CO-HOST | Make Money by Building Sustainable Habits That Actually Stick

Summary

Travis Makes Money – Episode Summary

Episode Title: CO-HOST | Make Money by Building Sustainable Habits That Actually Stick

Host: Travis Chappell
Date: May 4, 2026
Co-Host/Guest: Producer Eric
Theme: Building habits that stick—for money, personal growth, fitness, and life

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Episode Overview

In this candid, fun, and insightful episode, Travis Chappell and his producer Eric discuss the real keys to building sustainable habits—those small but meaningful changes that stack up to big, lasting improvements in health, productivity, and, ultimately, financial success. Blending practical advice with personal anecdotes (and plenty of laughs), the duo explores what actually works for sticking with habits in the long run, why extreme challenges like "75 Hard" can be both helpful and harmful, and how habit-building principles translate from the gym to writing, reading, and making more money.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Why Starting Small Matters: The Truth About Building Habits

• Eric’s Gym Struggle and Return

  • Eric joined Travis for a weight-training session after a long break, leading to jokes about his perceived weakness.
  • “It was a strong start. And like my thing is like, when you're first jumping back in the gym, like I, I just do not value pushing too much at the beginning because it just is gonna be more obstacles to keep you from coming back.” —Travis (02:04)

• Start Easy, Focus on the Habit Itself

  • Travis emphasizes the value of making new habits so easy that you can keep coming back:
    • “The installation of the habit is more important at the beginning than the accomplishing of the goal is.” —Travis (13:11)
    • Just going to the gym and walking for five minutes is a perfectly good start.
    • Build "habit stacking": add one more action at a time.

2. Novelty, Enjoyment, and the Role of Fiction in Reading Habits

• Eric’s Journey Into Fiction

  • Both share stories about not having read much fiction as adults, and Eric describes getting into fiction via audiobooks and fandoms (e.g., Star Trek).
  • Enjoyment is crucial: you don't have to finish boring books.
    • “The best thing that I have done for myself as a reader is to be okay with putting a book down that I don't like.” —Eric (07:26)

• Connecting Habits With Enjoyment & Existing Interests

  • Travis and Eric decide to challenge themselves to read, write, and work out every day, but stress that it works best when tied to personal interests and clear, fun goals.
    • “We're gonna read books. We're gonna write books, read books. Here's the whole reason we're talking about this, is that if you want to do something like this with us in the future, then maybe reach out and we'll throw you into a group chat or something.” —Travis (11:09-11:13)

3. Sustainable Change vs Extreme Challenges—How Much is Too Much?

• The Limits of Challenges like “75 Hard” and Bootcamps
  • Challenges can be a useful “kickstart,” but don’t guarantee lasting change.
  • “If you create a version of life that sucks for 30 days just to achieve this result, then you're not going to maintain the thing that sucked for that period of time.” —Travis (20:00)
  • Real growth comes from discovering routines you can maintain for years, not forcing yourself to sprint for a few weeks.
  • The “thinking” part cannot be outsourced—you have to personalize your strategy.
• Long-Term Mindset for Health and Money
  • “Do whatever you're going to continue doing versus like do a version of staying in shape that works for somebody else.” —Travis (19:18)
  • True sustainability means losing weight—or making improvements—over months, not days.

4. Tricking the Ego & Minimizing Resistance to Habit Formation

• Borrowed Wisdom from Dave Meltzer
  • Sometimes, motivation comes from “tricking” yourself.
  • “You just tell yourself, you know what, I'm gonna go to the gym for one minute. For whatever reason, I'm a firm believer in tricking the ego.” —Dave Meltzer (14:53)
  • Travis adds: even just putting your shoes on or driving to the gym is a worthy step in building the habit.
• Accountability and Social Support
  • Doing habits with others boosts consistency—even if friends tease you.

