Before buying another course, do this.

demolish

        May 16, 2025

First tho: Want to solve it NOW?
Hi friends! I want to just tell you how you can work with me upfront because the newsletter part is a bit longer.
Coaching is not an offer that’s expiring soon. But why not solve your problems now?
This is a serious question. Things can take so much less time than you think. You could literally solve your problem TODAY.
Here’s my suggestion to you: write your problem out on paper the way you would explain it to a not very smart dog.
Then ask yourself: do I want to keep this problem? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Or would I like to demolish this problem forever?
If the latter but you don’t know how, book a Problem Solver with me.
Single session, 90 minutes, $175. You’ll take away 1. a unique and very do-able set of steps and 2. a one-page document outlining your straightforward personal strategy for demolishing 💣 your problem ASAP. Just hit Reply to this email.
🤓 🤓 🤓
Okay! So before buying another online course, do this.
My friends, I have been following Ramit Sethi, the Rich Life guy, since he still had his puppy fat. In financial matters, he is reliable source of sanity. Would recommend.
But he also teaches business strategy, productivity techniques and the like. 
So the other day I ALMOST plunked down $300 for Mindset Mastery or something. But first I thought about it for 48 hours, as is now my habit.
And on hour 48.5, I remembered my friend the life coach and total genius Sheri Larson, who once said to me: Max. You know a lot of this shit already.
So I decided to evaluate the usefulness of Ramit’s course, given the cost and effort ($300 and about 12 hours).
I gave myself one hour to examine Ramit’s claims.
Here’s how I did it:
I scrolled through and made notes on the high-level promises¹ of Ramit’s sales page (you can see it here), the broad strokes of who would want this course and what for.
Next, I extracted Ramit’s description of the mindset he’s teaching you to master.
Then I read the testimonials, ppl identifying the exact golden keys they were given. I put those in my document verbatim.
Then the real work: Ramit names the lessons you’ll learn. I asked myself: do I already know and use effective methods in this area? Would I just be grooving further in something that’s already in a good groove?²
I used a table for this section. On the left, Ramit’s lesson description, on the right, what I know (or don’t) about that topic.
Finally, I gleaned that Ramit would be guiding you to create goals (focus) and establish habits to get you to them.
So I made a little table of my own goals and habits, what I already know and do. These lists are short.
What problem am I trying to solve?
When I was done taking notes, I compared what Ramit is delivering with what I already know and what I didn’t.
There were gaps! I could take this course, and get something from it. 
But would the course solve a problem for me? Or would it be solving a non-problem?
See, I’m a big fat completist.
And that’s not a helpful quality in my line of work. Or in my life.
Two implications:
spending an hour evaluating whether or not to take the course is sufficient to decide. My investigation was not exhaustive, and that’s fine. I put in the right amount of consideration for a $300 decision.
I don’t want to put more on the pile of things my brain is going to nag me to complete. If I buy a course and don’t watch every module and do every bit of homework, I feel like maybe I missed the most important part?

