Sahil Bloom's Linkedin Analytics

This psychological phenomenon may change your life... The IKEA Effect (and why it matters): Everyone tells you to do hard things, but no one tells you why it's so important. First, it's because life is hard. And when you take on voluntary struggle, you're better prepared for the involuntary struggle that inevitably enters your world. But I think there's a deeper reason that goes beyond that... Here's the truth: We don’t value what’s easy. We value what we earn. The more effort we put in, the more meaning we extract. The struggle is important because it provides a texture to our lives. As it turns out, this is more than just a personal musing, there's science to it: Welcome to The IKEA Effect. In 2011, behavioral scientists Michael Norton, Dan Ariely, and Daniel Mochon coined the term IKEA Effect to refer to a cognitive bias where people place significantly more value on things they put effort into creating. The researchers cited the example of the legendary Betty Crocker food brand, which saw sales of a new “just add water” line of cake mixes flop in the 1950s. Evidently, the process was too easy, which meant consumers felt disconnected from the process and valued the output less than before. When the recipe was adjusted to require adding an egg—a tiny bit of incremental effort—sales skyrocketed. The effort created perceived value. The cake now had meaning to the baker. They had invested energy into making it. The IKEA Effect extends far beyond the kitchen... We ascribe value and meaning to the things we work hard for: • The business built from the ground up • The promotion earned after years of focus • The deep relationship shaped through shared struggle • The healthy body carved through challenging workouts • The peaceful mind forged through solitude The effort required to earn these things increases their value. Your entire life will change the moment you realize it’s not supposed to be easy. The most valuable things in life are hard to earn. That’s precisely why they’re so valuable. So, why do hard things? Because nothing feels better than a hard-earned win. Nothing. The pain. The struggle. The resilience. The grit. And then, the reward. The thrill of knowing that you paid the cost of entry for the thing you wanted to achieve. Hard things are good for the soul. To go deeper, order my NYT bestselling book, which currently has a big 30% sale: https://lnkd.in/efUWCNW9 P.S. Email your receipt to sahil@sahilbloom.com and I'll send you the 50+ page companion workbook and more!

Most people have no idea how to introduce themselves... Try my simple personal intro statement (3 parts): The mistake people make when introducing themselves: They try to sound impressive in order to stand out. This generally manifests as a long, winding intro on their entire background and a list of titles, jobs, and awards. Unfortunately, what you say vs. what the other person hears are two very different things. The "impressive" intro often ends up being perceived a lot like this classic meme. Try this three-part model to simplify your personal intro statement: 1. Name 2. Primary professional focus (or interest) 3. Something related that you've been focused on or excited about So, my version might look like this: "Hi, I'm Sahil Bloom. I'm a writer and I'm getting excited about how I can create more community around my ideas to deepen their impact." Notice that I didn't say anything about (1) the size of my following, (2) any accolades or recognitions, or (3) the specifics of my writing. The entire intro would take less than 10 seconds and likely open the door to a handful of natural follow-up questions from the other person (e.g. what do you write about, how do you currently reach people). I like this simple model because it forces brevity and leaves a lot of "meat on the bone" for follow-up discussion. It also naturally engages a pattern interrupt (more on this later) in that your intentional humility will stand out from a crowd who all seem hell-bent on telling you about their professional wins within 10 seconds of meeting you. Simple is much better than impressive. Remember that. My 7x NYT bestselling book has an "anti-networking guide" on how to build genuine professional and personal relationships. It's filled with specific tactics like this personal intro statement model that will leave you better equipped for any situation. Order it here (30% sale): https://lnkd.in/eUzjZUxj P.S. Email your receipt to sahil@sahilbloom.com and I'll send you a 50+ page companion workbook and several other bonuses.