5. Translating Habit Wisdom to Making More Money

• Parallel Between Fitness Habits and Financial Discipline
  • Everything learned about sustainable change in fitness or reading applies to making and managing money.
  • “This all translates directly to the money game, the business game, the health game. It's all the same.” —Travis (24:07)
  • Avoid “outsourcing” decisions to fads, one-size-fits-all advice, or generic financial challenges.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Travis and Eric, joking about creating their own 75 Hard variant:

  • "We're gonna do 75 hard or something like that. We're gonna do our own version." —Travis (03:01)
  • "Getting hard with Eric and Travis." —Eric (03:05)

• On Reading Fiction as an Adult:

  • “I have not picked up a fiction book since I had, like, an assigned, like, the scarlet letter in 10th grade or whatever.” —Travis (03:58)
  • “The best thing that I have done for myself as a reader is to be okay with putting a book down that I don't like.” —Eric (07:26)

• On Extreme Challenges vs. Sustainability:

  • “If you create a version of life that sucks for 30 days just to achieve this result, then you're not going to maintain the thing that sucked for that period of time.” —Travis (20:00)
  • “Do the version of staying in shape that's going to work for you. Whatever you're going to continue to do, do that.” —Travis (19:18)

• On Accountability:

  • "That's also the reason to ask somebody… even if they make fun of you first." —Travis (16:53)

• On Outsourcing Thinking:

  • “You can't outsource the thinking, which is probably the bad news, because everybody wants to outsource the thinking… the challenge is neither here nor there, because 30 days, 60 days after that challenge, you're just going to put on half the weight that you lost during the challenge.” —Travis (23:39 - 24:09)

• Signature Closing:

  • "Remember, money only solves your money problems, but it's easier to solve the rest of your problems with money in the bank. So let's start there." —Travis (25:14)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:04] – Value of not pushing too hard when starting a new fitness habit
• [07:26] – The power of quitting books you don’t enjoy
• [13:11] – Habit installation vs. goal accomplishment—what matters at the start
• [14:53] – Dave Meltzer’s “trick the ego” technique for habit-building
• [19:18-20:00] – Why sustainability always wins over short, intense challenges
• [23:39] – You can’t outsource your thinking; personalization is everything
• [25:14] – Show closing and parting reminder about money and life

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Episode Takeaways

• Sustainable habits are far more powerful than short-term bursts.
• Making new routines enjoyable and doable increases the odds of sticking with them.
• Translation to wealth-building: what works for getting in shape works for making more money—consistency, personalization, patience, and learning what works for you.
• Extreme challenges can kickstart change, but for long-term success, a lifestyle you enjoy and can stick with is essential.
• You must do the mental work—no challenge, influencer, or plan can “think” for you.

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For anyone seeking actionable, real-world advice on habits, money, and the interplay between personal choices and financial success, Travis and Eric’s episode blends wisdom with a relatable, entertaining delivery. Their frank, humorous style and practical strategies make this a must-listen for those serious about changing their life—slowly, steadily, and for good.

Transcript

[Announcer]

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[Travis]

Travis Makes Money podcast presented by GoHighLevel.com for a free 30 day trial of the best all in one digital marketing software tool on the planet. Just go to gohighlevel.com travis. What's going on everybody? Welcome back to the Travis Makes Money podcast where it's our mission to help you make more money. Today on the show. My producer's here in studio. What's up man?

[Eric]

Hey. Ah. Oh, a little sore there. Why don't you tell the good people at. Oh my.

[Travis]

Yeah. Eric joined me this morning for a work workout, a little weight training session.

[Eric]

It was hard on Travis. He couldn't keep up.

[Dave Meltzer]

His just.

[Travis]

It's his natural ability and strength that just.

[Eric]

Okay, be honest with me. I didn't ask you there because it would hurt my feelings, but I, I feel, I feel more open to you hurting my feelings when we're recording because I feel like it's. Then I can just. Like it was a bet. Okay. Okay. Real talk. Okay. Were you, Were you. Were you surprised at my lack of strength?

[Travis]

No.

[Eric]

Okay. I wish.

[Travis]

I don't know which way you're gonna

[Eric]

take that, but I didn't know until you said it. Wait, wait. Were you. Did I meet your expectations today?

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Eric]

Did I. Were you like, man, he really is a weak, impotent man.

[Travis]

I did not think that at all.

[Eric]

Did you think. Did you. Was there any times I surprised you that I was capable of doing something?

[Travis]

No, if you did a pull up, I would have been surprised by that.

[Eric]

You know what? I can. I was just holding back. I gotta save it for the. In 60 days from pull up another guest pass for like.

