Welcome to Edition 1 of the High Performance Playbook Newsletter!

My name is Austin Wright, and I’m excited to bring you this playbook I’ve developed over the last decade. If you don’t know me, I’m a father, husband, entrepreneur, and Angel Investor. I’ve built everything from digital-native eCommerce brands to brick-and-mortar fitness gyms and even financial services like hedge funds.

I’ve had a LOT of failures… Which led to a LOT of lessons… Which led to a lot of success. I’ve done over $100M in sales, had three exits, and got a real-world MBA from the School of Hard Knocks.

So, if you’re someone who’s interested in health & fitness, personal finance & investing, business growth hacks, and how to live a better and more meaningful life that’s full of purpose and fulfillment, then the High Performance Playbook is for you.

Every week, you’ll receive an action-packed, value-packed email from me, helping you level up in:

• Mindset & Psychology

• Health, Fitness, & Longevity

• Personal Finance & Investing

• And Business

And if you enjoy the content, please share it with a few friends and help me spread the word! There’s no better compliment than a referral.

Ready? Start your engines… Let’s GO:

Most entrepreneurs, business owners, startup founders, and career executives focus on the obvious: sales, marketing, networking.

But these underrated skills separate high-level entrepreneurs from those stuck in the grind.

Here are 5 underrated skills that will multiply your success:

1. Opportunity Filtering

Make bigger decisions.

Learn to filter opportunities and say "no" to 99% of them.

Ask yourself: Would my future 10x version of myself say yes to this?

Look for compounding opportunities. I’m in the gym business - so I could try and sell memberships one at a time, or I could go set up a corporate discount for the city employees, fire department, and police.

Same effort. Different result.

These are the opportunities that generate value over time.

You want to spend at least 80% of your time thinking, not reacting, because billion-dollar decisions require clarity instead of urgency.

Billionaires don’t work for money; they create systems, acquire assets, and leverage time, people, and capital to generate unstoppable wealth.

2. Pattern Recognition

Business is a game of spotting patterns faster than your competitors.

Learn to recognize trends, inefficiencies, and untapped opportunities before they’re obvious. You can stay up to date with trends by using X, Youtube, and even magazines such as Entreprenuer.

Study failed businesses as much as successful ones. Sometimes, there are even more lessons in these.

Learn how markets work. The richest people don’t chase fads; they spot inevitable shifts (like blockchain and AI) before others.

I built most of my wealth by studying and learning markets and trends. I rode the real estate wave from 2011 to 2020 - buying, renting, and selling millions in real estate over that span. I then identified the eCommerce trend, launched a brand in 2016, and sold it for 8 figures 4 years later. And I was an early Bitcoin adopter, acquiring my first Bitcoin in 2013 when it was just $700 per coin!

Get. More. Feedback.

From your customers, from your non-customers (prospects), and from your staff, employees, or co-workers. At the end of this newsletter, I’m going to be asking for YOUR feedback to help me improve.

Listen to complaints and respond with empathy. Every complaint is a clue to a potential market gap.

People who make millions anticipate trends instead of just reacting to them.

3. Resourcefulness

Don’t blame a lack of money, time, or connections for failure. Learn to solve problems creatively using whatever resources you have. You have a few things in common with every billionaire on the planet:

1. You have the same 168 hours each week to get sh*t done and make progress toward your goals.

2. You have the same access to pretty much all the world’s information - this thing called the IN-TER-NET.

3. It’s never been easier to find great talent to work with. Need a creative design person? Need a sales & marketing expert? Need outsourced customer service? It’s all available for 1/10th of what it used to cost.

The best business ideas come from limitations that drive innovative thinking.

Stop saying, “I can’t afford this.”

Instead, ask, “How can I make this happen?”

Master the skill of bartering: trading skills, services, or assets instead of cash.

Use the $0 Test: If you had zero money, how would you still get results?

Your ability to figure things out is far more valuable than money.

4. Emotional Control

Every entrepreneur experiences rejection, failure, and stress. The best ones stay composed no matter what.

Master the ability to control your emotions instead of letting them control you. This is a hard one, and it takes practice. But everyone can acquire this skill.

Business is a mental game.

The person who stays calm under pressure wins.

Use the 10-Year Rule: Will this thing stressing you out matter in 10 years? If not, move on.

Create decision buffers and never respond to big problems emotionally. When I feel myself triggered by an email, a social media post, or even a conversation, I’ve learned to pause, breathe, and respond slowly (if at all).

5. Leverage Thinking

If your business still relies on you to function, you don’t own a business; you own a job. Create systems, teams, and assets that multiply your output.

