Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

In This Issue:

1. Why people drop $3,000 on concert tickets without hesitation
2. The real reason you hesitate to invest in yourself
3. The Investment vs Expense Test (3 questions that change everything)
4. Where we go from here

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Research came out about Gen Z spending habits. 86% of them admit they overspend on live events. Some are paying $3,000 for a single Taylor Swift ticket! Not just rich kids. Regular people. College students. Young professionals who blow their rent money to see a concert.

And parents are justifying it. They call it an "investment in memories." They're framing it as family bonding. They're treating a three-hour concert like a rite of passage.

The psychology behind it is fascinating. It's actually NOT all about the music. It's about FOMO. Yes, her songs are catchy. But a concert (not just hers) is about belonging to a cultural moment. It's about being part of something bigger than yourself. It's about the status of saying "I was there."

Gen Z values experiences over things. (That ALONE is a lesson you can run with!) A concert ticket isn't just entertainment. It's social capital. It's identity. It's proof they showed up for something that mattered.

Here's the part that made me think: Parents who hesitate to spend $500 on dance lessons will drop $3,000 on concert tickets without blinking. Because they've framed one as an expense and the other as an experience.

Now let's talk about you.

You'll spend $3,000 on concert tickets. You'll justify a $200 dinner. You'll book the vacation. But when it comes to investing $500 in a workshop, a certification, or coaching that would actually change how you lead, teach, or perform? You hesitate.

You tell yourself “you can't afford it.” You tell yourself you'll do it later. You tell yourself “I’ll figure it out by watching YouTube videos”...

…But here's what's really happening: You’ve categorized professional development as an expense instead of an experience. You convinced yourself that investing in your own growth is somehow indulgent.

Meanwhile, you're stuck. You're hitting the same walls. You're frustrated by the same patterns. You're watching other people advance while you stay where you are.

And the wild part?

Hiring a coach is one of the smartest investments you'll ever make. A good coach doesn't just teach you techniques, they help you see patterns you can't see on your own. They challenge beliefs that keep you stuck. They give you tools and frameworks that compound over time.

But I almost didn't do it, because $4,000 felt expensive (that’s what, $19K CDN?) Until I reframed it: What's the cost of staying stuck?

Here's a framework you can use before spending money on anything: The Investment vs Expense Test. Three questions:

1. Will I have this skill or knowledge in 5 years?
2. Will it make me more valuable, capable, or confident?
3. Can I use it to serve others?

If the answer is yes to all three, it's an investment. If the answer is no to any of them, it's an expense.

Concert ticket: No, no, no. It's gone in three hours. It doesn't make you more capable. And you can't use it to serve anyone else. It's an expense.

Professional development: Yes, yes, yes. The skills compound. You become more valuable. And you can use what you learn to serve your team, your clients, your community. It's an investment.

This framework changes how I make decisions. It's not about being cheap, it's about being strategic. Start asking: Will this move me forward, or just make me feel good for a few minute?

If you're a dance teacher or studio owner who knows a tap dancer who wants skills that compound and confidence that lasts, my summer tap intensive is the event they need to be at this summer. Kingston and Airdrie. Three days. 20 spots per location. Hit REPLY and ask me about it.

Run it through the framework yourself: Will they have this skill in 5 years? Yes. Will it make them more capable and confident? Yes! Can they use it to serve others and their dance community? YES. That’s three yeses.

But more than that, ask yourself THIS:

The people advancing aren't smarter than you, or more talented. They're just willing to do a (sometimes) hard thing, and invest in experiences that help them.

See you next week!
Shawn B

P.S. The next time you're about to drop serious money on something that won't be there in 5 years, ask yourself: What would happen if I invested this in myself instead?

ABOUT THE SHUFFLE

Welcome to The Shuffle, where performers, teachers, leaders, and parents come to build unshakeable confidence. You're here because you care about more than just showing up; you care about showing up well.

I started this newsletter with one mission: to teach confidence like a skill. Because when people believe they can do hard things, everything changes. Their performance improves. Their leadership deepens. Their impact grows. Together, we're creating a ripple effect of confidence that extends far beyond the stage, the classroom, and the boardroom.

So if this fires you up, don't keep it to yourself. Forward these emails to someone who needs to hear it. Let's remind people everywhere that confidence isn't something you're born with, it's something you build. One hard thing at a time.