middle of Austin with my therapist, when I broke down in tears. It hit me like a sledehammer to my soul.
The daunting, dark realizaiton that I had foreclosed on life. I had died at 27, only to be buried later on.
And from that moment on I decided I would no longer live that life. I would do what I want. I would live the life I want. Not by some pre-determined standards by someone else (or society) who’s too afraid to go and live their life.
To put themselves out there and producly say: This is me. Take it or leave it. And since then, I’ve never once looked back.
I travel the world, meet the women I want, have closer friends that care more than just about markeing how much money we’re making, and I’m building businesses that I love and that inspire me.
That’s my life. And all I want for you, is to go live yours. I give you permission to be your weird self, and go out and express it. I promise you will be happier, healthier, and suprisingly make a crap ton more money.
19. When nothing is working, reset the game
I spoke about this in my talk at Mimosa Mastermind recently, and it’s one of the secrets to how we’ve grown Pup Labs so fast.
Resetting the game is about forogetting all the rules, starting with a blank canvas. It’s a philosophy I use when nothing is working out.
Because when you’re beating your head against a wall trying to solve a problem, whether it’s scaling an offer, dieting down to 12% body fat, or trying to have healthier relationships, the best thing you can do is forget everything you know, and approach the problem as a beginner. Think complelty outside the box.
Let all ideas flow. And watch as you go from beating your head agasint the wall, to working through every single problem without a hiccup.
20. Schedule fun time at least 2x a month
If you’re reading this post, I know a lot about you. I know you work ridiculously hard. And I know that fun is probably not something you make time for.
Here’s something: how many days do you actually remember as fun experiences in the last month. One? Two? None?
If you’re anything like me, the number is going to be 0-1. But over the past few months I’ve tried to make sure it’s atleast 2-3x per month.
And the more fun I have, the more I step away from work and making money, the more work I actually get done and the more money I make!
Plus I actually enjoy my life, instead of being a slave to capitalism and this thing we call money – which is really just green pieces of freedom paper.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE money. But you can’t take your cash to the grave. And you’re only young once. So why not enjoy it a little.
Friends, family, life-changing experiences… all those are forms of wealth that you can’t buy if you work all the time. And there’s a time limit on it all. Tic toc…
21. If you’re gonna invest, start with yourself
Too many people I know talk about how much real estate, stocks, etc. that they are invested in.
There’s nothing wrong with that. However, I like to look at things from three angles:
- Risk to reward ratio
- Time to realize (TTR)
- The amount of control you have.
Ideally you want investments that have a low risk, high reward ratio, with a short TTR (less than 1 year), and a high degree of control.
With stocks and real estate, your risk reward ratio is low. Low risk, low reward. Maybe 2-3x. But the TTR ratio is long. It usually takes 2-5 years to realize those gains. The degree of control is medium. It is a relatively stable investment, but you’re subject to economic shifts, Elon tweeting, and mother nature – two things most people have very, very little influence over. I personally do not own any real estate or have any major stock investments as a result. I have no future plans to either.
Then there’s crypto. Crypto is very high risk, and very high reward. The TTR ratio is short, usually less than 2 years. But you have an extremely low degree of control. I have a small amount in crypto because of the high reward potential and shorter TTR.
The best thing that you can invest in, is yourself. It’s low risk, high reward. The degree of control is extremely high – you decide how you grow, and how to wield your new powers, regardless of economic shifts. And the TTR ratio is short, usually less than 1 year. Which means you can realize your gains very fast, and have a compound effect.
This is why I spend 350k+ annually on myself (and continue to push it). 1-on-1 coaching, masterminds, travel, health, healthy food, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, self care, psychedelics, getaways, dating, etc. This is the main reason I’m happier, healthier, have thriving businesses and basically doubled my income every year. And why I continue to have quantum leaps in every area of my life.
22. DO therapy
I can’t stress this enough. Therapy will change your life. It will make you happier, healthier, and a hell of a lot richer. Emotions are ⅓ of the human experience.
Failing to understand them, how to process them, and how to use them to your advantage leaves you exposed and vulnerable. And handicaps your ability to live your best life. But it’s not enough to just go to therapy. You need to DO therapy.
That means doing the deep work. The hard work. The work that takes more courage and resilience than you might have right now. But it needs to be done, if you want to live the life of the 1%, which I know you do.
23. Action beats everything
If there’s ever been a secret to the universe, it’s this: Take action. Be in constant motion. Grow, live life, experience everything the world has to offer. The good, the bad, and the great.
All of it is amazing in its own way. Yes, even the bad. If you’ve never had a bad relationship, you can’t appreciate a great one. There’s lessons in everything and the only way to learn those lessons, and to truly express yourself, is to take action.
Launch that business, ask that person out, try that experience. It’s the only way to learn who we really are, and express it. It is the magic pill that will solve all your problems. I guarantee it.
24. Realize there is no Plan B
You have one life. And those who have back up plans, fail to live that life.
Plan B is simply a distraction from plan A.
25. Have tough conversations sooner
I’m naturally conflict-avoidant, and a strong people pleaser. As such, this has been one of the hardest things for me to do, but one of the most rewarding.
I’ve learned that everything I want, everything I need, is often on the other side of a difficult conversation.
And you can put it off and never get what you want, or be vulnerable, and have the conversation. It’s almost always is never as bad as you imagine it in your brain. And it’s one of the most rewarding experiences.
26. Build companies, not offers
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned when making money, it’s that equity rules all. And building a real business trumps an offer. People love brands.
In my opinion, the long term reward of a business far outweighs the short term cash potential of an offer that hits. And it’s more fulfilling.
Especially when you consider the long term and impact and income that can come from a building a real business that you actually exit from.
Stand behind something. Put your name on it. Share it with the world. Make real art. And own equity everywhere you can.
27. Consider experimenting with drugs (safely)
For a very long time (27.99 years) I was against any and all drugs. I was told they were bad, that the Bible disapproved and that you will end up homeless giving $5 handjobs for your next hit.
But after a weekend of Pharma-grade MDMA, I can tell you that’s not the case. High quality drugs, used in a safe environment, will often give you exactly what you need.
It’s not necessarily pretty or even what you want. But it’s what you need to grow and get to the next level in your life, in finances, health, and in being happy. Drugs can give you the clarity and perspective needed to break through a block.
And when you do them with the right people, you will form relationships and bonds that go beyond the 4D world we live in.
I call it soul bonding.
28. Learn thyself
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that for the first 26.5 yeas of my life, I had no clue who the fuck I was.
What I liked, what I didn’t, my strengths, weaknesses, the list goes on. And when I realized this, it was scary as fuck. How could I go a quarter century not knowing who I am?
So over the last year and a half I’ve made it a priority to learn more about who Peter is. And the more I learn, the more I learn to accept who I am, and double down on all my strengths, while protecting my weaknesses.
As a result, I’m happier, healthier, wealthier, and having the most fun I have ever had in my life. I challenge you to do the same.
The best resources I can recommend are: therapy, psychedelics (in a safe, controlled environment, and from a safe source), personality tests like the Culture Index and human design, traveling to new countries, journaling, questioning everything about yourself and your identity, and trying new experiences that are wildly outside your comfort zone.
Pour Conclure
Alright that’s it for this year. I’m typing this from my bed in Medellin, Colombia, and I can already tell you that over the next 7 weeks I’m going to grow more than I have in a long time.
I challenge you to push yourself and do the same.
Life moves fast.
Tik Toc.
PT