I’m a partner/owner in nearly a dozen fitness clubs that are over a thousand miles away from me. This is only possible because I’ve built GREAT teams with self-motivated and driven leaders. My teams are made up of rockstars, and they know it. Many of them will be owners one day, too.

Your time is limited.

Real wealth comes from multiplication, not addition. Automate everything repeatable, from lead generation to operations.

Build teams that think, not just follow orders.

Great entrepreneurs train decision-makers, not task-doers.

Invest in assets that work without you, like media, real estate, software, or businesses with strong operators.

If you’re still doing everything yourself, you’re the bottleneck.

Takeaway:

Most entrepreneurs focus on what’s visible, such as marketing, sales, branding. The real multipliers are hidden:

• Saying no to distractions.

• Spotting opportunities before they’re obvious.

• Being ruthlessly resourceful.

• Controlling your mind before the market controls you.

• Leveraging systems instead of your time.

Let’s take another lap… Here’s my 4-pillar framework and some wisdom I’ve acquired over the years related to each pillar:

Mindset & Psychology

Why You Should Implement “Thinking Days”

Spend more time thinking than working if you want to be successful. Warren Buffet spends 80% of his day thinking and reading. And he’s been doing this for 60 years. There might be a lesson in that!

Here’s how to implement “Thinking Days” like billionaires:

• Take one full day per month to yourself. No emails, no meetings, no conference calls. Sit in silence with a notepad. Watch how the ideas flow.

• Focus on high-level decisions, not daily tasks. How do you envision your company and your life in 3 years? 5 years? 10 years?

• Write down business challenges, blind spots, and opportunities. Use ChatGPT to help you with this. Give it as much detail as possible about your business or career and then use the prompt: “Tell me 10 things that could be blind spots for my business and give me 10 opportunities that I might not be considering.” Watch the ideas flow.

Fewer, better decisions will take you further than nonstop hustle.

Health & Fitness + Longevity

I’m sure you’ve heard of red light therapy. Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist at Stanford University and host of the Huberman Lab podcast, has touted the benefits of red light therapy numerous times.

But did you know you can do this from home for just a few hundred bucks?

It’s become wildly popular over the past few years, with people posting online about their masks or panels.

I’ve added it into my daily health and fitness routine and have seen huge benefits.

And before we get into it… No, red light therapy isn’t just for people like Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. 😂

Here’s why red light therapy (RLT) should be in your routine:

It has TONS of benefits:

• Speeds up muscle recovery and reduces soreness.

• Boosts energy levels by supercharging your cells.

• Helps with joint pain, skin health, and even better sleep.

• Supports hormone balance and overall performance.

Ready to try it out yourself? Here’s how you can get started:

• Get a quality red light panel (630-850nm wavelengths).

• Use it 5-20 minutes a day, 6-12 inches from your skin.

• Stay consistent—this isn’t a magic pill, but it’s as easy as taking one.

More energy. Faster recovery. Fewer excuses. Time to level up. 🚀

Personal Finance Tip of the Week

Tip: Automate Your Investments

As simple as it is, most people don’t automate their investments.

They spend first and invest what's left. That’s backwards.

Here’s what you should do instead:

• Set up automatic transfers to your investment account right after payday.

• Start small if needed. Even $100 a week compounds over time.

• Use tax-advantaged accounts (401k, IRA, or brokerage auto-invest).

• Make it boring. Stick to index funds or assets that build wealth over time, like Bitcoin (the best-performing asset in the last 10 years by far).

When you automate, you remove emotion. No second-guessing. No excuses. Just consistent growth.

Pay yourself first. Your future self will thank you.

Business Playbook

What does every champion have in common? Better yet, what does every athlete in the world have in common?

They all have a coach.

• Michael Jordan had Phil Jackson

• Steve Jobs had Bill Campbell

• Warren Buffett had Benjamin Graham

The best in the world never do it alone. Most of them have multiple coaches! Coaches for technique, coaches for strength & conditioning, coaches for mindset.

I used to think I didn’t need coaching until I got one and realized how much I was leaving on the table. Now, I have TWO coaches and a therapist. Game-changer.

If you’re serious about success, be like Mike and get yourself a coach who pushes you to win.

📣 HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT 📣

In other news… I’m pumped to introduce you to my new brand, Wealth Athlete. Learn more below:

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share it with three friends! Let’s all get better together.

Here’s to your success,

Austin Lamar Wright
@WealthAthlete

P.S.

• We’re always looking to improve and create better newsletters for you in the future. If you have any feedback or suggestions for future editions, I’d love to hear from you! Just reply directly to this email.
  

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_{Disclaimer: The ideas shared in this newsletter are those of the author and this is in no way intended to be medical advice or financial advice. Always do your own research and consult with licensed professionals.}