By the time you hit 30, you should be smart enough to how the world works. Reality checks should have slapped you around enough to know what’s up. Let me break it down, point by point, because if you still don’t get this by 30, you’re wasting your potential and time.

1. Someone makes 10x more than you do in a 9-5 job because they have more leverage.
   You’re grinding away at your 9-5, putting in hours like a hamster on a wheel. Meanwhile, the guy who makes 10x more than you isn’t working harder—he’s working smarter. He’s using leverage. He’s got assets, investments, networks, and influence. Understand this: time is limited but leverage isn’t. If you’re not figuring out how to use leverage in your work, you’re signing up for a life of mediocrity.
2. Distraction is the greatest killer of success.
   You think scrolling endlessly on social media, hopping from one pointless thing to another, isn’t affecting your goals? You’re wrong. Distraction is like cancer—it’ll eat away at your focus, kill your discipline, and leave you chasing your own tail. Cut the distractions, or the distractions will cut your success short.
3. Don’t take advice from people who aren’t where you want to be.
   Everyone has opinions, but most of them are worth less than the air they use to speak them. If someone isn’t living the life you want or hasn’t achieved the goals you’re aiming for, ignore them. They can’t tell you how to succeed if they’ve never done it themselves(note: but you must not disrespect or interrupt them, because every opinion is important)
4. No one is coming to save your problems.
   Let me hit you with this brutal truth: you are your own rescue plan. Waiting for someone to swoop in and save you is delusional. Your problems, your solutions. Own your life, because no one else is going to carry your load for you.
5. You don’t need 100 self-help books—just action and discipline.
   Stop chasing the next motivational high. You don’t need 50 podcasts or 100 books to succeed. What you need is action. Every minute you spend reading about success is a minute you could have spent chasing it. Knowledge without action is dead weight.
6. Unless you went to college for a specific skill, learn sales.
   Look, unless you’re in a specialized field like medicine, law, or engineering, that degree you’re clinging to is practically useless. If you really want to start making money fast, learn how to sell. Sales will open doors for you that no degree ever will. In 90 days, you could be earning more than you did in four years of college.
7. No one cares about you. So stop being shy.
   The harsh truth is, nobody’s watching you as closely as you think. They’re too busy with their own lives. Stop being shy, stop holding yourself back. Go out and take what you want, because the world won’t hand it to you.
8. If you find someone smarter than you, work with them, not against them.
   You don’t always have to be the smartest person in the room. In fact, if you are, you’re in the wrong room. Find smarter people, and learn from them. Collaboration beats competition—don’t let your ego rob you of opportunities.
9. Smoking has 0 benefit in your life.
   You’re killing your own potential every time you light up. It clouds your thinking, messes with your focus, and wrecks your health. Want to be sharp? Want to be productive? Then drop the bad habits that slow you down.
10. Comfort is the worst addiction.
    Comfort feels good in the short term, but in the long run, it’ll destroy you. Comfort kills ambition. If you’re too comfortable, you’re not growing, you’re not pushing yourself, and you’re certainly not achieving greatness. Get uncomfortable. Stay hungry.
11. Keep your life private.
    You don’t need to broadcast your every move. Let people wonder what you’re up to. Move in silence and let your success make the noise. Sharing too much gives people ammunition they don’t need.
12. Avoid alcohol at all costs.
    Getting wasted may seem fun at the moment, but in the long run, it’s a drain on your energy, your wallet, and your reputation. Alcohol dulls your mind and makes a fool out of you. If you can’t stay sharp, you can’t stay ahead.
13. Keep your standards high.
    Don’t settle. In anything. Whether it’s your career, your relationships, or your lifestyle—keep your standards high. Just because something is available doesn’t mean it’s right for you. You’re worth more.
14. The family you create is more important than the family you come from.
    Your future is what matters. Focus on building a family that aligns with your values. The people you choose to bring into your life—your wife, your kids—those are your real legacy. Don’t let anyone hold you back.
15. Don’t take things personally.
    Taking things personally is a waste of time and mental energy. People project their own issues onto you, but that’s not your problem. Detach from the opinions of others and you’ll save yourself from 99.99% of unnecessary stress.
16. If you don’t kill your distractions, your distractions will kill your goals.
    Every goal you have will be destroyed if you allow distractions to dominate your life. You must be ruthless. Eliminate distractions like they’re your worst enemy because they are. Without focus, your goals will die.