You Never Know

We like to think we have all the answers. We like to believe we don't stereotype. We do. But the truth is, you never really know.

You never know who will be at the meeting, what you will see on the trip, or how the weird looking food will taste. Life teaches us to be economists, to simplify and to make decisions based on experience.

To some degree this inner voice is useful, it tells not to walk down dark alleyways, not to play with dangerous animals, etc. But, as soon as we assume we know the answer we lose our ability to create. Our mind has decided. This is "the way".

Imagine if Columbus accepted the world as flat, or if Thomas Edison surrendered in his effort to invent the "lightbulb". These two had no clue if they would be successful. But they did have belief. They were committed to exploration, discovery, and asking questions that few of their peers dared to imagine.

We can no longer accept status quo as the optimal solution. This philosophy is why startup companies are infatuated with the idea of "disrupting" the market. Because, you never know.

Keep turning over stones. Nothing is off limits. Let your immagination be your hurdle. As Steve Jobs thoughtfully advised in his commencement address to Stanford University, "stay hungry, stay foolish". Be brave, ask why. Because you never know. And that is ok. Not knowing is beautiful. It gives us freedom to be explorers, to create art, and to share it with the world.

You never know.

Hobbies That Pay

Some hobbies pay.  Some cost money.

We love spending time with family, friends, traveling, etc.  But, we also have personal passions for things we call "hobbies". Whether it's knitting colorful sweaters, or collecting stamps, every hobby falls somewhere between paying you and costing extravagant amounts of money (think automobile collecting).  ​

For every hobby that costs money, why not pick up one that pays?  When Warren Buffett was young, he read every book in the library about investing.  Not because someone told him to, but because he just loved learning about different companies.  Turns out his "hobby" payed off.  Other hobbies that pay include learning a foreign language, coding, design--all relatively inexpensive skills to learn.  Yet, there is a high demand for these services, and people are willing to PAY you, to do what you already enjoy doing, because, it's fun.  Why not. 

​Artistic (in the classic definition) hobbies like playing music, singing, dancing, painting, are also relatively inexpensive.  The financial return on an artistic hobby such as acting may not be as great as investing, but you have to also consider non financial rewards.  The pleasure of participating in an orchestra is well worth the time invested in practicing.  The joy of singing in front of a crowd is so much fun, that many musicians find themselves taking gigs and LOSING money!  Imagine paying to do your job.  That's passion.

The point?  Balance.  For every hobby like wine collecting, chocolate tasting, tea drinking (I'm guilty of this one), pick up a hobby such as learning to code, analyzing the stock market, etc.  It is a bit like learning to love vegetables.  They may not taste as sweet as driving expensive sports cars, but in the long run, you will thank yourself.  Then you can buy a sports car.