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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Latte Factor summary
David Bach and John David Mann
Why You Don’t Have to Be Rich to Live Rich
15 mins
Table of Contents
The Latte Factor
summarized in 5 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 5
Like so many of us, Zoey can’t afford the life she wants to live.
The main character in these blinks is Zoey, a 27-year-old Brooklynite who works at a travel magazine. Her job pays well, but living in New York is expensive. On top of that, she has both student loans and credit-card debt to pay off. And while her lifestyle isn’t extravagant by any means, she still barely manages to save any money at the end of every month.
What’s more, this lack of cash has become a common refrain in her life – whether it’s the photography course she wants to take or her dreams to travel around the world, the answer is always the same: “I can’t afford it.”
We pick up on Zoey’s story three years ago, during her Monday morning commute. As usual, before work, she bought a double-shot latte from her local cafe, Helena’s. Inside, the Brooklyn spirit was alive and well – art and photographs graced the cafe’s walls, and the place had a cozy, hipster vibe to it. But one print in particular caught Zoey’s eye – that of a little seaside village at dawn. Even though she only had a moment to glance at the photo while ordering her latte, something about it seemed to call out to her.
Continuing her commute with her latte in hand, Zoey arrived at the World Trade Center station. An advertisement appeared on a screen containing a similar photo to that in the cafe. The photograph came with a message: “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might not like where you end up.”
This message got her thinking about her own life – where was she going? What were her dreams? And what was she doing to achieve them?
Before she could answer these questions, however, she realized she was late for work. So she continued on to her destination – One World Trade Center itself, home of the travel magazine where she worked.
A few hours later, it was time for lunch with her boss, Barbara. But Barbara detected something was off about Zoey that day and asked what was on her mind. So, Zoey recounted the story of the print at Helena’s, and how she’d have loved to be able to afford such photos for her own living room.
Barbara then gave Zoey a strange suggestion – talk to Henry, the elderly barista at the coffee shop where Zoey gets her morning latte. Ask him about the print and see what he says.
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What is The Latte Factor about?
The Latte Factor (2019) tells the story of Zoey, a fictional young woman in her late 20s living in Brooklyn. While she has a solid job in Manhattan, she can’t figure out how to save money. Luckily, she meets a wise old man named Henry, who reveals to her the three secrets to financial freedom and, in so doing, changes her life.
Who should read The Latte Factor?
- Millennials looking for financial advice
- Baby boomers hoping to boost their 401(k)
- Anyone who wants to learn the secrets to financial freedom
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