Jun

25

Mid Year Goal Review

Filed Under Intellectual Honesty | Leave a Comment

As we approach the end of June, take some time aside and see how the year has gone thus far.

This time to reflect is important since if we are working hard,  but not smart, all our effort is for naught.

There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all. – Peter Drucker

Likewise, it is important to take a step back and think about our everyday habits and behaviors and scrutinize whether or not those daily actions are bringing us closer to or farther from where we would like to be.

If we are dissatisfied with our direction in life, we must CHANGE something to achieve different results.

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.

Growth only comes from exiting our comfort zone.  As men, we should always seek to improve ourselves:  on the job, at home, wherever you have a prescence.

Coasting, resting on your laurels, counting your chickens are all forms of cancer which will kill even the most talented among us.

Complacency Kills

With that, I am displaying a very simple goal exercise which takes a few minutes, which can shed light on your progress.

Simply list in plain English that which IS working and that which IS NOT working.

Things that have been working

  • My relationship is healthy; I proposed to my girlfriend, now my fiancee.
  • I created and expanded my website, inthon.com
  • I am still exercising regularly and I have increased my strength dramatically
  • I am continuing to feed my brain healthy, positive, life-affirming messages and doing my best to avoid negative thinking.

Things that have not been working

  • I still read too much, write too little.
  • I do not take as much time as I should to be reflective and journal.
  • There is room for improvement at work.
  • My sleep patterns have been off since December due to late nights and napping.

This is a very rudimentary exercise, but it forces you to be honest and assess what is working and what isn’t.

Takeaway: Growth does not happen until we exit our comfort zone.  This simple exercise can give you a good idea of where you are progressing and where you are stagnating.  Please give it a try.

May

8

The Rule of 72 and other skills

Filed Under Intellectual Honesty | Leave a Comment

At work last week, I was looking at a bond and realized I forgot how to use the Rule of 72 to get a rough idea of the value of the bond.  I realized the only time I ever used the Rule of 72 was in college; over five years ago.  The Rule of 72 is a rule which I have had no use for and I did not practice.  As a consequence, I forgot it.

After this humbling experience, I realized that if you don’t use your skills, you lose them completely.  This applies for all skills:  love, charity, music, learning, and all others.

It takes a concerted effort to exercise skills that you value having.

Over the last few years, I’ve tried to practice more life-affirming skills in my daily life and it has made my life more enriching.  Work, especially work with no tangible byproducts, can often suck us dry and make us resort to eating rich foods, drinking alcohol or other activities to avoid dealing with reality that what we’re doing is forgettable.

A year ago, I was walking around my neighborhood in my old city and I spotted a man who needed help moving a mattress.  As I helped the man move his mattress, it brought back memories of helping people and doing something I enjoyed doing.  That act of helping the man with the mattress still sits with me today.  It was probably the first time in three years that I could actually say my actions helped someone else.

Volunteering has given me peace of mind and comfort knowing that I’m not just trading financial reports for food, shelter and a “lifestyle”.  As little as I have contributed to this world, helping someone smile or avoid pain is something I definitely enjoying getting back in touch with.  I sometimes fear that if I don’t make these types of connections a priority, the desire will slip away.

Takeaway:  If you don’t use your skills, you lose them.  This applies for all skills:  The Rule of 72, love, charity, music, learning, and all others.  What skills do you want to own?  Are you practicing them?

Apr

20

Optimistic, Pessimistic or Realistic?

Filed Under Intellectual Honesty | 1 Comment

In previous posts, I’ve written about being as open-minded as possible in order to build an Accurate Model of Reality.  As readers of this site know, I am extremely pessimistic/skeptical about the future financial success and viability of the US.  As such, does that fact automatically peg me as a “pessimist”?  I don’t think so.

My worldview isn’t solely a function of the financial markets, it is a function of trying to understand the world around me, focus on the positive and, most importantly, be thankful that things could be much worse.

I think part of that mindset comes from determining what really matters in life.  I’ve been around very rich and successful people and they did not seem satisfied in their lives.  In fact, they consumed as much alcohol, rich food, and distracting “entertainment” as poorer people.  The best things in life are good health and being able to share your love and talents with others.

I’ve come to realize that the ugly reality of the daily grind helps us appreciate the everyday happiness right in front of our face.  Clean water, delicious and plentiful food, libraries full of books and constant entertainment/amusement/enlightenment from the Internet.

