Welcome to this issue of the WISER Newsletter!

This is the newsletter where you’ll receive Wise Insights Shared by Email Regularly.

I’m glad that we can get WISER together!

📈 Success, but at What Cost? 🤷‍♂️

Today’s issue will be a bit different! Another talented visual creator called Alex Llull recently shared this tweet:

I really liked this tweet because it expressed the importance of honesty and authenticity, but part of me wanted to probe this line of thinking further.I replied by drawing attention to the recently exposed Liver King.

He is an individual who has built a huge online, but has recently come under some flack for lying about how he achieved his impressive physique. After always saying that he didn’t take steroids, he’s admitted to taking them following some leaked emails.

The My First Million podcast recently discussed this scandal, and hosts Sam & Shaan said that they “respected” his actions because it helped him to be successful online.

It was really difficult hearing that. Hearing people with a huge audience promote this fraudulent behaviour didn’t sit well with me.

That’s why I believe that…

🧭 Your journey matters.

How you reach success is more important than reaching success.

Being at the top and reaching success does not matter if you got there through inappropriate or harmful means.

Another great example of this is Billy McFarland.

For those of you that don’t know, Billy spent years in prison after hosting the Fyre Festival - one of the biggest scams in the 21st century. His repetitive lying cost approximately $27 million, much of which he will be paying back for decades to come.

His obsession with being a successful entrepreneur meant that he took a path that ultimately led to shame and destruction.

But he might have learned his lesson, and I think we could all learn something from what he recently shared on The Diary of the CEO Podcast.

When asked by Steven Bartlett “What scares you the most today?”, Billy responded with:

“Taking a shortcut. I think I have a propensity to go fast and it’s good in like tech ways, but it’s bad in life ways. (…) Don’t get distracted by the glittery lights in some opportunity - that ultimately represents a shortcut.”

To see that clip, click here. Alternatively, watch the full discussion below. 👇

🤷‍♂️ How can we get wiser about this?

I don’t think this one is difficult to understand.

Don’t focus so much on the destination that you take a bad route to get there.

Consider your options carefully, otherwise you risk compromising on your values in the pursuit of success.

❓ What do you think?

• Are you currently taking a shortcut?

• Are all shortcuts negative?

• What do you think is more important: the journey or the destination?

Consider journalling through the above questions yourself.

Also, if you want to chat about this, email or DM me! I’d love to hear from you!

✍️ What I’m Working On

Do you really want to know what I’m working on this week?

REST! I’m currently visiting family in Austria, and it’s absolutely glorious! Well, I hope it is. I’m scheduling this post on the 21st of December, so the jury is still out on this one! 😅

In other news, I’m still gearing up to kick off lots of exciting new stuff for you in 2023. This includes a YouTube channel! To be the first to know when I upload, subscribe here.

I look forward to getting wiser with you in 2023! Happy New Year!

😊 Thank You!

Thanks for checking out the second issue of the WISER Newsletter. If you have any feedback, I’d love to hear it!

Simply reply to this email, and I’ll get back to you.

Alternatively, just DM me on social media. You can find me here:

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• 🔴 Youtube

Catch you in the next issue!

Thanks,

Michael