Category: Food for thought

  • Take Society as a Suggestion

    Take Society as a Suggestion

    Structure, framework, rules are good and necessary for society. But most people don’t realize that most of this is optional and you can opt out.

    It’s like someone who was born at sea on a sailboat, and spent the first 15 years of her life on the water. Imagine what this person would be like. Imagine the completely different norms, values, rules, and expectations she would have. The current situation you are in determines your perspective and framework for living your life. But it’s not the only possible framework and you have to decide for yourself what life you want to live.

    Dare to be different.

    Don’t be a sheep.

  • Your Choices Determine Your Future

    Your Choices Determine Your Future

    Your life and what you get out of it is not determined by what you want. It is determined by the choices you make.

  • Destiny

    Destiny

    One of my all-time favorite quotes:

    “Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”

    -William Jennings Bryan

  • Hard Work = Luck

    Hard Work = Luck

    You will only have a handful of mega opportunities in your life, and they won’t hang around for long. That million dollar idea you had yesterday may be gone tomorrow. That job offer that is the dream job but requires you to move across the country expires in a week. That real estate deal might be off the market in six hours. These opportunities will come your way maybe once a decade. Which means that the vast majority of your time will be spent preparing for opportunity. The more you work and the harder you prepare, the more equipped you will be to capitalize on these opportunities. Will you be ready? Will you be able to identify the opportunity let alone seize the day?  Will your preparation be enough?

    In the same vein, always have your sails up so you’re ready to run when the winds pick up.
    • Quote: The harder I work the luckier I get.
    • Make your own luck.
    • Wooden Quote: It’s too late for preparation when opportunity strikes.
  • What if you die young?

    What if you die young?

    Everything we do comes with some kind of risk attached to it. There is a 17% chance you will die playing Russian Roulette. Most other odds are hard to calculate but you get the idea.

    You have to weigh the odds of dying with the value you ascribe to that activity. A good way to figure out if you should actually engage in a risky activity is to ask how you would feel if you were to die doing it.

    I used to ride motorcycles. When I was young, it meant enough to me that I realized I could die and I was okay with it. As I got older, got married, and had kids, I wasn’t okay dying riding motorcycles. So I stopped. Same with skydiving.

    If you would feel like an idiot dying doing what you’re about to do then you probably shouldn’t do it. It’s okay to say no.

  • We Stand on the Shoulders of Giants

    We Stand on the Shoulders of Giants

    “If I have seen further,” Isaac Newton wrote in a 1675 letter to fellow scientist Robert Hooke, “it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

    Look at society around you. Look at the technology, innovation, quality of life, fairness, etc. Yes, there’s more to do but we live in such an extraordinary time and place.

    As a society, we have gotten here thanks to people throughout history just like you. They have put in the hard work and endured the struggles to build what we have today. You can carry this forward in your own way and contribute to building society even further. You will undoubtedly have your own struggles and challenges. When you are pushing boundries and stretching it will usually be very difficult. But realize the exciting future you are building for yourself and future generations.

  • Entitlement

    Entitlement

    Life doesn’t give you what you need… it gives you what you deserve. You aren’t entitled to anything. You have to earn it.

    Ask someone if you can have $100 and you won’t get it. Ask someone how you can earn $100 and you’ll get it. In life, you get what you deserve and what you earned.

    If anything, the expectation for you is that much higher given the education, resources, and support you had growing up. Entitlement is one of the worst character traits, and do everything you can to rid yourself of this.

  • The MBA & the Fisherman

    The MBA & the Fisherman

    An MBA student graduates and decides to celebrate with a trip to a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman pulled in and docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The MBA complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

    The Mexican replied, “Only a little while, senor.” The MBA then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish. The Mexican said he this is all he needs to feed his family. The MBA then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

    The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria. And I stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.” The MBA scoffed, “I got my MBA and I can help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds you can buy a bigger boat. With the money you make you can buy several boats and eventually you will have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution.”

    “And what then, senor?” asked the fisherman.

    “Well, then you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

    The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

    To which the MBA replied, “I’m not going to lie to you. It’s not quick. It will probably take 15 to 20 years.”

    “But what then, senor?” asked the Mexican.

    The MBA laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich—you would make millions!”

    “Millions – then what, senor?”

    The MBA said, “Then you could retire, move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

  • Try not to notice….

    Try not to notice….

    There will be many times in your life when you worry about something. Your clothes, your car, the stain on your shirt… The funny thing is in your mind this will be a huge deal. But chances are no one will even notice. Even if they do notice that coffee stain on your shirt, they probably won’t care. So try not to make it a big deal in your mind. And don’t point it out to others or make excuses for it. They probably wouldn’t even notice!

  • Your True Value

    Your True Value

    A father said to his daughter, “You graduated from college with honors, so here is a car that I acquired several years ago. But before I give it to you, take it to the used car lot downtown and tell them I want to sell it. See how much money they will offer you. They daughter went to the used car lot, returned to her father, and said, “They offered me only $1,000 because they said it looks very worn out.” Then the father said, “Okay, then take it to the pawn shop and see how much they will offer you.” The daughter returned from the pawn shop and said, “They only offered $500 because it is so old and they don’t really sell cars.” The father then asked his daughter to go to the local car club and ask what it’s worth. The daughter returned from the club and told her father, “The people at the car club said it’s worth at least $100,000. It’s a Skyline R34, a rare iconic car.”

    “The right place values you in the right way. If you are not valued as you should be, don’t be upset or angry–it simply means that you are in the wrong place. Put yourself in situations where you are valued and people know your worth. Don’t stay in any situations where no one sees your value. That applies to all facets of life, especially work and relationships.