Before you can earn more money, you need to understand what money actually is. And no, we're not talking about dictionary definitions.

Money is simply a measure of value—nothing more, nothing less. It's the standardized measuring stick humanity invented so we could trade efficiently. Before money, early humans faced chaos: How many eggs is a goat worth? How does a philosopher survive when you can't eat ideas?

The ancient Mesopotamians solved this around 5,000 years ago by creating the shekel—a standard weight of barley or silver. The first actual coins came from the Kingdom of Lydia around 700 BC. Every successful society since has needed some way to measure and exchange value.

This episode breaks down the fundamentals: the difference between money and currency, what "fiat" actually means, and how cryptocurrencies and stablecoins work—all explained in plain language you could share with your kids.

But here's the critical insight: if money is a measure of value, then there's only ONE way to earn more money—create more value. You can do this through volume (more work), specialization (rare skills), or creation (making something valuable to others).

Your Golden Hour task: List what you did today, then write what value each action created for someone else. This simple exercise will transform how you think about your work and earning potential.

Stop chasing money. Start creating value. The money will follow.

Listen now at businessisgood.com

Connect with Chris Cooper:

Website - https://businessisgood.com/

Steve Jobs wore the same black turtleneck every day. Mark Zuckerberg wears gray t-shirts. Tim Cook wakes up at 4 AM and follows the exact same routine. Warren Buffett protects his calendar so fiercely that Bill Gates wrote admiringly about it.

These aren't quirks. They're systems designed to reduce decision fatigue and conserve mental energy for decisions that actually matter.

In this episode, I walk you through a proven framework to identify your Daily Non-Negotiables—the 3-4 specific actions that, if you did them without fail, would make success unavoidable.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

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• Why the most successful CEOs follow strict daily routines (and it's not what you think)
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• The three-part framework: Vision → Priorities → Non-Negotiables
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• How to turn vague goals into specific, measurable daily actions
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• Real examples of strong vs. weak Daily Non-Negotiables
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• Why 40% of your life is already on autopilot (and how to make that work for you)
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• How to build a backup plan so your habits actually stick
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THE FRAMEWORK:

Part 1: VISION - Who are you becoming? Identify the version of yourself one year from now at your absolute best.

Part 2: PRIORITIES - What three areas create the most leverage? Focus on the growth areas that move you toward your vision.

Part 3: NON-NEGOTIABLES - What's one specific daily action for each priority? Build habits that are specific, measurable, brief, repeatable, and valuable.

THIS IS A GUIDED EXERCISE:

I walk you through each step with pauses for you to think and write. By the end of this episode, you'll have your three Daily Non-Negotiables identified and ready to implement.

YOUR GOLDEN HOUR:

Protect your Daily Non-Negotiables. Block the time. Set up tracking. Build the system. Small actions, repeated consistently, compound into massive transformation.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

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• Steve Jobs' wardrobe simplification strategy
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• Mark Zuckerberg's decision-reduction approach
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• Tim Cook's 4 AM routine
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• Warren Buffett's time protection
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• Jack Dorsey's themed days
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• Duke University research on habitual behavior
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• The average person's 35,000 daily decisions
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Whether you're running a $100K business or building toward $1M, this framework will help you engineer success through consistent daily action.

This is BusinessIsGood—practical business growth strategies for Canadian entrepreneurs who are ready to move beyond survival mode and build businesses that thrive.

Connect with Chris Cooper:

Website - https://businessisgood.com/

A Toronto entrepreneur just made a $12,000 hiring mistake—not because she lacked experience, but because she made the decision at 4 PM after already burning through her mental energy on dozens of smaller choices throughout the day.

This is decision fatigue, and it's costing Canadian business owners far more than money.

Your brain has a finite amount of decision-making energy. Every choice you make—from what to eat for breakfast to whether to approve a budget—drains that battery a little more. By mid-afternoon, you're running on empty, but that's exactly when the big, important decisions usually arrive.

Research proves this isn't just in your head. A famous study found that judges granted parole to prisoners 70% of the time in the morning, but less than 10% in the afternoon. Same judges, same cases—the only difference was decision fatigue.

In this episode, Chris Cooper explores what decision fatigue is, why it matters for Canadian entrepreneurs, and how to train yourself like a mental athlete to make better decisions when they matter most. You'll learn six practical strategies for preserving your decision-making energy and discover how non-negotiable habits can eliminate dozens of daily choices.

According to a 2025 BDC survey, 36% of Canadian business owners report that mental health challenges interfere with their work at least once weekly. For entrepreneurs under 40, that number jumps to 60%.

Your Golden Hour task: Track every decision you make this week. You can't fix what you can't see.

This episode sets up the next discussion on Daily Non-Negotiables and the Golden Hour system.

Connect with Chris Cooper:

Website - https://businessisgood.com/