Kill It With Protein, Open The $$$ Account, Surrender The Outcome | FRLN 133

Most life-changing advice is not complicated.

It is ordered correctly.

Eat the protein before the sweets.

Save and invest before the money disappears.

Do the work, then surrender the outcome.

First things first.

That was the thread running through the final tips, tools, and strategies Philip “PT Money” Taylor shared with me in Fit Rich Life Podcast Episode 111.

PT is the founder of FinCon, the annual gathering for personal finance creators, podcasters, writers, YouTubers, entrepreneurs, and financial brands.

But before FinCon, he was a corporate CPA carrying roughly $70,000 of debt: about $30,000 in student loans, $15,000 in credit card debt, and $25,000 in auto debt.

He did what a lot of smart people do when they feel trapped.

He started learning.

Then he stopped only consuming and started creating.

In 2007, PT launched a personal finance blog — not because he believed he was the world’s greatest writer, but because he wanted to document what he was learning and doing with his own money.

He gave himself permission to chronicle instead of perform.

That distinction matters.

You do not need to be an expert to begin.

You do not need the perfect niche, brand, name, body, investment plan, or spiritual practice.

You need the first honest action.

PT started with an imperfect blog called Primetime Money, which evolved into PT Money. That blog helped hold him accountable, helped him pay off his debt, and eventually grew enough for him to leave corporate accounting and become a full-time creator in 2010.

Then it led him to something even bigger.

FinCon.

PT did not just build a conference.

He built the room he needed.

And thousands of creators have now walked through that room.

PT Money was not the final destination. It was the first domino.

That is what happens when you stop waiting for certainty and start moving.

Now let’s dive into PT’s strategies for fitness, money, and life.

FIT — Kill It With Protein

PT calls his current nutrition strategy “kill it with protein.” He is a sweets guy, and he knows how easy it is to fall into cycles of eating poorly — especially when hunger is high and the first available option is mostly sugar or processed carbs.

So he changed the order. He starts the day with protein, and he starts every meal with protein. When he wants a snack or something sweet, he eats protein first — a small protein shake, a boiled egg, or a piece of jerky. If he still wants the treat afterward, he can have it.

The goal is not deprivation. The goal is to give his body what it needs before asking willpower to fight what it wants.

PT aims for roughly 0.75 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day. For someone who weighs 180 pounds, that would be about 135 grams. This helps him feel full, preserve muscle at age 50, and make better food choices without turning every meal into a battle.

Combined with walking 10,000 steps a day, PT said this approach helped him lose roughly 20 to 25 pounds since February. When he shared this, I told him that prioritizing protein is one of the foundational habits I teach every fitness coaching client.

Most people undereat protein and overeat carbs & fat. Then they wonder why they are hungry again an hour later, why they struggle to recover, and why building or maintaining lean muscle feels harder than it should.

Protein creates a positive cascade: it supports muscle, helps with satiety, and makes it easier to manage calories. When you eat it first, you are also less likely to mindlessly crush everything else on the plate before your fullness signals catch up.

This becomes especially important as we get older. Muscle is not just for looking fit; it supports strength, mobility, metabolic health, resilience, and your ability to keep doing the activities you love.

You do not need a perfect meal plan. You need a protein anchor. Build every meal around eggs, chicken, fish, lean meat, cottage cheese, tofu or another protein-rich plant food, or a shake when convenience matters. Choose what works for you. Then eat it first.

Kill the hunger with protein before the hunger kills your plan.

RICH — Open The Account

PT’s money strategy was the classic principle of paying yourself first — with one practical twist:

Just open the account.

People hear “automate your finances” and immediately turn it into a massive project. Which bank should I use? Should I open a Roth IRA or brokerage account? How much should I contribute? What should I invest in? What if I make the wrong choice?

So they research for six months and do nothing.

PT’s advice is to reduce the first move to its smallest possible form. Open the high-yield savings account. Open the brokerage account. Open the Roth IRA.

You do not need to fund it with a huge amount today or know the perfect investment yet. You simply need to create a place for the money to go. Because once the account exists, the next step becomes easier: connect your bank, make the first transfer, and automate a contribution every payday.