There are three types of friends: leaves, branches, and roots. Leaves are around when it’s sunny—gone when the storms hit. Branches are stronger, but lean too hard and they snap. Roots? They’re rare. They’re deep. Steady. Strong. They’re there through all seasons of your life. The key is simple: Find your roots. Cherish them. Be one to someone else. This is one of the powerful mindset shifts from my bestselling book. Order your copy here: https://lnkd.in/eUzjZUxj P.S. Email your receipt to sahil@sahilbloom.com and I’ll send you a 50+ page companion workbook to go deeper on the book’s most important exercises.

My book's hardcover currently has a big 32% sale on Amazon! Comment and you’ll be automatically entered to win a signed copy and 30 minute coaching call with me! Order here: https://lnkd.in/ebPET5S6

The idea of balance has been hijacked. You’ve been told that every single day needs a perfect mix of self time, workout time, family time, work time… And if you don’t have it, you feel stressed or anxious that your life is “off balance.” But that’s just not reality. Balance isn’t daily—it’s seasonal. Some seasons will be unbalanced. That’s okay. Just make sure they lead to a season of balance. This is one of the powerful ideas from my 7x NYT bestselling book. Order it here: https://lnkd.in/eUzjZUxj P.S. Email your receipt to sahil@sahilbloom.com and I’ll send you a 50+ page workbook to go deeper on the most important exercises.

You can’t teach your kids anything with words. You have to embody the lessons you want them to learn. If I want my son to treat his wife like a queen one day, I better damn well treat my wife like a queen every single day. If I want him to understand the power of delayed gratification, he better see me doing the hard things every day to build the life I want. Kids don’t learn from lectures. They learn from the life you live. Lead with your actions. Teach by living. This reflection—and dozens more like it—are inside my bestselling book. Grab your copy now and start designing a life that aligns with what matters: https://lnkd.in/eUzjZUxj P.S. Email your receipt to sahil@sahilbloom.com and I’ll send you a 50+ page workbook to go deeper on the frameworks inside.

Everyone needs to read this... The 5 Levels of Financial Wealth: There are five clear and distinct levels of Financial Wealth: Level 1: Baseline needs are met, including food and shelter. Level 2: All baseline needs are exceeded, and modest pleasures become accessible. This includes meals at restaurants, simple vacations, and spending on education. Level 3: Baseline needs are no longer top of mind, and the focus is on saving, investing, and compounding wealth. More significant pleasures, such as multiple vacations, are readily available. More aggressive asset compounding generally begins at this level. Level 4: Most reasonable pleasures are readily available. Asset accumulation accelerates, and assets begin to generate passive income to cover some lifestyle expenses. This is the level of moderate financial independence, as you can reduce your active income and continue to live the same lifestyle. Level 5: All pleasures are available. Asset accumulation reaches escape velocity, and assets generate passive income in excess of all lifestyle expenses. This is the level of complete financial independence, as you can remove all active income and continue to live the same lifestyle. Any path upward through the levels requires a disciplined focus on the three pillars of Financial Wealth, which I identify as: 1. Income Generation: Create stable, growing income through primary employment, secondary employment, and passive streams. 2. Expense Management: Manage expenses so that they are reliably below your income level and grow at a slower rate. 3. Long-­Term Investment: Invest the difference between your income and expenses in long-­term, efficient, low-­cost assets that compound effectively. It's important to remember that each level has its own stresses, problems, and headaches. While the traditional money problems you feel at the lower levels dissipate as you climb the ladder, new problems arise and replace them. Money solves money problems, but it will not, in a vacuum, solve anything else—it simply changes the types of problems you face. This model should allow you to (a) identify your starting point, (b) map out the vision for the life you are trying to build, and (c) start to plan the actions necessary to create that life. Understanding where you are on these 5 levels (and the actual life you are trying to build towards) is essential. Remember: Thriving is a continuous journey, not an end state. This framework is explored in depth in the Financial Wealth section of my book, The 5 Types of Wealth. Investor Bill Ackman said, "I like asymmetric investments and I don’t know of a better return than this book." Order the book today (32% sale!): https://lnkd.in/eUzjZUxj Email your receipt sahil@sahilbloom.com and I'll send you the 50+ page companion workbook, along with a few other special bonuses!

