The Fool's Trade
Why I entered "Monk Mode" + The Energy Arbitrage Play.
Better late than never.
This email is arriving a day late. In a linear job, that’s a “performance issue.” In an asymmetric life, the schedule serves you, not the other way around. We ship when the signal is high.
And today, the signal is high (for everyone except maybe Maduro).
We are covering a lot of ground in this edition—from Bitcoin mining energy arbitrage to SMR ventures—but we start with the only asset that actually matters.
The Fool’s Trade
I have a confession: I’ve made the Fool’s Trade more times than I care to admit.
The Fool’s Trade is trading your biological capital for financial capital. It’s burning the engine to buy more gas.
I’m guilty of trading hours on the treadmill for more hours at my desk. I’ve sacrificed sleep to close deals. I’ve compromised on fuel (food) to save time.
But you can have the Family Office, the exits, and the liquidity—if you are dead at 50, you lost the game. Health is the ultimate asymmetry. It is the only asset with infinite downside (death) and infinite upside (energy/clarity).
So, for Q1 2026, I have signed a contract with myself. I am not allowed to touch the work until I have moved the body.
To enforce this, I have entered “Monk Mode.”
The Protocol: Monk Mode
Monk Mode is a 90-day period of extreme discipline. It is a hard reset. You disappear, do the work, and reintroduce yourself to the world on the other side.
The Daily Requirements:
Cardio: 1 Hour (Non-negotiable).
Strength: 1 strength workout (No gym? No problem. 50 pullups, 100 pushups, 150 air squats).
Intel: Read 10 pages of non-fiction.
Fuel: 1 Gallon of water. No alcohol. No cheat meals.
Spirit: Prayer/Meditation every morning.
Documentation: Daily journal + Progress photo.
If you think this is just about “fitness,” you are missing the point. I get my best deal flow in Monk Mode.
When you summon the discipline to do the thing you don’t want to do (the workout), you unlock the ability to do the hard things in business (the firing, the negotiation, the risk).
I plan to make a significant amount of money in 2026, God willing. But I plan to do it while banking biological capital, not spending it. Consider this an invitation to join me as well. Monk Mode is fun when done with friends and colleagues.
The Laboratory: What I’m Reading
The Nvidia Story: The Thinking Machine by Stephen Witt. An incredible look at how Jensen Huang bet the entire company on AI long before it was obvious. A masterclass in conviction.
The Classic: Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. specifically the “38 Letters to his Sons.” The focus on resilience and silence is timely.
The Science: Existential Risk And Growth by Philip Trammell and Leopold Aschenbrenner on how AI stagnation is not safe and why humanity needs to actually accelerate AI development.
The Science: Creatine and Vascular Health. A new report from Thorne (which I use) showing how Creatine isn’t just for muscle—it improves blood vessel function and cognitive recovery.
The Radar: Asymmetric Opportunities
1. The Energy Arbitrage (Bitcoin Mining) I’ve been analyzing vertically integrated data centers and Bitcoin mining.
The Consensus: Most public miners are signing 5-7 year Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) at roughly $0.05 - $0.07 per kWh.
The Asymmetry: I’m looking at privately held, offshore miners in specific jurisdictions who are producing their own power for $0.017 per kWh and consuming it themselves.
The Play: That is a 3x advantage on the single biggest input cost. I haven’t deployed capital yet, but “Be Your Own Energy Producer” is the thesis I’m hunting.
2. The Nuclear Option (SMRs) Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are the only way we meet the AI energy demand.
The Watchlist: X-Energy. They are making moves in the private markets. If you have access to secondary market platforms (like Hiive or Forge), keep an eye on X-Energy stock. I think this will be a massive winner as the data center power crunch hits in 2026/27. (Not financial advice).
The Machine: Biological Focus
Status: Optimization. I just pulled my baseline blood work for the year.
Target: Lowering triglycerides and optimizing cholesterol particle size.
Diet: High protein, significantly lower carb.
Stack: I’ve upped my Creatine intake and added Thorne’s Red Yeast Rice + CoQ10 to target lipids without statins.
If you are waiting for the perfect time to start your own protocol, you are already late. The markets wait for no one. Neither does your biology.
Cheers to the Freedom Fighters.
— Jordan Fried
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