How to Escape Six-Out-of-Ten-Life.
I’m not in the habit of collecting enemies but if I did want to torture someone I wouldn’t trick them into a one, two or three-out-of-ten lifestyle. I’d trick them into a Six-Out-of-Ten-Life When life is rated one or two, it’s so painful or horrible that you will not put up with it for long. You’ll make a change, move into another lane, another job, and avoid. But what do you do when the needle hovers somewhere near, or just above the middle? It’s that awkward spot where you ask, is this it? Is it worth aiming higher? Is it possible to be
What do Charlie Munger and Socrates have in common? (They know NOTHING)
If you tell me I know nothing, I’ll suggest I know something. But if you tell me I know everything, I’ll insist that I know nothing. In the spirit of knowing nothing, here are some quotes by people who know nothing. Number One: “People couldn't believe that I suddenly made myself a subordinate partner
The Mirror Test (and the Problem with Reflections)
I assume you’d pass the Mirror Test. It’s a test you don’t need to study for, don’t worry. The whole point of the test is to determine whether you can recognise yourself in the mirror. Does that sound like something you can handle? Are you sure? This test was invented in and around the 1970’s and requires putting a mark on an animal’s body. If the animals can recognise the mark, it is believed to recognise itself and normally tries to scratch it off. Animals that can handle the Mirror Test Elephants, magpies, apes, dolphins, some types of whales to name a few, are
How to Combat Loneliness as a Growth Mindset Individual
Last time around we opened with the following story: “I bet you feel loneliest after you leave a social gathering with your friends” I said to the young lady. “YES!” She screamed back at me, with a glint in her eyes. As she shouted a couple of other people in the bar looked around at us to see what was going on, which was quite amusing. But what said much more than that three-letter word was that glint in her eyes. It’s that glint that says, I’ve always felt this way and thought it was just me, that there was something wrong with
Loneliness vs. Aloneness
“I bet you feel loneliest after you leave a social gathering with your friends” I said to the young lady. “YES!” She screamed back at me, with a glint in her eyes. As she shouted a couple of other people in the bar looked around at us to see what was going on, which was quite amusing. But what said much more than that three-letter word was that glint in her eyes. It’s that glint that says, I’ve always felt this way and thought it was just me, that there was something wrong with me, but you’ve just shown me this is
The Utility-Consumption Model of Friendship
I am not a pleasant person to play soccer or football with. The zen and calm Aussie you’re all used to disappears on the pitch, replaced by an angry commander. I’m not the most blessed by ability unfortunately, but my Dad ingrained in me from a young age the importance of on field communication and leadership as a point of difference. I’ve been compensating for a lack of ability with my barking instructions ever since. “Why don’t you work!”
How to give yourself better problems to solve.
In 2018 a group of young students from my old school took time out of their trip to Nepal to visit us and witness the work of From the Ground Up. Nick and I spent the day with them discussing the story of the organisation, the communities of Ghumarchowk and Sankhu that we were working in, and we toured our projects and brick factory. At the end one of the school teachers made a point to the boys. She pointed out that whilst Nick and I could be doing anything with our lives, we were choosing to help people. This was meant to
You must build interests or die tryin’ – preface to Interest Mapping
In 2014 I had all of my eggs in one basket. Then something crashed into me and I dropped the basket. The eggs broke. I’m not the first, nor will I be the last to put all my eggs in one basket. Despite the conventional wisdom. It’s easy to fall into the trap when everything is going well - an example that will keep repeating itself is housing. When the market is hot, it’s hard for people who have never put eggs in baskets before to understand that the temperature will eventually change. They stretch themselves more and more to get into more and
Build Community or Die Tryin’
I woke up at 5am this morning so I could avoid feeling depressed, isolated, lonesome, devoid of meaning and ostracised from the world and those I love. That’s a good incentive to wake-up early. At 5:30 I had arrived at a park for @the530Club.ryde. I sat on a picnic rug with a small group of people and meditated for ten minutes. I was excited for the day ahead but tried to bring focus to my breath. At 6:00 our morning cafe opened. I sat, opened my laptop and started writing. Around me people were reading books, typing away, or chatting lightly. We do this
There is no wealth but a wealth of social connections
Forbes is refusing to do an article on me. Despite frequent emails, submissions and protests. My contention is, I’m one of the richest men in the world. But they refuse to recognise it. Here’s their latest email. 13th September 2020. Subject: Reply to ‘Stop leaving me off Wealth Lists’ - Joe Wehbe Dear Mr. Wehbe. We appreciate your continued correspondence and persistence, but we must ask you to respectfully cease communication on this topic. Whilst you have an abundance of this ‘real currency’ - as you call it, this is not a currency that can be factored into your net wealth. In fact, your net wealth