Saturday Success Series: Volume 8
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: Serve your loved ones.
Master Your Money: Generational wealth vs. life insurance.
And of course…
The Weekly Special: 9 Best Decisions, with Actionable Lessons.
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: “Things don’t correct themselves, you’ve got to go out there and work hard to correct them.” - Tom Brady
Stock to consider: NFTZ (Defiance Digital Revolution ETF). NFTZ is the first NFT ETF, offering simple and convenient access to a sometimes-high entry-level sector. Disclaimer- this is not financial advice, I am not a financial advisor, and you should always do your own research.
Book to read: How Ike Led by Susan Eisenhower. I’ve read a lot about leadership and this was a nice addition. Most people aren’t natural born leaders, it’s a skill you have to develop. And even if you do have an inherent talent for leading others, it’s still a skill you can (and should) hone.
Show to enjoy: Dexter on Showtime. The original series. Not sure the new final season is worth the watch though.
Beer to sip: King Sue from Toppling Goliath. Beer Advocate has thousands of beers rated by drinkers on their site. This is one of the few that has a 100% rating. They rank it ‘World Class’. It truly is a must try for any beer fan. Or if you’re trying to convert someone in your life into being a beer fan, this might be a nice opener. Oh and it’s like on the carbonation which is appreciated as one gets older.
Master Yourself
Obviously this has its limitations and you shouldn’t be spending your entire life only doing what others want to do. BUT, you can really improve your relationships by focusing on the ones you love.
My brother always wanted my dad to partake in his hobbies. I went to my dad. I joined him on Home Depot runs, cutting my grandparents grass, long bike rides, whatever my dad had to get done, I went with him.
He’s one of my best friends.
My friend feels disconnected from her husband because they have “nothing in common”. She stays in one room watching reality TV while he goes upstairs to play video games. Meanwhile I find myself at Home Goods type stores, ugh, because my girlfriend loves shopping in them. We always end up laughing and chatting the whole time.
She’s my best friend.
If you want to spend time with the people you love, do what they love, with them.
Watch football with your dad, build model planes with your brother, read and dissect poetry with your sister, bake with your mother. If you want to spend time and build that relationship, ask to do what they love and have them teach you.
It’s an act of humility (which is good for us) to get outside of ourselves and concern ourselves with what others need and want.
Master Your Money
I don’t believe in paying for life insurance.
It works for some but I have a different idea that I’m working on.
I believe in building generational wealth.
My focus is to keep building assets (stock accounts, property, etc.) and once I die, my family will own these assets.
Teach your spouse and children how to invest and build wealth. Help them get a financial education.
Because the truth is even if you leave your family a million dollars, if they don’t know what to do with it except spend it...they’ll end up poor anyway.
Weekly Special:
The 9 Best Decisions I’ve Made, with Actionable Lessons From Each
#1 Committing to My Partner, Lisa
Actionable Lesson:
Who you choose to partner up with matters, a lot.
Make sure the person is mentally and emotionally stable, for starters.
After that, make sure your values (humor, responsibility, etc.) and vision (children? world travel?) for life match up with your partner’s.
If you’re in a relationship with a toxic person, leave. If you’re the toxic one, leave and fix yourself first before trying to be with someone else. Don’t make any excuses here (or anywhere). Excuses do not serve us well.
#2 Choosing to Become a Parent
Actionable Lesson:
Parenting is hard. Duh. But worth it. Duh.
Kids need love and discipline. Fun and chores. They need to learn self-control and grit and how to feel things. It’s your job to teach them these things. The default setting on humans isn’t great.
You don’t magically know how to parent, it’s okay to seek out learning opportunities. I’ve watched videos, attended a seminar on positive parenting and read a few books to get ideas on how to improve this skill set.
#3 Taking Advantage of Free Education
Actionable Lesson:
Constant learning is necessary for continued growth.
You probably won’t qualify for free college credits but I also consider free education to be things like utilizing the library and YouTube.
Consider asking a co-worker to help you learn a new skill. Or hire a low-cost college student to tutor you.
#4 Accepting a Job With My Current Company
Actionable Lesson:
You need to be happy at work. You spend too much time there not to be.
Dream jobs don’t really exist. Almost every job can become mundane, even the cool ones. So it’s your job to make sure you feel like you’re working a dream job.
Engage with your work, your co-workers, join committees, come in with a smile and a good attitude, etc.
#5 Quitting Smoking and Drinking
Actionable Lesson:
If you smoke, quit, immediately. If you drink, consider not doing so or at least cutting back.
If you have any bad habits, work on correcting them. Keep a journal to track your feelings so you can pinpoint triggers. Try daily checklists to focus on the positive habits you’ve swapped in.
Next time you get an urge to do something bad, drink half a glass of water and take a 10 minute walk. Repeat every time.
#6 Reading A LOT of Non-Fiction
Actionable Lesson:
Aim to read one book per week. Make it a non-fiction.
If you already read a lot, swap one of your fiction books for a non-fiction. Find topics you’re interested in first. Then once you enjoy reading non-fiction, start reading about everything and anything.
You can gather some book ideas/recommendations from my weekly Sunday Books & Booze article.
Reading newsletters and articles are great ways to get quality content in as well.
#7 Choosing to Adopt Pets
Actionable Lesson:
Adopting is much better for animals, your family and the world than buying is.
Volunteer at a shelter. It’s eye-opening and sad and fulfilling.
Donate to your local shelters. Whether it’s monetary or goods like food, blankets, etc. it will all be appreciated by our furry friends.
Next time you’re in the market for a pet, rescue one. Even if you prefer a specific breed, you can pop “*breed of choice* rescue” into Google and find a rescue that focuses on the specific breed you’re looking for.
#8 Ruining My Credit
Actionable Lesson:
Don’t ruin your credit, but do study personal finance.
Understand how credit works, how saving and investing work, how building wealth and financial freedom works. There are a lot of great books and videos out there to help you. At this point, not being educated is your fault, no one else’s.
Understand the 3 Levels of Wealth Creation.
#9 Building an Online Presence
Actionable Lesson:
Create an online presence and stick with it.
Pick a place you feel you belong or will serve you best. Maybe it’s LinkedIn, maybe it’s Instagram or Facebook. Find a place where the audience you want hangs out and go there.
Create a unique profile, post consistently and engage frequently with others on your platform of choice. Consistency is the key here, like it is in most areas of success.
Thanks for reading and if you found this valuable, please share with someone who could use it. See you next Saturday!