This ancient phrase will change how you live… It’s the antidote to the modern struggle: Age Quod Agis Translation: Do what you are doing. A simple concept, yet so very powerful in the attention-splintered world we live in. Most failure isn't due to a lack of effort, but to a lack of focused effort. We take on more and more, but accomplish less and less. We run faster and faster, but find we are getting nowhere. Science backs this up: The concept of attention residue says that there is a cognitive switching cost to shifting your attention from one task to another. You think you’ve moved on—but part of your brain is still stuck on the last thing. You’re one foot in, one foot out...on everything you do. Age Quod Agis is a call to action: • Be present in the moment • Be intentional about your attention • Be fully absorbed in the task at hand Let's live by this simple phrase: At Work: Stop multitasking. Focus on one thing and do it with your full attention. Then move onto the next thing. At Home: Be fully there with your people. Energy is more important than time. 5 minutes of present energy is worth more than an hour of scattered energy. Remember that. When you're drifting, distracted, or anxious, remember those simple words. Age Quod Agis. Do what you are doing. The concept of “attention residue” and the systems to harness your attention for incredible outcomes are covered in depth in my NYT bestselling book, The 5 Types of Wealth. Order it now (on 30% sale): https://lnkd.in/eTi7b-RN P.S. Email me your receipt sahil@sahilbloom.com and I’ll send you several bonuses, including a 50+ page companion workbook.

Everyone needs to hear this... This is a quote I often think about: "It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe." - Muhammad Ali Over the years, it's sparked a lot of introspection around a simple question that we should all be asking ourselves more regularly: Am I blocked by the mountain in my path or the pebble in my shoe? The mountain is the big, obvious obstacle that stands before you: • The business you haven't started • The career promotion you haven't received • The health goal you haven't reached • The relationship you haven't built • The freedom you haven't earned It's easy to blame the mountain for your lack of progress. The mountain is a visible roadblock. Intimidating. Justifiable. But what if the mountain is just a distraction? A subtle diversion, pulling your gaze to the horizon, away from the truth right in front of you. What if the pebble in your shoe is the real reason you're stuck? The pebble is the small, silent enemy that holds you back: • The fixed mindset you maintain • The bad habit you refuse to break • The self-limiting story you tell yourself • The negative people you allow to drain your energy It's hard to confront the pebble as the source of your struggle. The pebble is subtle. Easy to ignore. Seemingly inconsequential. In aviation there's a concept called the 1-in-60 rule, which says that for every 1 degree error in heading, a plane will miss it's target by 1 mile for every 60 miles flown. Basically, tiny issues are amplified by distance and time. A pebble may not seem like a big deal—but walk 10 miles with it in your shoe and you'll see and feel the impact of a tiny issue amplified by distance and time. It's no big deal, until it's a very big deal. Friction in the days will derail your progress in the years. So, what's the pebble in your shoe? What's the story you're holding onto that no longer serves you? What mindset or habit is subtly holding you back? What relationships no longer create energy in your life? This isn't about downplaying your mountain. This is about recognizing one important truth: You can't conquer your mountain until you remove your pebble. Remember: The answers you seek are found in the questions you avoid. My NYT bestselling book is based around asking these questions so that you can uncover and act upon the things that truly matter in your life. Order it here (33% sale!): https://lnkd.in/eUzjZUxj P.S. Email the receipt to sahil@sahilbloom.com to access a 50+ page companion workbook and more.

