How to Change Your Life This Spring
385: Hibernation Season is Over
In the summer of 2022 I wrote 10 ways to improve your life overnight as I was approaching my 30th trip around the sun.
It was an immense success from a readership perspective and still stands as one of the top posts I have done on Arb Letter. It’s always a solid day when I find out what exactly people really care about and find interesting.
Later this week I will throw together a comprehensive financial markets & news overview for all of you but today seemed like a good day to put out a follow up piece to 10 ways to improve your life overnight aimed at where we stand in 2025.
Spring is nature’s reset button—longer days, more energy, fresh mindset. The day is no longer over at 6pm as it’s still light outside and the crippling cold that tends to get the better of our motivation to leave the house is easing. People are looking forward to more socializing, warmer weather, and what’s set to be a highly impactful year.
I suspect 2025 is going to have it’s share of surprises and external noise that will rattle the brains of the hamster masses.
Internalizing the concepts we go over today is an excellent way to ensure you are putting yourself first and ignoring everything that doesn’t get you closer to being richer, healthier, and generally more fulfilled. Like they say, you can’t help others if you can’t help yourself first.
Today we’re going to cover the following concepts:
Taking Calculated Risk (nothing is gained from places of comfort)
Shifting From The Consumer to Producer Mindset (transform the way you look at money)
Finally Start Making Money Outside of Your “Job” (at least give yourself a chance at freedom)
Tightening your social circle (few is more)
Play the Long Game (Most People Are Hooked on Quick Dopamine)
Strength & Fitness is Back in Style (stop being fat, it’s Adonis season)
Deep Work vs. Scattered Chaos (maximizing your attention span & energy)
What Do You Actually Want to Do? (what’s all this for in the end?)
We are already about 25% through 2025. Chances are most people have given up on new year’s resolutions already or fallen into old habits.
Today’s guide should be a solid gut check on themes that out-performers are likely already thinking about or mulling over. The truth is, this is as much for me as it is for all Arb Letter readers — an accountability list of sorts to flush out the concepts that I am keeping front and center as the year progresses.
These span across all aspects of life — finances, business, relationships, fitness, health, and mental peace.
Whether you are fresh out of school or a jaded 40 year old looking for a career change or something new, there’s something here for everyone. Let’s get into it.
Take Calculated Risks
Risk is something the majority of people in the modern age avoid like the plague. They stay in dead end jobs they hate their whole life, they invest far too conservatively, and they lead timid and defensive existences socially.
Part of this — and we will touch on it in more depth later today is we have far too many easy “comforts”. While wealth inequality and the class gap are very real, at least in the west it’s not that hard to live in relative comfort daily. You can eat what you want, justify a cushy 9-5, hang out with the same people regularly, and just sort of exist day to day filling every moment you can with cheap fixes or comforts.
While this “feels good” eventually it doesn’t, and if you’re halfway sentient you begin to get a deep nagging from time to time:
“Is this really what I’m meant for?”
“Is this all there is?”
“Am I really the best version of myself I can be?”
“Do I want to still be doing this in 10 years?”
If you’re like the majority you just kill those thoughts immediately, after all coming to terms with them is uncomfortable and unpleasant oftentimes. But — there’s a handful of people that listen to this voice in their head. They consciously choose to live boldly and unapologetically.
Fortune favors the bold is far too blase for Arb Letter, so we’ll go with the British SAS motto “he who dares wins”. You’ve all heard versions of this, squeaky wheel gets the oil, can’t get if you don’t ask, and so on. It’s 100% true — when you always choose to make a safe decision (key word always) you are cutting out your legs from under you before you even see what could come of a situation.
There’s great solace in taking a calculated risk knowing that you can come out of an any type of situation regardless of what happens next.
Examples from my life?
Switching industries during Covid
Leaving a job to build my business
Choosing to leave my hometown to go to school 4,000 miles away
Giving a prospect in business a truly hardball (absolute stretch) of an offer and then seeing what he said
Starting a newsletter when I had no clue if people would read it or if it my time put into it would be rewarded
Moving from New York City
Starting a podcast
All of these decisions were riskier or more uncomfortable than just playing it safe and sticking to what would be comfortable or easy, but they all changed my life for the better in different ways.
I’m not telling you to take life altering crossroad decisions lightly — but what I am saying is that similar to fitness, change and progress come from discomfort, pain, fear, and periods of doubt.
If you’ve been kicking the can on implementing big change or taking a leap — this is the year to do it. I’m 32 now — it’s insane for me to think that my life is likely 1/3 over if I am lucky.
The good news? I have made it a point to never take the easier path and I can honestly say looking back I have very few regrets if any. Let the fear of regret drive you and remember if there is doubt there is no doubt. Instead of punting a big decision to 2026, why not take the first step tomorrow?
You don’t have as much time as you think.