5 Daily Habits for Success in 2026

Summary

Earn Your Leisure Podcast

Episode: 5 Daily Habits for Success in 2026

Hosts: Rashad Bilal, Troy Millings (with notable guests Ian and Ernest)
Date: January 10, 2026

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Overview

In this episode, the Earn Your Leisure team dives deep into the five most powerful daily habits to adopt for success in 2026. Drawing from their own routines and personal growth, hosts Rashad, Troy, Ian, and Ernest discuss concrete steps for self-improvement, health, financial vigilance, and maintaining a winning mindset. The conversation blends practical advice with candid reflections, emphasizing discipline and intentionality as keys to thriving in today’s fast-changing world.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Physical Health and Wellness

Timestamp: 01:19 – 02:13

• Exercise as Foundation:
  • Rashad: “...need to work out at least an hour a day. That's vitally important.”
• Nutrition Matters:
  • Rashad shares his longstanding morning habit: “No, only fruit before 12. I don't eat solid food. Same before 12 o'clock. I only eat fruit or juice...” (02:17)
  • Avoids eating after 8pm; aims for a gallon of water daily.
• Sauna Benefits:
  • Ernest highlights new additions: “Doing the 40 minutes of exercise, but I've also done the sauna. If you understand the health benefits of having a sauna and doing that on a daily basis… It's tremendous.” (05:34)

2. Mindfulness, Meditation, and Reflection

Timestamp: 01:19 – 04:09 & 07:16 – 08:30

• Meditation and Prayer:
  • Rashad: “I'm a big fan of meditation... taking time to do some inner reflection... I'm a big proponent in prayer. I think that everybody should pray.” (01:19, 01:43)
  • Ernest reiterates: “That's how we start our day every day.”
• Intentional Self-Reflection:
  • Ernest: “I had to reflect... I do this with my wife almost every Sunday... Reflection turns experience into wisdom.” (04:09)
  • Ian stresses presence and gratitude: “Writing down three things that you're grateful for… Like you said, Rashad, given all the noise and social media, sometimes we can forget how blessed that we truly are.” (07:36)

3. Continual Learning and Education

Timestamp: 03:08 – 04:09 & 07:46 – 08:16

• Daily Content Consumption:
  • Rashad: “Try to consume some informative content for at least an hour a day. Whether that's... a documentary, reading a book, or listening to an educational podcast.” (03:08)
• Reading First, Not TV:
  • Ernest: “It's not TV first, it's like what can I read first?” (04:09)
• Learning & Doing One New Thing:
  • Ian: “...to learn and do one new thing a day... we almost forget to have that creative spirit and continue to learn new things.” (07:46)

4. Gratitude and Presence

Timestamp: 01:40 – 01:52 & 08:04 – 08:30

• Prayer and Gratefulness:
  • Rashad: “You gotta be grateful. That's a major thing. So I'm a big proponent in prayer. I think that everybody should pray.” (01:40)
• Writing Down Gratitude:
  • Ian: “Write down three things that you’re grateful for... we can forget how blessed that we truly are.” (07:36)

5. Financial Awareness and Daily Vigilance

Timestamp: 05:54 – 07:16

• Daily Check on Finances:
  • Ernest: “Taking daily interactions with your assets … Every day I check the money ... every account, personal account and business credit ... to make sure things are where they supposed to line.” (05:54 – 06:21)
• Asset Inventory:
  • Ernest: “Taking inventory on your assets is important. Brokerage accounts, real estate, having inventory daily on where your money's going. Vitally important. Make sure you do it.” (06:58 – 07:16)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Meditation:

  • Rashad: “In a world of social media and so much stuff going on ... taking time to do some inner reflection.” (01:31)

• On Reflection:

  • Ernest: “Reflection turns experience into wisdom.” (04:23)

• On Financial Vigilance:

  • Ian: “Because if not, the companies will take it from you or the lawyers or…you gotta watch over the trust.” (06:25)

• On Impact and Gratitude:

