My “strengths finder” says I’m a “learner”. I usually don’t put much stock in such surveys, but this one is dead on. At any one time I have 10-12 podcasts going, at least one or two audiobooks, and then plenty of good ‘ole fashioned bound paper books. Don’t get me started on my Twitter rabbit-holes.
Here are five things I discovered or enjoyed this week.
What I’m Listening To
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away, I used to be a coder. I would work throughout the night (all night; literally) writing code while listening to grinding, heavy metal music.
Those days are gone.
These days I don’t code, but instead I’m often composing thoughtful emails to executives about their networks and information systems. I need my background music to help me be coherent, not a series of grunts from behind the keyboard.
Enter LofiGirl on YouTube.
As I write this blog post, Lofi Girl has 32k people listening to her live stream along with me. It’s just easy going, chill music – no lyrics – great for work, studying, or just a background track while you’re drinking a glass of wine, holding a conversation in your living room. If you are like me, often working remote, alone, and long for some great background noise, Lofi Girl works.
Listen to Lofi Girl on YouTube.
What I Just Read
I’m so very, very, close to having all my consumer debt paid. I expect that by this time next month (October 2022) the only thing I will owe is my house note and a debt of love to those around me.
I’m trying to prepare some next financial steps so I’m going back through some of my favorite books on money and investing. One of those is “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki (affiliate link). This concept / quote from the book is powerful:
“Most people have a price. And they have a price because of human emotions named fear and greed. First, the fear of being without money motivates us to work hard, and then once we get that paycheck, greed or desire starts us thinking about all the wonderful things money can buy. A pattern is then set: get up, go to work, pay bills, get up, go to work, pay bills… Their lives are then run forever by two emotions, fear and greed. Offer them more money, and they continue the cycle by also increasing their spending. This is what I call the Rat Race.”
I’ve been the victim of both fear and desire / greed in this scenario and I’ve paid the price. A couple of years ago I decided that I would dig myself out the rut I had dug for myself and take control of my finances. Getting a handle on fear and greed is one of the most powerful things you can do to take a step back from the situation and think more clearly about your options and how you’re being manipulated.
Website You Don’t Want to Visit
I’ve become a bit of a nerd around “Life Planning”. I’m reading yet another book on the subject, this time by Don Miller, titled “Hero on a Mission”. Like many Life Plan books, Donald recommends writing a eulogy for yourself to help put your goals and relationships into proper perspective.
As I was reading this, I thought, “I wonder just how much time I have on this earth?” and so went looking for a “death clock”. Of course I found one, because…the Internet.
Navigate to the Death Clock, enter in a few variables (like your birthday, BMI, smoking preference, etc.) and it spits out a death date. For the record, it looks like I’m checking out on Friday, January 21st, 2050.
Sobering thought. Mark it on your calendar and paste a post it note on your monitor.
Calculate your Death Date here.
Blog Post of the Week
I’m almost ashamed to say how much enjoy the “My First Million” podcast. But I consistently pick up nuggets from Sam Parr (@samparr) and Shaan Puri (@ShaanVP) the two twelve year old hosts. On a recent episode, one of them referenced a blog post on “anti goals” by Andrew Wilkinson. I’d never heard of the concept, so I went straight to the source.
Anti goals are basically the flip-side to your goals. Let’s say you have a goal to be a millionaire by the time you’re 40. An ANTI-goal might be that you don’t want to sacrifice your marriage in order to hit that million mark. Ruthlessly pursuing a goal might blind you to a payoff that you might not want to pay. So, when creating goals or life plans, be sure to calculate both columns and put a brake in place, an anti-goal, that you can measure so that you don’t get too far out of balance.
The Power of Anti-Goals by Andrew Wilkinson
Quote of the Week
I suppose there’s a bit of a Life Plan theme in this week’s “Friday Five”, but again, from Donald Miller’s book, comes this quote I can’t quit thinking about:
What if life itself is not meaningless? What if just your life is meaningless?
I meet so many young, angsty, twenty-somethings who have embraced their inner existentialist and want to complain about how bad life is. They don’t want to date. They don’t want to get married. They don’t want to have kids. They don’t want to be capitalists. The world is the worst it’s ever been. Life is meaningless.
My life is great!
Have you ever stopped to think that perhaps the reason your life is so bad is because of the lens through which you see the world? Change your outlook, change your life. Do whatever it takes to make that happen: get a new job, get a new set of friends, start exercising, put down your phone, go to therapy, WHATEVER. Create a meaningful life!