A Playbook for Each Decade of Life: Earn More, Work Less, Retire Earlier (Issue 181)

My Mother-in-law Was Right - You'll Never Feel Ready (Issue 193)

Many, many years ago, this is the month when I first became a father. I had no idea how much it would transform me and completely change my life. Parenting has changed over the past decades. People are spending more time with their children [https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2026/01/09/millennials-spend-more-time-than-past-generations-with-their-children] than past generations did. As a Gen X dad, I know I spent more time with my kids than most of the Boomer fathers I knew when I was growing up. I was pretty lucky, though. My dad actually did spend a lot of time with us. When he wasn’t working, we did stuff as a family (e.g., shopping, drive-in movies, hunting and fishing, swimming at the lake and river, going on long walks in the country, sledding, camping, and other vacations). Still, it took me a few years of marriage to warm up to the idea of being a father. I was very focused on my graduate school education and my career in Silicon Valley [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cornett/]. I wanted to get things off to a solid start and make enough money to feel comfortable supporting a family. 🎧 NOTE: I go into more detail in the audio of this podcast episode. So, scroll up and hit play if you want to listen. ⬆️ But guess what? You never feel you have enough money or that your career is cruising on autopilot. I remember when my mother-in-law talked with us about having children, and we explained why we were waiting (e.g., money, feeling ready to be parents). She said, “If you wait until you feel completely ready to be parents, you will never have children. You will never feel ready.” She was right. That’s true about many things in life. I talk about that when coaching people to plan a self-employed business model [https://newsletter.invinciblesolopreneurs.com/p/an-8-week-exit-from-your-9-to-5-job] that will help them escape their 9-to-5 job and semi-retire early. No one ever feels 100% ready to quit their job and run a business. No one ever feels as though they have saved enough money and invested enough to retire safely. You just don’t! Unless you got really lucky and made the kind of money that you know you’ll be okay. But even multimillionaires and billionaires don’t like the idea of retirement. I have thoughts about why that happens, but that’s a conversation for another time… At some point, if you know you want to become a parent, it’s a leap of faith. Sure, don’t rush it like an unprepared fool. But you also can’t keep putting it off until it’s too late and physically impossible. So, yes, we became parents, and it worked out. It was scary at first. My wife is such a natural mother. I’m not exaggerating when I say she is the best mom in the world. If you don’t believe me, ask our children. They adore her. Everyone does. So, I think she flowed right into caring for our newborn and giving her exactly what she needed. Loving that tiny person more than anything else in the world helps. But I still felt like I had to learn how to be a father. The love part was easy. My heart had felt nothing like that before. You can’t really explain it to someone who isn’t a parent (and I know not all parents feel it). I had never felt love like that before. The kind of love that means you would do anything for your child, protect your child at all costs, and die for a child in an instant. * No questions. * No second guessing. * No hesitation. * You just know it. A funny thing happens when you have known someone and loved them from birth. They exist in your heart and mind as a continuum from baby to adult. The visual in my mind is something like the one below from the television series Avatar: The Last Airbender [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417299]. We watched this show with our children for years (they loved it). When I see my children, I see the flow of their existence from newborn to adult. It all exists simultaneously with a blend of memories from their entire lives. I have loved them and interacted with them in ever-evolving ways. For me, it is sometimes hard to let go of the babies and young children I remember. I think part of it is because I had to work so much, so I wasn’t as present in their lives as I wished I could be. It saddens me, so perhaps I cling to those memories. So, as a Gen X father, my career was supposedly my primary quest, and being a dad was a side quest. It’s kind of messed up, and I’m glad to see younger generations challenge that notion. Sure, we need to make a living. But raising good, amazing people who can help bring more good into this world is more important than any corporate mission statement or career goal. Eventually, I figured that out and walked away from my corporate career in 2010. I wanted to be a better father and husband. I wanted to take better care of myself and my health so that I could see my children grow up, start their own families, and bring their own children into this world. I wanted to experience being a grandfather! The path I was on risked all of that. When I look back on my life’s accomplishments, nothing compares to being a dad. I am a father and husband first; a coach second. I enjoy running my business [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cornett/] and helping