T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 55

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #55!

Here are some things I really like and that you might too.

Financial Independence/Retirement Articles

How to Prepare for the Next Crisis While Times are Good (Retire Before Dad) – “I’m not sitting around waiting for the next stock market or real estate crisis. But when it arrives, I’ll be better prepared.”

The Reverse Latte Factor – How You Can Side Hustle Your Way To Financial Independence (Financial Panther) – “We live in a really unique time in history where it’s actually possible to piecemeal a few bucks here and there whenever you want.”

Video

Yes I’ve highlighted the amazing Danny MacAskill before, yes I’m obsessed.  I don’t care, he’s that amazing.  And in his latest he rides on the blade of a massive wind turbine – hundreds of feet in the air.  The guy is nuts.

Who’s Inspired Me

Jewel. 

That Jewel.  Jewel rose to fame in the mid 1990’s and even though I knew her hits I didn’t know much about her life story.  I’m not into celebrity following or gossip.  I knew she was from Alaska and that was about it.  Well she was on the Joe Rogan Experience last week and holy crap I think she broke his podcast.  Joe and her spent over 3.5 hours talking and I was riveted.  She has the most amazing life story….  While she was homeless and singing in coffee shops she turned down a 1 million dollar signing bonus.  After she became a mega-star her mom stole about $100 million from her.  Yes, one hundred million dollars. 

When asked what it was like to become rich from selling millions of records, she said “I didn’t care, I wanted to be happy.  I knew there were plenty of rich people who still killed themselves, so I knew that wasn’t the answer”  She went on “I was just never a real money hungry person, it just wasn’t what turned me on.  I wanted to be one of the best singer songwriters of all time, that’s ambitious. It doesn’t mean I’ll get it, but that’s the goal. It’s a 60 year plan. So the more money I had saved, it bought me creative freedom. Having wealth in the bank meant that if I had a flop or I took a risk, it didn’t matter, cuz I had the money to ride that wave out. To me it was a practical solution.”  She’s practically in the FIRE community.  I found her to be wicked-intelligent, engaging, and just a really great human being. 

You might not be into 3-hour plus podcasts, but if you want to hear an amazing story from an inspiring person, I highly recommend a listen.

What I’m Grateful For

The kids who took every last piece of Halloween candy that I bought.  I don’t want any leftovers, I like to make self-control irrelevant.

Lyrically Speaking

I’ve been walking ahead
Always losing myself
Replaying words that I’ve said
From the past where I dwell
Got to find a way somehow to
Live in the now
Live in the now

From “Live In The Now” by Goodbye June

If you don’t hear Led Zeppelin in Goodbye June, you aren’t listening.  But they mix it with a heavy dose of Stones-ish swagger and even tinges of country to make a thing of their own.  Sure they’re not breaking any new ground, but with the soaring and powerful vocals of Landon Milbourn they rise above the crowd.  These guys at their best make you want to fist-pump, head-bang, and hold up the lighter. 

And the lyrics above aren’t too shabby either.  It’s no secret that living in the past and ruminating about things leads to depression, while worrying about the future causes anxiety.  The key to happiness and peace of mind is living in the here and now.

Miscellaneous

A once-quiet battle to replace the space station suddenly is red hot – “Three competitors have already entered the arena. More are expected.”

Does skipping breakfast increase the risk of an early death? Part I – “What the literature says about skipping breakfast and its potential impact on health” Part 2 here

The Amish understand a life-changing truth about technology the rest of us don’t – “The Amish use us as an experiment”