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  • Elevate Letter #30: The 12 Foundations for good life

Elevate Letter #30: The 12 Foundations for good life

PLUS: The Art of Negotiation Cheet Sheet, 4-7-8 Breathing Technique, The Key in Investing, Learn AI in 5 minutes a day

Author

Ajay Malhotra
January 05, 2025 • Reading Time: 6 minutes

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The 12 Foundations For a Good Life - Article by Scott H. Young 🌻

This is a perfect article to read heading into 2025.

Scott lays out what he believes to be the 12 most important aspects of a good life:

  1. Physical Fitness: Build strength and improve overall health.

  2. Productivity: Stay organized and complete tasks efficiently.

  3. Money: Manage finances wisely and build financial stability.

  4. Food: Develop healthy and sustainable eating habits.

  5. Reading: Expand knowledge and improve critical thinking.

  6. Outreach: Meet new people and expand your social network.

  7. Sleep: Maintain consistent and restorative sleep patterns.

  8. Reflection: Journal to clarify thoughts and improve decisions.

  9. Connection: Deepen relationships with close friends and family.

  10. Focus: Prioritize deep work and meaningful activities.

  11. Organization: Create and maintain a tidy and functional environment.

  12. Service: Volunteer and contribute to the well-being of others.

He also includes a curated reading list for each foundation, which is perfect if you’re looking for actionable steps or just want to deepen your understanding.

Add this miracle breathing technique to your toolkit right now 🌬

I learned about the 4-7-8 breathing technique sometime in 2022, and wow—am I glad I did.

I use it to:

  • Calm down before big meetings or presentations

  • Reduce stress on hectic days

  • Fall asleep quickly when my mind is racing

  • Reset my focus when I’m feeling overwhelmed

Here’s how it works:

  1. Breathe in through your nose for a 4-second count.

  2. Hold your breath for a 7-second count.

  3. Exhale for an 8-second count, making a soft "whoosh" sound through pursed lips. 

That’s it!

Simple, quick, and surprisingly powerful.

If you want more guidance, you can find tons of videos on YouTube that walk you through it step by step.

Trust me—it’s worth adding to your toolkit.

The Art of Negotiation 🫳

A Master Cheat Sheet for Better Outcomes in Business & Life

Every major opportunity involves negotiation

  • Your salary

  • Your home

  • Your partnerships

  • Your time

So, take the time to master this high ROI skill

Here's what separates the best from the rest:

Patience is the Key in Investing 📈

Last week, I received a message from James, one of our community members, that stopped me in my tracks:

"I've been investing $1,000 monthly for almost 5 years now. My portfolio is only worth $76,000. I feel like I'm doing something wrong. Should I change my strategy?"

This message hit home because I remember feeling the exact same way during my early investing days.

The anxiety of watching your hard-earned money seemingly go nowhere is real. But here's what I wish someone had told me back then...

P.S. : If you haven’t read of previous Elevate Letter editions here they are 😀 

»Elevate Letter #29: 10 Soft Skills To Future-Proof Your Career

»Elevate Letter #28: The anti-procrastination hack that works 99% of the time (for me)

»Elevate Letter #27: The Most Underrated Social Skill You Should Learn

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