"In a moment of chaos, Commander Jim Lovell (played by Tom Hanks) proposes a solution: 'Now, look, Houston, all we need to hold attitude is one fixed point in space. Is that not correct?' He receives a quick affirmative reply from the mission command center. Holding the controls and peering out a small triangular window to his left, Lovell slowly moves the spaceship, and a familiar blue planet comes into view. 'Well, Houston, we've got one,' he says, staring intently at the Earth in the center of the small triangle."

I've been fascinated by this concept called the Life Razor from Bloom's "The 5 Types of Wealth". It's precisely what many of us need - a simple but powerful tool for making decisions that align with who we want to be.

Think of it as your compass - a clear statement that guides how you show up in your current season of life. What I love about it is that it cuts through all the noise and gets to the heart of who you are and how you want to act when you're being your best self. For those of us running businesses, it's particularly valuable because it helps us ensure our business decisions support our whole life, not just our bottom line.

What makes a good Life Razor?

Three things matter:

1. It needs to be something you can control - a specific action you can take
2. It should create positive ripples across other areas of your life
3. It must reflect who you truly are and who you want to be

Some examples that clicked with me: "I wake up early and do hard things", "I never miss a recital", or "I never let a friend cry alone". See how each one captures something bigger - discipline, family commitment, or being there for others?

When facing tough business choices, ask yourself, "What would someone who [your Life Razor statement] do right now?" It's brilliant because it brings you back to your core values rather than getting caught up in the pressure of the moment.

This tool is potent in business because it helps prevent burnout. Instead of getting caught in the endless hustle, your Life Razor keeps you focused on what truly matters. It's like having a trusted advisor who always reminds you of your deeper purpose.

Want to create your own? 

Start by thinking about the actions and qualities that represent your ideal self. 

Ensure it ticks those three boxes - controllable, ripple-creating, and true to your identity.

And remember, as your life evolves, your Life Razor might need to change too. That's perfectly normal.

Here's what I'd love you to do:

• Take a moment to reflect on your core values.
• What matters most to you?
• What kind of person do you want to be? 

Then, craft your own Life Razor statement. 

Once you have it, try using it to make one important decision this week - whether in your business or personal life. I'd love to hear what you come up with.

After all, building a business isn't just about making money - it's about creating something meaningful while staying true to ourselves. The Life Razor helps us do exactly that.

"On my thirteenth or fourteenth birthday, my parents gave me a small silver compass. Inscribed inside was a short message: Sahil—So you may always know where your true north lies. Mom & Dad. Their deeper message: Life is about direction, not speed."

This next big idea is the fascinating idea of True North. It resonated with me because it's about having direction rather than just speed (something many of us entrepreneurs struggle with, right?). In the Thrive Code, this is part of your Business GPS, which includes goals and anti-goals.

The concept came from a lovely personal story - Bloom's parents gave him a compass inscribed with "So you may always know where your true north lies." What a beautiful metaphor for living with purpose and intention.

But here's where it gets practical. To find your True North, Bloom suggests we need both goals and what he calls 'anti-goals'. I love this approach because it's so complete. Your goals are what you aim for - your mountain summit if you like. But your anti-goals? They're the things you absolutely won't sacrifice on your climb. 

Think about it - how often do we set ambitious goals without considering what we might accidentally destroy along the way? That's where anti-goals come in. They help us spot potential disasters before they happen.

Of course, having goals and anti-goals isn't enough on its own. You need what Bloom calls 'high-leverage systems' - your daily actions that create significant results over time. As James Clear puts it (and I love this quote): "You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."

This framework helps you balance all five types of wealth - Time, Social, Mental, Physical, and Financial. What's clever is how it recognises that different seasons of life need different focuses. 

For instance, you might be in a season where career growth takes centre stage, so financial and mental wealth become priorities. But - and this is crucial - you still need systems to maintain your other types of wealth. Or you're in a family-focused season where time and social wealth matter most. Either way, you're never wholly neglecting any area.

Want to put this into practice? Here's what Bloom suggests:

1. Write down your clear goals - both long-term dreams and medium-term targets

2. List your anti-goals - what you absolutely won't sacrifice

3. Create high-leverage systems - daily actions that move you forward

4. Check in monthly with three key questions:

•  What matters right now, and do my goals still align?
• Are my systems supporting my goals?
• Am I getting close to any of my anti-goals?

Every quarter, Bloom recommends a deep dive. It's not your usual business review - it's more personal than that. You ask yourself some pretty challenging questions:

• What's giving me energy right now?
• What's draining my energy?
• Who are the 'boat anchors' in my life?
• What am I avoiding because I'm afraid?

These are great questions to add to your monthly and quarterly reviews.

What I love most about this whole approach is how practical it is. You keep moving towards your goals, but not at the cost of everything else that matters in your life. 

