Stoic Letter 17

Over the last few months, I’ve been hearing a lot about this new social media app, Clubhouse. I tried it last month. And I really don’t get why people prefer talking to strangers, while they could use that time to call their friend, sibling, mother, father, or anyone else who’s close to them.

Those meaningless conversations on social media will not be there for you when you struggle or feel lonely. Those people are probably also not your real friends. It reminds me of all the empty friendships I’ve had in the past.

In college, my friends were the guys…

Stoic Letter 16

What does it take to be happy? Going out with friends? Hanging out at the beach, drinking a mojito? Earning a lot of money? Good health?

Our Stoic friend, Seneca, argued that it was something else. He said: “No one can live happily, or even bearably, without the pursuit of wisdom.”

In my experience, this is 100% accurate. That’s why I’m surprised people are getting knocked out by the mental toll of the pandemic. Healthy people with jobs and safety complain about how hard life is right now.

I can relate to it a bit. But remember that our ancestors…

When I started my first business ten years ago, I remember many internet marketers were selling Google ads courses and books. They made it look like everyone could become a millionaire by slapping up some Google ads.

You just had to follow their tactics. That was all! Sweet deal, right?

Well, here’s what happened behind the scenes. While those internet marketers were selling products about Google ads, they were doubling down on Facebook ads.

This happens all the time. Info products that are built around tactics and hacks are always about stuff that worked in the past. If you bought…

Stoic Letter 15

Here’s how I used to set goals for myself. I looked at what kind of outcome I desired and then set a goal to achieve that thing. When it came to my career, I always looked at how much money I wanted to make.

So my goals looked like this: “I want to make $100K a year.” And when it came to my health, it would be this: “I want to put on 5 pounds of muscle.” That stuff never works. Can you relate to that?

How often have you been frustrated by your own goals? You set goals, things…

I used to be very bad with money. I didn’t even use a savings account until my late twenties. Sure, I had one, but I just left all the cash I had in my checking account.

That’s the best strategy for going broke. You either spend your money on crap, or you get lured in by speculative investments like Bitcoin, Gamestop, silver, cannabis companies, or whatever CNBC and the r/wallstreetbets guys talk about (yes, I actually used these opposites in the same sentence).

Anyway, if you’re going nuts because of all of the confusing financial advice out there; this article…

Stoic Letter 14

Last week, I was watching TV with my mom, and we were indulging in a little venting about the pace of the vaccine rollout. “If they keep up this pace, we’ll have our vaccine by 2030,” we joked.

When we finished our commentary on the news, I changed channels to a show about a Bitcoin millionaire. It was about a guy in his twenties who bought Bitcoin around $300 apiece (it’s around $40K right now). He apparently bought a bunch of them and has been living the lifestyle of the rich and the famous.

My mom has no idea what…

There are so many financial opportunities in the world. And it seems like millions of people are getting rich without much effort by simply buying Bitcoin, Gamestop stocks, or you name it. Every week, there’s another story about how some asset shot up triple digits in a short amount of time.

Those are outliers, and the truth is that most of us will never ride one of those waves that turn a few grand into a million dollars in less than a year. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get rich over a longer period.

In the long run, public…

Stoic Letter 13

There are a lot of reasons to be anxious. Not just now, but at any given time in history. It’s the human condition.

The truth is that we’re fragile beings. I can go outside right now for a walk, slip on a banana, hit my head on the curb, and it’s lights out. There are a million bad things that could happen to you and me. But as Epictetus once said, “If you want to make progress, stop feeling anxious about things.”

It’s really difficult to live a happy and peaceful life if you feel anxious all the time. I…