5 Mental Models Every Man Needs in His 20s

As you enter your 20s, you start asking the heavy questions: How do I build a meaningful life? How do I become the man I’m capable of being?

Now at 36, having gone from growing up poor in a third-world country to working as a director and producer in Hollywood, I want to share the exact mental models that guided my journey.

If you want to operate at a high level, build undeniable authority, and navigate the noise of the world, master these five foundational rules.

1. Radical Attention Control (Manifestation is BS, Focus is Everything)

The single most critical thing you must pay attention to is what you are paying attention to.

There is an entire movement telling young people to "manifest" their dreams into the universe. The idea that thinking about something magically brings it into reality is complete nonsense

The only reason writing down your goals or reading them daily works is simple: it forces your brain to pay conscious attention.

When you lock your attention on a target, you start spotting the connections, relationships, and opportunities required to get there.
Be hyper-aware of where your focus goes. Media, advertisers, and influencers spend millions engineering tactics to capture your attention and sell you their ecosystem (memberships, books, events).
I play that game too—I make videos because I want you to watch my movies and know I’m a director. We are all competing for attention. Make sure you aren't paying for someone else's goal with your time.

2. Fast Execution vs. Patient Outcomes

Everything you want in life sits on the other side of executing as fast as humanly possible.

Many young people fall into the trap of using "patience" as a comfortable excuse for inaction when they don't know the next step. You need to split patience into two distinct mental compartments:

When you operate with extreme speed, your chances of success skyrocket because you generate more momentum. And when you make mistakes, executing fast allows you to fail, learn, and pivot to a new direction long before your competitors even get off the starting line.

3. Be "Stubborn" About the Vision (Not the Path)

People love to tell leaders, "Don't be so stubborn." I disagree. To lead, you have to be stubborn.

When problems arise, when the market knocks you down, or when people tell you that you're wrong, you must hear them out—and then be stubborn enough to stick to your path anyway. Anything worth doing in life will involve hitting a wall. You have to be stubborn enough to keep pushing until you break through it.

What to be stubborn about: The ultimate destination and doing whatever it takes to reach it.
What to be flexible about: The exact route to get there. If a better, faster way presents itself, pivot immediately.

If you aren't stubborn about what you want, someone else will influence you, hand you their goals, and take advantage of your lack of direction for their own gain.

4. Loyalty to Your Circle

If you are not loyal to your family, your friends, and your business partners, you are trash.

Operating without loyalty forces you to live in a state of constant paranoia. Human brains are hardwired for survival—always scanning for danger. If you treat people like tools to be scammed or used, you burn through massive amounts of mental energy tracking your own lies and worrying about who is plotting against you.

The 100% Rule: I give 100% loyalty to the people in my circle.
The Cut-Off: If someone betrays that trust, they are instantly removed from the circle. No revenge, no endless drama—they simply lose all access to me, and they are the ones who miss out.

Unwavering loyalty creates an environment of total trust, freeing up your mental bandwidth to focus on building something legendary together.

5. Cultivate High Self-Esteem (Never Talk Down to Yourself)

There are already enough people in this world telling you that you suck. Why are you going to be another one of them?

Never speak poorly about yourself. When I hear people on my team say "I'm so stupid for doing that," I shut it down immediately. How you speak to yourself in your own head dictates what you believe you deserve.

I grew up in a third-world country feeling like I was less because we had no money and lived in terrible conditions. Film inspired me to realize there was more to life and that I could go after it.

Believing in yourself—even when you don't feel capable or fully talented yet—is the non-negotiable first step. You have to believe you are worthy of the dream job, the dream relationship, and the dream life long before you ever achieve them.

Final Thought

Your life is like a movie, and you get to be the main character. Decide what you pay attention to, move with speed, stay loyal to your team, and treat your vision with the respect it deserves.

Send this to a friend who needs to hear it today to let them know you believe in them.