Find a bad cop.

It can be your doctor. Your spouse. Your business partner. Your kid. Your dog. Your mom. Your grandma. Your boss. Your whomever.

Blame it on them, get what you want, and maintain your good standing.

You can read all the books. All the blogs. Listen to all the podcasts.

But negotiating is so simple.

Tell them what you need.

Salary: I need this much.

Contractor: I need these terms.

Personal: I need this setup.

They can say yes or no. Or maybe add some additional terms.

But your needs are your needs. And you’ll be prepared either way to get them met.

From the moment I started working as a consultant, I was studying on the side.

I studied for, took, and passed the CPA. No regrets.

I studied for, took, and did decently well on the LSAT. No regrets.

I read a lot of non-fiction. No regrets.

My only side-study regret?

I tried to learn another computer program. A closed-source, proprietary, niche product that would have made me more marketable to another consulting firm. (It was Hyperion Planning.)

I wish I had not spent that time studying a computer program. Rather, I wish I spent the time learning how to build a computer program.

Coding.

HTML, CSS, maybe even Java.

Learning how to build a website scratch.

Can you get by without knowing how to code? Absolutely.

I built the first iteration of Life is NOYOKE using an out of the box WordPress theme and zero computer programming skills. Today it looks like this (and is 30x faster) thanks to the help of some talented developers.

But I wouldn’t be where I am today without a core understanding of accounting and finance, logic, and what makes successful people successful.

Who knows where I’d be with a core understanding of computer programming. The ability to actually code.

Five years ahead of where I am today? Much less reliant on expensive web developers?

Do the three I did, if you can. CPA, LSAT, tons of non-fiction books.

But then drop whatever other side studying you’re doing and learn how to code.

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For a step-by-step guide on how to teach yourself code, take the advice from a developer who sold his business for $20M.

This: Sivers’ step-by-step post on the resources and method he recommends for teaching you how to code.

You should read his life-changing book (that you can read in 30 minutes), too: Anything you want.

Give people what they want.

Not 100% of it. Maybe like 90%.

Give 100% effort, though, of course.

Reversing it can be fatal.

Seek perfect and you’ll be disappointed.

Seek fun and you’ll be satisfied.

It could be a comedian you saw. A writer you read. An actor you saw. A singer you heard. A teacher you learned from.

If you see them, remember they’re people, too. They’d love to hear your genuine words of appreciation.

Love.

You have a limited time to seek an unlimited amount money.

Will you?

Over the last ten weeks, I’ve stuck to a consistent publishing schedule with Life is NOYOKE recipes and video demonstrations.

I’m darn proud of this (despite other work-related missteps over this period of time).

As such, I’m going to the beach for a few days to celebrate and recharge.

Here are the 10 recipes (and vids!).

Here is the latest LINY email.

Here are the answers to any (hopefully!) Vitamix-related questions you may have.

See you next week.*

*Unless, of course, I happen to read your email and can’t help myself but reply before then.