The Bullish Life

Episode 15: Why Saying Yes to Everything Means Saying No to What Matters

I used to believe that saying yes to everything showed I was committed, willing to work hard, all in. But here's what I've learned: every time I say yes to something, I'm saying no to something else. And a lot of times, what I'm saying no to is the thing that actually matters.

For years, I said yes to every opportunity, every request, every project. It felt productive in the moment—like I was building something, making progress, being helpful. But I was sp...

**Episode Summary:** Am I quitting, or am I pivoting? It's a hard question to ask yourself, and it's not always easy to tell the difference. From the outside, they can look exactly the same—you're walking away, changing direction, letting go. But the reason behind it is what matters. **In This Episode:** - Why quitting and pivoting can look identical from the outside - The key difference: quitting is reactive, pivoting is proactive - How the sunk cost fallacy keeps us stuck in the wrong situations - Why pivoting requires just as much courage as starting (maybe more) - Th...

Episode Summary:

Ever hit a goal you've been working toward for months, only to have it feel... ordinary? In this episode, I explore why success doesn't always feel the way we think it should—and why that might not be a problem.

In This Episode:

What does fly fishing have to do with business? Maybe more than you'd think. Here's what I've been thinking about lately. The more time I spend on the water—and the more time I spend building a business—the more I've noticed some parallels. Things that show up in both places. Fly fishing has taught me how to read an environment. How to adapt when things don't go as planned. How to prepare, how to stay present, and how mentorship shaped the way I think. In this Deep Dive episode, I share observations about: • **Preparation** - Reading the environment and do...

I think there's a common belief that stops a lot of people from moving forward, and basically it's that taking risks means being reckless. But here's what I've finally come to understand: there's a difference between reckless risk and calculated risk. And that difference is basically everything. In this episode, I share how I used to make decisions based on excitement and potential without enough information—essentially gambling. Now, I start with the downside first. I think about what it would take, who it would affect, and the worst-case scenario before evaluating if the upside is worth it. Calculated ri...

If you've pushed through, committed, and taken the leap, that's a big deal. But at some point, doing everything yourself can stop being a strength and start being a limitation. For years, Eric thought asking for help was a signal that he was failing. He was working full time, building a business on the side, and grinding hard—subconsciously telling himself that if he couldn't figure it out on his own, he wasn't cut out for it. But here's what he didn't realize: he wasn't being strong—he was being inflexible. And it was exhausting. In this episode, Eric shar...

I don't think it's uncommon to operate from a place of scarcity without even realizing it—looking at opportunities and thinking there's only so much, or viewing someone else's success like it somehow detracts from our own. In this episode, Eric shares his personal journey with scarcity thinking: how it made him feel behind, isolated, and afraid to take risks. He explores how joining entrepreneurial communities and connecting with abundance-minded people shifted his entire perspective. **Key Topics:** - Recognizing scarcity thinking in your own life - How fear fuels the belief that opportunity is finite - The power of ab...

If you're like me, you hold onto tasks that should be delegated because we tell ourselves that if we don't do it ourselves, it won't be done right. For a long time I operated that way—I thought my standards were higher than anyone else's, and if I handed something off, it would come back wrong and I'd have to fix it anyway. In this episode, I explore how this belief wasn't really about quality—it was about control and perfectionism, and it stalled my momentum and at times kept me stuck. I share how I began to realize that...

Real estate can be a great investment. Many of us have heard about the benefits. But let's say you have $50,000 and you want to invest it in real estate. The question may not be should you—but how. Do you buy a rental property and become a landlord, or do you invest passively in a commercial deal? Both are real estate. Both can build wealth. But they'll demand very different things from you. In this deep dive episode, Eric Burns walks you through: • The fundamental differences between residential rental properties and commercial real estate syndications • How each type of proper...

Loyalty is something I value and admire in people. It builds trust, strengthens relationships, and shows that you're someone they can count on. But one thing I've noticed is that people get stuck for all sorts of reasons, and it usually isn't lack of ambition or drive. Sometimes these are the people who are too loyal—loyal to a way of doing things that no longer serves them, to a mindset they've outgrown, or to an approach that worked years ago but doesn't anymore. From what I've seen, it can happen to anyone, even if you're successful. Someone builds a...

Here's a fear that doesn't get talked about much. It's not the fear of failure. It's the fear of what happens if things actually work. If we get what we've been working toward. If the next level becomes real.

The more I think about it, the more I feel like the individuals who move past that fear don't do it alone. They build the right support around them. Because more success doesn't have to be more burden. It can be more capacity.

In This Episode:

In this deep dive episode, Eric Burns shares his personal journey from finance major to Cincinnati firefighter to residential real estate investor, and finally to commercial real estate. **In this episode, you'll hear:** - How 17 years as a Cincinnati firefighter shaped Eric's core values of accountability, integrity, and loyalty - The firehouse kitchen table conversation that sparked his real estate journey - The story of his grandfather, Sheldon Flowers, who believed in him and inspired the "live life bullish" philosophy - How Eric bought his first rental property off-market in just 90 days—without certainty, just a decision to move...

There's a strange thing that happens when you start talking about alternative paths to wealth and freedom. People nod. They agree and even think it makes sense. But they don't move. I know that gap well. I've stood in it more times than I'd like to admit. It wasn't about lack of information. I could research what I needed to know. It wasn't about resources either. I had enough access. What I didn't have was permission. Not from someone else. From myself. I kept waiting for someone to tell me it was okay. That I was ready. That it...

There's a narrative most of us grew up hearing. Work hard. Climb the ladder. Save for retirement. And one day — if you do it all right — you'll have freedom. And for many people, that path works. It's stable. It's predictable. It's proven. But that narrative may be missing something. I'm not saying the traditional path doesn't work. For many people, it does. But I've met enough people who followed the script perfectly — and still felt stuck. They saved diligently. They climbed the ladder. They did everything right. And then one day, they looked at their bank account and realized it was...

Welcome to The Bullish Life with Eric Burns. In this inaugural episode, Eric breaks down what it truly means to live life bullish—defining success on your own terms and having the courage to pursue it. If you've worked hard, saved diligently, and done everything "right" but still feel like something's missing, this episode is for you. Learn why the traditional narrative of success is incomplete and discover alternative paths to wealth and freedom that don't require waiting until retirement. Whether you're exploring entrepreneurship, real estate investing, or simply questioning if there's a better way, this podcast will help yo...