How Street Smarts Make You Insanely Shrewd In Building Wealth
The education system makes you into an obedient employee. Street smarts make you an entrepreneur.
You've been told since you were a child: Get good grades, go to college, and success will follow.
But take a look around you. The most financially successful people aren't straight-A students. The most successful people understand how the world works, teach themselves valuable skills, and take massive action.
I spent my twenties in college and graduate school. I naively believed what I had been told growing up —that doing well in school would help me get a good job. Later, I found myself stuck working in retail. I decided to learn about content creation, copywriting, digital marketing, and online business, so I could escape working in retail.
Discover how street smarts make you insanely shrewd in building wealth!
The Education System Trains Workers, Not Winners
The education system's purpose is to create obedient employees. The education system despises independent thinkers. The education system doesn't teach students about personal finance and how to build wealth.
You're rewarded for memorizing information and punished for questioning authority, starting in kindergarten.
Report cards measure your ability to follow instructions, not your potential for success.
The education system makes you terrified of making mistakes and conditions you to seek approval rather than create opportunities.
Recognize The Game And Opt Out
Academic achievement and real-world success require two opposing skill sets.
Start by valuing practical knowledge over theoretical knowledge.
Seek out mentors who've achieved what you want to do rather than relying on academics with the proper credentials.
Stop waiting for permission to start pursuing your goals.
Why This Matters In Your Daily Life
The education system taught you to play it safe and to depend upon others.
Take action to start that business, ask your boss for a raise, or make that investment you've been thinking about.
Confidence and action matter more in the real world than credentials.
Every day you wait for external validation is a day you're not building the life you want.
The sooner you break free from the employee mindset, the sooner you can start creating real wealth.
Key Point: Schools create great employees but terrible entrepreneurs because they reward obedience over initiative.
Street Smarts Give You A Real Competitive Advantage
Street smarts represent the practical intelligence that schools ignore. The real world rewards street smarts, not academic intelligence.
Street smarts include understanding human nature and human psychology, recognizing opportunities, and adapting quickly to changes.
Street smarts help you navigate life and capitalize on opportunities to be more successful and build wealth.
How To Develop Street Smarts
Begin by studying human behavior in everyday situations. Begin to pay attention to how the people around you make decisions, what motivates them, and how they respond in different situations.
Practice reading people. Learn to read between the lines in conversations and negotiations.
Become confident in making decisions with imperfect information, because in business and investing, you'll never have all the facts.
Why This Matters In Your Daily Life
Be confident negotiating your salary, pitching a business idea, or navigating office politics.
Street smarts give you a competitive edge over others who are insecure and cannot read the room.
Your ability to read people, situations, and trends accurately will serve you far better in building wealth than any academic knowledge.
Institutional Education Stifles Your Self-Learning
The traditional education model makes you a passive learner. You're taught to wait to be taught rather than aggressively pursue knowledge on your own.
From elementary school through college, the education system conditions you to believe that learning only happens in classrooms. The education system teaches you that you can only learn from teachers and professors.
Become A Self-Directed Learner
Take complete ownership of your education by identifying exactly what you need to learn to achieve your goals.
Create your own curriculum using books, online courses, mentors, and real-world experience.
Measure your progress by the results you achieve rather than the hours spent studying.
Why This Matters In Your Daily Life
Every skill gap you identify and fill puts you ahead of your competitors who still rely on formal education.
Whether it's learning to code, understanding investing, digital marketing, or mastering sales techniques, self-directed learning allows you to acquire the knowledge and expertise you need.
Self-learning targets the skills you need to learn now to be successful and build wealth.
How To Implement Self-Education
You can begin by dedicating one hour daily to learning a high-value skill. High-value skills are accounting, business, copywriting, digital marketing, investing, sales, or leadership.
Use the "see one, do one, teach one" method: learn a concept, apply it immediately, then teach it to someone else to solidify your understanding.
Track how each new skill directly contributes to your success and increasing net worth.
Key Point: Self-directed learning focused on practical, wealth-building skills provides infinitely greater returns than formal education alone.
How Street Smarts Applies To Single Men And Women Building Wealth
Society Tells Singles To "Wait For Stability"
Society pushes singles to prioritize romance and dating over building wealth.
You’re told to:
"Focus on marriage first, then your finances."
"You need a dual income to get ahead today."
"Don’t take risks! Play it safe until you settle down."
The employee mindset keeps you stuck in financial mediocrity. You're constantly waiting for a partner.
Use Your Single Status As A Superpower
Being single is one of the greatest wealth-building advantages you’ll ever have.
Time Freedom
You have no spouse or kids draining your energy. Use your time to learn, hustle, and invest.
Risk tolerance
You can freely pivot careers, move to a new location, or start businesses with minimal worries.
Focus
Relationships require emotional labor. Channel the energy you would have spent on dating to achieving your goals and building wealth.
Why This Matters in Your Daily Solo Life
If you delay wealth-building because you're single, you’re losing time and compounding opportunities.
The best time to build financial independence is now, while you're single and before you get married, take on a mortgage, and assume family obligations, which can limit your flexibility.
Every cent you invest in the stock market gives you more financial freedom.
Every valuable, high-paying skill you learn means more money and a higher income.
Starting a business today means leaving your 9-to-5 job and working to scale it so that it continues to grow and generate revenue while you sleep.
How To Leverage Street Smarts Now
Single Men
Focus on building appreciating assets first. Work to develop a highly desirable skill set that makes you irreplaceable in the workplace. Start your own online business.
Women
Ignore the narrative that you need to date and marry. Financial independence is essential. You can be self-reliant today and achieve your goals without needing to get married.
Both
Surround yourself with ambitious people who elevate your mindset.
Maximize Your Earning Years
Your twenties and thirties are the ideal time to save and invest money. You want to increase your income and net worth to achieve financial freedom.
Don't waste your money on depreciating assets such as dating, fancy cars, luxury rentals, and trying to impress people. Real wealth is quiet, not loud.
Don't waste your twenties and thirties on hook-ups, dating, and spending time with people who don't share your goals.
Build A Financial Runway
Save six to twelve months of expenses so you can take big career and business risks.
Invest In Your Appearance And Social Skills
Looking successful attracts more professional opportunities. Dress and look professional. Learn how to speak effectively and present yourself well to others.
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Summary
Street smarts mean you're competent.
Financial independence, confidence, and ambition are signs that you're skilled in your area of expertise.
You'll naturally surround yourself with other qualified people when you prove yourself as being successful.
Disclaimer: This content is for educational, entertainment, and informational purposes only. This is not business, financial, investment, or any advice. I write online about topics that interest me. I make mistakes just like everyone else. Always conduct your own research and consult a professional before making decisions regarding health, life, finances, investments, taxes, or legal matters.