#76 - It’s Just What You Focus On

“Weak people notice other peoples mistakes and laugh. Strong people notice other people’s mistakes and learn. Weak people talk about other peoples problems to feel better. Strong people talk about other people’s problems to become better. Weak people gossip about others to make fake connections. Strong people express vulnerability to build real ones. And this one’s the kicker that you were just talking about. Weak people envy people ahead of them. Strong people study people ahead of them. And the interesting thing is both people are looking at the same thing but they’re seeing different things. Because no one is a weak or strong person. It’s just what you focus on.” - Jay Shetty

Listening to The Mel Robbins Podcast with Jay Shetty this week this line from Jay really hit hard. To me it reframes strength as a choice, not a character trait. It’s not about being strong or weak… it’s about what you choose to see.

• Perspective Shapes Reality - Strength and weakness are not fixed traits. They're reflections of where we place our attention.

• Mistakes as Mirrors - Weak focus laughs at mistakes to gain superiority.

  Strong focus learns from mistakes to gain wisdom. Instead of wondering “Why did someone mess up?” wonder “And what can I learn from this"?”

• Problems as Proving Grounds: Weak focus uses other issues for self-elevation. Strong focus uses the struggle of others to understand deeper truths. Seek solutions instead of stories that elevate yourself.

• Connection Through Authenticity: Weak focus builds bonds through gossip and sharing judgement. Strong focus forms real genuine relationships through shared vulnerability. Replace gossip with gratitude and empathy.

• Envy vs. Emulation: Weak focus sees those ahead of them in life, goals, fitness, finance as threats. Strong focus views those ahead of them as blueprints to learn from and seek guidance.

Your strength is not in how perfect you are. It is in your ability to redirect your focus toward learning, growth, and empathy.

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Market & Freedom Fund Recap

The broader market drifted sideways this week, with tech and fintech names grabbing the spotlight. Traders continue to digest signals from the Fed on rate cuts, while corporate earnings trickle in ahead of the next reporting wave.

The Freedom Fund held $39,000 this week, with total unrealized gains now topping $13,000 (+51%). The curve is still climbing, and the blend of a broad-market ETFs, tech growth, and income continues to provide balance.

This week I added to my $SCHB ( ▲ 0.67% ) and $APLE ( ▲ 0.25% ) stack as a default. I plan to continue to stack $SCHB ( ▲ 0.67% ) until it is 25% of my portfolio and look for an opportunity to start buying $QQQM ( ▲ 0.43% ) in the next market down turn.

Freedom Fund Background: I launched the Freedom Fund in October 2022 as a public brokerage account to show that anyone—with just a bank account and Social Security number—can start investing, even with a couple hundred dollars a week. I started from $0 to make the journey real and relatable. Each week, I share transparent updates on purchases, sales, dividends, and growth on X (@GrahamSchroeder) so you can follow along in real time. The hardest part of investing is getting started—so I did, publicly, to help others do the same.