[Travis]

No, it was, it was a strong start. And like my thing is like when you're first jumping back in the gym, like I, I just do not value pushing too much at the beginning because it just is gonna be more obstacles to keep you from coming back.

[Eric]

Yeah. Shared values. I haven't pushed myself in about two years. So.

[Travis]

Well, not like, oh, might be taking it.

[Eric]

I will say I told you this before we hit record, but I went to take a shower after, and I literally, like, went to wash my armpits, and I was like, oh, I felt like I had giant biceps because I couldn't bring my arm all the way over.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Eric]

But then I looked at my biceps, and they were not.

[Travis]

Didn't match the pain that you felt.

[Eric]

I was like, they feel huge.

[Travis]

Something's under there.

[Eric]

But it was not the case, so. But. But watch out. If you're a fan of the show. If you follow us over on Social. Yeah. You're about to see a transformation.

[Travis]

A transformation.

[Eric]

I don't even like them joking about. Because you really are, actually. Yeah, I'm getting it together.

[Travis]

We're gonna. We're gonna do 75 hard or something like that. We're gonna do our own version.

[Eric]

Yeah. Like Eric and Travis hard. Or Eric getting hard. Getting hard with Eric and Travis.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Eric]

Or Travis.

[Travis]

Travis gets hard.

[Eric]

Travis gets hard. Eric is soft. But getting hard. Right.

[Travis]

What are we talking about? Make hard men soft.

[Eric]

Yeah. Weak. Weak. Hard times. Men hard. Soft. So we're going to do something, but because we have some other things we want to do, too, which is like, we're going to write every day.

[Travis]

Yep. Write, read. So I'm going to get back into doing my substack, which I've not done a long time. We're going to read every day and then read because Jack Carr from the show gave us a couple copies of his books, and I've never. I told. I told you this, and you were so. You were shocked, but I have not read a fiction book.

[Eric]

I don't think I was shocked at all.

[Travis]

Really? I don't remember. I remember you saying, like, really?

[Eric]

Because I guess. I guess the thing is we talk

[Travis]

about books all the time, and you know that I'm reading constantly and. And listening to podcasts and stuff. It's just that I have not picked up a fiction book since I had, like, an assigned, like, the scarlet letter in 10th grade or whatever. So, yeah, this will be my first fiction book. And I did have it on my goal at the beginning of the year. I was like, I want to read one fiction book this year just to. If I can. If I can manipulate my brain into desiring to do that more than, like, watch tv. I literally never looked at it as a source of entertainment before.

[Eric]

I literally did the same thing to myself two years ago, I think. Yeah. Two and a half years ago. I, because the only fiction that I ever read actively was when I was a kid. I would read like, you know, that's different. But as an adult the only fiction I would read was sorry was James Bond. And it's, but it's because they're like probably 120 pages and I like James Bond a lot. So it was like, yeah, I'll do this. But even then, like most of the books I was reading were, I always like, biographies are like my favorite history, like social something kind of study stuff. Like I like all that sort of thing. But fiction, I was always like, I can watch a movie. I just feel like it just felt weird. And then the reason that I started getting into fiction was I got a Star Trek book and I forget why I started doing. Oh, I think I started listening to audiobook because I, because okay, here's what happened. I was watching Star Trek, Strange New

[Travis]

Worlds, that's the new Paramount series, which is great.

[Eric]

Yeah, that's great. And the season ended and it was one of those shows where I was like, I need something else from this. Like right now I'm going to lose my mind. I can't wait for season two. And there was a book and then I was like, the audiobook will be like, I'm listening to the episodes. And I was like, I can put that in on a walk.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Eric]

And I was like, I can just listen to the show and just pretend this is the series. And then I liked it so much I got the print version because I wanted to read it again and it has a map in it. I wanted to see what the map looked like. But I got really into it and then I started that was like a gateway. And now I've read. I'm probably half of my reading now is fiction. I just never, yeah, like I, I was really averse to it and I tried many times to read fiction. I always got like glazed over. I was like, I just don't want to do this but. And I still feel like that about certain ones.

[Travis]

What do you think it was that

[Eric]

got me into it?

[Travis]

Like, like. Do you think getting older has a effect on.

[Eric]

I don't think it's getting older. I think honestly the best thing that I have done for myself.

[Travis]

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[Eric]

as a reader is to be okay with putting a book down that I don't like.

