What am I going to turn this into?

We've all heard the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade", right? But how do I even make lemonade? And what am I going to do with the lemonade that I make? And then after I make that lemonade, what am I going to do... because I can't live on JUST lemonade.

I've found that the only way out of this spiral of doubt and bewilderment is by taking action. Opportunities are everywhere and because I know it's better to do something than nothing, I'm out to make a ton of lemonade. I'll figure out what to do with it in a few years because I hope by then this all makes sense.

Lessons from the Archives

I use this app called "Momento" to write down little notes to myself as I'm reading stories or listening to others. As I dig through many of my older entries, it's amazing to see the recurring thoughts and messages that continue to resonate with me.

Here's one of my favorites - and one that still keeps me in check.
 

One of your greatest defense mechanisms when you're feeling down is to pick apart others to forget about yourself. It's hard to kick negative thoughts, and you can feel like projecting that negativity onto someone else is an easy way to do it.

In the end, it's never going to help.

Your world is what you make it, and if you choose to look at the negative in others, that's all you're going to find. Not a way to get out of a funk, right? Instead, don't take the bait. Channel that energy into yourself, because your best will bring out the best in others.

Podcast Chronicles - A Story on Compound Interest

As I'm stepping up my own investment game, I heard a great story that I have to share! I know finance probably isn't your favorite topic, but you can't argue with free money.

I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, "The School of Greatness", and the host, Lewis Howes, was interviewing Rory Vaden, the New York Times Best Selling Author of "Take the Stairs". He relayed this great story of three different kinds of people when he was asked,

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“What do you think the primary difference is between rich people who acquire lots of money and everyone else?”

Well, Rory think of it this way, if you were to go into this coffee shop to order a coffee and you could hear the way that people were thinking about the decision, you’d likely hear at least 3 completely different ways of thinking…

The first group – let’s call them the lower middle class – would ask themselves 2 questions. The first question is ‘do I want this $5 coffee?’ And assuming the answer is yes the second question is ‘what do I have to do to get myself this coffee?’ They might steal it, buy it on credit, borrow money from a friend, or whatever. Completely governed by impulses they’d do anything to get the coffee. 

The second group – let’s call them the middle class – would ask themselves 2 questions. The first question is ‘do I want this $5 coffee?’ And assuming the answer is yes the second question is ‘do I have $5?’ That seems like a perfectly reasonable line of thinking – and it is. In fact, that is how most people think; which is exactly what makes most people average or middle class.

The third group – let’s call them the upper class – would ask themselves 2 questions. The first question is ‘do I want this $5 coffee? However, assuming the answer is yes, their second question is much different than the first 2 groups.

Their next thought is ‘if I spend $5 on this coffee then that is $5 that I will not be spending on something else.’ That is $5 they won’t be investing into the stock market, or real estate, or a business, or into themselves. Specifically, they realize that is $5 they won’t be investing.

A wealthy person familiar with compounding interest knows that $5 invested today at an 8% interest rate for 30 years would be worth about $50. So their question is not:

‘What do I have to do to get this coffee?’

And their question is not:

‘Do I have $5?’

Instead, their question is:

‘Is this $5 coffee worth $50 to me, 30 years from now?!?!?!’

Now the tricky part is that they might still choose to get the coffee!! That is why you can’t look externally at one single financial decision someone makes and determine if they are programmed to be rich.

You can however likely determine if someone will one day be rich by following their thought process on how they make one financial decision!

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IT'S SO TRUE!

I don't micro-analyze everything I spend money on (I think that'd make me go crazy), but there are definitely those times where I know I shouldn't buy.... It's about developing that next mindset, exercising self control, and looking into the future a little. That's where financial wealth is to be had! With my new friend, compound interest, it's all "free money".

Here's a link to the full podcast. You can skip to 27:30 for the part with the story shared by Rory.

Never Leaving...

I could have stayed in Southern California... wearing flips flops to work, running on the beach year round, breakfast burritos on Saturday mornings, golf on Sundays, and a much friendlier rent situation for my wallet. 

Life was great in Huntington Beach

I had no complaints! A good job, even better friends, and a Husky named Doc that could run down a tennis ball faster than you could blink.  So I can't be surprised about getting asked all the time,  

"Why did you come back?"

I thought it was to be closer to my family, be back with my closest friends, and take advantage of the professional opportunities in the city. That was all very true, but I've realized since then that it was about so much more.

every day i fall in love with this city FOR NEW REASONS

And it's about more than just 99¢ pizza and amazing bagels at Tompkins Square. It's the inspiring moments that energize me. It's the amazing people who always help me learn something new about myself. It's the unknown that's happening everywhere I look.

so why did I really come back?

Because I knew in my gut that this is where I needed to be... And my gut has never done me wrong. So while there are always temptations to pick up and run away for a little, my gut is telling me I won't be going anywhere anytime soon. There's still a lot more reasons to fall in love with this city that I don't even know yet, and I can't wait to uncover them all.

The Happiness Advantage

Success does not equal happiness, but happiness does lead to success.

Shawn Achor's book, The Happiness Advantage, presents the relation between happiness and success in an extremely interesting, insightful way with tons of research and stories to help drive a positive message home. While he shares from a number of different experiences, there are countless lessons and practical takeaways that leave you inspired and ready to be your best.

A few years ago, Shawn presented to a crowd at TEDx to share his message. It's definitely worth watching as it begins to break the surface of his main lesson from the book.