Surprising Money Lessons From NYC Delivery Guy

I had just moved to NYC 2 weeks before. We ordered delivery from a deli in the East Village and 20 minutes later, the doorbell rang.

My friend, who was in the other room, buzzed him up and handed me $20 to answer the door. When I gave the delivery guy $20 and he handed my change back, I called back into the apartment, “How much was it?”

I wanted to make sure I got the right amount of change. Big deal, right?

My friend started laughing. “Who cares, dude? Just give him the $20.”

Back in Sacramento, this conversation never would have happened (and not just because we never got delivery). You get the change, count out a nice tip, and that’s that.

In New York, people are a lot looser with money. A $12 cocktail is just the cost of doing business for a young professional. In your early 20s, you go out to clubs, you take taxis, and you don’t worry about counting pennies — or the city would drive you insane.

You would never know this from a website. It’s not written in any guidebook. But it’s true.

So there I am, trying to count back a few dollars in change, and I just handed it all over to the delivery guy. That one comment from my friend opened my eyes. Who the hell doesn’t count their change?

I realized my Rich Life didn’t need to involve private jets and $80,000 watches. On a day-to-day basis, my favorite thing is NOT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT COUNTING CHANGE.

If I want to take a taxi, I do. If I see 3 appetizers I like, I order them all. And if I want to send my parents tickets to visit me, I send them without caring how much they cost.

Sometimes people get this nutty idea that a Rich Life means sitting around and counting your money all day.

The answer is much more prosaic — but also more interesting. What happens once you don’t have to worry about your day-to-day expenses? What happens once you’re making more than you need to live…

…and even earning it while you sleep?

Here’s a revenue report from last week:

Or if my friend invites me to a tea tasting, I can go without worrying about how much it costs (like yesterday’s matcha class):

Matcha class from yesterday. More on instagram.com/ramit

One of my goals is to show you that living a Rich Life is possible. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have an idea, or if you’re not sure how to get started — I can help you with all that. But it all starts with you believing that you can live a Rich Life.

If I could give you $100,000, what would you do with it? Would a Rich Life mean ordering the wagyu beef? Would it mean dropping out of the 9-5 rat race and building a business that runs even while you sleep?

I can show you countless example after example: John, a Zero To Launch graduate, built a business and quit his job. He now lives in Thailand.

This place:

Photo of Ao Nang Beach, Thailand by kallerna used under a creative commons 3.0 license

(By the way, there are lots of different business ideas we can help you find — not just a business coach. For example, we’ve helped Zero to Launch students launch businesses on parenting or airline miles…and many more. We can help you find a business idea.)

Take a look at John’s story. For him, his Rich Life was moving to Thailand.

For me, my Rich Life is not having to count change and being able to order appetizers — basically not having to worry about the little things!

What does your Rich Life look like? I’d love to know – leave a comment below. Give me a specific answer, please — don’t just say “freedom.” Who knows? Maybe I can help you get it.

P.S. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you more about that $14,000+ revenue report. If you want a sneak peek, sign up for this free event I’m hosting to help you launch an online business.