This hidden tax is holding you back... (everyone needs to hear this) The Ignorance Tax is the hidden cost of what you haven’t learned or what you’re choosing to ignore. It’s the gap between where you are and where you could be if you gained the knowledge, skills, perspective, or awareness you’re currently lacking. The Ignorance Tax you pay stacks up with each passing moment: • The skills you've delayed mastering • The network relationships you didn't build • The asks you were afraid to make • The opportunities you didn't seize • The uncomfortable truths you've refused to confront All of these decisions come with a real price tag, a hidden cost you didn't know you were paying that's quietly draining your growth, progress, and potential. I first heard the idea articulated in a conversation I had with ​Alex Hormozi​ and it immediately resonated. It became an important question I ask myself regularly: Where am I paying an Ignorance Tax in my life? The Ignorance Tax can show up in any area: Professional: Missing out on a promotion because we didn't learn to advocate for ourselves or ask for the things we deserve. Money: Missing out on years of compounding and delaying the path to financial independence because we never took the time to understand basic personal finance principles. Health: Feeling low energy because we didn't learn the fundamentals around movement, nutrition, and recovery. Relationships: Repeating negative cycles with the same people because we didn't want to confront the harsh truth that they're bad for us. Spend a few minutes thinking on this question: Where are you paying the Ignorance Tax in your life right now? Identify it. Address it. Eliminate it. The future you seek is built through the actions you avoid. Remember that. P.S. My NYT bestselling book has a huge 32% sale right now. Join 200,000+ others and grab your copy today! Order here: https://lnkd.in/eUzjZUxj

This is the real reason you're stuck... You're prioritizing information over action: We live in the Information Age. That's a wonderful thing in many respects. Information and education is more abundant and accessible than ever before You can pop open the internet and access: • Books on any topic or individual • Podcasts from leading minds • Courses on any subject • Etc. But this abundance creates a modern struggle: In a world of abundant information, we've been patterned to reward ourselves for information gathering, rather than action. The truth is that dopamine from information gathering is a dangerous drug. That's the dopamine you get when you read the book, listen to the podcast, or take the course -- it's great, you learned, but the real benefit is ACTING on the insights, not gathering them. There's someone less qualified than you living the life you want simply because they took action and you didn't. It's time to fight back: Get your dopamine from action. I designed my book with this principle in mind. Each section ends with a guide with the actions to build that type of wealth into your life. Order here (33% sale!): https://lnkd.in/eUzjZUxj P.S. Email your receipt to me sahil@sahilbloom.com and I'll send you the 50+ page companion workbook to go deeper on the most important exercises.

My entire life changed when I realized: Questions are more important than answers... There's an old story that goes something like this: A drunk man is searching for his lost keys under a streetlight. A cop walks by and asks what he’s doing. "Looking for my keys," the man replies. "Did you lose them here?" "No, but this is where the light is." This story is the basis for something called The Streetlight Effect, which is the tendency to search for answers where it's easiest to look, not where the truth actually lies. It's easy to default to what's comfortable: • The assumptions we've always believed • The routines we've always maintained • The strategy we've always followed • The measures we've always tracked But sometimes that desire for comfort can lead you further from the actual goal. Sometimes you're just the drunk man searching for his keys under the streetlight. It takes courage to leave the safety of the streetlight. To stumble around in the dark. To tolerate the uncertainty. To embrace what you've avoided. But that's where your transformation begins. So, ask yourself: What truths am I missing for fear of leaving the safety of the streetlight? The answers you seek are found in the questions you avoid. Remember that. This insight was shared with 800,000+ subscribers in my free daily newsletter. Get personal growth ideas every single day by joining for free here: https://lnkd.in/esGsF85Q

My most important rule for life: Don’t complain about anything. If it’s within your control, go do something about it. If it’s not, complaining is just a waste of energy. Harsh Truth: Complaining never got anyone anywhere worth going. Take action. *** Join 200,000+ others who are redefining success and wealth by getting my NYT bestselling book, which is on a big 30% sale! Order here: https://lnkd.in/eUzjZUxj

This idea changed everything for me… The “Cost of Entry” Mindset: Every single thing you want in life has a “cost of entry” to unlock it. Freedom is unlocked through hundreds of hours of focus on the right things. Love is unlocked through hundreds of hard conversations, through showing up for people during good times and bad. Health is unlocked through daily discipline, to show up for your workouts even when you don’t feel like it. With this understanding, many of the hard things in life can be reframed in a positive light, as part of your progression, as a natural part of the process. The imposter syndrome? The cost of entry. The periods of loneliness? The cost of entry. The embarrassment of being a beginner? The cost of entry. Pay the cost of entry with pride—you won’t regret it. To go deeper on this idea, read my 7x NYT bestselling book, The 5 Types of Wealth. It will help you build the life you want around the things you truly care about. Order it here (30% sale right now): https://lnkd.in/eTi7b-RN P.S. Email your receipt to sahil@sahilbloom.com and I’ll send you the 50+ page companion workbook to go deeper on the most important exercises.

