Here is your Seven-Bullet Monday
1. A quote I am pondering:
"If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary." - Jim Rhon
None of us wants to be ordinary, but sometimes we shy away from the risks, real or perceived, of taking steps (maybe little leaps) to become extraordinary. As the saying goes, "What got you here won't get you there", so I have been asking myself what am I really willing to risk to take another step out of my ordinariness.
2. A question I am asking myself:
How do I systemize new and better habits in my life?
I am finding that the more positive habits I structure and discipline into my life, the greater the freedom it gives me. It might sound paradoxical that greater discipline can increase freedom, but it does seem to work. So with that principle in place, I have been asking what other good habits I can systemize into my life.
3. A book I am reading:
Man's Search for Meaning – Viktor E Frankl
Man's Search for Meaning is a 1946 book by Viktor Frankl chronicling his experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps during World War II and describing how he identified a purpose in life to feel positive about, despite the incredible suffering he and other prisoners experienced. I have had so many people recommend it that I got it this week and landed up listening to it twice; it was that powerful. Listening to the book made me teary, and even now, I feel emotionally stirred when I write about it. Please read or listen to this book, but be prepared; it is sure to change how you think about life.
4. My favourite podcast this week:
The Journal – Is Now the Moment for the Four-Day Workweek?
My Company implemented a four-day working week for our NEBC non-operational staff two years ago. The move was because of commuting time to our operations and employees' needs to access remote amenities on non-weekend days. It was experimental at the time but has proved to be very successful, even as we transitioned to work-from-home through COVID. The trend is now becoming more mainstream. In this podcast, they talk to a techpreneur who has successfully implemented a four-day week at his business; this, when shorter weeks and tech start-ups are thought to be mutually exclusive.
5. Hugh-Tips
A solid investment plan needs Asset Allocation at its foundation
Asset allocation is the foundational layer for investing, and many starter investors ill-advisedly overlook it. They want to buy stocks and buy them quickly, and they don't give nearly enough thought to their mix of investments. Skip the asset allocation piece and dive into investing, and you might land up with the Leaning Tower of Pisa! Get asset allocation right, and you will be building your investments in a structured and balanced way, one which will likely stand the test of time.
Asset allocation should ideally be committed percentages of the total, split across investment types (e.g., shares, commodities, property, bonds, crypto, etc.) across geographies and industries. From Tony Robbins' book, Money, Master the Game, here are the asset allocation splits recommended by investing legends Ray Dalio and David Swenson.
6. My highlight this last week
Getting ready to launch Making Money Work
My friend and partner on this project, Kaleb, has spent many evening and weekend hours getting our "Making Money Work" personal finance training ready for its launch next week. This has involved building a new website, setting up Thinkific (online training platform) and Circle (online community forum), and getting them all ready for launch. We have already learned so much through the process, and it is with some nervous tension we get ready for prime time, knowing there is still a lot of testing and tweaking to do. Because we see this training as much a vocation as it is a business, we are offering it free to all Conuma employees, their families, Tumbler Ridge and Chetwynd school students, their parents, and their teachers. We want the experience for participants to be rewarding, memorable, and, we hope, life-enhancing.
7. My challenge to you for this week
Have fun at work
"Fun" isn't often what springs to mind when we think about work. Yet there is much evidence that making the workplace enjoyable, like having more fun, actually leads to reduced stress, more energy, and greater productivity. Now I am not saying be distracting, foolhardy, or unsafe, but being deliberately more positive, making people laugh, and not taking yourself so seriously can all make a meaningful difference. After all, who doesn't prefer to hang with positive, self-effacing, and energizing people? Some used to describe my previous job title, CFO, as Chief Fun Officer, perhaps satirically, but it is a role I take rather seriously 😊even though I no longer have the "F" in my job title.
Have an awesome week
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