Civilize the Mind, Savage the Body, Build the Bank Account: The Grand Triad of Life

I am such a big fan of Codie Sanchez and try to listen or watch all her videos. I wish her content existed when I was in my twenties. But alas, I will learn from her in my 40s.

She mentioned a great interview about the concept of the “3 Dimensional Human” or the 3 part pyramid to freedom.

What are the biggest and most important aspects critical for a happy and fulfilling accomplished life? It’s very obvious when you list them. Your mind (Intelligence & Learning), Your Body (Health) and Bank Account (Money). It’s a framework that everyone can use and absolutely needs to work on to win in life.

The Mind: I’d argue our most important resource is our brain, it actually burns the most calories in our body. It’s our biggest and most effective weapon in life as it helps us learn new things, adapt and find solutions to problems. But it’s also our biggest curse as we get distracted chasing dopamine hits, pursuing hedonistic pleasures and doing stuff that is generally bad for us due to wiring left over from our times trying to survive on the African plains tens of thousands of years ago.

That’s why it’s important to try to civilize our brain. Read as many books, take as many classes, listen to as many podcasts to better inform ourselves. Learn how the world works. I’d also add meditation to this list, it’s a critical tool to calm our monkey minds.

The Body: The next and parallel resource is our body. Savaging the body as they say which means we need to push ourselves with intense exercise. It’s a feedback loop: the stronger our bodies, the clearer our minds are.

The more hard exercise we do (ie. weights, running and martial arts), the better we feel and the better we sleep. I’ve written many times that health is wealth. It’s something we take for granted and most of us learn the hard way when we lose it. Having a strong body gives you confidence and endurance to push through the inevitable struggles in our business and our lives. It’s also a sign of discipline. If I am honest, I find it hard to respect people who are out of shape (short of some medical condition).

The Bank Account: Money is one of the most important tools in a capitalist society. Money is an enabler and energy. The more you have, the better your life is in general. The more experiences you can afford and the more opportunities you can go after. The more people you can help. It’s a great scorecard on how you are doing in the game of life.

And there are thousands of different ways of legally getting money. Working for someone is a much tougher path to this but a good start. Building something of value as an entrepreneur, still hard but a better chance of more money. All the way to investing well in all the many different assets out there from stocks, crypto, commodities, real estate and startups.

Sadly, most people are really strong on “One” of these aspects. One dimensional people ultimately don’t succeed. No point being a fit gym bro without money. Or a rich guy who is boring, crass and uninteresting. Or a brilliant nerd who is out of shape and cannot run or fight.

The point is about being strong on all 3 of these aspects. Strong of mind, body and bank account. Only then can greatness appear. It’s about becoming a better version of yourself. So get to work!