people, but my family comes first now. My children are the best thing that has ever happened to me. They are the most amazing people I know. I know every parent says that, but I wish you could meet them. They are so smart, adventurous, courageous, compassionate, caring, funny, and wonderful people to spend time with. We are so lucky that they still enjoy being with us. They come home to visit, we travel to see them, and we still do things together (e.g., hiking, backpacking, camping, travel, vacations, etc.). That’s why I intentionally designed a flexible, asynchronous, location-independent business that lets me own my time and travel where I want, when I want. Now, we visit our children and spend several weeks with them. Being able to do this did not happen by accident. No job would ever have enabled it. It hasn’t been easy to make it happen, but it has been worth it. So, the side quest became my primary quest. That happens sometimes. In this case, it happened because it should have happened. I think that many of the issues in this world come from poor parenting. I hear stories of bad parents, toxic parents, unloving parents, absentee parents, etc. The list goes on and on. Some people rise above terrible experiences and swear that they will never do that to their children. They became great parents despite the negative parenting they had experienced. However, some people are damaged by their upbringing, so they take it out on the rest of us and the rest of the world. Sadly, I see that all the time. My message is this: If you’re going to be a parent, be a great one. Make it your priority. I don’t mean the lip service I hear all the time. I mean, really prioritizing your children over other things. Really. I’m gonna brain dump some thoughts on parenting. I’m not saying we were perfect, or that we got it right the first time. But you know what? We wanted to get better at parenting. We invested in it, learned from our mistakes, and kept trying to improve. We still are working on things as we’re becoming parents of adult children! * Quality time matters, but so does quantity. * Love them deeply and fully. * Accept them and support them completely. * Expose them to a variety of foods early and often. * Read to them every day until they fall in love with reading. * Travel with them so they experience the world and other cultures. * Protect them and defend them (this world can really suck). * Be a role model for good behavior, decency, emotional regulation, self-care, etc. * Explore the outdoors with them, and put them on the path to exercise and health. * Help them grow and let them face challenges appropriately. * Don’t give in to the temptation to give them everything under the sun. * Limit their access to screens, online b******t, and the associated risks. * Don’t make their life so easy that they face no failures. * Respect them, talk with them, and actually listen to them. * Take ownership of staying connected with your adult children. * Ask and learn about their lives, relationships, careers, and more. * Make the effort to communicate, travel to them, and visit them. I’m sure some of this advice and my opinions will resonate with some of you. But I also know that some of you will disagree with some of it, feel irritated, or even pissed off. Such is the nature of being a human being and sharing opinions online! If you don’t like it, write your own article about children and parenting. It’s free to do so! And it’s a great way to express yourself and get things off your chest. Hey, that’s why I do it. 🎧 I expand on much of what is written here in the audio of this podcast episode, so scroll up and hit play to listen. ⬆️ Or ignore me. That’s cool, too. Larry Cornett, Ph.D. | Empowerment coach, psychologist, nature lover, and fitness freak. I help you escape the “hustle trap” to create an empowered life that fits who you are and what you want most. From Silicon Valley exec to self-employed entrepreneur, I’ve also followed this path to freedom, so now I can help others find their way. ➡️ Want to design your path? Book a free call with me [https://schedule.larrycornett.coach/free-call]! 📕 Check out my Invincible Daily Journals [https://brilliantforge.com/#seasonaljournals]! Get full access to Side Questing Life at newsletter.invinciblelife.me/subscribe [https://newsletter.invinciblelife.me/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Danger of Giving Your Kids an Easy Life (Issue 187)

They gave their child a brand-new car when the kid turned 16. Within a year, the car was totalled. So, what did the parents do? You guessed it. They bought the child an even more expensive new car. I understand the desire to give your children a better life than you had, especially if you grew up poor, suffered, or endured trauma. But there is a difference between giving your child a good life and an easy life. Giving someone an easy life doesn’t do them any favors in the long run. Infantilization doesn’t help someone learn, grow, and be ready for the realities of life. * We need to work hard. * We need to learn value. * We need some struggles. * We need to understand consequences. * We need to learn about accountability, respect, and compassion. I’m always surprised when I discover that friends completely cover everything for their children, never tell them no, give them whatever they want, and never expect that they contribute in any way. I have friends