The Best Version of You

In everything we do, I think that we should strive to be the best.  Even if we are in the most mundane job right now, let's strive to be the best at it.

Imagine that there was a better (or best ) version of you. What would he or she be doing differently than what you are doing right now?  What drives him/her?  Does he fear anything? why? why not?

I find this a healthy mental exercise in the morning before I get to work.  Kinda gives you perspective and motivation to be the best that you can be.

The Lizardbrain

Got a good read from Seth Godin's blog today.. and here's what caught my attention.

The lizard brain, the voice in the back of the head that wants security and safety--it's not eager to go to a college that might be 'too hard' or 'too good'.


I guess the lizardbrain is basically responsible for fear..


For some people, this maybe fear of speaking up about our "bright" (and most of the time unconventional) ideas for fear of ridicule and failure.  For some, this may be the fear of venturing into business or investing because it's "too risky".  Most of us are afraid of what other people might say or think if we go beyond "normal behavior" or pursue "risky" ventures.  


I personally think that is the basic reason why majority of the population are struggling to get by, and only a small portion of us are "succesful" or rich or famous.  We still have herd mentality amongst us.  Our lizardbrains want the safety and security of being in a "herd", that is why it is so difficult to try to be different. That is why most of us go through a school-work-death path, and that is just sad coz there are boundless opportunities for everyone of us right now.  You just need to go out of your comfort zone and venture out!


You see, we all suffer from fear.  But we must be more fearful of having unfulfilling mediocre lives.  Ask yourself what is it that you really want out of your life and start doing something about it right now!


Now that we know that the lizardbrain exists in us, let's ever be vigilant in fighting it.  Recognize that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.


I'll end this post with a quote from Dr. Seuss (A children's storybook mind you)


“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”


-Dr. Seuss

BE YOUR OWN MAN (OR WOMAN)

There is no better time than NOW to start being your own man (or woman). If you want better and greater things for yourself and your family, DO IT RIGHT NOW and do it for yourself.

DO something now that will ultimately lead you to quitting your dayjob and doing what you're really really passionate about.

Gary Veynerchuk, author of CRUSH IT, explains how he used his passion for wines to grow their mom and pop store into a multi million dollar operation.

He insists that you do whatever it is that you are passionate about, have an online presence (and keep building your personal brand) and eventually the ways to monetize your passion will pop up.  Don't worry he will eventually teach you tools on how to monetize your passion.

here's a quick link so check it out..

Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion

The easiest way to become an equity (stock) analyst

Hey guys,

Found this over the web. If you wanna learn about how analysts value stocks, this is perhaps the easiest way to do so..

check it out..


www.moneychimp.com


I'm not really a fan of fundamental analysis, but this puts out the mystique over analyst forecasts, valuations, etc.

I'm BACK!!

Sorry guys, I've been very busy the past months preparing for my wedding on august. Everything seems to be rushing and speeding by so fast that I have lost track of my inclination to write and to share.  

But now I'm BACK! I have found myself again.. and it was because I MADE TIME to read this little book entitled..

THE MAGIC STORY.. 

If you feel like you're lost, and has been trodding along a path that leads to nowhere, take a few minutes to READ THIS! It will make you realise fundamental facts about yourself and use that info on how to handle yourself and your life.

This story really has magic written in it.. 

READ IT NOW!!

The Magic Story

THE FLOWCHART (4hww style)

saw this from www.thenewlyrich.com. So simple yet so brilliant!



now go and eliminate the unimportant!

Learning From Unconventional Sources

“The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one.” -Adolf Hitler

There is much wisdom in unconventional wisdom. I learned this kinda late in life but I'm still thankful I did. I learned this from (guess where?) unconventional sources out of sheer curiosity and love of learning. The current education-then-work setup is probably the best example of how "ineffective" or "outdated" conventional wisdom is. Those days of "go to school, get good grades and get a high-paying stable job is over. Job security just doesn't exist anymore. Companies can lay off hundreds or even thousands of employees at the bat of an eyelash just to justify their bottomlines. This goes to show that the old conventional "models" just don't work anymore. If you are one of the few very lucky individuals to land a "stable" job, you better think again.. Do you really want to be doing your job from 9am-5pm every single day for the next 30 or more years? Don't you ever wonder if there is more to life than this? The answer is YES! There is always a better way! but first, i want to point out another example which is conventional wisdom on nutrition. Remember the food pyramid that we were taught ever since grade school? that we must consume more of the stuff at the bottom (bread, rice, cereals) than the stuff at the top (fish, meat). It is just plain WRONG! that is the reason that the generation that taught that to us are obese or are dying of obesity related diseases like diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, hypertension, etc!

