FRLN92: Resilient Recoveries, Boring Money Hacks, Dream Life Accelerator

I just downed a coldbrew coffee and I’m about to head out dancing with my wife and friends.

But before I do, I wanted to share three insights that changed the way I feel about fitness, money, and life.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Why getting sick isn’t a setback, it’s a signal.

• The “boring” wealth plan that gets me most excited.

• How waiting for someone else to solve your problems keeps you stuck (and how to change that).

Let’s get started…

FIT — Illness vs. Recovery

When I was younger, getting sick always made me depressed.

I’d be in the middle of a big training block, then suddenly I’d come down with something.

I’d think, “Great, I’m gonna lose all my progress.”

So stubbornly, I’d push through and try to lift weights or grind through workouts anyway.

But I learned the hard way that working out while sick is like running your car on fumes and trying to gun it uphill. You’re asking for a breakdown.

Now, I see illness differently.

Instead, I treat it like forced recovery.

Last week, I caught something nasty and was out of the gym and off the pickleball courts for 3 days. And rather than trying to fight it?

I leaned in.

A little walking, a little stretching, a little foam rolling.

But mostly I just slept as much as possible and made sure to replenish my body with plenty of good teas, nutrients, fresh air, sunlight, and relaxation.

And within a few days, I was back feeling stronger, sharper, and more resilient than ever.

It reminded me of something most people forget:

You don’t get stronger in the gym — you get stronger while resting.

Training creates the stimulus. But resting is where the growth happens.

When you fight sickness, you’re stealing energy your immune system desperately needs to heal. But when you embrace it as forced recovery, the process accelerates. So next time you get sick, don’t see it as punishment.

See it as wisdom.

It’s your body’s way of saying: “Hey, I need a reset. Let me handle this.”

Lean into it. Sleep like it’s your job. Walk gently. Then come back refreshed, not wrecked.

That shift in perspective turns what feels like lost time into progress in disguise.

RICH — Too Good To Be True?

Years ago, I thought I was clever.

A new crypto platform called BlockFI was offering 10% “risk-free” interest just for storing Bitcoin with them.

10%…

For doing nothing?

Sounds great. So I moved $100,0000 worth of Bitcoin onto their platform.

For a while, it looked like free money. But then in 2022, BlockFi collapsed after FTX imploded. For a while, it looked like my money was gone. And if this were like any of the other crypto collapses in the past few years, it would have been.

But thankfully, BlockFI put in the work to get many of their users about 90% of their money back.

Myself included.

But I had to wait 2 years to get it back, and instead of gaining any interest, I was losing it.

That experience hammered home a lesson I already knew but hadn’t fully lived yet:

If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

And I get it. We all want the shortcut. The sexy “hack.” The magic formula.

But real wealth isn’t built fast. Wealth is built in slow, steady, compounding interest. Which feels boring in the moment, but magical in hindsight.

The truth is:

• Crypto promised me excitement.

• Index funds delivered me freedom.

That’s why I tell my coaching clients to do what I do:

Keep speculation to no more than 5–10% of your portfolio.

And make peace with the fact that you could lose it all.

Then take the other 90–95% and invest it in boring, broad-based index funds. Automate it. Forget about it. Let time do its thing.

Because that’s how you build a Fit Rich Life.

Automate your money so you don’t have to think about it. That way, you can focus on living your life, earning more income, and building a body that will take care of you well into old age.

Wealth isn’t about chasing magic bullets. It’s about building freedom.

And freedom never gets old.

LIFE — Build What You Wish Existed

For years, I’ve wanted to be part of a men’s group that I felt good about.

I searched for one. I waited for one. Nothing quite fit.

So recently…

I decided to stop waiting and start building it myself.

So right here in Santa Cruz, invite-only, hand-picked men that I admire and want to grow alongside. We’ll meet monthly to challenge, support, and sharpen each other, body and mind.

It’s the same way I forged my path to financial independence so quickly.

Years ago, when I first started out on my money healing journey, I felt isolated. Most of my friends didn’t get it. So I started a local Financial Independence meetup at Stanford.

For three years, we met in person. Then two more years, we did it virtually when the pandemic hit.

That group gave me energy, friendships, accountability, and ideas that catapulted me forward. One of my best friends to this day came from that group.

So don’t wait to live the life you want. Start building it today.

If the community, opportunity, or lifestyle you dream of doesn’t exist yet, that’s your signal. You’re the one who’s meant to create it.

The best leaders and entrepreneurs in the world don’t wait for permission. They build what they wish existed — and in doing so, start movements, create friendships, and build opportunities that change lives.

So ask yourself: What are you wishing for right now that you could start building instead?

Because the life you want isn’t waiting for you.

It’s waiting for you to build it.

ACTION — The Invitation

This week, flip your perspective:

• If you get sick, don’t fight it. Trust it. It’s your body’s way of making you stronger. Rest like it's your full-time job.

• If an investment looks too magical, it probably is. Real wealth is built with steady compounding.

• If the life you want doesn’t exist yet: stop waiting, start building it.

Your Fit Rich Life isn’t handed to you. It’s created by the empowering decisions you make every single day.

Choose wisely.

And choose boldly.

To your health, wealth, and unstoppable momentum,

— Justin David Carl

P.S. I’m curious — what’s one thing you’ve been wishing for lately that you know deep down you need to build yourself? Drop me an email or DM via social media.