Two words quietly wrecking your finances

21 Oct 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief monologue, the speaker explains a mental model that divides the mind into a conscious, will‑power‑driven 5% and a subconscious, identity‑driven 95%. The conscious portion is described as the active, decision‑making force that can push us to act, while the larger subconscious part consists of the beliefs we hold about ourselves—especially self‑labels that begin with “I am…”. The speaker argues that these identity statements (e.g., “I’m not good at math” or “I’m not a good reader”) become part of the subconscious framework and inevitably shape behavior, including financial decisions. Consequently, negative self‑labels can lead to poorer financial outcomes, suggesting that reshaping identity is crucial for financial health.

Chapters

It is our conscious mind, the 5% of everything that's happening, fighting against the subconscious mind. I've heard a lot of your guests talk about this, but it's the 5% that is the willpower, the go, the get 'em, right? And it's so powerful. It's heavily weighted in those. That 5% is a strong 5%. But in the 95% is who we believe we are, all the things that you said. But there's more. There's this idea of Maybe I'm a creative person. Maybe I'm not good at math. Someone who's not good at math, they always say, oh God, I'm not good at math, or I'm not a good reader. That's part of your identity. Anything with I am, anything that comes next is your identity. So if you say I'm not good at math or I'm not a good reader, then chances are your finances are going to suffer.