That is how you direct the first fruits of your income toward your future before your present lifestyle consumes all of it.

PT said he wishes he could automate his health the way he can automate his money. That is one of the most powerful advantages we have in personal finance. Fitness still requires you to do the workout, but money can keep working while you sleep.

Once the system is built, it does not care whether you feel motivated. It does not forget. It does not get distracted by the newest phone, car, vacation, or shiny object. The system simply follows the instruction you already gave it.

Pay yourself first. Automatically.

This is one of the core habits I teach inside Investing Mastery because wealth is not usually built through one heroic financial decision. It is built through a boring decision that repeats for decades.

Open the account. Automate the money. Invest consistently. Let compounding do the heavy lifting.

The amount can grow as your income grows, but the system has to exist before it can compound.

First, build the container.

Then fill it.

LIFE — Surrender The Outcome

PT’s life and happiness strategy went deeper:

“Appeal to a higher authority.”

PT is a Christian. For him, that means giving the results, the uncertainty, the problems, and the future to God. He has found more happiness and joy when he divorces himself from the belief that he must personally control every outcome.

That posture reduces anxiety and stress. It breaks the spiral of relentless self-focus. And it reminds him that he is responsible for his actions, but he is not the final authority over everything that happens next.

I am a firm believer in connecting with something higher than yourself, too. Your language and spiritual path may be different from PT’s, but the practice is available to all of us:

Take full responsibility for the effort.

Release your grip on the outcome.

That is not passivity. It does not mean you stop making plans, taking risks, having hard conversations, or doing the work.

PT did the work. He paid off the debt, published the blog, left corporate accounting, built FinCon, and launched new businesses. But he also learned that trying to personally control the future robs the present of peace.

This is one of the great traps for high achievers. We believe our success came from gripping harder than everyone else, so when life becomes uncertain, we grip even harder. We rehearse every possible problem, try to predict every reaction, confuse worrying with preparing, and treat anxiety like proof that we care.

But there is a line between responsibility and control.

Responsibility asks:

What is mine to do?

Control asks:

How can I guarantee what happens next?

The first question creates action. The second creates suffering because there is no guarantee.

You can train intelligently and still get injured. You can invest wisely and still experience a bear market. You can build something valuable and still have the launch flop. You can love someone deeply and still be unable to choose for them.

You control the inputs. You influence the outcome. You do not own the outcome.

Do your part with everything you have. Then hand the rest to God, spirit, life, or whatever higher authority is personally meaningful to you.

Effort is your job.

The outcome never was.

ACTION — Take The First Action

Pick one action from each area. Keep it simple. Do it this week.

FIT — Before your next meal, choose the protein source first. Then estimate a daily target using PT’s benchmark of roughly 0.75 grams per pound of body weight and stock three easy protein options you will actually eat.

RICH — Open the account you have been postponing: high-yield savings, brokerage, or Roth IRA. Do not turn it into a research project. Once it is open, schedule one automatic transfer for your next payday — even if the amount is small.

LIFE — Write down one outcome you are gripping too tightly. Divide the page into two columns: “Mine to do” and “Not mine to control.” Take one action from the first column, then consciously surrender the second.

Simple does not mean insignificant.

Protein before cravings.

Your future before lifestyle inflation.

Faith before fear.

First things first.

Then keep going.

Then listen to the full conversation with Philip “PT Money” Taylor so you can:

• Hear how PT went from $70,000 in debt and a corporate CPA career to becoming a full-time creator and building FinCon.

• Learn why writing helps you think more clearly and holds you accountable to your goals.

• Discover why new creators should document their journey instead of trying to perform like experts.

• Understand how the right community can accelerate your growth and show you what is possible.

• Remember that you do not need to “earn” your way into the rooms that can change your life.

• Learn why creators need to treat their work like a real business — with separate finances, bookkeeping, tax planning, and the right support.

• Hear why action matters more than choosing the perfect brand, niche, or platform.

• Get PT’s perspective on the future of the creator economy, AI, independent media, and the opportunities still ahead.

Listen here:

🎧 Spotify | 🍎 Apple | ▶️ YouTube | 🌐 Web​

To your health, wealth, and happiness,

— Justin David Carl