For young adults in the U.S.

Don’t get crushed by the system.
Learn to beat the game.

This playbook is for people who don’t want excuses. It’s about using hard work, smart choices, and a bit of strategy to win at work, money, health, and healthcare in the United States.

  • 1 Turn minimum wage into a launch pad, not a life sentence.
  • 2 Learn to be paid to learn instead of paying for useless school.
  • 3 Set up healthcare that doesn’t bankrupt you.
Start the Playbook Jump to Work & Money
Built around ages 16–30 — when your choices hit the hardest.
Life XP Over Time
Grind vs Drift
Drifting
Grinding
Intentional
16–21: Prime grind years Free room · Low bills · Max learning
Visual idea: swap this panel for a simple illustration of a “level bar” filling up as someone climbs from “broke & lost” to “skilled & stable.”
Chapter 1

Mindset: Own the Game, Don’t Complain About It

The system is messy and unfair. You can still win inside it if you accept that it’s on you to learn the rules and play them hard.

No One is Coming
Radical responsibility
Assume: no one is coming to save you. Not the government, not an employer, not a magic degree.
  • Help is nice when it shows up — never the plan.
  • Plan your life like you’re the only adult in the room.
  • Every bit of progress you make is a bonus, not an entitlement.
Minimum Wage ≠ Life Sentence
Starter level
Minimum wage is meant to be a starting point, not a permanent lifestyle.
  • Use it to learn to show up, work, and take feedback.
  • If you treat it like training, you move up.
  • If you treat it like “this is all I get,” you’ll get stuck.
Simple > Flashy
Long-term win
Owning a tiny, simple place and a paid-off car beats a fancy apartment and constant payments.
  • Cheap life = more room for savings and opportunity.
  • Expensive life = trapped, even with a decent paycheck.
Own a shack > rent a palace
Chapter 2

Work & Money: Get Paid to Learn, Not Pay to Pretend

You don’t need a fancy degree to win. You need work ethic, skills, and a low-cost life that lets you stack cash instead of debt.

How to Be the One Who Gets Promoted
Any job, any field
Treat every entry-level job like a paid apprenticeship.
  • Show up early. Reliable beats “talented.”
  • Phone away. Visible focus gets noticed fast.
  • Attack boring tasks (cleaning, restock, grunt work) without whining.
  • Ask your boss: “What can I do that would make your life easier?”
  • Go home and learn on YouTube what you didn’t understand at work.
Paid-to-learn mode 2 days of focus can beat 2 years of coasting
Lowering the Weight of Your Life
Fixed costs
Your life gets heavy when your monthly bills are huge.
  • Keep housing as cheap as possible early on.
  • Drive an older, paid-off car when you can.
  • Slaughter subscriptions you barely use.

Goal: light monthly expenses so you can survive downturns, save money, and move when opportunity shows up.

Renting vs Owning
Tiny home strategy
Renting can be necessary short-term. Long-term, even a tiny place you own usually beats a nice place you rent forever.
  • Start cheap: trailer, small house, manufactured home, etc.
  • Improve what you own (basic repairs, paint, cleanup).
  • Trade up later to better land / cheaper state like your move to Missouri.
Visual idea: Work & Money

Simple graphic showing:

  • Two paths: “Party & Payments” vs “Grind & Ownership”.
  • Icons for an apartment tower vs a small house with land.
  • Caption: “Light life wins long term.”

Replace this box with a custom illustration or image when you’re ready.

Chapter 3

School & Certifications: Only Pay When You Must

College is a tool, not a personality trait. Use it when the job requires it. Otherwise, get paid to learn and use free certs.

When College Makes Sense
Degree-only jobs
College is worth it when the path is clear:
  • Doctor, nurse, lawyer, engineer, CPA, etc.
  • You know the total cost and realistic starting pay.
  • You’re not going just to “figure it out later.”

If the career requires a license or degree and the ROI is solid, college is a tool. Otherwise, think twice.

Paid to Learn, Not Paying to Learn
10× life points
For most jobs, you can:
  • Get hired in a related role (warehouse, IT helpdesk, shop, hospital aide).
  • Learn hands-on while getting a paycheck.
  • Use YouTube, Reddit, and docs to study at home.

That’s paid apprenticeship, even if they don’t call it that.

Free & Sponsored Certifications
State job centers
Many state workforce / job centers will:
  • Pay for short courses and tests.
  • Offer online classes plus local test centers.
  • Help you get certs in trades, IT, healthcare support and more.