The natural question that comes to mind is, "so where can we get or learn unconventional wisdom? before, it used to be trough trial-and-error and then passed down by families from generation to generation (like secret recipes) rich-dad style. Lucky for us, we live in the internet age where anything can be shared through the internet. Aside from books, ebooks, instructional videos, and  training programs can now be easily bought/ downloaded over the internet whenever and wherever we are. That is power right at our fingertips. The power to change our destinies and live remarkable lives are now at hand. All we need to do is to learn and not let fear of the unknown hinder us into inaction. Let's not be mediocre and "safe" like the masses, we must try other things, other ways, and other means that other people have proven to work.

Doing More With Less (and increasing productivity and effectiveness)

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of your backlog at work? Do you often feel that the tasks that you need to do keep piling up every single day? Do you drag yourself to work dreading the eventual faceoff with these "monsters"? Then fret no more! the solution to this problem has already been discovered  by an Italian economist named Vilfredo Pareto way back in 1906. In a nutshell, Pareto's principle states that 80% of your results come from only 20% of your efforts. This principle holds true for most things in life, like 80% of your sales come from only 20% of your clients, and 80% of the world's wealth is held by only 20% of the population. The task for us then is to focus on the 20% of our efforts that lead to 80% of our results. Focus on strengths, not weaknesses.

From this principle we can learn that 80% of the things we do do not contribute to our goals. Let's be honest, what ELSE do you do at work aside from doing your work tasks? checking facebook? continuously checking personal emails? writing blogs (hehe)? watching youtube? running or walking around while looking busy? The point is, take a hard look at the things that you do and see whether how much weight they pull in terms of effectivity and productiveness. This is basically an 80/20 analysis, find out what works and focus on that. Take away the clutter and do more with less.

recommended reading:


The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Success by Achieving More with Less




Tim has a section in his book how he used the Pareto Principle to leverage his time and income.. great read indeed!

Goals

1. PASSIVE INCOME GENERATION
2. HAVE TONS OF FUN
3. CONTINUOUS LEARNING
4. MAKING THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE

Let's discuss these one by one..

1. PASSIVE INCOME -This is income that comes into our pockets automatically, without the need for us to "work" for it. A classic example would be rental income from an apartment or other similar properties. Rental income comes in month after month whatever it is that we are doing, whether we lift a finger or not. Now, why is this important? Passive income gives us the two most important currencies in life, namely TIME and MONEY. Most "successful" people work hard and generate a ton of money but don't have time to live fulfilling lives, this is NOT our goal. Our goal is to generate continuous cashflow while living our lives, spending time with our loved ones, and on more important issues rather than toiling away in an office for the rest of our lives.

2. HAVE TONS OF FUN - This is pretty much self explainable. I truly believe that we were born to live, not just to exist. Nothing is impossible! We can have it all!

3. CONTINUOUS LEARNING - The day we stop learning is the day we die. The world is so full of ideas and wisdom that there is virtually a "hack" for almost everything. There is always a better way, and these can be found not just in books, but also in digital media found on the world wide web.

4. MAKING THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE. Pay it forward. Help other people, lend a helping hand, take some time to teach other people so that their lives can also be enriched. Karma dictates that we do good so that good things come to us.


must reads:








I suggest you start with Rich Dad Poor Dad as this will give us the basics of financial intelligence. Tim Ferriss' book is the ultimate guide to being part of the NEW RICH (NR), that is, the new breed of rich individuals who have time, money, and mobility thanks to advances in technology and virtual systems.

INTRo

My name is Jay, a 30-something FILIPINO stocktrader who is on a quest of continuous learning and improvement as I attempt to become all that I can be. This blog is about finding ways on how to improve on major areas of life such as finances, mindset and motivation, health and fitness, relationships, and recreation.I am passionate about trading (of financial instruments such as stocks, forex, optoins, etc), endurance sports (swim, bike, run), fitness training, MMA (mixed martial arts), good food, business, charity, and travel. 

 Join me as we crack (or hack) the codes to these areas of life so that we may get closer and closer to being our BEST SELVES. That is, THE ULTIMATE PINOY!