Saturday Success Series: Volume 43
Making life & money work for you.
Welcome back to the Saturday Success Series email!
In this edition we’ll have:
Five to Focus On: A quote, stock, book, show & a beer.
Master Yourself: Focus like it matters
Master Your Money: Passive income is (mostly) a myth
And of course…
The Weekly Special: Reddit’s 9 Best Pieces of Advice
The goal here is maximum value, so let’s get to it.
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Five to Focus on:
In a noisy world, it’s hard to know what’s good out there. Let me help.
Quote to ponder: “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” - Simon Sinek
Stock to consider: CHPT (ChargePoint Holdings)
ChargePoint is an electric vehicle infrastructure company based in California. They operate the largest online network of independently owned EV charging stations, operating in 14 countries. They also make the technology used in it.
Disclaimer- this is not financial advice, I am not a financial advisor, and you should always do your own research.
Book to read: Billy Summers by Stephen King
Stephen King is an excellent writer. His characters always feel so real, even when they’re in fake worlds. Now, Billy exists very much in our real world. There’s no real fantasy here. I can’t even call it horror per se. But it’s a wild ride and a good read. At 500 pages it’s long by normal standards, but not by King standards.
Show to enjoy: The Black Phone (Peacock)
A smart horror/thriller film. Ethan Hawke delivers as a sadistic serial killer and this is a nice prep for the horror movies that will be all over your TV in the coming weeks.
Beer to sip: Zombies Drink Milkshakes Too from New Trail
2 of my favorite styles unite to create a truly tasty beer. Milkshake IPA and pumpkin beer blend to make a baby worthy of your money and calorie count. Enjoy on a crisp night as we creep into Spooky Season. Pairs will with this week’s book choice.
Master Yourself
I love good quotes from smart people. Especially when they help us stop bullshitting ourselves.
Donald P. Kaberuka is an economist from Rwanda. He was the president of the African Development Bank for a decade.
Here are his thoughts on focusing on what matters:
“I’m not interested in whether the glass is half empty or half full. I’m interested in figuring out how to fill the glass.”
Arguing semantics or paying attention to anything that doesn’t improve lives, is a waste of time. Focusing on filling our glass, and those around us. That’s what matters.
If you find it difficult to focus, you’re probably doing something that doesn’t matter. If you’re having the half full/half empty argument, you’ve lost sight of the important things.
Let other people worry about half full, half empty. Trust me, plenty of folks will do it even when they know it’s useless. Be different.
Always be seeking solutions, instead of basking in problems.
Always be seeking to add value, instead of just sucking up attention.
Always be filling the cup, instead of draining it or debating its volume trajectory.
Master Your Money
The idea of passive income is popular because it’s appealing.
Getting paid for doing nothing?? Sold!
It’s the goal many of us have set for ourselves. Build something, then sit back and watch it make you money. So what’s the problem? It’s (probably) not passive income. It may be one day, but it isn’t now. Right now, you need to work.
What is passive income?
Passive income is earned from business or dividends in which you’re not actively participating. Earning and maintaining passive income involves little to no work. Some people think of rental properties here, but those require more involvement than most think.
So, if it’s not passive income, what is it?
What you think is passive income is actually scalable income.
When people talk about “passive income,” what they usually mean is scalable revenue. Scalable income indicates that you are not guaranteed to generate any money, but your earning potential is unlimited.
My articles aren’t passive. I have to put in actual real world hours into creating them. Yes, they earn money long after I finish, but that’s not truly passive. It’s scalable. But every week I put hours into these articles.
If you’re running your own business, you’re probably putting in a ton of hours. The money you earn isn’t passive. It may earn you revenue around the clock, which is great- still not passive.
Nothing about building something great is passive.
Be very active and scale.
Weekly Special
Reddit’s 9 Best Pieces of Advice
Oh Reddit. It took me until 2021 to understand how special this place is. Now there’s a bit of a love affair going on. I know, I know. I’m really late to this party.
Anyway, as I’ve traversed the Reddit landscaped I’ve jotted down some of the better wisdom. Here are the 9 best things (so far) that I’ve come across.
Family Treasure
Get a blank book.
Ask each family member over 50 to write down life advice that their descendants should know.
Keep passing it down.
You now have a family treasure that gets more useful over time.
Keeping Your Cool
If someone says something rude, pretend you didn’t hear them. Ask them to repeat themselves in which case one of 2 things tends to happen- they get embarrassed and apologize or everyone else hears what an ass they are.
It’s also okay to ignore assholes or, my preferred method, tell them (with very direct eye contact) “don’t talk to me like that”.
On Arguments
“What would it take to change your mind?”
When you find yourself in an argument, that’s the question to ask the other person. If they can’t provide an answer, move on. Most people don’t want to change their mind, they just want to confirm their opinion.
On Success
Your success in life is largely dependent on how many uncomfortable conversations you’re willing to have.
The people willing to talk about the hard things typically find answers that others don’t. It’s that whole ‘boldness has genius, power and magic in it’ thing.
Reframing Your Day
Instead of thinking of the day as one big event that can be ruined in the morning, split it into quarters.
Morning (wake up until 11a)
Midday (11a until 2p)
Afternoon (2p-5p)
Evening (5p until bed)
If you blow one quarter, just get back on track for the next. Don’t let mistakes or bad reactions keep spiraling.
On Children
Don’t prepare the road for your kids, prepare your kids for the road.
The world will not accommodate our children. They need to be ready for hard times, prepared to work hard to help their communities and learn to be independent of us.
On Life’s Journey
Life is an ever changing loop of ups and downs. Don’t become too invested in either of those two, since they’ll never last.
That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t feel bad or happy about things, it just means that most of the time it’s best to just go with the flow.
Don’t Spend More Than You Make
You know, people hear this advice all the time and it doesn’t stick.
Something I’ve found that has had significantly more (relative) success is telling people to sign up for mint.com.
Then tell them to make it a goal to be in the green (positive) at the end of every month.
SAME EXACT ADVICE.
But this way seems to make it more…concrete for people? I don’t know.
One of my brothers, who has always been incredibly bad with money, has turned it around by turning into a little game. He’s “leveling up” his mint account.
I just got my other brother to sign up for it. We’ll see how he does.
Again, it’s the SAME EXACT ADVICE.
However, instead of being a general wisdom thing that people will just nod at, it gives them a specific goal to work towards every month that they can SEE.
Building a Marriage
Do the small things.
“Can I show you this thing I made?”
“Want to walk the dog with me quickly?”
Just small stuff like that. I read somewhere that your willingness to do those things can determine a lot of your marriage. Sometimes I definitely don’t want to get off the couch and help my wife with something, but I know she really appreciates it when I do. It helps her feel loved and appreciated in ways that you just can’t when it’s only the big things.
Big things build the structure, little things fill in the gaps.
Thanks for reading! If you found this valuable, please share with someone who could use it. See you next Saturday!
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