Example path: work in a shop + free safety/welding certs = better job + higher pay without college debt.

Ages 16–21: Cheat Code Years
Max advantage
If you can live with family while:
  • Working hard at an entry-level job,
  • Stacking free or cheap certs,
  • Saving instead of blowing cash,

you’ll hit your 20s/early 30s with skills, savings, and experience instead of debt and regrets.

Chapter 4

Health: Don’t Be Your Own Worst Enemy

You can’t control everything, but a huge chunk of future medical misery is basically the bill for your daily habits.

Cheap Habits That Save Your Future
Basics, not perfection
You don’t need a perfect health routine. Just avoid the obvious landmines:
  • Cook simple meals: meat, eggs, beans, rice, potatoes, frozen veg, fruit.
  • Cut down processed junk, soda, and constant fast food.
  • Walk daily; do basic bodyweight exercises at home.
  • Avoid hard drugs, heavy drinking, and smoking as lifestyle choices.

These boring choices quietly prevent a lot of expensive problems later.

Visual idea: Health

Timeline illustration: same person at 20, 30, 40.

  • Path A: junk food + drugs + no sleep → tired, sick, broke.
  • Path B: simple home food + walking → steadier, healthier.

Use calm, non-judgy visuals that show consequences, not shame.

Chapter 5

Healthcare (U.S.): Set Up a System That Won’t Wreck You

You can’t fix U.S. healthcare alone, but you can set yourself up much smarter than most people by combining DPC + catastrophic coverage.

Direct Primary Care (DPC)
Netflix for a doctor
DPC is usually ~$50–$80/month for adults and gives you:
  • Unlimited primary care visits (often virtual + in-person).
  • Text/phone access to your doctor.
  • Access to cheap labs and generic meds at near-wholesale prices.

This covers most day-to-day stuff: colds, chronic issues, questions, and checkups.

Catastrophic / High-Deductible Plan
For the big stuff
DPC doesn’t cover hospital, surgery, or cancer. That’s what a catastrophic or high-deductible plan is for.
  • Protects you from huge bills if life goes sideways.
  • Make sure you know the deductible, max out-of-pocket, and any coverage caps.
  • Once you hit the deductible, the plan should cover most big costs.
Smart Extras
Accident help
A few more tools:
  • Auto insurance MedPay / PIP can help cover medical bills after a car crash.
  • Always ask hospitals about financial assistance or charity care if bills are huge.
  • Ask for realistic payment plans if you can’t pay at once.

The system is confusing, but there are options if you know to ask.

Visual idea: Healthcare Stack

Stacked blocks labeled:

  • Bottom: “Healthy habits”
  • Middle: “DPC – everyday care”
  • Top: “Catastrophic – big emergencies”

This makes your U.S. healthcare strategy clear at a glance.

Chapter 6

Relationships: Don’t Let Your Circle Drag You Down

You become like the people you spend the most time with. Choose builders over anchors.

Choose Upward, Not Comfortable
Social gravity
Ask yourself after hanging out with someone:
  • Do I feel more focused or more reckless?
  • Did we talk about building anything or just escaping?
  • Do their habits match the future I want?

You don’t have to cut everyone off — just shift more time toward people who are going somewhere.

Energy Check
Quick filter
A rough rule:
  • If someone constantly pulls you into debt, drama, or self-destruction → limit their influence.
  • If someone challenges you to grow, save, learn, or work smarter → spend more time there.

Relationships are either weight or wings. Pick more wings.

Chapter 7

Ages 16–30: A Simple Roadmap

You don’t need a perfect plan. Just a direction. Here’s one way to use your first decade of adult life on purpose.

Rough Plan,
Adjust to your life
16–18: Learn to Work

Get any job. Show up early. Learn how a workplace actually runs. Avoid dumb habits that wreck your record (no-shows, drama, theft).

18–21: Paid Apprenticeship Mode

Live as cheap as possible (ideally with family). Work. Use YouTube and free certs to build skills related to your job. Start saving for emergencies instead of flexing.

21–25: Move Toward a Real Path

Find a lane: trade, IT, healthcare support, sales, logistics, etc. Keep your life costs low. Consider DPC + catastrophic coverage once your income is steady enough.

25–30: Own Something & Stabilize

Try to own some kind of place (even small) and improve it. If it makes sense, move to a cheaper state or area. By 30, aim to have:

  • Some savings and little bad debt.
  • Skills and solid references.
  • A body that isn’t wrecked by your 30s.
  • A healthcare setup that doesn’t terrify you.