[Travis]

Oh yeah.

[Eric]

Because I think, I think the thing that turned me off of fiction was school. Being forced to read stuff that I found super dry.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Eric]

And it's like, like when I found that true.

[Travis]

Yeah. I was like, like the Scarlet Letter.

[Eric]

This. Well, like when I found that, I was like, oh, this evokes the feeling that I want. And I like this. Or then I was reading, right now I'm reading really high level stuff here. I'm reading Resident Evil, the final chapter, the novelization. Because the movie, whatever you guys know about the movie, how they cut a bunch of stuff out. But I read it because I was like, oh, what would that have been like if they did this? So I think for me, I had to start with a branch of it's something I already like and it's an adaptation of it. And then it now like I, I am.

[Travis]

It's like further delving into the world.

[Eric]

Like I'm reading Wicked. So I'm like halfway through that. Dude, I don't know what it is.

[Travis]

Was it a book first? Yes, it was a book that turned into a musical.

[Eric]

It was a book that was adapted to a musical that was adapted into a movie.

[Travis]

The movie musical.

[Eric]

But like even Wicked, like I kind of have paused from it because I've just lost interest. Yeah. And I don't know what is with Wicked. The second movie's not as good as the first movie. I hear the second half of the play is not as good as the first half.

[Travis]

That's why I haven't watched the second part of the movie yet.

[Eric]

Okay. You've seen the play.

[Travis]

Yeah, the play. It's fantastic. And I know that is probably strange coming from me.

[Eric]

I don't think so.

[Travis]

No, no. I told well, when the first one came out.

[Eric]

I look at you as one of the geek in ways.

[Travis]

One is one of Jackie's friends was like, are you going to go see that? And she's like, oh yeah, me and Travis are going to go watch it, like opening night.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Travis]

She was like, travis likes Wicked.

[Eric]

I look at you as like a jockish theater nerd.

[Travis]

There's. Yeah, I definitely have a lot of nerd tendencies, but a lot of sports.

[Eric]

But yeah, I hear the second half of the Wicked show isn't good.

[Travis]

It's not. It's just not as great.

[Eric]

Not as good.

[Travis]

Defying Gravity is like so good.

[Eric]

And it's like, it's such a rush at the end of the movie too. It's like, that's amazing. We don't need anything else. And the book, dude, is like, I'm. There is something cool. So the book is very different. Why are we talking about Wicked? But anyway, the. The book is very cool where it's much more dark and adult than the musical or the movies. And so there's literally. Not only are they attempting to overthrow the government, but there's a scene where I believe it's Elphaba. I paused reading it a couple months ago, but I believe it's Elphaba. And she goes out and there's this politician. I think it's Madame Morrible. And she's literally priming what seems to be an explosive under her jacket. It's a very almost hands. From what I've heard of Handmaid's Tale, like esque story where it's like they're running these anti fascist military operations and stuff. I was like, I want to see a non musical version of this.

[Travis]

Yeah, that'd be funny to like see that.

[Eric]

Like a gritty.

[Travis]

Yeah, yeah, like a like Guy Ritchie Wicked.

[Eric]

Yeah. But all that to say I've gotten into fiction. So if we can write every day, read every day, and now Papa's working out every day. Look at that. You see that? Do you see it? You guys can't see my muscles are bulging right now. But anyway, I think that'll be good. That's. So we can call that the read, write, work out, read.

[Travis]

Right?

[Eric]

We're going to keep workshopping that.

[Travis]

Read, write, get wrecked, get re.

[Eric]

Book, book. Wait, hold on. No, no. Book buff. Book buff.

[Travis]

Biography, book buff. Bibli, biblio. There's something. There's something there.

[Eric]

There's something. Anyway, we're gonna read books. We're gonna write books, read books.

[Travis]

Here's the whole reason we're talking about this, is that if you want to do something like this with us in the future, then maybe Reach out and we'll throw you into a group chat or something.

[Eric]

Maybe.

[Travis]

But here's the thing.

[Eric]

Depends who you are.

[Travis]

It's just for the purpose of putting something together that is pulling you toward the direction of your goals. Because like I don't know but like I feel sometimes, like I told you recently, like the. I've stayed in the gym and continued working out but like the last. Having trouble lifting that water.

