The messages of hope that I wish I could share with my former self
It was a March day in 2006. I sat in the driver’s seat of a hired truck, my share of the marital possessions loaded meticulously in the back of it. My wife and I had just locked the door of our former marital home for the last time and were about to go our separate ways in life, metaphorically and literally.
We said our final farewell (albeit in a symbolic sense) and a few tears were shed. Having jointly resolved that we’d play an active part in raising our two daughters, then aged 6 and 3, we knew we’d be seeing each other regularly in the years that followed. …
The things I learned while parting from a narcissist
In recent days (okay, months) I felt compelled to keep up with developments in the last days of Trumpism. I watched from afar, an incredulous Brit who could not believe the daily dramas of democracy and overt gaslighting that were playing out across the Atlantic.
I genuinely find it disturbing. It seems impossible to contemplate that such events could ever be witnessed here in the UK, just as I’m sure the average American wouldn’t have believed it could happen there.
But happen, it did.
In trying to make sense of things it occurred to me recently that the closing days of the Trump administration must have felt much the same for America as I felt a few years back — weathering the dying throes of a horribly volatile and toxic relationship as it ended and she finally moved out. …
The good things about writing that are often overlooked or forgotten
A quick scan of the stories created by-writers, for-writers suggests that most share some common themes.
There are plenty that share how the author made a heap of money in their first month from their writing. They offer 5, 6 or 7 easy steps for overcoming the challenges that most of us face and battle daily. They helpfully advocate that readers should copy their example and replicate their successes.
Then there are those that take on one or more of the widely acknowledged challenges of writing and provide an antidote to them.
How to beat a creative block? How to overcome rejection? How to keep going when you want to quit? …
It's not just about penny-pinching
Kevin Rose is the kind of Internet Entrepreneur that many of us want to be like when we grow up. He’s a millionaire many times over and responsible for many successful startups (and some that were less so). His net worth is into the tens of millions of dollars.
What a guy.
I’ve only ever encountered him on ‘The Tim Ferriss Show’ podcast — he’s a recurring guest and seemingly a close friend of Ferriss. Their conversations are usually entertaining, occasionally drunken, and always full of nuggets of wisdom.
The most recent episode teased a discussion about Bitcoin in its title, and I was sold — I’ve been listening to it over the last couple of days, drawn in as a newbie crypto investor and enthusiast. …
The things that are putting you off and why you may want to reconsider
I have no vested interest in persuading you to invest in Bitcoin. We all have our own inherent appetite for risk and security, not to mention scepticism about many aspects of the modern world.
Bitcoin and cryptocurrency fall into the category of things that many treat with suspicion and confusion. What I want to do is address those concerns — as much for my own peace of mind as for yours!
I started investing in crypto with a small purchase of Bitcoin and then of Ethereum in early 2021, just as the prices of each skyrocketed. …
And it’s hurting us, badly.
There are certain things that will come to define our era when we look back in years to come.
Greater access to information — we have near real-time insight into what’s going on around the world, both the factual data that’s shared in real-time, and the meticulously curated highlight-reels that dominate social media. While this should be a positive, giving unfettered access to information and opportunities to enrich our lives and heighten our connection and belonging with others, instead:
- Depression and anxiety are common side-effects along with sleeplessness, distraction and a shortened attention span.
- Society is more-divided than ever with the information being used, misconstrued and manipulated to deepen gulfs and escalate arguments. …
Words of wisdom as my daughter reaches adulthood
Yesterday my eldest daughter turned 21 years of age.
It’s a proud moment as a parent to feel like you’ve delivered your offspring from cradle to adulthood — one child down, three more to go!
In real terms, it felt like she became an adult at 18, and as I’m paying towards her university education, I guess she’s not fully independent as yet. That said, she’s in her final year now before graduating this summer and then she’ll be on her own.
Her birthday prompted me to reflect on a few things I’d do differently (and some of which I’d do the same) if I were 21 again, embarking on the world as a fully-fledged adult. …
How to invest in it (not why, when or if you should)
Fear of missing out is a powerful motivator.
Thanks largely to a year of being denied of genuine human interactions, many of us have become accustomed to our worldview being shaped through the screens of our phones and laptops. These offer constant reminders that alongside those who are struggling and losing everything, others are thriving.
They’re using the time to get fit, be productive, learn new skills and generally live their best lockdown lives. While many are poorer, some are getting rich.
While governments are weakening their currencies with mass printing of new money to fund bailouts and stimulate economies, citizens are reminded of the frailty of their incomes and worried about job security. This helps to explain why cryptocurrency has seen a massive increase in value of late as many jump on the bandwagon and try and get themselves a piece of the action in the search of illusive wealth, or at the very least access to a store of value that can’t be so easily eroded. …
The fundamentals and essentials
If you have even a passing interest in the world of finance, then you will have noticed by what’s going on with Bitcoin right now.
Since the start of 2021, the price has been going up and down like a child on playground see-saw.
On January 3rd this year, I decided to buy some Bitcoin. I had no idea how to do it at the time, nor did I know that it would be the day that the price climbed to a record high of $34,000 for a Bitcoin. …
And why I’m seeking a more balanced life from now on.
Around the end of November 2020, I felt I’d reached a point of dissatisfaction and despondency — particularly in my writing but in other aspects of my life too.
I’m conscious that many of us have suffered greatly in what was an extremely challenging year. Most people have likely had far more serious and legitimate reasons and causes to have struggled than I did. Acknowledging this fact only made me double-down in my pity-party for one instead of snapping me out of it.
Sometimes that’s how it seems to go — we know that many others have it tougher than we do, and know we should feel grateful for our lot in life. …
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