Happiness, Personal Finance, Self-Knowledge

Financial & Emotional Freedom: What Does It Take?

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money and happiness

I always worked for financial freedom. But I chased the wrong thing. I wanted emotional freedom.

Money doesn’t make you happy. And yet, we need it to live. So what do we do? Try hard to make more money? Or, be content with what we have?

The problem is that both options come with high costs.

We’ve all heard about the research that says you won’t be happier if you earn more than $75K or some other magic figure.

We’ve all heard about these studies by now. And yet, it doesn’t make a bit of an impact on the way we live.

At least, those findings never changed the way I chased money in my life. And neither did it change anyone I personally know.

The problem with these averages is that they are averages. And yet, mindless writers keep quoting this research that says money doesn’t make you happy.

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Life Lessons, Self-Knowledge

Read This If You’re Going Through Adversity

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forward focus when you go through adversity

In the midst of challenging times, we often think we’re going through the worst time ever. And when we’re in the middle of adversity, we think it never ends. That’s why we always say things like, “my life is over!”

No, you’re not dramatic. It’s just one of our thinking errors. It’s difficult for us to judge a crisis while we’re in it.

In hindsight, it’s much easier. We can look back and think, “I survived that. I will survive other difficult things in the future.”

But when we face illness, financial problems, or adversity in our relationships, we’re quick to think it’s THE END. And once we get stuck in a negative thinking pattern, we lose motivation.

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Habits, Productivity

Accelerate Your Learning Curve With These 5 Tips

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Accelerated learning curve

Accelerated learning is something we should all strive for. But too much advice on the internet promises the impossible:

  • “1000X your personal growth!”
  • “Change your life in 10 seconds!”
  • “Learn EVERYTHING in 1 hour!”

That stuff only makes us skeptical. That’s because you and I both know that these types of claims are BS—it’s nothing more than cheap clickbait. But why are we still baited by these headlines?

We’re optimists! And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Look, we all know that there’s no such thing as 1,000% growth in a short period of time. We also know that we can’t finish a 300-page book in 30 minutes. Mastery doesn’t work that way. There are no shortcuts.

However, getting good at something is also not totally unattainable. Because like these above extreme claims, there is a counterculture that says it takes 10,000 hours (or more) to master a skill. As you might expect, I’m more on the side of that it takes longer to get good at something.

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Decision Making, Investing, Personal Finance

How I’m Getting Richer Every Day

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multiple income streams - get rich

I’m not hungry for money. Compared to several years ago, when I had less money, I still have the same life. It’s a rich life.

I wake up, drink my freshly brewed coffee, read a good book, and then start working until about 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Then, I put on my shorts and a t-shirt and start working out.

Sometimes I listen to music during my workouts, and sometimes I don’t. After working out, I have dinner with my family. We watch a TV show or movie after we eat. And then, I get back to working or reading.

You see, it doesn’t take much money to live a good life. Benjamin Graham, one of the most respected investors of all time, once told his apprentice:

“Money isn’t making that much difference in how you and I live. We’re both going down to the cafeteria for lunch and working every day and having a good time. So don’t worry about money, because it won’t make much difference in how you live.”

Of course, his apprentice was Warren Buffett, who’s one of the wealthiest people of all time. And after reading his biography, Snowball by Alice Schroeder, I’m pretty sure he’s also one of the most frugal people of all time as well.

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