whose children have never had jobs, never paid for anything, and never helped out around the house with chores. Even after these children became adults, they still lived in the home rent-free, never paid for groceries, never helped cook meals, drove cars provided by the parents, and went on fancy vacations around the world covered by the parents. I guess we’ll see later, but I suspect these kids are going to have a rough time adjusting to real life once they graduate from college, move out, and have to get the first real jobs of their lives. We raised our children differently When our kids were younger, living at home, and going to school, I was making pretty good money in my tech career. We could have given them anything and everything they wanted, but we did not. Yes, we provide a home, food, clothing, and covered most of the things they required for their education and life. But they all had part-time jobs during high school. If they wanted to buy stuff and have fun adventures, they covered it with their income (e.g., video games, toys, movies with friends, etc.). My wife and I both grew up without money. We had to work hard during college to pay rent, cover bills, and afford food (never enough food!). That struggle made us value things a lot more. It also forced us to be adults (imagine that), create budgets, be responsible, and learn about delayed gratification. If we wanted something special, we had to put in more hours, save up, and find a way to make it happen. We couldn’t just ask Mommy and Daddy for it. We had watched what happened when friends were given whatever they wanted and never learned about responsibilities and accountability. Hell, we still know some of these people (in our 50s now), and they are still screwing up their lives. They never really grew up, and it shows. So, we didn’t want that to happen to our children. They had chores, jobs, and contributions to make to the household. Sure, there were times they needed some additional financial help. It’s getting harder and harder to get by in this country as a young person (hell, it’s hard for all of us!). But we never just gave them money. Instead, we gave them interest-free loans, and guess what? They have all paid us back every time. All of my children have traveled internationally. * My daughter traveled to France and Iceland. * My oldest son went to Ghana and is now in Australia. * My youngest son traveled to Germany, France, Italy, and Japan. Every single one of them paid for their own trips. They worked hard, made tough decisions, saved up, and covered it themselves. And because of that, they valued those trips and memories way more than if we had forked over the money for their travels. Sorry, I tend to brag about my kids. I just think they are amazing young people, and I’m so happy with how they turned out. My wife deserves the credit for that! She’s an amazing mother. It is tempting As I mentioned earlier, it is so tempting to give your children everything you didn’t have. I grew up poor, and I watched other kids get stuff I could only dream about. So, when I was finally making good money, it was so tempting to buy everything and cover everything for my children. I didn’t want them to go without, struggle, and feel bad. But giving into that temptation would have kept them from growing into their full potential as resourceful, hardworking, and responsible young adults. You don’t have to look far to see what happens when wealthy families spoil their children. I don’t even think it requires wealth, per se. Some people go into crazy debt to give their kids everything. However, it never seems to turn out well… I go into more detail in this podcast episode. So, scroll up, hit play, and check it out! Larry Cornett, Ph.D. | Empowerment coach, psychologist, nature lover, and fitness freak. I help you escape the “hustle trap” to create an empowered life that fits who you are and what you want most. From Silicon Valley exec to self-employed entrepreneur, I’ve also followed this path to freedom, so now I can help others find their way. ➡️ Want to design your path? Book a free call with me [https://schedule.larrycornett.coach/free-call]! 📕 Check out my Invincible Daily Journals [https://brilliantforge.com/#seasonaljournals]! Get full access to Side Questing Life at newsletter.invinciblelife.me/subscribe [https://newsletter.invinciblelife.me/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Death Cleaning Your Home Will Free Your Mind (Issue 186)

We’ve been in “Swedish death cleaning [https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/what-swedish-death-cleaning-should-you-be-doing-it-ncna816511]” mode for the last few weeks, and I have to say… I’m addicted to how it makes me feel! I find myself getting rid of more and more stuff. I keep walking into the closets and rooms we have already decluttered and organized just to enjoy the way they look and feel now. Another nice bonus? I’m rediscovering things I had forgotten or thought I had lost. Clothing, games, books, equipment, tools, etc. It’s crazy. We already downsized a lot [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/p/what-are-you-willing-to-sacrifice] when we moved here 10 years ago from a larger house. But we still have too much stuff. So, the “death cleaning” mindset helps. Do we want our kids to be forced to deal with this stuff after we’re gone? Nope. Do we really need all these things? Also