“You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”
— The Matrix
If you’re ambitious but you feel stuck, you might think you’re lazy.
Or that you can’t figure it out.
But that’s not the case!
The system is actually designed to keep you enslaved.
It’s like Neo and the Matrix.
People don’t know that they’re in a simulation.
Today, we’re going to talk about how traditional social and job roles make us feel stuck.
That doesn’t need to be your reality.
Let’s jump into it!
1. You’re Not Lazy—You’re in a System That Keeps You Stuck
The education system often spits out job seekers and not job creators or investors.
We’re born and educated in the traditional job market.
That market wants to keep us in our place.
And it’s not working for most people!
According to a recent PYMNTS Intelligence study, as of December 2024, 61% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.1
According to Bankerate, only 46% of U.S. adults have enough emergency savings to cover three months of expenses.2
They also report that 46% of credit card holders have credit card debt.3
The system sets us up to fail.
So, if you feel like you’re failing at this, that’s okay.
I’ve had my own bumps in the road, too.
We need to do something different if we want different results.
You know what they say: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
In the Matrix, Neo wakes up.
He sees that the matrix is just a system.
Then, the system becomes the enemy.
2. Ignition Moment—Break Out of the Trap with the 3 Cs
An ignition moment happens when you realize the broken systems that are in place.
Then, you think about how you break away from those systems.
How do you take the red pill?
In my version, I call this wakeup call the three Cs:
Cash flow, connections, and confidence.
The first one is cashflow.
People ask me all the time if cashflow or appreciation is more important.
Appreciation is great, but it’s a lot of money someday.
Even if it’s a 100x return, if it happens way in the future, it’s not going to change your life today.
Cashflow allows you to experience magic.
Funds will still come in even if you don’t go to work.
I didn’t understand the power of that until I experienced it for myself.
I started to get cash flow in single family.
When I started multifamily, I saw how cash flow could really compound.
It’s a constant loop of giving back.
Over time, payments and assets grow.
I even have a free guide on my favorite cash flowing investments.
If you want a copy, send me an email at [email protected].
The second C is connections.
It’s like Neo meeting Morpheus.
A trusted network can change everything.
I have a group called the Wealth Forum.
We get together to talk about what’s happening in the current economic environment.
What are the opportunities out there?
What are people doing?
What mistakes have they made?
Because of that group, I benefit from what other people are doing in the investing space.
That’s a huge advantage!
I also started a real estate meetup years ago in Pasadena, California.
That opened a lot of doors as well.
Now, I’ve raised $50 million.
Some of the best passive investors I know spend half of their time or more connecting with other investors.
Grow your network and stay in touch with them.
The last C you have is confidence.
This comes after the cash flow comes in.
You see that the money could potentially cover your living expenses.
For me, this happened when I reached $60,000 a year.
When I achieved that number, I knew I could quit my job and pursue investing full time.
Your cash flow number might be higher.
But remember that it doesn’t have to replace your current salary.
You only need to cover your living expenses when you first start out.
I made $200,000 a year, but only needed $60,000 in cash flow to live comfortably while I grew the rest of my net worth.
3. Expand Wisely—Assets Over Liabilities
To expand wisely, you need to buy assets over liabilities.
We all know we should buy rental properties before we should buy the Lambo.
Our goal should be to use our assets to pay for our liabilities.
Assets will appreciate.
The people who get in trouble want the fancy thing now.
If you’re willing to wait, you can benefit yourself and your family by growing your wealth over time.
This is how I did it!
I grew my net worth by 20x after I got into some amazing deals.
I reinvested my earnings into other deals that scaled.
By doing that, my net worth expanded to seven figures in about four years.
You can make changes, too.
There is never a bad time to learn and grow.
Now I want to hear from you!
Before you leave, make sure to check out our special report about inflation investing. It shares the best choices to invest during an inflationary environment.
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Disclaimer: I am not your investment advisor. This is for educational purposes only. I am not giving specific advice on what you can do. I am simply giving my opinions.
Works Cited
1. “New Reality Check: The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Report: The Generational Divide Edition.” PYMNTS, May 23, 2024. https://www.pymnts.com/study/reality-check-paycheck-to-paycheck-consumer-planning-financial-emergency/.
2. Gillespie, Lane. “Bankrate’s 2025 Emergency Savings Report.” Bankrate, July 3, 2025. https://www.bankrate.com/banking/savings/emergency-savings-report/.
3. Kelton, Katie. “Bankrate’s 2025 Credit Card Debt Report.” Bankrate, July 24, 2025. https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/news/credit-card-debt-report/.