[Eric]

I did drink my monster earlier. I was like my whole elbow came out.

[Travis]

Just gotta get a straw, daddy. But I, I feel sometimes that if we don't have a particular goal that you're working for, it can be more difficult to just do the thing arbitrari. So like the last couple months I've been staying in the gym but I have not been like progressing toward anything. It's just sort of been maintaining. And then I have not been reading many books because I didn't set a goal for like how many books I want to get through or whatever. So I was just like we should, should do this again. Also I have not written my newsletter in years. So I was like, I should probably get back to writing a little bit more. Especially if I want to write a

[Eric]

book soon and I have a literal book I have to write.

[Travis]

Exactly.

[Eric]

Be good for that to be my challenge. Maybe I'll finish this book that this

[Travis]

publisher is paying for.

[Eric]

Yeah. Yeah. So I think that'll be really good. I didn't expect to talk about all this as long as we have, but I'm curious. I'll just go ahead and keep pushing in this vein. But I know you mentioned like a 75 hard esque thing but also I know a lot of stuff that is important to be sustainable. So how do you balance? Like I'm going to really push myself and extend myself beyond my capacity.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Eric]

I heard somebody once say extremity expands capacity.

[Travis]

I do think about that all the time.

[Eric]

It is a good quote from Ed Mylett by the way. But like how do you balance pushing to those extremes while also not going like, like today it's like don't work out so hard that tomorrow you're not going to go to the gym.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Eric]

You know, like how do you, how do you weigh those out?

[Travis]

I've sort of balanced it a little bit because before it was easy just to be like I'm at the gym so gotta barely walk out of here or else I didn't maximize my time. And it's like, yeah. But again tomorrow morning when you wake up and you go like, I Can barely move my arms, like my entire body's in pain. Then you're not able to, like, the installation of the habit is more important at the beginning than the accomplishing of the goal is. So whatever is going to allow you to install the habit into your life. So if it's just like, I've never been to the gym before, I've never touched a weight, and you just go in and wreck yourself the first day, it's like it's going to be very, very difficult to get back in the gym the next day versus just like going to the gym and walking on the treadmill for five minutes and just doing that every day for 45 days. And then you, then you do one workout, and then you do two workouts, and then you do three workouts. It's just, you gotta, you gotta. That's why I love the concept of habit stacking so much, because it's just like you, it gives you one thing to do that does not feel like it's crazy. Like, man, I don't wanna, I don't even want to get out of bed, but I'm gonna force myself to just get to the gym and walk through the doors and like, that's all I care about. But then once you get to the gym, you're gonna be like, hey, I'm here for a quick walk. And then you start feeling better. And you, you get the momentum of the good decision making, which allows you to then be like, all right, let me just go do one exercise. And then it's like, all right, I feel pretty good. I feel pretty strong. Let me go do the next exercise.

[Eric]

Well, it's kind of like Dave Meltzer's thing. What's that Dave Meltzer's thing about that? The gym? I don't know. We're not, we're not hive minded on this one. No. Okay. Where he says, I think it's this one. Let me find this clip. It's this.

[Dave Meltzer]

His bed is so comfy. And I got another two hours before I have to go to a meetup. Why should I eat healthy when McDonald's is right here? This is the way the human mind and ego works against you. But you know how you beat it? You just tell yourself, you know what, I'm gonna go to the gym for one minute. I'm just gonna go down there, I can come back up and go to sleep. I'm just gonna go to the gym for one minute. For whatever reason, I'm a firm believer in tricking the ego. So the ego says you know, oh, no. Scarcity, voids, shortage, Tough, anxious, frustrated. And then you say, no, no, none of that's true. I'm just gonna go do this ego. Why should I go to the.

[Eric]

And then he gave a version on your show years ago, and he said. He said he started even smaller. It was like, put your shoes next to your bed.

[Travis]

Right.

[Eric]

You know, he's like, yeah. And so that's your first task. The next day, put those shoes on. The next day, just walk out your front door. The next day, go to the gym, you know, and it's like, 20 years later, you'll do a workout in the gym. I was like, I'm gonna put. I'm gonna lace one shoe. But I do like that idea, though, of, like, just changing your environment to go, like, okay, well, like, even me asking you, it's like, I know, like today, when you wrote me.