  • Ian: “You guys don’t realize, like, you changed the course of black history forever. And coming from where we come from, I don’t think we was the most likely to have done that, but like, what an amazing feat...” (07:55)

• On Creative Growth:

  • Ian: “We can get so inundated within our routine that we almost forget to have that creative spirit and continue to learn new things.” (08:12)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------|---------------| | Physical Health and Nutrition Discussion | 01:19 – 02:56 | | Importance of Meditation and Prayer | 01:19 – 01:52 | | Education and Learning Focus | 03:08 – 04:09 | | Reflecting and Being Present | 04:09 – 05:33 | | Financial Vigilance & Asset Management | 05:54 – 07:16 | | Presence, Family, and Impact | 07:16 – 08:30 |

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Summary Table: 5 Daily Habits for 2026

1. Commit to Physical Health: Exercise daily, focus on nutrition, stay hydrated, and leverage recovery tools like the sauna.
2. Practice Mindfulness: Meditate, pray, and reflect daily—use self-reflection to gain wisdom.
3. Pursue Lifelong Learning: Read, watch, or listen to informative content; make a habit of acquiring new knowledge.
4. Express Gratitude: Start the day with prayer and list things you’re grateful for, staying present in personal relationships.
5. Be Financially Proactive: Review assets, banking, investments, and accounts daily to maintain control and build sustainable wealth.

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This episode is a concise playbook for taking charge of every day—mentally, physically, and financially. The hosts don't just talk the talk; they openly share how each habit manifests in their lives and encourage listeners to adopt, adapt, and build their own rituals for 2026 success.

Transcript

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

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[Rashad]

Daily Habits to Practice in 2026.

[Ian]

Well, I mean, you killed it with the top 10 list viral God. So you might as well kick it off and tell us the. The five habits we need for 26.

[Ernest]

It's gonna be a. This is gonna be a jam packed.

[Sponsor Representative]

Let's do it.

[Rashad]

Oh, man. Well, I think maybe we. We all can chime in, but you know, as far as, like, like you said, a lot of it was already on my. On definitely need to work out at least an hour a day. That's vitally important. You know, I'm a big fan of meditation. I think that in a world of social media and so much stuff going on that sometimes we kind of get lost in that as far as really taking time to do some inner reflection. So I've been doing that for years as far as, you know, morning. My morning ritual, if I'm not doing anything first thing in the morning, is to just take a moment and just, you know, through the meditation. So I definitely think that. I think that, you know, you gotta be grateful. That's a major thing. So I'm a big proponent in prayer. I think that everybody should pray.

[Ernest]

I had that.

[Sponsor Representative]

That's powerful.

[Ian]

Great. M. Stick Al.

[Sponsor Representative]

I got that right there.

[Ernest]

Got that right in the nose. All right, let's do it.

[Rashad]

That's a major key.

[Ernest]

Absolutely.

[Rashad]

I also think that you should take your nutrition very serious because that does play a major part and your ability to function at a very high level. So me personally, I've heard this before and it's something I've been practicing for. A long time. No, only fruit before 12. I don't eat solid food. Same before 12 o'. Clock. I only eat fruit or juice. Like a, you know, like one of the juices from.

[Ernest]

That's for 2026.

[Rashad]

I've been doing that for a while when I can. For the most part. I've never been a big breakfast person. You know, I'm not really a breakfast person.

[Ernest]

Like so they're gonna see you eating that, acting selfish. They're gonna be like yoshi.

[Rashad]

Fruit, fruit only before 12. Try not to eat after 8 o'. Clock.

[Sponsor Representative]

Good one.

[Rashad]

Try to drink a gallon of water a day. So take your nutrition very serious. Education are vitally important. Try to, you know, consume some informative content for at least an hour a day. Whether that's once again watching a documentary, reading a book or listening to an audio book or listening to an educational podcast. YouTube, different things that nature Market Mondays earn your leisure. So much stuff that you can actually educate yourself on. So I think, I think that that's five.

[Ernest]

That's five. I'm gonna try to do some of.

