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: Mind your own business.
Master Your Money: Opportunity cost.
And of course…
The Weekly Special: The Only 2 Quotes You Need to Live By. Probably.
The goal here is maximum value, so let’s get to it.
Oh, by the way, if you’re feeling generous, please share this newsletter with a friend.
Five to Focus on:
In a noisy world, it’s hard to know what’s good out there. Let me help.
Quote to ponder: “People tell you who they are, but we ignore it because we want them to be who we want them to be.” - Don Draper
Stock to consider: UFO (Procure Space ETF- “The Fund”) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before the Fund’s fees and expenses, of an equity index called the “S-Network Space Index” (the “Underlying Index”) developed by S-Network Global Indexes (the “Index Provider”). Disclaimer- this is not financial advice, I am not a financial advisor, and you should always do your own research.
Book to read: Twelve and a Half by Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary Vee is a likable, no bullshit kind of New Yorker. And this book is his standard style- full of substance and value. He discusses leveraging the emotional ingredients that make businesses run.
Show to enjoy: A Boy Called Christmas on Netflix. A surprisingly heartwarming Christmas tale for the whole family. I wasn’t expecting it to be so good. And there’s no better day to recommend this than today…
Beer to sip: Grandma Van’s Candy Cane Stout from Epic Brewing. Stouts are synonymous with winter. I mean, they can be good all year long, but they definitely taste better in the winter. So, this one is a little weird because coffee and peppermint mixes have to be delicate to work well together. This one works.
Master Yourself
You spend too much time getting upset at people for not doing what you want. But guess what? It doesn’t matter.
Other people don’t need to do what you think is right. On the flip side, you don’t need other peoples’ validation or approval.
You can’t ask others to do what you want just because you think it’s right. Same as you shouldn’t be offended about any perceived disrespect- you don’t need them to respect you in order for you to respect you.
You should be as quick to try and understand as you are to criticize. You should let other people live their lives. You should live yours, with more compassion and empathy than you can stand sometimes.
And you? You should mind your own business.
Master Your Money
Wealthy people understand (and optimize) opportunity cost.
What is opportunity cost?
Well if you spend 3 hours watching Netflix, you can’t also spend that 3 hours reading a book.
If you spend 100 dollars on dinner, you can’t also invest that 100 dollars.
If you put 30% down on your house instead of only 20%, then you can’t invest that additional 10% in a higher yielding asset. We’re assuming your mortgage interest rate is pretty low in this scenario.
It pays to understand the cost of every trade off decision you make. We make them all day long. These costs add up.
Weekly Special:
The Only 2 Quotes You Need to Live By. Probably.
Good quotes stick with us long after we hear them.
Great quotes give us guidelines to live our lives by.
Below are two of my favorite that I have hanging on my bedroom window, lest I ever forget. They have helped guide me into a life worth living.
“Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life.”
This has been my absolute favorite quote since I heard it a few years ago. It’s easy to stay up late, drinking with friends. It’s hard to get up early and go to the gym. It’s easy to give in to your kid’s tantrum. It’s hard to discipline him consistently. It’s easy to make excuses. It’s hard to execute. But you know which choices will create a better, easier life. So, choose wisely.
“Follow your plan, not your mood.”
You’re here reading this, so I know you’re an intelligent person who most likely has a plan, routine, process, etc. for being successful. Follow it, no matter what. Don’t let your current mood affect the systems you have in place. Ignore the tired, the angry, the depressed part of yourself and commit to following your plan. It will pay off.
Time is passing by, regardless of what we’re doing. So, at least be doing useful things today that you’ll be happy you did down the road. Whether down the road is tomorrow or 10 years from now.
Thanks for reading and if you found this valuable, please share with someone who could use it. See you next Saturday!
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