That feeling is 100% wrong, and Jesus doesn’t want it for us. Neither does Ramit, because he’s a genuinely good guy.
So, decision made! I do not in fact need this course. My mindset is in okay shape. It would be one more thing to do.
I will show you my work.
If you’re interested, below is exactly what I put together in an hour. It’s rough and it both 1. GOT ME THERE and 2. is a USEFUL ONE-PAGER that I will return to.
(I’ve left off my personal goals and habits, but here are all the other notes I took:
👉 What keeps some stuck where others succeed? “Mental Mastery” = deep inner skills.
(Max plz note that although this class is billed as basically everything you need to kill it there are two(!) classes offered as followups and add-ons on developing specific habits and beating procrastination. Love, Max)
Confidence: know what u want
Motivation: keep pushing even when its hard (ME: TOUGHNESS NOT MOTIVATION)
Focus: know what to ignore (!!!! extremely important!!!!)
Optimism: confidence in positive future and having fun in present
ALL OF THIS = FOLLOW THRU
👉 THE CORE: learn the secret to unbreakable focus and motivation so you can calmly, consistently, successfully work through your goals.
👉 “Don't wish it was easier wish you were better. Don't wish for less problems wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenge wish for more wisdom.” —Jim Rohn
👉 Mindset:
1. Challenges don’t disappear— they get bigger with success 
2. Dont give a shit about motivation. It’s HABITS. It’s NMW no matter what
3. If they can do it I can do it
4. HOW do they do it? Imma do that
5. Pick and go. If it doesn’t work out I’ll do something else
👉 Tactics / lessons given, golden keys per testimonials:
* Do now and Do later lists
* When things go wrong: get on phone or go in person to set things right and dont stop until you’ve succeeded. (It’s actually fun and Ive gained a rep for being v cool.)(Social nervous system.)
* Hot to cool technique: Okay, hot emotion. I’m feeling X bc Y. What wd cool look like? Cool = Z. Now you do that. It’s a choice. (This is nervous system.)
* Challenge urself on how much time things really take. 2 weeks? TRY 3 DAYS! (Nervous system also.)
Here’s what Ramit promises you’ll learn. I might already know many of these things. Let’s check:
Ramit promises: what? Max’s established way, or a guess about R’s way
Big lie we tell ourselves about motivation That I shd be able to manage it? NO it’s unreliable. U need systems and toughness.
How to get out of ur own head Recognize when ur blended and disidentify. Return attention to habit, goal, next thing, ur promise to self.
Going all in—how to get over analysis paralysis Research with a limit, then go with your next best option. ITS GOOD ENOUGH.
From lazy to drive: the secret to hard work that separates winners from losers It’s toughness not motivation and it’s self-reliance not seeking outside approval. U can never get enough! THERE ISNT ENUF.
A personal kick in the ass from Ramit Could be fun! But obviously it’s not actually personal.
From HOT to COOL how to develop effortless discipline The technique: Okay, hot emotion. I’m feeling X bc Y. What wd cool look like? Cool = Z. Do that. Turn ur attention back to ur process, ur habit, ur no matter what
How to manage ur inner critic Identify, disidentify, devalue, dismiss, redirect.
Trust ur Legs: how to overcome ur fear of failure ??? Could recount successes, could think about failures of the past and how I’ve overcome, could remember success is built from experience and experience is built from failure
How to fix ur social media addiction Approval: it’s FAKE. Use a schedule if you have to be there. Be there for a purpose. It’s okay if one of the purposes is fun. Be v selective in ur follows.
Intuition: forgotten power of listening to ur gut This is fun bc this is where I see an opty to focus. It’s not that I know everything about this but I do know enough and it’s also NOT A PROBLEM IM looking to solve. This would be completist and completionism IS a problem!
It’s ok to be weird! NO SHIT.
How to scrape meat off bone from every opty ??? This intrigues me and could be useful.
Putting a lid on negativity HOT to COOL, disidentify. NMW.
The language of winners What I do matters. This is what I do no matter what.
One technique you can use to make urself happier every day Gratitude end of day and also what I’m looking forward to.
Inbox zero and other productivity myths FOCUS is the antidote.
Ur problem is not my problem: how to set boundaries and say no Again, I know enuf about this and it’s not among my productivity/success problems.
Mental reset: how to get back on track when you get distracted Well you can always remember that distraction is inevitable and getting back on track is basically the whole thing. You just do it. You can analyze what got u off track, but no time wasted on recrimination.
Ur biggest growth is ahead of you By definition. Leading edge.
How to develop natural confidence even if you weren’t born with it I don’t give a shit about natural confidence because it’s what I do that matters. I do the important things no matter what. I’m fucking tough as shit. And that’s natural confidence, bitches. haha listen to me
Ramit sez:
Ramit sez Max responds
There are countless frameworks and “mental heuristics” out there. YES. Countless. And I have a few good ones already, see above.
But in my years of reading millions of emails, speaking to successful friends, and building my own multimillion-dollar company, I learned a few simple rules of thumb. See Book of Me
They were practical, easy to apply, and extremely powerful. 
Best of all, they were FUN. I’m for fun! But I want to spend my $300 on a different kind of fun this time.
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE learning about myself, recognizing the patterns, then working to improve them. Sure, it’s work — but it’s amazing to watch yourself change from the inside out. Well, same! I love learning! But again, $300.
In this course, I collected the very best tools and frameworks and shared them, along with specific stories. You can apply these instantly to your work, your personal life, and your business. Max list ur tools and frameworks. STARTING WITH THE ONE YOU MADE UR OWN SELF: meals at mealtimes.
These tools will help take you from good to great — and even one of these lessons can be worth its weight in gold. 
Put them together and you have a microscope to examine your own inner thoughts…and a roadmap for optimizing, improving, and skipping ahead. There’s nothing else like it. Nothing like knowing when good enough is good enough. We’re there!
And that’s it! This was a useful exercise, and I recommend it to you.
Of course, it all rests on Ramit’s willingness to make promises, and describe what he’s delivering in some detail. Not everyone does that! If they don’t do that, maybe you don’t even need to investigate further.