Because what's the point of success if you lose yourself along the way?

It's not about perfect balance - it's about intentional progress aligned with your values.

"An old school of thought would contend that your focus on each type of wealth exists in a binary state: on or off. It would say that you can have, at most, two types flipped on at any point in time and that the other three types would have to be flipped off. The fundamental problem with this is that if one remains off for too long, it can never be turned on again."

Here's something from Bloom's book that completely changed how I think about balance - he calls it the Dimmer Switch concept.

You know how most advice tells us we can only focus on one or two things at a time? "Want to grow your business? Say goodbye to your social life!" That kind of thinking. Well, Bloom challenges this head-on, and it makes so much sense.

Instead of turning areas of our lives entirely on or off like light switches, he suggests treating them more like dimmer switches. Think about it - when you dim a light, it's not off. It's just at a lower intensity. Brilliant, right?

This hit home for me because I've seen what happens when people (myself included) completely neglect parts of their lives for too long. Try switching off exercise for a year - getting back to fitness becomes ten times harder. Or ignore your relationships while building your business - suddenly, you're successful but lonely.

What I love about the Dimmer Switch approach is how it takes the pressure off. You don't have to be smashing goals in every area of your life all the time (thank goodness!). Instead, you can adjust the intensity based on your current season.

Let me give you an example. Say you're in the early stages of your business. You might turn up the 'financial wealth' and 'mental wealth' dimmers to focus on growth and learning. But - and this is key - you keep the other areas (time, social, physical wealth) dimmed down but still on. That could mean a quick workout three times a week instead of daily or one social evening a week instead of three.

Or you're entering a season where family needs more attention. You might dial up your social and time wealth while keeping your business ticking over at a lower intensity. The point is, nothing gets switched off completely.

Want to try this approach? Here's what works for me:

1. Get clear on your current season - what needs your attention right now?
2. Set goals that make sense for where you are
3. Create simple systems that keep all areas ticking (even at a low level)
4. Check in regularly - are your dimmers set right?
5. Watch out for any area getting too dim
   
   

What I find most valuable about this way of thinking is how it fits real life. Because let's be honest - none of us can do everything at full intensity all the time. But we can keep all the essential parts of our life alive and well, even if some are running on low power for a while.

It's about progress, not perfection. And sometimes, progress means just keeping the lights on until it's time to turn them up again.

"If your goals and anti-goals establish your direction, the high-leverage systems are the engine that drives you forward into that envisioned future. In his bestselling book Atomic Habits, author James Clear famously wrote, 'You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.'"

Let me share something that shifted my thinking about how we achieve our goals. It's not just about setting them - it's about building solid systems that keep you moving forward.

James Clear puts it brilliantly when he talks about habits being like compound interest in your life. Just like money grows exponentially when invested wisely, tiny 1% improvements in your daily habits can make you 37 times better over a year.

The flip side? Small negative habits can compound downward just as dramatically.

You know how sometimes we get caught up in big dreams without figuring out how to get there? Bloom talks about this in "The 5 Types of Wealth", and it's brilliant. He explains that what matters are your daily actions - the small things that add up to big changes.

Think of it as compound interest for your habits. Each small action might not seem like much, but when you have the right systems in place, they create momentum that builds on itself. That's what Bloom calls "high-leverage systems" - where a small input creates a much bigger output.

I love how he challenges the old "focus on one thing at a time" advice. Instead, he suggests using these systems like dimmer switches (remember those from our earlier?). You're not turning anything entirely off - you're just adjusting the intensity based on what matters most right now.

Here's why this matters so much: if you completely switch off any area of your life for too long, it becomes incredibly hard to get it back. Trust me, I've repeatedly seen this happen in my own life and with clients.

For us entrepreneurs, this is gold. It means we can:
- Set up systems that keep our business running smoothly
- Use smart delegation (more on that in a minute)
- Keep all areas of our life ticking along, even when we're focused on growth

Speaking of delegation, Bloom's got this brilliant approach called "task profiling". Before you do anything, ask yourself: Should this be eliminated? Automated? Delegated? Or is it something only you can do? There are different levels to this, but the key is determining the best use of your time.

Want to put this into practice?

Start here:
1. Look at where you're spending most of your time and energy
2. Pick one or two areas where better systems would make the biggest difference
3. Set up simple, repeatable processes
4. Keep checking and tweaking until they work for you

I see this all the time in my coaching - solopreneurs burning out because they're trying to do everything without proper systems. But something magical happens when you combine clear goals, firm boundaries (those anti-goals we talked about), and solid systems.
You start moving forward in all areas of your life, not just your business.

It's like having a well-oiled machine that keeps running even when you're not pushing at full throttle.

And isn't that what we're all after - success that doesn't cost us everything else that matters?