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- Why We Make Less Than Most
Hello 1,798 friends, it’s Michael here!
Thanks for checking out this issue of the WISER Newsletter. Let’s get WISER together!
💰 Why We Leave Money on the Table
I want to take the opportunity to be transparent about how we run Wisdom Made Easy, and why we often focus on the mission more than the business.
This will give you a chance to get to know us more, but also provide you with an opportunity to reflect on what you prioritise in your life or business.
We’ve had a lot opportunities to make money since launching WME in May 2022.
As you might expect, many of the offers have come from sources or ask us to promote things that don’t align with our values or interests. This includes selling marketing courses, making NFTs, promoting suspect software services and much more.
But there have been instances where great opportunities have come up. Some of which we have committed to, yet others we have not.
What gives, Michael?! It’s 2023, and there’s a Cost of Living Crisis in the UK - surely you could do with the extra cash?!
Don’t get me wrong - I wouldn’t describe myself as especially wealthy, but something is more important to me than money: our integrity.
🎤 “What’s the secret?”
This video where Aziz Ansari describes Frank Ocean’s approach summarises it well.
Aziz Ansari recounts asking Frank Ocean:
“How do you do it, man? You never do any press, you barely tour, and you only put out your music when you really want to. What’s the secret?!”
“Oh man, you’ve just got to be comfortable making less money - that’s all.”
I greatly resonate with Frank Ocean. He’s prioritising other things above the fame or money because those other things are more important to him.
⚖️ Live by YOUR Priorities, Not Someone Else’s
Our position is the same. We’re doing Wisdom Made Easy to encourage people to get wiser and get wiser ourselves, and that comes before having a nice pay-day.
In the example of the multiple NFT opportunities that we’ve had, I don’t personally own any NFTs and I cannot say with any confidence that they’re a wise investment.
It’d be disingenuous to promote NFTs if we don’t invest in them ourselves, right?
We’re comfortable making less money because we’re prioritising our mission to encourage people to get wiser, and we want to partner with products or services that we genuinely believe in.
Please note, I do think that diversification is wise, and NFTs could be a wise investment, but I personally don’t know enough about them to promote them as a wise investment. This isn’t meant to hate on anyone that’s investing in NFTs.
⌛️ Why Do We Choose Wisdom Over Money?
It’s because we believe that wisdom is more valuable than monetary wealth.
This belief primarily comes from a part of scripture that says:
“For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”
(Proverbs 3:14-15 NLT)
Here’s a visual representation of this quote:
I’m conscious that this is a bit outdated, so here’s a more modern twist on this principle:
We will continue to leave money on the table if it means that we can stay true to our mission to get wise and encourage other people to get wiser.
Call it whatever you want:
Mission over money
Calling over cash
Purpose over profit
We’re comfortable making less money - that’s all.
❓ Take a moment to reflect:
Do you agree that wisdom is more valuable than wealth?
What are the things that you are prioritising in this season?
Are you comfortable making less money than everyone else?
✍️ Consider journalling through the above questions yourself.
💬 Also, if you want to chat about this, email or DM us! We’d love to hear from you!
Recommendations
If you’ve read the WISER Newsletter before, you’ll know that we recommend some additional reading, viewing or even products that we think you’d like.
We will only recommend things that we genuinely think give you the opportunity to get wiser.
1️⃣ The first recommendation is one of my favourite books of all time: The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying.
I’m conscious that the title of this book might sound morbid, but in it Bronnie Ware shares her experience supporting palliative care patients in their final season of their life.
She’s curated their insights into what their biggest regrets in life are, so that we might be able to avoid the same mistakes.
This has influenced much about how I choose to live life, and I’m confident you’ll find something thought-provoking in too.
I prefer to listen to audiobooks than read physical books. If you haven’t yet tried Audible yet, you get one free book with a free trial.
Consider listening to this audiobook for free here:
2️⃣ The second recommendation for today is another visual creator: PJ Milani.
I’ve been fortunate enough to develop a meaningful relationship with PJ over the last few months, and I can testify to both the quality of his visuals and the quality of his character.
As The Visual Teacher, he aims to empower people through powerful visuals, not dissimilar to ourselves. If you like our content, you’ll love his too.
Consider subscribing to his newsletter here:
* Please note that these may be affiliation links. Purchasing through these links could support Wisdom Made Easy encourage more people to get wiser.
✍️ What We’re Working On
I don’t want to give too much away just yet, but given all of your positive feedback about The Wise Guide to Journaling, we’ve opted to make more digital resources to help you get wiser!
We’re currently working on a number of free digital resources that reflect on such topics as journaling, gratitude, growth and much more.
If you have any particular ideas for these, please get in touch!
And if you wanted to support us by purchasing a copy of our first digital product, you can buy The Wise Guide to Journaling here:
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😊 Thank You!
Thanks for checking out this issue of the WISER Newsletter. If you have any feedback, we would love to hear it!
Simply reply to this email, and we will get back to you.
Alternatively, just DM us on social media. You can find us here:
Catch you in the next issue!
Thanks,
Michael and Zac!