[Travis]

When I wrote you. You wrote me when I sent you by carrier pigeon.

[Eric]

When you. Yeah. Wrote. Texted me. When you texted me. When he sent me a parcel. Nobody wrote me. And he said, jim, Ice.

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[Eric]

I set that emotion by saying, hey, we should go to the gym. And then you followed up. I was so mad.

[Travis]

But that's also the reason to ask somebody.

[Eric]

Yeah. Even if they make fun of you first.

[Travis]

Yeah. Even if.

[Eric]

Even if they, like, mock you like Travis did with me. Sorry, no fatsos allowed. But anyway, no. When you texted me, I had literally this morning eaten something I shouldn't have eaten. I felt kind of crappy, and I was like, this is the worst possible time for me to want to work out. But I knew if I said no, then I'm just going, like, okay, well, then tomorrow, what's my reason? I'm gonna say no. Like, I'm just gonna go. And you know what?

[Travis]

Always a reason.

[Eric]

You know what? After, like, five minutes, I felt pretty good.

[Travis]

Yeah. And you always feel great when you leave.

[Eric]

Yeah. Like, I do.

[Travis]

You get that. That, like, dopamine hit that you get when you, like, especially on a day where you're like, I Am not feeling this at all. Like I'm sitting in my car for like 30 minutes, doom scrolling before I get to the, like I'm tightly warm in the gym parking lot. Like, God, I don't want to do this right now, but I'm here. Like I may as well go in and do something and then I go in and I do something. But the action of doing something makes you go, I feel really loose now. I feel warmed up. I feel good. Like, all right, let me just go do this other thing. And then it's like, all right, well now I feel good. And then I get a good hour long weight training session. When I leave I'm. I feel so much better about myself having like knowing that I pushed myself to do something that I didn't want to do even though, like, because it's really good for me later, even though it feels bad now. But that's why I love the gym for so many other reasons beyond just the health benefits is. It's like, it's like a siloed activity that teaches you how the rest of life works. You know, it's like, it's like a closed container experiment to be like in business. If when it comes to making money, when it comes to building better habits, when it comes to improving my life, the gym is such a perfect like just mini container to work through some of those things in.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Travis]

Even though even the reality of like the first four to six weeks is like, I'm in pain, I'm in pain.

[Eric]

That sounded like it.

[Travis]

Like I'm in pain. I'm not getting results. I don't feel stronger, I don't feel in better shape or like I'm, I'm not losing weight yet. You know what I mean? It's like that those first few weeks are just like, why the hell am I doing this? But then, you know, if you just trust the process that like three months, five months, eight months. Which is why I always tell people, like, do whatever you're going to continue doing versus like do a version of staying in shape that works for somebody else. It's like, do the version of staying in shape that's going to work for you. Whatever you're going to continue to do, do that.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Travis]

So that's why like, I like. And I know we got a bunch of talking about 75 hard with Michael Smoke when he came on the show, but to be fair, that clip was that we posted like all clips are, was wildly taken out of context and people just assumed that we meant that 75 hard is terrible and nobody should do it. Which is not at all what we meant we talking about. From the position of sustainable weight loss over a long period of time, it's not a great strategy to engage fully in just doing challenges, because that was my M.O. before, and it was like, I'll discipline myself for 75 days. I'll discipline myself for whatever the whole 30 challenge. Or I did the camp one time, which was like, you pay 500 bucks at the beginning, and then I'm looking

[Eric]

for 25 men in this area to do a free.

[Travis]

