We like to collect. Assets, friendships, books, cars, women, horses, villas, country club memberships, speaking gigs.

But lately I've been wondering.

Is there such a thing as a middle-income trap? An upper-middle-income trap?

That wealth, past a certain point, creates distraction and unnecessary stress.

That books can slow you down and make you less likely to act.

That too much content drowns you in a dopamine high — until you can't enjoy life without wanting to buy something or go somewhere.

What if the power lies in wanting nothing?

In doing one thing, and one thing only, well.

That mastery lies not in chasing ten different things, but in redo, re-iterate, re-engage.

I had a meeting with a sales rep from a 100-year-old Japanese company. They account for a significant chunk of the Japanese economy. He told me he had only one job that day: meet me. And he had to do it well.

I was impressed. Honestly, I felt special.

So I tried the habit.

I wrote down one goal per day — and something amazing happened.

My output got 5X better. My stress dropped.

Then I wrote on a piece of paper:

I'd rather build one exceptional company than ten mediocre companies.

It is life changing.