Here is your Seven-Bullet Monday
1. A quote I am pondering:
"Ordinary people seek entertainment; extraordinary people seek education." - Dr Benjamin Hardy
If we don't want to be ordinary, we must do more than common things. One ordinary thing is using all our spare time for entertainment, whether watching TV, following social media or gaming. An ordinary North American spends around five hours a day on these three, which over the average lifetime adds up to about 18 solid years of your life spent on one of those three. What if we could exchange even a quarter or more of that time for education and self-development? How much richer and more fulfilling would our lives be?
2. A question I am asking myself:
Why would my ten-year future self be telling me what to do today?
There are two ways to look at this question, using the inverse principle. The first is what a contented future self would say to me today, and the second is what a disappointed future self would say. I can break that advice down into what I should continue doing, what I need to start doing and what I should stop doing.
3. A book I am reading:
The 12-hour walk: Invest One Day, Conquer Your Mind, and Unlock Your Best Life - Colin O'Brady
For those who don't know Colin O'Brady, he is a famous adventurer who set ten world records in some of the toughest places on Earth! In the book, O'Brady takes us along with him on some of his incredible ventures, showing what he overcame along the way. He then challenges us to complete a 12-hour walk in one day, where we can think and listen to our inner voice away from all distractions. According to O'Brady, this walk will help us overcome the doubts and fears that stop us from doing great things. For someone who became the first person to walk solo across the Antarctic and climb the highest peaks in all 50 US states in a staggering 21 days, he is both humble and encouraging. I highly recommend this book.
4. What I learnt this week
Old wind turbine blades can be repurposed
How would you like to sit on a bench which used to be part of a wind turbine blade? You can do this in downtown Cleveland, where they have taken an innovative approach to managing renewable energy waste. As wind turbines installed 20 years ago reach the end of life, a significant amount of waste is generated. This initiative is part of a growing effort to repurpose the burgeoning number of expired wind turbine blades. Creative solutions like these benches challenge traditional disposal methods like landfilling or incineration. Some other interesting uses are bike shelters, pedestrian bridges and playground equipment. Who's up for talking to the Mayor of Tumbler Ridge to see what can be done locally?
5. My highlight this week
Getting a tour of Leanne's and my wedding venue
On Saturday, Leanne and I got a tour of the wedding venue, which we have booked for May next year. We want a small, intimate wedding, and the Hart House Lake Cottage in Burnaby is nearly perfect. It's a cosy venue, with a rolling lawn running down to the shore of Deer Lake and a view of the Metrotown skyline behind it. It's ideal for what we want, and now we just need a lovely sunny day to go with it.
6. Hugh-bits
Listen to the Podcast "Intellectual Investor: What You Overlook in Investing – Conversations with Vitaliy Katsenelson
Vitaliy Katsenelson is my favourite investing podcaster – excellent, short, insightful podcasts and no adverts. In this episode, he highlights some of the most overlooked factors in investing. He discusses the importance of understanding financials and looking deeper into company culture and management. There are examples of CEO excesses, like General Electric's CEO Jeff Immelt, and interesting examples, like the case of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
7. My challenge for you this week
Work on improving your education-to-entertainment ratio
In line with the quote from this week, I would like you to calculate your current entertainment-to-education ratio and see if you can improve that over the coming week. Take your average hours spent on entertainment each week (#BeHonest), then divide that into your average educational hours. There's your ratio; now, plan where you can shift some time and improve your percentage for the coming week.
Have a great week.
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