But. But I did that and it was. And it worked for that time. And it was like, I paid 500 bucks and then I had the accountability partner of $500. That was like, if. If I don't lose this 20 pounds in six weeks and do all the things that are required for this challenge, then I lose the 500 bucks. If I do everything, I get paid my 500 back. So it, like, kept me going and I lost the 20 pounds in six weeks. The problem is, though, is that, like, if you, if you, if you create a version of life that sucks for 30 days just to achieve this result, then you're not going to maintain the thing that sucked for that period of time. So it's like, I like them. I like those challenges for, like, I. I'm going to go through a momentary push here, but to the degree that it does not allow you to figure out something that is going to be sustainable for you over the. Over a 5, 10, 20 year stretch of your life. Because that's ultimately what we're all trying to go for. Like, what you said to me at the beginning of this when I asked you, like, okay, well, what are you trying to do? And that's going to inform what we're going to do at the gym or whatever, it's like, well, my goal is not to be a bodybuilder. I just want to, like, be in good shape and not. And not feel like in 20 years from now that I can't go hang out with my kids or my grandkids because, like, I can't walk around the grocery store without, like, having to take a breather, you know, it's like, well, if that's. If that's the goal, then we have to set up the activity to be able to optimize something that I'm going to do for the next 30 years of my life. And something like 75 hard is like, well, that's not going to be that. So unless you're literally going to Be some form of a. A like, professional athlete or like a ironman athlete or something while you're doing everything else. But that's a completely different lifestyle. So to me, it's like, yeah, these are really helpful things to, like, kick your ass into gear and to, like, get you, like, building some good. Some good habits. And then 75 hard in particular is more of a mental challenge than anything else. I think the physical part of it is just like, like, it's. It's not good for you to work out twice a day every day for the entire year. It's literally not like you have to take rest periods. Your body needs to rest and recuperate in order to gain muscle better, in order to optimize your metabolism for better fat loss. Like, it needs rest periods. Like, that's not a bad thing to. To go to the gym five days a week instead of seven days a week. So I like the challenges, but only to, like, if it's. If. If the challenge is going to prevent you from doing the work of figuring out what's going to work for you long term. That's where I think it gets in your way. Like, that's actually not a good thing. I would rather see you build a plan that works over, like, instead of being like, I'm gonna lose 30 pounds in six weeks, it's like, okay, but how could you lose 30 pounds in six months? Yeah, because that's how you keep it off. If you lose 30 pounds in six weeks and then you don't figure out anything about the types of food that you like to eat that stay under your calorie goals and the types of food that you like to eat that give you the protein to be able to build muscle or sustain muscle or not lose muscle. Like, if you don't learn those things, then the challenge is neither here nor there, because 30 days, 60 days after that challenge, you're just going to put on half the weight that you lost during the challenge. Whereas if you lose 30 pounds over six months, the odds of you keeping that weight off after the six months is going to be much, much greater because you're only losing a half a pound to a pound a week. You know what I mean? Which at that point is like, well, I could do that for three years. You know what I mean? If you're 150 pounds overweight, like, well, I can, I can keep this up for quite some time.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Travis]

And I, that. That's just a much better version. Like, I did not. I did not sustainably keep weight off of me until I did the work of figuring out how to build a lifestyle that was actually going to work for me years at a time instead of weeks at a time.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Travis]

So they can be helpful, they can be effective, but only to the degree that they're like a jump starting you in the right direction you like. My point is you can't outsource the thinking, which is probably the bad news, because everybody wants to outsource the thinking. And that's. We've talked about that in, even in context of religious ideologies or political parties. It's like any, anything that just allows me to be put into a bucket and I don't have to think about anything. I just do what the thing says. I do what the political party tells me to do, I do what the church tells me to do. I do what this scripture tells me to do, or the other book tells me to do, or I do what this challenge has prescribed to me to do. It's like those, it's. It might be helpful and it might be useful for a period of time, but if you don't do the actual work of thinking through the process to be like, okay, maybe I do have some, some hormonal issues. Maybe I do. Maybe my body does react poorly to this food group or something like that. And if you only accept the rules that are given to you by some arbitrary challenge that some fitness influencer laid out, then you don't have to do the work of figuring out all the other pieces, which by definition is going to make sure that you fail over a long period of time. And this all translates directly to the money game, the business game, the health game. It's all the same. Or writing a book, you know what I mean? Like, it's all the same thing. It's just that again, people want to outsource the thinking process to somebody else who's telling them what to do. And it does not give you the ability to work through the situation yourself and come up with a solution that's going to work long term, which is more helpful.

[Eric]

Right.

[Travis]

Objectively.

[Eric]

Well, I gotta hit my second workout, so let's go ahead and close out this episode.

[Travis]

Yep, that's it for this episode of the show. Remember, money only solves your money problems, but it's easier to solve the rest of your problems with money in the bank. So let's start there here in the Travis Makes Money podcast. Thanks for tuning in. Catch you guys next time.

[Eric]

Peace.