life hacks Archives - GrowthHaxx

You need to login to view this content. Please . Not a Member? Join Us

You ever talked to someone about an idea and all they could contribute to the conversation was all the things they’d like to avoid?

“I hope xyz doesn’t happen”

“ok, I want to avoid ____”

Or all the reasons why something won’t work (I’m working on not rolling my eyes and saying stfu pero like… I’m only human)

Fear tends to do funny sh*t to us.

It can alter the way we say // hear // feel things. It can be the difference between

“I refuse to end up ___!”

And “I’m afraid of ending up ___!”

Psychology and experience have taught me how powerful hope and fear are, they’re two of the world’s oldest commodities.

They can build legacies, and rot them too

The flip side looks a bit like

“I can’t wait till ___ happens”

“we could totally do ___ because of ___”

Inconveniences suck, we all have them. Just about every single person, single, married, rich, poor, pretending to be rich – they allllll have problems

Which teaches me that problems don’t exactly go away – we simply get better and better at solving them

If 2020 has taught me anything, is that I needed a reminder, a reminder that between my childhood, my adolescent years with some characters general society would frown upon, and lastly my time in the Army have equipped me with better-coping skills, with quicker reaction times, boundless opportunities

Now to keep growing up, finding more silver linings – and learn how to do more than just survive, thrive time

Here’s to escaping average my friend 🖖

You’ve heard the stories, Insurance company promises safety, you pay, and then they send an army of lawyers to deny your claim – turns out, the devils in the details as one financial planner would go toe to toe with the insurance industry – and win

We caught with Yasuw Alvarado, who works with estate planning and all it entails.

He originally set out to become a doctor, but soon discovered “how the sausage gets made” and while pursuing his doctorate, began helping folks navigate the insurance world

One family in particular recently fueled his fire

The Laundromat is a great sneak peek into the finance world’s funny money

“Her mother had passed away a few years ago and the family was still waiting on a pay out – Susan was told that not only had their agent lied to them, causing them to pay into a policy for decades that was no longer valid, but that they had no way of collecting anything”

This of course, only feeds the stereotype of insurance sales(wo)men – something Yasuw admits makes his work that much harder, luckily for Susan’s family, the devil was in the details

“I couldn’t believe it, they were so sloppy, we found all Susan had to do was enforce her mother’s Power Of Attorney – something that simple was the loophole they were using,” said Yasuw

“They’re so sneaky with it too – the cost of the policy JUMPS from $1136.36 a year to $15,239.67 a year, just to keep your own policy”
Yasuw Alvarado

Pro Tip: It is industry standard practice to get all correspondence signed, with dated delivery receipt

Closing The Loophole

They were able to revive (sic) the policy using what’s known as a reinstatement provision. This allows you m five years from the date of lapse until the day of death to pay any back owed debt.

While victory was sweet, Susan’s family had paid well over the death benefit they were counting on

“In the finance space, prices change regularly, especially with the way things are going in this country. It’s essential you have someone experienced with a good eye look at your policies at least once a year to make sure you’re not overpaying. This one step has saved many of my clients hundreds of dollars in a few minutes of research” says Yasuw

Things To Look Out For

Yasuw was gracious enough to share what a policy looks like (see below)

He recommends taking a look at something named INCONTESTABILITY a Provision on page 4

Another that states “WE CAN DELAY PAYMENT” Provision on page 9

In this case, he shares that the most common loophole insurance companies use is known as Incontestability — because an everyday person doesn’t know this exists, and they were willfully breaking this provision (the law) and continue to get away with it because how do you report a crime you don’t realize is a crime?

These days, money is tight, and if there’s anything that best describes how a lot of players in finance work is the old saying “if you can’t convince em, confuse em”

Glad to see someone’s out there simplifying the process for the everyday person

Here’s to escaping average 🤙

While most companies are treating the very people that help them run like disposable silverware – there are several who are saying enough is enough, career coach Ariel Lopez breaks down an easy to remember audit process you can try by the end of this post

Ready? Let’s get right into it 👇

What about my job/career makes me unhappy?
If I kept the same job but switched companies would I be happier?
What does an ideal day look like for me?
Are my needs being met in my current job? If not, what’s missing?
Is it possible to switch roles at my company? What does career growth and transitioning look like internally?
Is it possible to get a promotion within the next 6-12 months? Can I wait that long?
If I were to switch careers, what else would I like to pursue?
Who in my network can help guide me?
Do I feel comfortable having a conversation with my boss about my unhappiness?
If I leave my current company, how long am I going to give myself to make a change?

After seeing the responses to “A Letter To You, Who’s Sick And Tired, Of Being Sick And Tired” It was a breath of fresh air to come across Ariel’s perspective and mission.

As Founder of Hello Knac, Ariel Lopez is dedicated time helping people apply and prepare for new jobs – something we 100% need more amazing talent working on improving

Exploring and embracing your weaknesses is how many before you have excelled and made it look easy

The time for “wait and see” is over, these days it’s the folks who are investing in themselves, shooting their shot that will enter 2021 with a head start

Feeling a tad timid? Learn what makes you tick, here’s a link to an awesome way to decipher how your personality works: 16 Personalities Test

Now it’s time to take a good honest look at your job and yourself, answer the questions honestly, and you’ll position yourself to get ahead of the pack now

Here’s to escaping average ✊

Google’s certificate programs take about six months to complete and participants do not need a college degree or prior experience for the program, best of all, Google considers the certificate itself equivalent to a four-year degree.