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

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[Ernest]

The ones you have were repetitive. I have pray on my list as well. I think that's vitally important. That's how we start our day every day. I think reading is very important. It's something that I do absolutely every day. There's not a day that I don't do that and that probably comes right after I pray. Like it's not TV first it's like what can I read first? And then I had three that I'm like I had to reflect and I think that's part of one of my five things is when having self reflection or having reflection in general, like I do this with my wife almost every Sunday we talk about what's happening for the week or like what's happened Monday. Like tonight we'll talk about yo what you got on the agenda for tomorrow. How can we spend in time here like having that reflection. I read this quote. That reflection turns Experience into wisdom. Reflection. Experience into wisdom. And so that's something that I've been doing for the past two years, is just having that reflection, obviously, because we had a lot going on with the house and then with the kids and the move. It was like, let's take time. Let's figure out what we're doing here and how we can make sure that we stay in each other's hypes in a whole way. Right? Like, not just showing up, but actually being present and. And being very commutative with each other. So that was one. Treat your body like an infrastructure. So you talked about the workout thing. I've started in 2026, obviously doing the 40 minutes of exercise, but I've also done the sauna.

[Sponsor Representative]

Just if.

[Ernest]

If, you know, if you understand the health benefits of having a sauna and doing that on a daily basis and putting that into your routine, I mean, the. It's tremendous. I'm actually trying to get my parents to get in there, so I'm gonna try to get my dad in. In the sauna in. In the next couple weeks. It's gonna be his first time, so y' all pray for him.

[Sponsor Representative]

But that.

[Ernest]

That's something that I've started in 2026. And this is something I've always done, and I've never really shared it, but taking daily interactions with your assets. I know, Ian, we would, like, three years ago, we joked about this paperwork.

[Sponsor Representative]

Party, but, like, every day I check the money.

[Ian]

You have to look over that money, man.

[Sponsor Representative]

Every day I check, gotta check on it.

[Ernest]

Every account, personal account and business credit.

[Sponsor Representative]

Every.

[Ernest]

Every day just to make sure things.

[Ian]

Are where they supposed to line. Because if not, the companies will take it from you or the lawyers or. You gotta watch over the trust.

[Ernest]

Yeah, I'm watching over every single dollar that comes into the business. I'm watching from a personal side.

[Ian]

It's.

[Ernest]

It's like just taking an inventory. And then I watch a brokerage account, too. Not because I'm trying to make trades, but I just want to say, all right, all right, we're good here. We're good here. How can we really reevaluate for the first quarter? Even, like, One of my ETFs today, Soxl, I looked at my percentage. It had changed, and so I had to go research. Why did it change?

[Ian]

Right?

[Ernest]

I knew I was up to nearly a thousand percent, and now I'm down, like, 20. So, like, just checking these things, right? So, like, tomorrow I got to take inventory again. Like, taking inventory on your assets is important. Brokerage accounts, real estate, having inventory daily on where your money's going. Vitally important. Make sure you do it.

[Ian]

Yeah, for me, Rashad, you brought up meditation. That's one thing that I didn't do enough of last year. So meditation and prayer first, second, often we always say that we miss people or if, Lord forbid, if someone passes, we feel like we miss moments, but we put the business before the personal. So for 26, I like I'm starting off my day talking to those I love before I get to any business. First and foremost, because that's most important and being fully present. Third, write down three things that you're grateful for. Like you said, Rashad, given all the noise and social media, sometimes we can forget how blessed that we truly are. Like I was talking to one of my friends over the holidays and he was like, you guys don't realize, like you changed the course of black history forever. And coming from where we come from, I don't think we was the most likely to have done that, but like, what an amazing feat that has been to do together. So writing down those things that we're grateful for. And then my new thing is to learn and do one new thing a day. Like I was talking about this a lot over the holidays, we can get so inundated within our routine that we almost forget to have that creative spirit and continue to learn new things. So learning one new thing and doing one new thing a day is really vitally important to me. And you got to study some markets you don't know.

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[Ernest]

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