When you have a chance to truly slow down the “frames” in the movie of life and compare it to that of other people’s movies or other time periods in history, it is truly a privilege to be alive. The fact that you’re reading this article on a computer or phone(!) is proof enough that you have access to the greatest knowledge base in all of mankind.  The richest people only 25 years ago could not access the very information you have available to you at your whim.

Gratitude, or “everyday happiness”, comes from slowing down.  It also comes from being made aware of worse situations, either those you experienced firsthand, or that which you observe or conceptualize.

I struggled financially for quite a few years before slowly building some savings.  I’ve eaten poorly and had periods of ill health before realizing how important good health is.  I’ve been incredibly lonely before finding someone to share my life with.  I’ve faked enjoying late nights at crowded, filthy bars before realizing I could enjoy the peace and comfort of my apartment reading thought-provoking books or articles.

I remember a few years back in Chicago, I bought an expensive piece of Gruyere cheese from Whole Foods.  I took a very sharp paring knife and sliced a razor thin piece and let it melt and dissolve on my tongue.  Even though I wasn’t able to save any money during that period, I really enjoyed and savored that piece of cheese.  Nowadays, I wouldn’t think twice about buying a piece of expensive cheese, but I doubt I would enjoy it as much now as I did then.  The difference?  Enjoyment and gratitude.

Yes, the next few years will be incredibly difficult.  The markets will suffer horribly, a currency crisis is not impossible and our standards of living will contract.  Does that make me pessimistic?  No.  Life will still be wonderful as long as we have our health and our sense of gratitude.

To read more about creating an Accurate Model of Reality, click here.

Apr

19

Optimizing Your Weekends

Filed Under Economics | Leave a Comment

I’ve enjoyed a very productive and enjoyable weekend.  I’ve been refining a strategy on how to make the most of my time and I’d like to share it with you:

  1. Write down all the things you’d like to do this weekend so you don’t forget.  On Thursday or Friday, I’ll start keeping a running list of all the things I need to get done.
  2. Late Thursday night I’ll try to prioritize which ones can get done when.  Friday nights are good for replying to emails, Saturday mornings are good for quiet readings and Sunday nights are good for calling friends.  I like to try and plan accordingly.
  3. The most important step:  Determine what is really important to you. What will you look back on Sunday night with regret if you don’t accomplish? Highlight the “difficult” tasks, or the ones that you’ve been putting off.  It’s easy for a toughie to blend in with the easy ones and you’ll never get it done.
  4. Keep your weekend tasks on something portable, like a 3×5 card, so you can always check your progress.  It feels satisfying crossing out small tasks and problems.
  5. Take some time to appreciate the fact that you’ve accomplished things (however small) this weekend.  This last step helps begin the week on a positive note.

The first lesson in economic theory is that we live in a world of scarcity. Scarcity is a situation whereby human wants exceed the means to satisfy those wants. Human wants are assumed to be limitless, or at least they don’t frequently reveal their bounds. People always want more of something, be it more cars, more food, more love, more happiness, more peace, more health care, more clean air, or more charity. Our ability and resources to satisfy all those wants are indeed limited. There’s only a finite amount of land, iron, workers, and years in a lifetime. – Walter Williams

I filed this post under “Economics” since economics is the study of how to most efficiently allocate our finite resources.  Life is full of wonderful people to meet, books to read and laughs to be enjoyed.  Make the most of it!

To read another helpful hint, click here.

Mar

29

Life Lessons from Dodgeball

Filed Under Intellectual Honesty | Leave a Comment

I played dodgeball last week on my lunch break.  I go one day a week to an elementary school and have the opportunity, through work, to volunteer.  It’s safe to say I had more fund playing dodgeball than in my entire week at work.  The experience was something I definitely wanted to share.

Having children is no picnic, but connecting with them definitely keeps us young and helps us remember the positive aspects of our youth as they fade away each passing day.  That afternoon of dodgeball gave me a moment to have some of my freedom back and to do something I genuinely enjoyed doing.

Life is not always easy.  It can be a grind to put up with the banalties of work and the stress of having adult responsibilities.  Painful failures with the opposite sex, work and our own stupidity can harden us to world.  It’s worth fighting to keep a portion of you that holds on to the past when recess was what mattered, not work or the other stresses that accompany our lifestyle.

Throwing a dodgeball around during lunch gave me a moment that rich food or drink simply could not match.  It was a unique experience that left me a much happier person.  I have noticed that when helping others or doing what I intrinsically find satisfying, I feel much happier.  If you’re dissatisfied at work, try playing a sport with a child or doing something genuinely kind for someone.  I’ve found both of these things help to turn a bad day into a good one.

To read more about finding happiness in unexpected places, read here

—