The Happiest Millionaire In The World

Saturday, June 14, 2025

How to ‘hit the sweet spot’ & build a peaceful and profitable business that truly makes you happy

Welcome to issue #004 of Streamlined where I share original insights from behind-the-scenes as I help transformational leaders grow a business that serves your life.

I was scrolling through YouTube the other night when I stumbled across something that stopped me cold.

It was Bryson DeChambeau attempting to make a hole-in-one over his house.

Not for a tournament. Not for prize money. Just... because.

For 16 straight days, this professional golfer who's worth in the neighborhood of $60 million was out there in his backyard, launching golf balls over his roof, trying to sink one impossible shot.

(Spoiler alert, he finally did.)

And he was having the time of his life.

Laughing when he missed. Celebrating the near misses.

Then I saw his interview last week before the U.S. Open started and I knew I had to dig into his background a little deeper…

Because whether you think golf is the most boring thing in the world, or you’re a total golf nut like me…

… Bryson’s dedication to the process, being present on the task at hand, and his focus on personal mastery is something every single creator, business owner, and investor can learn from and model.

Why?

Many ‘successful’ people are miserable - but his process may make him the HAPPIEST millionaire in the world…

How many people have you met who have the money... The status. The “stuff”.

And the "freedom" that's supposed to come with success.

But they're still grinding themselves into dust, constantly stressed and unable to be present with their friends and family.

Or, they lack appreciation and gratitude. The goal post keeps moving, and like a crack addict searching for their next hit, they never have enough.

Meanwhile, here's Bryson - one of the most successful golfers on the planet - treating his entire career like a joyful experiment.

He’s so focused on the process and detached from results that when he fails, he doesn’t take it personally at all.

I love his motto:

"Let today's garbage be better than yesterday's."

Not "crush the competition."
Not "work harder than everyone else."

Just... get a little better than you were yesterday and have fun doing it.

It got me thinking about a paradox many of us may be aware of - but is so counterintuitive that it’s hard to really commit to…

What if the secret to building a great business, real wealth, and a life you love - isn't grinding harder...

But finding that sweet spot where work feels like play?

Where you're so genuinely curious about what you're building…

So light and at ease…

So focused on value and service…

That money becomes just a natural byproduct?

Here’s why I think we all need to take a page out of Bryson’s book…

The difference between winning and being happy

Back in 2020, Bryson won the U.S. Open for the first time (he also won last year), and reporters asked him about proving his critics wrong.

Long story short: he intentionally put on 40 pounds of muscle and mass and became the longest driver on tour - which was considered by many to be crazy.

His response was telling:

"I wasn't trying to prove naysayers wrong so much as to test what I could achieve... Find your own way, find your passion... we're all trying to play the best golf we can."

The guy just won one of golf's biggest tournaments, and he's talking about finding your passion.
Compare that to other players who burn out after big wins, or worse - achieve everything they thought they wanted and end up miserable.

Rory McIlroy recently admitted golf had "totally consumed him" and left him mentally exhausted.
He'd become so fixated on winning the Masters (which he finally did) that he stopped "staying in the present" and felt life passing him by.

Lexi Thompson, one of the great golfers of our generation, walked away from playing full time at just 29 years old, writing that her life had been "a whirlwind of constant attention, scrutiny and pressure... exhausting to maintain a smile on the outside while grappling with struggles on the inside."

These are people who achieved what most would consider the pinnacle of success.
And they were miserable.

But not Bryson.

His secret weapon? He's competing against himself, not others.

"My goal in playing golf is to try and figure it out," he says. "It's a fun journey."

Notice that word: fun.

When's the last time you described your business as fun?

When's the last time you woke up genuinely excited about the puzzle you get to solve today?

Bryson treats golf like a laboratory for self-growth. He experiments with crazy training methods, unconventional equipment, and wild YouTube challenges not because he has to...

But because he's genuinely curious what might be possible.

Not only does money become an afterthought in this state…

But he’s able to avoid burnout like so many other professional golfers.

