Dustin's Book - Chapter Seven (#133) — Transcript
Updated: Oct 26
THE PICTURE OF WEALTH · EPISODE 133
Dustin Serviss reads chapter seven of his book, “Magic Apology.” Theo’s photography and a conversation with Ashley open questions about relationships, experiences and a personal wealth edge.
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This transcript was generated from the episode audio and lightly edited for readability. It may contain transcription or speaker-attribution errors. Refer to the recording for exact wording.
Chapters
[00:00:00] Chapter seven: Magic Apology
[00:01:31] The guests return and Ashley arrives
[00:02:43] Theo apologizes and the couple reconnects
[00:03:55] Part two: Focus
[00:05:20] Lifestyle is more than a future reward
[00:06:33] Reaching the goals and losing the spark
[00:07:45] Taking a wider view of life now
[00:09:07] Finding a personal wealth edge
Related episodes
Transcript
[00:00:00] Dustin Serviss: Welcome to the picture of wealth or TPAW as we call it. I am your host, Dustin Service. Listener, this is your trusted host, Dustin Service. I'm gonna be reading a book that I wrote for the next few weeks, each chapter, each episode. Enjoy. Chapter seven. Magic Apology. The next day Theo took hundreds of photos of Roy and his friends. Photos of them holding up their catches before releasing them. Photos of them reeling in a bent over fly rod near the stream entering the lake on the far side. Photos of them in their belly boats having a beer together in the middle of the lake.
[00:00:57] Dustin Serviss: Theo and his cameras accompanied Orson as he advised them and served them snacks and drinks out on the water. They also respectfully gave them lots of space to bond, and Theo tried to stay out of the way as much as possible, even hiking around, taking shots from shore. He was proud of his work and felt confident the photos would beautifully document three friends relaxing together and letting their guards down, three tycoons in a rare, vulnerable moment. Theo felt he was close. But had he captured the ultimate picture of wealth? He didn't know. During the journey back to the lodge, the guys argued over who caught the
[00:01:31] Dustin Serviss: biggest fish, and as usual, comparisons of longer versus fatter were made along with the inevitable bawdy jokes. Theo snapped a few candid shots of the guys arguing and laughing. The banter continued as they entered the lodge, where Manns had laid out appetizers, decadent charcuterie boards that looked like they could be in food magazine, and heaping baskets of crusty bread and artisanal crackers Theo's stomach growled as he walked by the table, but he'd heard the chopper arrive a while before he... They returned He was excited to see his wife and start getting back in her good books again When he entered his room, he saw Ashley's bag sitting
[00:02:07] Dustin Serviss: on the bed already torn apart with clothes trailing out of it in a tumble. He smiled, suddenly remembering that this was something he had first loved about her, the messiness that other people thought was chaotic but he thought was a charming sign of a free spirit. It'd been a long time since he'd seen that side of her. When they became parents, she cleaned up her act, but it looked like she'd decided to relax her own rules. Maybe the lodge was already having some effect on her, like it had on him He leaned his head out the door and saw one of the shared bathroom doors was closed, and he could hear the shower running.
[00:02:43] Dustin Serviss: He went back to the room and sat down on the bed to wait nervously until a few minutes later when she came in, telling her hair and dressed in a robe. There was an awkward moment when they both didn't know what to say. Then he went over and kissed her, and they hugged tightly. She was warm and smelled clean and he savored the moment. I'm sorry. I haven't been around enough for you and the girls Theo said into her ear. I'm working on that. This place is making me see things different. I want to try harder. Okay She hugged him tighter. I'm sorry too. I've been a bitch. I should try to see your side of it too.
[00:03:17] Dustin Serviss: I know I just miss you Theo felt a wave of love for his wife and also relief Maybe they would be alright after all. How was the chopper ride? Theo asked, starting to get changed out of his sweaty clothes. He wanted to bring Ashley out to show her off to the guys. She was a great looking woman, healthy, always smiling, but she was also smart and good talker in a group. Theo loved taking her to work events because she always had a way of loosening up people in suits. Oh my god. I was a little nervous, but that pilot, Andre, he was awesome, explaining things and chatting with me, it took my mind off, but it was cool.'
[00:03:55] Dustin Serviss: Ashley said, how did your shoot go today?' 'Good, I think. I got some solid shots. This place is magic.' 'I know. I felt so relaxed as soon as I got off the helicopter. It's so quiet up here. I can't believe it. Just then, there was a knock on the door and man's voice came through the door. Cocktail hour, folks. Get your butts out here. Theo and Ashley looked at each other, smothering laughter. It was so good to see her smile again. Part two: Focus What does wealth look like? When you think about your wealth, what does it look like to you? Is it your income, your investments, your assets, your savings, maybe a few stocks or crypto coins.
[00:04:38] Dustin Serviss: But when you picture a person who is wealthy, what are they doing? Are they at a bank signing some paperwork? Are they making a big purchase? No. When you picture someone wealthy, they're out doing something incredible, experiencing something amazing that only someone wildly well off would be able to do. They're kite surfing off the coast of Australia, or riding horses on a beach or a race car on an Italian track. The truth is, though, most rich people don't fill their days doing incredible things. They're doing the same mundane stuff we do. They just spend a lot more money doing it. But wealth however wealth is living well isn't it?