Let me know if you use this!
RECOMMENDING.
reading.
All the Other Mothers Hate Me, Sarah Harman. It’s about a failed pop star / mom / unwilling detective who, sorry to say, most of the other mothers really do dislike. This was so fun. Safe to read now that Mothers’ Day is behind us.
watching.
Aimee France. Do you know this enchanting eater of lunch on Instagram? She is so charming. She can’t pronounce anything. Everything is a new discovery to her. I LOVE her bite combos. She has adorable style. Her music is <chef’s kiss>. I wish I had spent my 20s doing what she’s doing with her days. (Another great follow from Friend Sheri.)

All right that’s the week!
👊  respect!
💗  adore!  
🙏  and thank you for reading.

Talk to you soon!
Plz note Ramit’s sales page is almost 6,000 words, so I didn’t spend the time examining everything. I could have done even more! ↩
I know fer SURE Ramit would not want me to waste time getting from 95% to 96% while I still had areas at 45%. ↩

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Ramit promises: what?	Max’s established way, or a guess about R’s way
Big lie we tell ourselves about motivation	That I shd be able to manage it? NO it’s unreliable. U need systems and toughness.
How to get out of ur own head	Recognize when ur blended and disidentify. Return attention to habit, goal, next thing, ur promise to self.
Going all in—how to get over analysis paralysis	Research with a limit, then go with your next best option. ITS GOOD ENOUGH.
From lazy to drive: the secret to hard work that separates winners from losers	It’s toughness not motivation and it’s self-reliance not seeking outside approval. U can never get enough! THERE ISNT ENUF.
A personal kick in the ass from Ramit	Could be fun! But obviously it’s not actually personal.
From HOT to COOL how to develop effortless discipline	The technique: Okay, hot emotion. I’m feeling X bc Y. What wd cool look like? Cool = Z. Do that. Turn ur attention back to ur process, ur habit, ur no matter what
How to manage ur inner critic	Identify, disidentify, devalue, dismiss, redirect.
Trust ur Legs: how to overcome ur fear of failure	??? Could recount successes, could think about failures of the past and how I’ve overcome, could remember success is built from experience and experience is built from failure
How to fix ur social media addiction	Approval: it’s FAKE. Use a schedule if you have to be there. Be there for a purpose. It’s okay if one of the purposes is fun. Be v selective in ur follows.
Intuition: forgotten power of listening to ur gut	This is fun bc this is where I see an opty to focus. It’s not that I know everything about this but I do know enough and it’s also NOT A PROBLEM IM looking to solve. This would be completist and completionism IS a problem!
It’s ok to be weird!	NO SHIT.
How to scrape meat off bone from every opty	??? This intrigues me and could be useful.
Putting a lid on negativity	HOT to COOL, disidentify. NMW.
The language of winners	What I do matters. This is what I do no matter what.
One technique you can use to make urself happier every day	Gratitude end of day and also what I’m looking forward to.
Inbox zero and other productivity myths	FOCUS is the antidote.
Ur problem is not my problem: how to set boundaries and say no	Again, I know enuf about this and it’s not among my productivity/success problems.
Mental reset: how to get back on track when you get distracted	Well you can always remember that distraction is inevitable and getting back on track is basically the whole thing. You just do it. You can analyze what got u off track, but no time wasted on recrimination.
Ur biggest growth is ahead of you	By definition. Leading edge.
How to develop natural confidence even if you weren’t born with it	I don’t give a shit about natural confidence because it’s what I do that matters. I do the important things no matter what. I’m fucking tough as shit. And that’s natural confidence, bitches. haha listen to me

Ramit sez	Max responds
There are countless frameworks and “mental heuristics” out there.	YES. Countless. And I have a few good ones already, see above.
But in my years of reading millions of emails, speaking to successful friends, and building my own multimillion-dollar company, I learned a few simple rules of thumb.	See Book of Me
They were practical, easy to apply, and extremely powerful. Best of all, they were FUN.	I’m for fun! But I want to spend my $300 on a different kind of fun this time.
I don’t know about you, but I LOVE learning about myself, recognizing the patterns, then working to improve them. Sure, it’s work — but it’s amazing to watch yourself change from the inside out.	Well, same! I love learning! But again, $300.
In this course, I collected the very best tools and frameworks and shared them, along with specific stories. You can apply these instantly to your work, your personal life, and your business.	Max list ur tools and frameworks. STARTING WITH THE ONE YOU MADE UR OWN SELF: meals at mealtimes.
These tools will help take you from good to great — and even one of these lessons can be worth its weight in gold. Put them together and you have a microscope to examine your own inner thoughts…and a roadmap for optimizing, improving, and skipping ahead. There’s nothing else like it.	Nothing like knowing when good enough is good enough. We’re there!