The Ignorance Tax

You’re already paying for the growth you haven’t pursued.

Christian Ray Flores here — and here’s your Wednesday edition of Xponential Edge.

In This Issue

• What meeting my wife taught me about personal transformation

• Why delay is more expensive than most people realize

• The 5-year income cost of staying “safe”

• A quick thought experiment to recalculate your next move.

Opportunities to Explore

2 Dates. 3 Hours. Your Next Chapter. Join my live intensive:

Destroy Anxiety, Find Your Edge, and Own Your Next Chapter.

You’ll get 3 hours of high-impact clarity on joy, momentum, and the personal brand that changes your trajectory.

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In My Headspace

Curated insights worth your attention.

• Key Person of Influence by Daniel Priestley (Book)

A must-read if you want to become the go-to authority in your space. Practical, sharp, and packed with frameworks for turning expertise into impact.

• The Part of Your Story You’re Probably Hiding (Newsletter Post)

You don’t need more polish — you need more truth. This piece breaks down why your most vulnerable moments might be your most powerful.

• Beat Anxiety With These Moves (YouTube)

Three movement-based techniques to regulate your nervous system and reset fast — especially when you’re spiraling or stuck.

Win of the Week

Yesterday at the Renew Conference, Deb brought fire — sharing powerful insights on self-care, health, and the woman’s perspective.

And one of our Xponential Tribe members? He shared the breakthroughs he’s had since taking that same class a year ago.

Real growth. Real fruit. Full circle.

Today’s Deep Dive — The Real Cost of Staying the Same

When I met my wife Deb at a conference in LA, I was 29 and living on another continent.

I’d had my fair share of heartbreak and misfires in romance. If you’d seen my track record, you’d never guess I’d recognize — let alone pursue — someone like her.

But three years before that moment, I had started working with a mentor. I was coached, challenged, and reshaped. My values changed. My character shifted. And without that internal recalibration, I would’ve missed her entirely.

When I met Deb, it was instant.

I rearranged my entire trip to spend time with her. I called from New York every day. I emailed her daily — this was the late ’90s, so no Zoom, no FaceTime, no DMs. Just dial-up and long-distance calls.

This year marks 25 years of a joyful marriage.

And it started because someone helped me change.

Here’s the truth: Anything worth having will cost you.

Time. Talent. Treasure.

And every month you delay — every year you wait to become the person who can live that life — you’re paying a price.

I call it the Ignorance Tax.

Say you want to earn $1M a year but you’re stuck at $100K.

Every year you don’t close that gap, you’re paying $900,000 in Ignorance Tax.

No penalties. No interest. Just a slow bleed of what could have been.

A Few Quick Thought Experiments

• What’s the ignorance tax of not learning how to go from anxious and overwhelmed… to joyful and creative every single day?

• What’s the tax of having your gifts 30%, 50%, even 80% activated — but never all in?

• What’s the cost of never building the thing that could slowly become your path to freedom, fulfillment, and greater service?

Quick Pulse Check

So what’s the cost of not becoming who you’re meant to be?

For paid subscribers, I break down three real-world financial scenarios that show exactly how staying the same silently drains your future — and how building strategically changes everything.