Category Archives: Misc

10% Happier

Just finished 10% Happier by Dan Harris that chronicles his journey from young upstart reporter to drug use then finding meditation as a tool to help calm the mind and make him 10% happier. It really is a good book, and his sarcastic tone makes it a perfect read for anyone skeptical of meditation and Buddhism. Probably my favorite chapter is the one on his experience at a 10 day silent retreat, and the skeptical/derogatory thoughts running through his mind. In the end, the best part is that I didn’t think it came off as preachy or as my mom would say “she she la la”. Give it a try, or if you want to check out his next book try: Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics. It’s on my list.

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

16 Tips for Selling Properties Faster and for More Money

Cross posting from the FreedomRE.com blog

Listen to the full episode here, but here are the main points – some commentary added 🙂

  1. Have a pre-listing inspection performed by a licensed home inspector.
  2. Clean up your home. – Please, please, please – you have no idea how often this is missed/skipped
  3. Does it pass the sniff test? – It better unless you want it to take longer to sell.
  4. Take great pictures of your house. – That’s why you hire a great agent – like me!
  5. Be available.
  6. Have your home ready for showings at all times. – You never know when or where your buyer will show up.
  7. Be informative.
  8. Use an agent. – At your service
  9. Ask your agent for selling advice.
  10. Price your house right. – You mean Zillow doesn’t know everything?
  11. List in peak market time. – If you can. If not, I wouldn’t consider this a deal breaker. Just be ready for it to potenially take longer.
  12. Double check your listing information.
  13. Stage those weird areas that don’t have an obvious use.
  14. Leave during your showings and make sure you take your pets with you. – So awkward when the seller sticks around. Get out! I would also add “take any valuables and medications” as well.
  15. Be prepared to walk away from an offer.
  16. Tell everyone you know that your house is for sale.
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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

Tribe of Mentors

Just finished Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss which is really just a follow up to Tools of Titans if you ask me. That said, there’s still some wisdom here that is worth considering. Find some of my highlights and points to ponder below.

  • addiction is when we’ve “lost the freedom to abstain.” Let us reclaim that freedom.
  • While everyone else is running around with a list of responsibilities a mile long—things they’re not actually responsible for—you’ve got just that one-item list. You’ve got just one thing to manage: your choices, your will, your mind. So mind it.
  • Most teenagers choose to fool around rather than exert themselves. Halfhearted, lazy effort gives them a ready-made excuse: “It doesn’t matter. I wasn’t even trying.”
  • One of the most powerful things you can do as a human being in our hyperconnected, 24/7 media world is say: “I don’t know.” Or, more provocatively: “I don’t care.”
  • There is almost no situation in which hatred helps. Yet almost every situation is made better by love—or empathy, understanding, appreciation
  • We’d rather be pissed off, bitter, raging inside than risk an awkward conversation that might actually help this person and make the world a better place. We don’t just want people to be better, we expect it to magically happen
  • amor fati (a love of fate). It’s not just accepting, it’s loving everything that happens.
  • Let’s not confuse acceptance with passivity.
  • Perhaps today will be the day when we experience happiness or wisdom. Don’t try to grab that moment and hold on to it with all your might. It’s not under your control how long it lasts. Enjoy it, recognize it, remember it. Having it for a moment is the same as having it forever.
  • there is one thing and only one thing that causes unhappiness. The name of that thing is Attachment.
  • Don’t let another day tick away in ignorance of the reality that you’re a dying person. We all are. Can today be the day we stop pretending otherwise?
  • while we might be good at protecting our physical property, we are far too lax at enforcing our mental boundaries. Property can be regained; there is quite a bit of it out there—some of it still untouched by man. But time? Time is our most irreplaceable asset—we cannot buy more of it. We can only strive to waste as little as possible.
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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

Old-School Investing Wisdom from 60+ Years with Mike Anderson

If someone has been doing something for 60+ years it probably makes sense to listen.

Old-School Investing Wisdom from 60+ Years with Mike Anderson

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

Dr. Michael Gervais – The Mental Game, Part 1

Another good Entreleadership podcast…

#236: Dr. Michael Gervais—The Mental Game, Part 1

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

Email Bookmarklets

Ever want an easy way to email a webpage to yourself? Maybe it’s to send it to your task list, or just to share with a co-worker? Of course there are extensions for most browsers to do this, but if you would prefer a bookmarklet that doesn’t require any installation, here’s how to do it. This is the basic link structure…

javascript:document.location='mailto:?subject='+document.title+'&body='+escape(document.location);

Or, for simplicity sake, just drag and drop this link into your bookmarks bar… Email

Of course you can go wild and start customizing the URL to your hearts content. Set a value after the “mailto:”, or maybe even a CC. For example…

javascript:document.location='mailto:me@here.com?subject='+document.title+'&cc=you@there.com&body='+escape(document.location);
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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

Why Motivating Others Starts With Using The Right Language

I’ve loved this since I read it. “I intend to”, “I just did”, and “I have been doing” are wonderful places to be, but take some time to get to. Still, like the article points out the leap from asking permission to stating your intent is probably the most crucial and beneficial.

Read the full article here

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

Kristen Hadeed – Learning to Lead

I thought this was pretty good and she has an interesting story. Feel free to pick up a copy of the book too.

#238: Kristen Hadeed—Learning to Lead

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

Ray Dalio: Principles for Investing in a Meaningful Life (Tested Strategies from 1 of The World’s Wealthiest Investors)

Not sure why it isn’t listed on his website, but if you subscribe to his podcast you probably would have caught this.

Pain + Reflection = Progress

5 step process:
Identify Goals
Identify problems
Diagnose root cause
Design way around
Push through and execute design

Ep. 290 – Ray Dalio: Principles for Investing in a Meaningful Life (Tested Strategies from 1 of The World’s Wealthiest Investors)

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.

Floyd Landis: The Consequence of Exposing a Legend

Interesting story. Discussion about the need to use performance enhancing drugs to reach the highest levels is thought provoking.

Ep. 278 – Floyd Landis: The Consequence of Exposing a Legend: Learning How to Take Your Life Back & Overcome Rejection – Altucher Confidential

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.