nope. For us, the more minimal [https://www.becomingminimalist.com/what-is-minimalism/] our lives become, the better we feel. The less we have to deal with, the more we buy back our precious time and mental bandwidth to make room for more valuable things in our lives. In the book The High Price of Materialism [https://direct.mit.edu/books/monograph/2602/The-High-Price-of-Materialism] by Tim Kasser [https://www.timkasser.org/] (a psychologist), he explores how materialism and consumerism negatively affect our quality of life, our everyday happiness, and our psychological health. People with the goal of accumulating more and more wealth and material possessions face greater unhappiness, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. It’s an important lesson for Americans in particular. From the day we are born, our capitalist society [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cant-buy-happiness/201403/what-causes-materialism-in-america] bombards us with messages about being a good little consumer who needs to buy more stuff to feel complete. * You need to work harder and make more money! * Why? So you can buy more stuff to show how successful you are. * You've gotta keep up with the Joneses, or you’ll end up at the bottom of the neighborhood heap. * You must buy all this crap to look better, look younger, feel better, and boost your status. * Uh oh, is your house getting crowded with your profusion of possessions? No problem, rent a storage unit. Better yet, buy a bigger house! Or a second house!!! We’re told that playing this game will make us feel successful and happy. But the research [https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033344?originator=useradmin&identity=5131×tamp=20991231000000&signature=6d3d4c5f803cfe96e0326a1ab60582ca] does not support that. Sadly, it just makes us feel worse about ourselves and our lives. Tragically, we think buying even more will fix it, but we just end up digging a deeper hole. The only way out is to reject all this nonsense and chart your own course [https://schedule.larrycornett.coach/]. And that begins with stepping away from the shopping cart and decluttering your home to give yourself physical and psychological breathing room. Some advice from an elder My wife has been trying to talk me into this decluttering process for years. But I was always “busy.” Spending my weekend cleaning felt like the last thing I wanted to do. I was wrong! It feels so good to get rid of old stuff you no longer need. I only wish I had listened to her sooner. I feel like I’m learning many lessons from all of this, so I’ll share a few. Take photos for the memories If you’re like me, some objects trigger memories. That’s one reason I have trouble getting rid of possessions sometimes. It might be a gift from someone I love. I might remind me of playing with my children. Or, it might bring back memories of a wonderful vacation. Now, I keep very few things and take photos of things that bring back happy memories. I don’t need the physical object, but I do enjoy remembering what the view of that object means to me. Shred it when you get it Ugh, we have so many boxes of paperwork from our work and lives. Some stuff can be tossed straight into paper recycling. But we have boxes of documents with confidential information that we need to shred before we can dispose of them. Now, I keep a shredder near our incoming mail. We are trying to handle each piece of mail only once. Either it is something we need to deal with (e.g., pay a bill) or a document we can recycle or shred immediately. It’s so much easier to shred one or two documents at a time versus an entire box! Eliminate paper if you can Speaking of bills and confidential documents, we have been transitioning to paperless billing for years. That helps a lot! Most companies offer paperless billing, which you can specify in your account preferences (online or over the phone). I’ve also started sorting mail as I walk back to our house. By the time I reach our driveway, I have a stack of junk mail and unwanted paper that I can toss into our recycling bin. Clutter can’t win if it doesn’t even make it inside! Wipe old devices immediately This issue is so painful for me since I worked in tech [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cornett/] for over 20 years. I have a ton of computers, phones, electronics, and other devices. Don’t even get me started about all the old cables, wires, and connectors! I have a habit of upgrading and keeping the previous device for backup or travel. That means I keep all the old cables and connectors for that device, too. Unfortunately, I’m not great about getting rid of that old backup device when I upgrade again. So, now I have some old computers, hard drives, game consoles, etc. that I can’t boot up to wipe and reset. To add insult to injury, it is really hard to get rid of old electronics here since they are treated like hazardous waste and our local donation centers are overflowing with them (maybe that’s a California thing due to all the tech folks here?). Therefore, I highly recommend being good about wiping devices and donating or selling them while they still work and have value. Learn from my mistakes! Throw pain away Some of the stuff I’m cleaning up is bringing up bad memories from my past. I guess I tossed stuff into a box when we moved and thought I’d deal with it later. Well, now it’s later. If