Here are a handful of lessons from 2018 (although many of these ideas originated during a lifetime preceding that). I’ve shared most, but not all, of these lessons on Instagram in the past year. 1: Your net worth is not your self worth. That’s true regardless of whether your net worth is low or high. Money is what we accumulate, but it’s not who we are. 2: It’s inefficient to worry about the small stuff (like how much you’re spending on avocado toast) if you’re not taking care of the big stuff (like how much you’re spending on your home, car and food, especially restaurants.) Don’t patch a few minor ceiling leaks if a huge section of your roof is[…]
Category: Remarkable Lives
We did it!! We raised $21,978 for charity
A year and a half ago, I saw a speech that changed my life — and the lives of at least 600 other people in the developing world. I was at the World Domination Summit in Portland, where I’d later be speaking. I sat in the audience as Scott Harrison took the stage. Scott is a former nightclub promoter who, at age 28, had a crisis of conscience. His job was encouraging people to get drunk. He smoked two packs a day. He gambled. He felt like he wasn’t adding anything to the world. And he wasn’t sure if, or how, he could. “One day, I woke up and I realized I was the worst person I knew,” he wrote[…]
You Can’t Change History From the Middle of the Bell Curve
“If Elon Musk has asked people what they wanted, they would have said better gas mileage. “But Elon never bothered asking. Because he knows he can’t change history from the middle of the bell curve. And he knows design by consensus, by definition, leads to average results.” Last week I published a transcript of the speech I delivered at the World Domination Summit, in which I challenged people to be true to themselves despite the fact that others may not like it. A few days later, WDS released the video of the speech. (I had no idea they were going to release it so soon! I thought it would take a couple months.) It’s the most heartfelt[…]
How to Live Louder than the Sound of ‘Should’
WDS 2018: Paula Pant from Chris Guillebeau on Vimeo. One month ago, I made a speech at the World Domination Summit in Portland about the importance of being yourself, even if this requires setting difficult boundaries or relinquishing your people-pleasing tendencies. If you’re a creative entrepreneur, such as an artist, writer, musician, designer, craftsman, entrepreneur, or any other type of creator … this is advice you might not have heard before. I argue that your best business move is to stop giving a sh*t about what other people think. Even your customers. It’s a counterintuitive philosophy, one that runs contrary to the seemingly-benign “I want to help others” mindset that’s preached in the[…]
Love is Stronger Than Fear
I live in Las Vegas. This is my home. Here are a few things that happened today: Thousands stood in line for 6-8+ hours to donate blood. Hundreds more donated water, snacks and shade. Locals gathered on Facebook to offer free housing, rides, and pet-sitting for victims and volunteers. Airlines donated free flights to victims’ family members. Hotels donated free rooms to people traveling to Vegas to help victims. Rideshare and taxi companies offered free transportation to blood donation centers and hospitals. Faith leaders from many religions held vigils and encouraged giving. Love is stronger than fear. Good is more[…]
The Not-So-Secret Secret to a Happy Life
“I want an iPad!” “I want a pony!” “I want to take my family out for a $100 dinner, followed by $60 for a set of four movie tickets, $20 for popcorn and sodas, and $75 to fill up the gas-guzzling SUV that I bought on credit. And it’s SO HARD to save money! How can I possibly prepare for[…]
Mini-Retirements, Semi-Retirement, Early Retirement — What’s the Most Awesome Lifestyle?
This recent reader email struck a chord: I’m a software engineer trying to plan my plunge [into freedom]. I’m young, so I figured I would grind it out, save a lot, and retire early. But after a health scare, I realize mini-retirements might trump early retirements, and I want to achieve a lifestyle similar to yours. It’s difficult to figure out what I should be prioritizing, however. Side hustles, remote work, rentals, starting a business? Oohhh!! I love this email. On the surface, it’s a tactical “how-to” inquiry: Should I launch a business? Buy a rental property? But under the surface, this reader hints at a deeper question: What’s the optimal lifestyle? Mini-retirements? Early retirement? Something[…]
Think You Can’t Pay Off $147,106 in Debt? Guess Again.
There are Conformists, and there are Rebels. The Conformist Majority says: “I have a 30-year mortgage, a 20-year second mortgage, a 10-year student loan and a 5-year car loan.” “I’ll pay the minimum, and hold those debts for 30, 20, 10, and 5 years. After all, why deprive myself while I’m young?” Worse, they’ll ask: “How can I stretch these loans out even longer? A lower monthly payment means I can get granite countertops. Score!” They tell themselves this is normal. And the scary truth is, that’s true. It IS normal. But it ain’t[…]
How an Ordinary Midwestern Couple Paid Off $46,000 in Debt
Bob Lotich was stranded. He was 20 years old, living alone in a strange city. He didn’t know anyone. He was broke. His checking account was empty. His savings account was nonexistent. His credit card was only $264 shy of hitting its limit. He had a glimmer of hope, a faint light on the horizon: two of his friends would visit that day. He’d finally enjoy some companionship. He promised to greet his friends at the airport. But just a few hours before their flight arrived, Bob’s car died. […]
Introducing Get Rich Slowly: The Course
Shortly after Martin and Sierra Black married, they bought a beautiful 2,200-square-foot Victorian home near Boston. From the outside, the couple looked like they had it all. But something was wrong. They were drowning in bills. They forked over $2,200 each month on mortgage payments, and another $600 per month on gasoline for their long commutes. They felt trapped. “Buying that house meant buying a piece of the American Dream,” Sierra says, “but we both figured out pretty quickly that it wasn’t our dream.” They attempted penny-pinching. But these attempts didn’t move the[…]
