The Early Returns of a Disciplined Life with Nick Conley

Nick Conley is a former Division I athlete at Nicholls State University, now working in Sales. We first met when I was a guest speaker for their football team in 2018. Nick has since become part of my one-on-one coaching program, which he says has added structure to his life.

Nick is one of my best ‘students.’ He’s done everything I’ve asked him to do, and now he’s getting the early returns of a disciplined life.

At just 23 years old, Nick moved to Houston after landing a high-paying sales job. His only prior work experience was commission-only insurance sales in his hometown of Jackson, Misssissippi.

In this episode, Nick talks about his personal development quest. He journals regularly, reads a book a month, and has setup his personal finances in a way that’ll enable him to build massive wealth.

He says the key benefits of journaling have been keeping track of goals, reduced anxiety, and getting “from the day” instead of “getting through the day.” He notes the good and bad of what happened that day and his daily interactions so that he can continue to learn & grow.

Nick will do BIG THINGS in life due to his willingness to have uncomfortable conversations, constantly seeking ways to expand his comfort zone, and the fact that he prepares for opportunities as well as anyone I’ve coached.

His fiancé, Alexis, was also a Division I athlete. She lives in Cypress, Texas, and attended the lesser NSU (Northwestern State University).

This is a fun discussion. Please enjoy!

Questions asked:

What do you think of Houston so far?
What prompted you to move here [in Houston]?
What have you gotten from my coaching?
What are some of the books you’ve read so far?
Are there any changes to your personal finances [you’ve made] as a result of reading Rich Dad Poor Dad?
What kind of goals did you set from our coaching sessions and how are you tracking towards those goals?
Are you writing in your journal? In what ways has journaling changed your life?
How did you go about getting the job that you have now?
In what ways did you prepare for the interview process?
Do you remember questions that you got that would be helpful to somebody who’s young and interviewing nowadays?
How do you deal with knowing that Nicholls had a stud starter who’s a year behind you and you’re going to play quarterback there?
How did you cope [being a bench player]?
Could you have gone to a lesser school and played?
Do you notice in the real world that others don’t have the same [NCAA] experience that you had?
In your age group, how do you most communicate?
How much of your time does social media consume in a day?
Do you think your virtual life is more real life and real life is more secondary?
Do you have trouble talking to people your age because your social skills are so developed?
Did you feel a rush to grow up? Is your fiancé on the same page in that regard?
Where do you see yourself when you are 30 years old?
When are you getting married? Are you going to live in the same studio apartment where you are now once you’re married?
How did you meet your fiancé?
Do you think guys your age are more feminine now than before?
How old were you when you first saw pornography on the Internet?
Have your friends had trouble with video game addictions?
What’s the driver for you getting married so young?
In terms of race relations, do you think the part of Louisiana where you went to school is different from the part of Jackson where you grew up?
Do you think your generation is going to eradicate racism? Or is it just so deeply embedded in the part of the world where you’re from?

Fun questions:

Social media – net negative or net positive for society?
When is the first time you got a phone?
Is not wanting something just as good as having it?
If somebody dropped $1 million in your lap tomorrow, what would you do with it?
What brings you the greatest joy in life?
If somebody gave you $100,000 and forced you to invest it in 3 companies: Apple, Amazon, and Tesla — how would you allocate the money?
If you were given the same dollar amount, but you’re forced to allocate it towards gold or Bitcoin, how would you allocate the money?
What % chance do you think the President contracting the Coronavirus was an assassination attempt?
What % chance do you think Trump didn’t actually have Coronavirus?
What % chance do you think Donald Trump has of being re-elected?
Do you have a favorite book?
Do you have a favorite podcast?
What is your favorite episode of this podcast?
What [has been] your favorite part of this episode?
Overrated/Underrated: Mark Cuban, Colin Kaepernick, Tom Brady, Deshaun Watson, Bill O’Brien, Jim Cramer, Maria Bartiromo, Ivanka Trump, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump Jr.