something makes you feel sad or angry when you see it, toss it! I won’t go into the details, but I have some books, paperwork, gifts, etc. that make me unhappy when I remember a person involved, the situation, or what it represents. I’m being ruthless now about throwing those things into the recycling, donate, and trash boxes. Give stuff to your children We have some things that I think our children will value—if not now, in the future when they become parents with children of their own. We’ve been holding onto baby clothes, toys, books, games, etc. for almost 30 years! It’s time to let them go. We take photos of those items and send them to our children so they can claim them before we donate or sell them. The clutter in our house is doing us no favors. Plus, it sometimes makes me sad to see those things and realize that time went by all too quickly. My babies are all grown adults now. Wear it or forget it I probably donated about 50% of my clothing about a month ago. I pulled everything out of my closet and dressers and put it all on my bed to review and try on. I was ruthless! If I hadn’t worn something in years, it went into the donate box. If the clothing was from my past life (e.g., lots of suits for business travel), I accepted I am no longer that person and no longer need those clothes. Into the donate box. Also, I counted out the number of socks, t-shirts, pants, shorts, etc. and asked myself, “How many of these do I really need since I can easily do laundry?” For example, I don’t need a two-month supply of socks! Two to three weeks’ worth is just fine. A fun side effect of reducing my clothing is being able to see my options more easily now. I organized my closet and dresser by color, season, and style. I discovered clothes I had entirely forgotten about and started wearing them again. Walking into our newly organized closet puts a smile on my face. The benefits The obvious benefit is having a tidier home with less of the stuff you don’t need cluttering your daily life. Also, if you’re a parent, you are doing your children a big favor. We have experienced what it is like to clean up a home after someone passes away. It’s so overwhelming and sad. You don’t want your loved ones dealing with that after you are gone. However, another benefit was mood improvement. I had no idea how much stress all of this was creating. Now I find myself walking into our decluttered rooms just for the joy of seeing the results. It seriously makes me happy! And my stress levels have dropped. I’m discovering that daily life is becoming easier and more efficient, too. I’m creating a place for everything and putting everything in its place with better labeling and organization. No more searching every room and digging through closets and boxes to find that one thing I’m so certain must be there! It’s a huge timesaver and frustration reducer. Your environment affects you in obvious and subtle ways. Clutter makes us feel stressed and unhappy, even if we don’t realize that’s what is causing it. You only notice it once you make a big change. Now, the challenge will be to maintain this improved situation. We have already created a rule that something must go if we want something new [https://newsletter.invinciblelife.me/p/life-tip-consider-the-full-cost] to come into the house. * If we want to buy a new board game, we must donate an old game. * If someone wants new running shoes, an old pair must leave. * A new book comes in, so an old book goes out. * When we buy a new pan, we take an old one to the thrift store. Supposedly, some people find the concept of “death cleaning” to be morbid. I don’t see it that way. There’s nothing wrong with being aware of your mortality and living your life to its fullest with that knowledge reminding you that the clock is ticking. And improving your daily life in your home is a great way to enjoy your life more now. What strategies do you use to reduce clutter in your life? I would love to hear about in the comments! Larry Cornett, Ph.D. | Empowerment coach, psychologist, nature lover, and fitness freak. I help you escape the “hustle trap” to create an empowered life that fits who you are and what you want most. From Silicon Valley exec to self-employed entrepreneur, I’ve also followed this path to freedom, so now I can help others find their way. ➡️ Want to design your path? Book a free call with me [https://schedule.larrycornett.coach/free-call]! 📕 Check out my Invincible Daily Journals [https://brilliantforge.com/#seasonaljournals]! Get full access to Side Questing Life at newsletter.invinciblelife.me/subscribe [https://newsletter.invinciblelife.me/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

A Playbook for Each Decade of Life: Earn More, Work Less, Retire Earlier (Issue 181)