Consistency is the key to life… 3 strategies to be more consistent (save this): 1. Every day is easier than most days. The mistake a lot of people make is that they think they'll be able to be more consistent by taking a few days off here and there, when in reality, that actually makes it more difficult. This is a counterintuitive truth: It's easier to do something every single day than it is to do something most days. Every day becomes an identity. It's a routine, a lifestyle, a structure, a schedule. It's daily evidence of who you really are. Every day is easier than most days. 2. Fire in the act, grace in the amount. To do something every single day, you need a unique approach. Hold yourself to the fire when it comes to the act, but give yourself grace when it comes to the amount. In other words, make sure you do the thing, but don't worry about how much of the thing you do. This approach gives you the flexibility to adapt to the natural chaos of life without breaking the streak, recognizing that anything above zero compounds. Fire in the act, grace in the amount. 3. Mornings are your cheat code. Here's the truth: Willpower fades with energy throughout the day. It's much easier to take something on first thing in the morning than it is to take it on after work in the evening. Mornings are also less susceptible to being derailed by the unforeseen chaos that life inevitably throws at us. The hardest part of building consistency in any new arena is the first 10 days, so you need to stack the deck in your favor for that challenging period. Plan to execute your daily action early in the day and it'll be much more likely to stick. Mornings are your cheat code. My NYT Bestselling book is filled with habits and systems to build the life you want around the things you truly care about. It currently has a 30% sale. Join 200,000+ others and order it here: https://lnkd.in/eTi7b-RN P.S. Email your receipt to sahil@sahilbloom.com and I’ll send you a 50+ page companion workbook to go deeper on the most important exercises.

The single most important human trait... (and how to unlock it in your life) In 1942, author C.S. Lewis offered this brilliant characterization: "Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality." Courage is not about the spotlight. It's not about the glamorous Hollywood moments. It's not about perfection. Courage is who you are when it's inconvenient. When no one is watching. When the rewards are uncertain. When the outcomes are unpredictable. It's easy to declare our values, principles, and virtues in times of peace—it's hard to live by them in times of war. Courage is defined at the testing point. You are defined at the testing point. The truth: Talent and intelligence are abundant. Courage is not. There’s someone out there living the life you want simply because they had the courage to act. They aren’t smarter than you. They aren’t more talented than you. They just took action when you didn’t. They recognized that fear comes from inexperience, not incapability. You're afraid because you haven't done it yet, not because you can't do it. Inexperience is the problem to be solved, and it's only solved through having the courage to act. They realized that the worst prison in the world is having the talent and intelligence to achieve something great but lacking the courage to go out and do it. They understood that the regret from inaction is always worse than the regret from action. But here's the most empowering thought: Courage is not born, it is chosen. Every single day, you get to choose how you show up at your testing point. You have agency. You are at the wheel. You are in control of your future with your actions in the present. The challenges do not get any easier—if anything, they get harder as you rise—but you get stronger. You grow. You change. When you arrive at your testing point and choose to show up as the highest version of yourself, you become different. The stoic philosopher Seneca once wrote: "It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult." You cannot build a life of meaning, purpose, and character by taking the easy path at the testing point. Choose to dare. Choose hard. Choose courage. Courage now, easy later. If you enjoyed this, you're going to love my 7x NYT bestselling book, The 5 Types of Wealth. It will help you design the life you want, and then take the right actions to go out and build it. Join 200,000+ others and order it here (30% sale!): https://lnkd.in/eUzjZUxj P.S. Email your receipt to sahil@sahilbloom.com and I'll send you a 50+ page companion workbook to go deeper on the most important exercises.

