Here are a few excerpts from the bulletin I send every Friday. The bulletin is a collection of 5 things you may find helpful. If you’d like to see more, sign up! Thought of the week “In theory there’s no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is.”-Jan L. A. van de Snepscheut, computer scientist What are you theorising about that you just need to put into practice to test? Turning an old laptop into a Chromebook Another project I’ve completed is converting an old Dell Inspiron Mini laptop into a Chromebook for the kids. I’ve had this laptop for about 10 years and eventually the Windows 7 starter edition it came with just wouldn’t boot up. So I erased it all and made it a simple Chromebook. You can surf the net, watch movies and do basic … Read More
(Book) Awaken the giant within – Tony Robbins
I wish I had read this when I was in my late teens or early twenties, as I think it would have had a greater impact then. A very useful tool to make you look at what you’re doing now. What you’re linking pain or pleasure to, what limiting or empowering beliefs you have, your value hierarchy, goals, frame of reference, and states. Attempts to help us master the five areas of life we need to master: Emotional, physical, relationship, financial, time. Awaken the Giant Within (highlights) Lasting change: Raise your standards, change limiting beliefs, change your strategy. Five areas of life we need to master: Emotional, physical, relationship, financial, time. What actions can I take today that will shape my ultimate destiny? The father of action is decision. “This is what I am. This is what life is about. … Read More
A couple of different investments (Sharesies and Harmoney)
I’m always looking at different investment opportunities and platforms. Here are a couple that I’ve been using recently, and quite like. Sharesies (www.sharesies.nz) I had followed this company for a while, and then promptly forgot about it. It wasn’t until recently that I rediscovered it. It’s an online platform that allows you to invest anything from $5 into 11 different index (EFT) funds. You can’t invest in individually listed companies, but the index funds range from NZ to Australian, US and global funds, with more on the way. I already invest in individual shares, and the sharemarket is a long term investment strategy for me. With Sharesies, I’ve invested a small amount in most of the different funds available. The platform is the easiest I’ve ever used. No surprise there, since it’s designed for people who are starting … Read More
Good and bad comparisons (giving some guidance to kids)
One day, in about 10 years, one of my kids is going to come and ask me why we don’t drive a BMW like their friend’s parents do. What am I going to say to that? How am I going to show them the danger of making comparisons like that one? Maybe I’ll tell them of a friend of mine who asked a similar question about 30 years ago. I’ll tell them how hard he worked and how much he sacrificed to get that first flash car. His relationships, a little bit of his integrity, his time. How it satisfied him for about a month until he set his eyes on an even nicer car. Within another month he has traded his in for another, losing a bit on the trade. I’ll tell them how this cycle repeated. And it … Read More
How to evaluate options and make decisions (a different method)
We’re pretty spoiled these days with the amount of options available to us, we’re called to make decisions every day. Sometimes though, there are so many options we can choose from, we end up choosing none of them. It’s called the paradox of choice. Sometimes we need a kick in the pants just to make a decision. Think back on your last few major decisions. How much easier or harder was it when that decision was made for you, and you had to go along with it? Suddenly, when that happens, you know with certainty whether you wanted to make that decision or not. As humans we don’t like being forced to do something we don’t want to do. My wife will often present me with two options that she can’t decide between. The blue dress or the black dress … Read More
What would life look like if it were simple?
Life can be complicated. We get that. We expect that. Do we sometimes make ‘complicated’ the default though? What if ‘simple’ was our default? What would life look like if our decisions were made with forethought and rationality? Less would be more. We’d carefully think before acquiring more possessions because more stuff means more worry and more complication. Each time we’d ask ‘do I really need this?’ We’d be more forgiving. Holding on to grudges or bitterness is a sure way to complicate and poison our own thoughts and lives. What people thought about us wouldn’t matter. If you spend your life trying to please people you’ll end up pleasing no one, least of all yourself. Consequently we’d spend less money trying to keep up appearances. We’d choose to work in a field we have an interest in, not one … Read More