During my hike through the forest this weekend, I recorded some thoughts about empowerment and what it means for each decade of your life. The video is embedded below. Some people may find it odd that I simultaneously coach my clients on how to get ahead in their careers, how to exit the 9-to-5 grind to enjoy self-employment, and how to live a more empowered life. However, I see an overall arc to our lives from our 20s to our final years that includes: * Getting your advanced education. * Leveraging traditional employment. * Exiting to the freedom of a lifestyle business. * Maximizing your enjoyment of your final years on this planet. It all centers on empowerment My empowerment strategy lets you squeeze the most out of your earning years and the most life out of your later years. * Empowered people have more career opportunities than most others. * Empowered people feel confident and courageous in their jobs. * Empowered people demand what they deserve from their working lives. * Empowered people create a path to greater freedom and fulfillment. * Empowered people get more of what they want out of life. * Empowered people live larger and refuse to settle for less. Summary of what I share in the video * The Unifying Thread of Empowerment * Career coaching and self-employment coaching may seem contradictory, but they share one goal: putting you in the driver’s seat of your working life, whether that’s climbing the ladder or creating your own path [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/p/create-your-own-career-ladder-issue]. * From Invincible to Empowered * My business branding is evolving. * It’s less about feeling invincible and more about being so skilled, visible, and respected that you become more empowered. * You become an opportunity magnet [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/p/quick-tip-your-resume-wont-sell-you] (I’ve talked a lot about this before). * Power Means You Can Walk Away * When you’re truly empowered, you stop tolerating bad bosses [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/p/is-a-bad-boss-slowly-killing-your], terrible relationships, toxic environments, and unreasonable demands. * During my long career [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cornett/], I have watched talented people push back and win because employers couldn’t afford to lose them. * The Value of Inside Champions * Throughout my career, former colleagues and advocates [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/p/dont-be-lost-in-obscurity] pulled me into companies and made the interview processes almost effortless. * That kind of network [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/p/a-non-sleazy-way-to-network-issue] doesn’t happen by accident. * You have to earn it, expand it, and nurture it. * You Will Have Peak Earning Years * Research shows earning potential peaks [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/p/youd-better-ride-that-wave-issue] and then declines. * Senior roles become scarce, and age discrimination [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/p/shining-a-light-on-ageism-maureen] is real (especially in tech). * You need to maximize your earnings while this brief window is open. * Same Hours, Very Different Pay * Would you rather earn $100K or $300K for the same eight hours/day? * Push hard for what you deserve. * Do not tolerate a one-way relationship with your employer. Get as much as you give. * Bank It, Don’t Burn It * Live leaner [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/p/when-will-you-have-enough] during your highest-earning years. * Invest aggressively, create a financial safety cushion, and start working on self-employment plans [https://newsletter.invinciblesolopreneurs.com/p/how-to-build-a-lifestyle-business]. * You’re buying your future freedom. * Your 20s Are for Foundation Building * Get educated * Find your people, make good friends, discover love, and find your life partner [https://newsletter.invinciblelife.me/p/our-secret-to-a-long-lasting-relationship]. * Start figuring out your professional path. * Enjoy this time! Don’t rush the exploration phase. * Your 30s and 40s Are Peak Earning Decades * This is your primary earning window. * Push hard, climb fast, and earn maximum value for your efforts. * Build your network [https://newsletter.invinciblecareer.com/p/the-surprising-value-of-weak-ties] (it’s one of your most valuable resources). * Quietly line up your self-employment plan and runway, so you can flip that freedom switch earlier than most do. * Your 50s+ Are for Living Large * Transition into self-employment [https://newsletter.invinciblesolopreneurs.com/p/the-easiest-business-to-start-issue] that leverages your expertise and everything you already know. * Work when you want, where you want, and how you want. * Play a lot! I’m so glad I took the self-employment path and semi-retired early so I can enjoy my freedom and as much time as possible with the people I love. * Take care of your health [https://newsletter.invinciblelife.me/p/fitter-in-my-50s-than-i-was-in-my] and enjoy the last half of your life while you still can. * Life is short! Don’t save your bucket list [https://newsletter.invinciblelife.me/p/dont-save-your-bucket-list-for-your] for a decade where you can’t physically cross items off anymore. What are your thoughts on this? Leave a comment if you have a question. Schedule a free call with me [https://schedule.larrycornett.coach/free-call] if you’d like to discuss your unique situation and brainstorm some ideas for getting more of what you want out of your life. Larry Cornett, Ph.D. | Empowerment coach, psychologist, nature lover, and fitness freak. I help you escape the “hustle trap” to create an empowered life that fits who you are and what you want most. From Silicon Valley exec to self-employed entrepreneur, I’ve tested this path to freedom so you don’t have to. ➡️ Want to design your path? Book a free call with me [https://schedule.larrycornett.coach/free-call]! 📕 Check out my Invincible Daily Journals [https://brilliantforge.com/#seasonaljournals]! Get full access to Side Questing Life at newsletter.invinciblelife.me/subscribe [https://newsletter.invinciblelife.me/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