Because he’s just out there every day trying to get a little better.

Most people probably haven’t thought of it this way, but golf is a game of losing - you lose way more than you win.

Even Tiger only won 22% of the tournaments he played in.

Just like in business, you have to be resilient to keep going.

But if what everyone else considers to be “grinding” is FUN for you… then wow. You have a massive advantage!

So why do we torture ourselves?

For years, I bought into the entrepreneurial mythology that success requires suffering.

That if you're not grinding 12-hour days, you're not serious.

That rest is for the weak and joy is a luxury you can't afford until you "make it."

Total bullshit.

And I'm not the only one who's figured this out the hard way.

Andrew Wilkinson, a successful tech founder and author of Never Enough, put it perfectly:

"You don't have to make yourself miserable to be successful... success isn't about working hard, it's about working smart."

Paula Pant, the finance podcaster and creator of Netflix documentary Get Smart With Money, goes even further, saying:

"Money that comes at the cost of YOU is too expensive."

Think about that for a second.

How many of us are paying that price right now?

Working so hard to build our business and wealth that we're destroying our health, our relationships, our ability to actually enjoy what we're creating?

What if we flipped the script entirely?

What would the easiest version of this look like for you?

I've been asking myself this question a lot lately.

Instead of "How can I work harder?" or "How can I beat the competition?"...

What would the easiest, most joyful version of hitting my goals look like?

What if I designed my business around what energizes me instead of what I think I "should" be doing?

What if I focused on serving people I genuinely love working with?

What if I treated every challenge like Bryson treats his golf experiments - as a fun puzzle to solve rather than a source of stress?

For me, that's meant finally stepping out from behind the scenes to write these newsletters.

It's meant being more selective about clients and projects.

It's meant designing my days around deep work and genuine connection.

And you know what?

I’ve made 10 million dollars in the last 10 days and I’m killing it.

Just kidding - I’m human. I’m working through it. I have good days and bad days, but I’m trending better. And I’m committed to the process.

The armor of authenticity

Here's maybe the most important part...

When you build your business and wealth around who you actually are - when you find joy in the process itself - you become incredibly resilient.

Market downturns don't destroy you because your identity isn't tied to your portfolio balance.

A failed launch doesn't crush you because you're playing a longer game focused on continuous improvement.

Competitors can't rattle you because you're not really competing with them anyway.

You've got "the armor of authenticity."

You know who you are beyond your bank account or your latest results.

You're on a mission that's bigger than any single transaction or achievement.

Like Bryson, you're playing the long game - focused on staying in the game and continuing to improve rather than just winning individual rounds.

Your move

So here's my challenge for you (that I’m taking on myself as well)...

Instead of asking "How can I make more money?" this week...

Try asking "How can I make this more fun?"

Instead of grinding toward some future happiness...

What would it look like to design genuine joy into your daily work right now?

Instead of competing with everyone else in your space...

What would happen if you just tried to make today's work a little better than yesterday's?

I'm not saying it's easy.

Our entire culture is built around the mythology of suffering for success.

But watching Bryson hit golf balls over his house for 16 straight days just because he was curious...

Seeing his interview before the U.S. Open and how joyful and service-oriented he was (genuinely wanting to grow the game)...

Hearing him talk about his work as a "fun journey" of discovery...

There’s no doubt: he’s doing this the right way.

Personally, I don’t want to just be a millionaire.

I want to be the happiest damn millionaire this side of the Mississippi.

-Ryan

Who am I?

Hey, I’m Ryan Niessen. For 14 years, I’ve been behind-the-scenes as a copywriter, funnel builder, and fractional CMO for well-known transformational leaders.

Today, I'm a Co-Founder of Streamline Authority. Our done-for-you authority, audience, and business-building system attracts premium clients on autopilot. Ask me about writing a book, growing sales & building your 'media platform'.

I also Co-Founded the Beyond Wealth Club, a small, private mastermind community that gives you a ‘Personal Wealth System’ - completely unique to you - so you can grow your wealth consistently in today’s strange new world.