Your entire life will change when you realize there is a cost of entry for everything you want to achieve… Everyone wants the reward: • The growth • The level-up • The next chapter But few are willing to pay the cost of entry to achieve it. Because the cost isn't simply the time, energy, or effort—it's deeper than that. It's psychological. It's emotional. It's personal. The Frog Pond Effect is the idea that the way we feel about ourselves depends on our relative positioning more so than our absolute performance. In other words, the same frog feels better about itself in a small pond than it does in a big pond. Its absolute size has not changed, but its relative positioning has. Unfortunately, the things that feel good to us in the short-term are rarely the things that are good for us in the long-term. The comfort and safety of remaining in the small pond becomes a limiter. And moving yourself to the bigger pond is painful: It's the discomfort of being the dumbest one in the room. It's the imposter syndrome of feeling like you'll be exposed. It's the ego hit that comes from being at the back of the pack. It's the embarrassment of being a beginner again. Reframe that pain as a positive. It means you're on the right track. It means you're placing yourself into environments where you'll be forced to level up. It means you're about to break through. Remember: You asked for the growth, so pay the cost of entry with pride. My NYT bestselling book goes deeper into this topic and provides the actionable systems to build the life you want around the things you truly care about. Order it here (30% off now): https://lnkd.in/eTi7b-RN P.S. Order today and email your receipt to sahil@sahilbloom.com and I’ll send you a 50+ page companion workbook to go deeper on the most important exercises.

I asked people married 50+ years for relationship advice... Here's the advice everyone needs to hear: What are your favorites from the list? What relationship advice would you give to your younger self? This list is a powerful excerpt from my 7x NYT bestselling book, The 5 Types of Wealth. Join 200,000+ and order it now (30% sale): https://lnkd.in/eUzjZUxj P.S. Email your receipt to sahil@sahilbloom.com and I'll send you a 50+ page companion workbook to go deeper on the book's most important exercises.

Everyone should do this before they get married... (mostly not joking) The Social Wealth section of my 7x NYT Bestselling book has a guide with relationship advice from couples who have been married for 50+ years. The Ikea Marriage Test is not on the list, but it probably should be! Order it here (30% sale!): https://lnkd.in/eUzjZUxj P.S. Email your receipt to sahil@sahilbloom.com and I'll send you a 50+ page companion workbook to go deeper on the most important exercises.

An idea I can't stop thinking about… The hidden debts of life: When you take on a financial debt, you get: 1. Short-term benefit (cash) 2. Long-term burden (repayment with interest) As it turns out, this general tradeoff—taking a short-term benefit but incurring a long-term burden—can be seen in a variety of contexts beyond the financial. When you avoid a hard conversation, you're taking on a relationship debt. You get the short-term benefit of the pain avoided, but you incur the long-term burden of the problem that has been brushed under the rug. Time doesn't heal anything when it comes to relationships. Minor issues become major issues over time. When you skip your workouts or eat processed junk, you're taking on a physical debt. You get the short-term benefit of the pleasure of relaxation and sugar, but you incur the long-term burden of the compounded health impact of these decisions. When you procrastinate on your important work, you're taking on a professional debt. You get the short-term benefit of the focus avoidance, but you incur the long-term burden of the last minute panic, regret, and missed opportunities. All of these things are hidden debts of life—they may create some short-term benefit, but they will have to be repaid with interest at a date in the future. There's no such thing as a free lunch. The bill eventually comes due. In your finances, as well as your life: Choose your debts wisely. These ideas are explored in depth in my NYT bestselling book, The 5 Types of Wealth. Apple CEO Tim Cook called it “a guide for how to build a life of meaning and purpose.” Order here (30% sale!): https://lnkd.in/eTi7b-RN P.S. Email your receipt to sahil@sahilbloom.com to access several free bonuses, including a 50+ page companion workbook!