As seen in a release, Google Career Certificates includes the fields of data analytics, project management and user experience design.

“We need new, accessible job-training solutions – from enhanced vocational programs to online education – to help America recover and rebuild,”
Kent Walker, Google’s Senior VP: Global Affairs

The new suites add to Google’s existing IT Certificate, which was launched in 2018:

About six months to complete
No previous experience required
Entirely developed by Google
Grants and scholarships will be available
Hosted on Coursera

Revisiting old models and leading with innovation cannot wait longer and is completely doable – recently the U.K. announced it would be paying its citizens because of the surplus energy created by, wind. Reworking years and years of an outdated model.

With student loan debt over $1.5 trillion… with a capital T – alternatives to old models is a must

Look here for more information on the new certification program

Here’s to escaping average 🤙

European countries have prioritized innovation in clean tech, specifically Wind production. The results? UK wind energy production is generating “negative subsidies”, with wind farm projects giving money back to the government, which will be passed on to citizens for cheaper energy bills.

For years, energy subsidies used to push up energy bills, but within a few years cheap renewable energy will see them brought down for the first time.

This is an astonishing development
Dr Malte Jansen

With their prices already 1/3 lower than the costs set in 2017 and 2/3 less than in 2015, clean energy tech is seeing a well received audience in the scientific and tech community.

As for the fossil fuel industry, which remains heavily subsidized, has struggled to keep up with the times and innovations is set to be a thing of the past in many parts of the world

Imagine a world where your best ideas not only came to life, but contributed to improving our overall quality of life
Katriel € Sarfati

For years, crisis after crisis for companies and economies, from reviving shelved idea to scaling new ones, there are clues left behind from each success story (and even more from those that failed)

How will your skills help the communities you live in?

Here’s to escaping average 🤙

As we explored in Here’s To Cutting Out The Middle Man. I’ve personally met so many talented and gifted Creatives that blow me away, you have visions and sketches and drafts of betas that would be game-changers. BUT, with the rise of hustle porn on social media, many keep feeling like if you’re not an entrepreneur, then what’s the point?

“I want to be my boss”

“My company doesn’t allow me to do that” others will chime in.

Corporate cultures have habitually stifled talent for ages, mostly due to fear-CEOs and other executives keeping a pecking order because… well the money’s good in diminishing your contribution

The startup world would soon replicate the same culture, sure they threw in some new language and wardrobes but a suit is still a suit, these days, VC’s have become the new media darling – their thinking and modus operandi has become gospel to many a startup founder

The Pain Point:

Getting right to the point, only 3% of venture capital in the U.S went to companies with a female CEO, less than 1% goes to Black founders, and a meager .4% (yup you read that right, point four percent) to Latin founders

I recently had the pleasure of joining Execution Strategist Georgie-Ann Getton-Mckoy who has created an awesome career for herself improving the way events happen online about growing strategically while maximizing your resources, I’ve included the entire video below, just press play and it’ll begin playing where she and I begin talking about following the money

The Hypothesis:

For ROGUE eyes only

The Experiment:

Growth Hacking and all its practices and theory has helped so many scrappy creatives compete with big brands that revisiting what our priorities are

So let’s take a deep breath, here are some powerful steps to begin

The links mentioned above lead to action items you can start achieving today, let us know how you’re doing!

Simply use the hashtag #growthhaxx when posting and we’ll be sure to check-in and show love

Here’s to escaping average

So I have a bad habit

I procrastinate, A LOT

Pretty much all my life, school, boring. Work, boring, easy to excel at, but nonetheless, boring

That of course led to me convincing myself that I worked well under pressure, that is, until joined the Army

That’s when I learned, wow I didn’t know what a lot of pressure felt like

I watched superior after superior – grumpy, falling apart at 40 and generally miserable, I soon came to the realization , I don’t like this type of pressure

Later on, when I transitioned to civilian, I found myself breezing through tasks and troubles that many around me found hard – once again, there I was, bored

So I slacked a bit, telling myself “even if I half-ass it for 1 month, I’m ahead of the game”

And there too, I met boss after boss, manager after manager, grumpy, falling apart, just over broke, and I soon came to realization again, I don’t like this type of pressure

So I started experimenting, learning more about myself and how i operate

After a while, I learned a quick and easy to remember way I’ve begun using it to outperform “competitors” and be the most productive I’ve ever been in my life

I’ve shared some of my findings in Dear Creative, Here’s To Cutting Out The Middle Man and this video as well with those in the ROGUE Membership and know it can come in handy for you too

And here’s the link to the personality test I mention in the video: 16 Personalities Test 😎🤙

Here’s to escaping average

life hacks

Closing The Loophole

Things To Look Out For

The Pain Point:

The Hypothesis:

The Experiment:

Are You Scrappy Creative? Here’s A Collection Of FREE Resources For YOU (Series)

How To Build A Brand Without Spending A Dime

To My Fellow Procrastinator