How Safe Is Mexico? (Issue 177)

We’ve never felt unsafe in Mexico before, but we had a few unsettling days on our recent trip to Puerto Vallarta to celebrate our 35th anniversary [https://newsletter.invinciblelife.me/p/our-secret-to-a-long-lasting-relationship]. On Sunday, February 22nd, the cartel leader, “El Mencho,” was killed [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/violence-mexico-jalisco-new-generation-cartel-killed-military-puerto-vallarta/] during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco in Mexico. Around 8:30 AM, we were sitting on a balcony enjoying our coffee when we noticed a plume of black smoke rising above the apartment building across from us. There were several people on their balconies in that building, so we asked if they knew where the smoke was coming from. One man said, “Yeah, there’s a bus on fire on the next street.” Hmmm… okay. So, why were more people on other balconies staring and pointing in the other direction behind our building? I told my wife that I was going up to the roof to get a better view of the city and find out what was going on. When I reached the rooftop, two stories above our place, there were a few people already there looking around. I noticed multiple columns of dark smoke rising from the surrounding streets, behind other buildings, and across the entire city in the distance. “Uh oh,” I said to the man standing next to me. “This is intentional. These fires are no accident.” No one on the roof knew what was behind the fires, so I went down to the ground floor to talk with the lady behind the front desk in the lobby. When I asked about the fires, she seemed surprised and said, “No se.” She didn’t know. I returned to our apartment to let my wife know what I had seen, and we began searching global news sites, local sites, and other sources. At this point, I was worried that this might be violence targeting tourists, since it seemed concentrated in our neighborhood, which is a region of the city densely populated with expats and tourists. We could find nothing about it until we came across a few posts on social media (either Reddit or Threads) that said it was the cartel retaliating against the federal government for the death of their leader. Slowly, the information began trickling through the news outlets. More videos and photos were being shared on social media, too. It was indeed cartel violence, and they were setting vehicles on fire to block the streets and highway in Puerto Vallarta (mostly buses, taxis, and a few other vehicles). They also set fire to several businesses, primarily focusing on OXXO convenience stores. We read that this was also happening all over Jalisco. Guadalajara From the videos shared and news reports, it was clear the cartel was not targeting civilians. You could see them calmly escorting people out of their vehicles before setting them on fire. Despite the chaos and destruction, no civilians were injured or killed. Sadly, several national guardsmen lost their lives in the military operation and during the violence afterward. It may seem like a strange response, but I calmed down a lot once I knew it was the cartel retaliating against the federal government. They were not targeting us. Of course, we still felt incredibly worried as we watched fires burning all over the city and new fires springing up nearby. But we knew we should be relatively safe if we stayed inside the building and out of the way of the cartel members. My 15 mins of fame on the Chicago News (starting around 20:40). 😂 For the next two days, the city was pretty much in lockdown. One strange thing we noticed during this time, when the cartel was actively roaming the streets: there was no police or military presence at all. None. They didn’t show up until it was all over. And show up they did, with a vengeance. 🤣 * Police vehicles drove by with lights flashing about every 60 seconds. * Military vehicles with mounted machine guns and loaded with armed soldiers showed up all over the neighborhoods. * Military helicopters flew overhead and circled our building. So, will we return to Mexico? Will we feel safe traveling the world now, or are we too traumatized? ⬆️ Scroll up, hit play, and listen to what I think about all of this. Hint: Be smart and be prepared, but don’t be afraid. Schedule a complimentary call [https://tidycal.com/cornett/free-life-coaching] with me, and let’s chat about you and your life! I’m Larry Cornett, Ph.D., an Empowerment Coach [https://larrycornett.coach/] who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become more invincible, and create better opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate! 📕 Check out my Invincible Daily Journals [https://brilliantforge.com/#seasonaljournals]. I set up a ☕️ Buy Me a Coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/cornett] to let folks help support my newsletter and podcast without an ongoing financial commitment. I’m a solopreneur, and coaching and writing are how I provide for my family. Thanks for your help! Get full access to Side Questing Life at newsletter.invinciblelife.me/subscribe [https://newsletter.invinciblelife.me/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]