I have a bad habit of accepting free stuff. Free socks—they’re brand new, still in the packaging. Not the color I would have bought, but they’re free. It’s a trap. Something’s being cheap is not a reason to buy it. Something’s being free is not a reason to accept it. It depends on what the …
Author Archives: Mitch
What happens if you’re awesome at it?
It’s worth asking: What happens if you’re awesome at it? What happens if you’re awesome at your job? Do you get more money? More responsibility? More work? More vacation? Do you get to leave earlier? Do you get a good reputation? Do you get what you want? What happens if you’re awesome at being a …
Celebrate a good decision, not the good outcome
I played poker this past weekend. As in poker, so in life: There are things you can control and things you can’t control. There are things you know and things you don’t know. You make a decision and hope for the best—BUT your decision was a good one or a bad one at the time …
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Listen to that voice
Listen to that voice inside you. The one that says it’s time to stop working and go for a run. The one that says it’s time to stop eating before you’re completely stuffed. The one that says it’s time to do that thing you keep putting off. The one that says it’s time to lose …
Do it yourself
I go to farmers markets. I buy organic strawberries at the supermarket. But the best strawberries I’ve ever had, by far, were the strawberries we grew in my backyard growing up. Deep red and sweet as summer. In the last place I lived, there was a Meyer lemon tree in the backyard. Meyer lemons are …
Where is your baseline?
Walt Disney went bankrupt before he became successful. So did Henry Ford. To someone who’s never gone bankrupt, this probably sounds a little bizarre or daunting. But how does it sound to someone who has gone bankrupt before? It didn’t seem to deter Walt or Henry. They knew what it felt like to hit the …
What are you comparing yourself to?
I keep track of the stocks I buy in a spreadsheet and one day I was pleased with myself because I had made a profit, until I realized that I would have made more of a profit if I had followed Warren Buffett’s advice and bought an index fund instead of an individual stock. You …
On keeping things simple
If you don’t understand something, you will be tempted to ignore it, not do it, and write it off as “not for you.” But if you take the time to understand it, and why someone felt the need to invent it, you might change your mind. It filled a gap for someone. Every tool in …
Test the waters
If you’re not sure about something, but you want to try it, just take a small bite. If you’re not sure how warm the water is, just dip your toe in. If you’re not sure if something is a good investment or not, just invest a little bit at first. You’ll never know by sitting …
Why becoming a millionaire probably isn’t that exciting
Most people who want to become millionaires are probably far away from reaching their goal. People who have become millionaires probably found the experience of moving from having $999,999 to having $1,000,000 a little underwhelming. It’s only a dollar that makes the difference. So. Aim for something closer. Have a plan, not a dream. It’s …
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