[00:05:20] Dustin Serviss: It's being surrounded by friends and family who you are connected to on a heart level doing things that fulfill you it isn't investment portfolios or a vacation house you never get to enjoy because you're too busy Most people think of lifestyle as a bonus of wealth Once you make money, the fantastic life filled with adventure will follow but they get stuck on the track of getting to the magical number that will release them from their responsibilities so they can finally be free to live the life of their dreams. For most people, the closest they get to freedom is their retirement
[00:05:56] Dustin Serviss: but as we saw in the first chapter when you finally get to retirement the zest to really enjoy that freedom could be gone due to any number of unforeseen reasons. Most people tend to stick with what they know. They get started on a certain path early on and follow where it goes. Sound familiar? It's not our fault. We were doing all the right things. The things that were expected. We went to school, got our degrees and hit the ground running. Or we went to work straight out of high school and worked our way up to a career we're proud of today. But whatever path we took, we took it with gusto and started building.
[00:06:33] Dustin Serviss: And it all felt really exciting. Everything was happening all at once. Family, kids, advancement, then more advancement. Some of us turned our expertise into our own businesses. And if we were lucky and played our cards right, we were successful. But at some point, we started to lose steam. To lose the spark that we had had at the very beginning, the fire under our asses to get us moving and and setting those goalposts. So we reach them. Now what? So you've been on autopilot. There's now and there's the future. And in the future is the ambiguous freedom that we're really finally going to earn.
[00:07:11] Dustin Serviss: Financial freedom, freedom from work, freedom to do what we want and relax. But the simple fact of the matter is no matter how much planning you do for the future and how secure that plan seems, there is no way you will know until you get there if it will all work out the way you hoped. You might have seen some evidence of that in your own life already. How often do things turn out exactly how you planned it? What would happen if you stopped being so concerned with the goal of acquiring freedom in the future and a little more concerned on what's going on in your life in the present moment?
[00:07:45] Dustin Serviss: Concentrate on your surroundings and your life now, literally this moment The things that you might not be seeing but are there regardless Take a wider view What's up with your kids? How are your relationships with your siblings or your parents? Who are the friends you've let drift away because you're hyper focused on getting somewhere? What do you see around you? Are you happy with what you see? So many of us are obsessed with working hard because we believe it is our ticket to happiness but nobody ever told us how hard to work or when to stop We weren't brought up with this concept of enough,
[00:08:23] Dustin Serviss: only more All we knew was that we had to work as hard, and for as long as possible. How much of your energy is being allotted to funding the future? And how much are you using to attend your life's needs now? What else can you be spending to enrich and widen your daily experience? Apply this wider view to your finances If you take a wider view of your current situation, instead of single mindedly following the most obvious income streams, what opportunities might be on the fringes waiting for you to notice them? The thing is, the ease with which a lot of us had entered our current fields might have prevented us from finding our true edge,
[00:09:07] Dustin Serviss: what I like to call our wealth edge. While we followed the most expected and easiest path, we may have put aside the things that really lit us up We made the mistake of thinking that if it was fun, it couldn't possibly be profitable But if we can find that edge, the narrow space where our natural talents and ambitions combine, the possibilities are endless Wealth Edge To give an example of what a wealth edge looks like Think about two people the same age who decide to start flipping houses One of them went to business school and has worked mostly in sales and the other has worked for years as a carpenter Who do you think is
[00:09:49] Dustin Serviss: going to be more successful? Carpenter with industry experience has the ability, knowledge, and hands on skill to fix and coordinate rentals to add value to a home versus a white collar professional who has never held a hammer The carpenter has the edge Since for him there is less risk involved in buying a fixer upper, he will be able to flip houses for more profit than someone who has to pay to have all the renos done and approved by a third party Another example is a former realtor who decides to become a real estate investor. With her particular experience and resources, not only would she understand the real
[00:10:26] Dustin Serviss: estate market intimately, she would see listings come on the system before the general public, meaning she could be one of the first to know when a good deal comes online. Wealth edge is real, and when considering a new venture or opportunity, you want to stack your deck in your favour as much as possible. Knowing your wealth edge reduces the potential of risks and increases your chance of success. Thank you for tuning in to this episode. If you enjoyed the show, please like and rate the show, share with a friend, or use your new knowledge in your next conversation.
[00:10:59] Dustin Serviss: If during the show something gave you a pang of inspiration, motivation, or sense of uncertainty, act on it now. Get the clarity you're looking for. Find the permission you seek. Go to servicewealth dot com to discover how others are learning how to take Fridays off or buying a recreation property or spending more money. If you're an organizer of an event where you believe my philosophy on finance lifestyle design would be applicable, go to servicewealth dot com and book me as a speaker at your next event. If you want a copy of our new book coming out soon, send me a message on Instagram or Facebook and we will be sure to get you
[00:11:30] Dustin Serviss: a first copy.