Since starting to blog I've found there's little tidbits of information I'd like to share that don't justify a full post. The more I write, the more I realize I'm writing about things I want to teach my children someday. Even if no one else gets any value out of the blog, this is a great way to transfer my knowledge and experiences into something tangible as almost our "what stuff to teach our kids".
I've had a few written journals in the past, and do voice recordings every few months about my progress in life. I thought this would be a good way to jot down something I leaned, a memory, or an idea from that day. Our goal is to update this daily. It might be a quote, or a sentence, or a short story. There will be no rhyme or reason to this journal besides sharing knowledge and experiences that we hope our future children appreciate and learn from; hence the title: Dear Child.
Dear Child
7/27/18
Another day of crummy NYC weather. Sticky, rainy, with wind and thunderstorms. Yay. I'll never fully understand why people live an entire life here. Yes, there's opportunity, culture, diversity, but there is definitely a better way to do this. Anything more than a few years here and I think one would forget how great life is elsewhere. Planning on resting this weekend. Reading and relaxing are my priorities after this crazy week. Not sure I'll write a post for this week. Knowing me, I probably will anyway.
7/26/18
I was so exhausted today. Got into work at 6:30 am. Carried over issues and exhaustion from the previous days. I was not myself at all. Went home and slept for 45 minutes and woke up basically back to normal. A little rest can go a long way.
7/25/18
Today was another level of busy. I had to reschedule an appointment from Monday to today. Details in the future. Reminded me of a scene in the movie "The pursuit of happiness". Had to run DT and go back to work afterward to wrap up. Another day where I don't get home until 9 pm.
7/24/18
Dealing with carried over issues from the prior day. No good deed goes unpunished. Anther crazy busy day at work.
7/23/18
Covering this week for a colleague who's conveniently out during a time that some non-standard work needs to be completed. Ended up working from 7am to 8:30pm. No lunch or real breaks. Think long and hard about the career you choose. Mine is a love hate relationship. Make sure you work with good people. One bad apple makes your life 10x harder. Better yet, focus on building a business. I hope you never have a traditional job.
7/22/18
Don't waste your time with an old used vehicle. The amount of wasted time, lost opportunity, and money for repairs negates the savings. Lease a reasonable affordable car. Put 0 down. Haggle on the purchase price. Everything is negotiable. Technology is constantly changing. Cars aren't simple like they used to be. One electrical issue can cost thousands and take years to diagnose. Your uncle is stuck on the side of the freeway as I write this. I remember those days all too well. Trust me, it's not worth it. Focus on making money, not cutting every single expense.
7/21/18
Double standards exist, but complaining about them won't change anything. Focus on your strengths and what you can control and move on.
7/20/18
Connecting with others similar to you can be one of the most rewarding things in life. Put yourself out there. Be strong. Don't be afraid of rejection. Learn that failure is part of life, and not everyone is going to like you. The people that matter in your life will support you and not judge. They will want you to grow with them, not be jealous of your success.
7/19/18
Don't throw away an opportunity. Be patient and leverage every experience, both good and bad, into a more prosperous adventure.
7/18/18
Meet as many people as you can and make genuine connections. But know who to keep in your circle and who to distance yourself from.
7/17/18
Support your partner through the ups and the downs. If you know you're needed be there. If they ask you for help, take it seriously and be by their side.
7/16/18
If your body is telling you it's tired, listen to it. Allow yourself to get some rest and sleep.
7/15/18
If you're having a disagreement with someone don't imply the other party is lying. Listen to what they are saying and look at the problem as objectively as possible. Look for a solution that lets each party win a little. Listen 2-3 times as much as you speak.
This is a silly story, but it happened today.
I called in an order for breakfast sandwiches since we were concerned they would stop serving breakfast by the time we arrived. I always like to be as efficient as possible, and order ahead, but I know some places have a high likelihood of messing up the order. I typically don't pre-order with those places, but I wanted to make the best of the situation being it was getting late.
I placed the order on the phone and already knew our order was going to be messed up. The person on the other end somehow couldn't understand what I was saying no matter how I tried saying it: over-easy, sunny side up, over-medium, runny yoke. Eventually she repeated back the order and I was satisfied that we may have a shot here.
I get a phone call as I'm walking out of the elevator. It's the store. As I pick up, they hang up. Your mother and I both know something is awry. She plans for the worst, "ahhhh they ran out of eggs!" We both laugh.
As I walk up to the counter the cook ignores me. Mom waits in line. We've learned to be efficient while living in a busy city. A few minutes go by and the cook at the counter continues to ignore me. I'm annoyed inside, but maintain my composure. I see he's making two sandwiches that look to be our order, but what would be mine, is on a plain bagel with American cheese...barf
I finally speak up to break the silence, "Hi, is that order for Jerry?" "Yes." "Oh, it looks like there's a mistake. I ordered it on an everything bagel with swiss." "You never said swiss!" he retorts, and then goes on to show me that she had written "cheese" instead of "swiss."
I'm thinking to myself, this is customer service? He wants to instigate an argument with me when he wasn't the one I spoke to on the phone. Yes, I clearly must have messed up the same breakfast order I've been making for the last three years. Ham, egg and swiss on an everything bagel is the same request I make over and over, but no, this morning I must have changed that up.
"Well I did say swiss, but that's fine. It's also supposed to be on an everything bagel." "She called you; we're out of everything bagels." "Well she called and hung up. I never spoke to her, but that's fine I'll take it. I don't like to waste food, thank you."
I really think he was looking for an argument. He eventually offered to ad swiss to the sandwich for free, and I accepted as a kind gesture towards a resolution.
I didn't get what I wanted, but I realized I couldn't have. They were out of the ingredients necessary to make it. I tried to make the best of the situation and accept the results without wasting his time or food in order to just to prove a point. I remained patient and calm; stoic even.
I typically see the roles reversed in situations like these. The customer is fuming and the rep is remaining calm. Keep your composure and don't let little issues escalate into embarrassing scenes.
7/14/18
I feel like I need something to strive for to keep me motivated. Part of me doesn't care, and the other part just wants to see if I can do it. Life is all about the journey, so as long as I'm enjoying pursuing these goals then I'll continue.
Net worth goals:
Age Net worth 20 What's investing? 30 1mm 40 10mm 50 50mm 60 100mm 70 250mm 80 500mm 90 1bil 100 3bil
7/13/18
Don't let others have control over your emotions. If you're happy then don't let a comment from someone change your mood. People who say hateful things do so because they are projecting their negative life experiences on others to try to drag them down into their misery. It's true that misery loves company. Stay away from these people. If you choose to respond, don't lower yourself to their level. Remain positive and tactful. More often than not, I wouldn't even give them the time out of my day.
7/12/18
I'm oddly overly thrilled that I was able to eat all three meals today for free. Ah... the small things in life. Leftover meeting food always makes my day. And it's not only me; you should see how free food makes grown adults giddy, and some turn into savages when impatient.
Win people over easily with free food. Take advantage of a free meal when you can. Provide a snack whenever possible to lighten the mood. People connect over food.
7/11/18
Today your grandparents pool exploded! Yes that really happened. Thinking about writing a post on it. Your overly dramatic Grandfather "celebrated life" by going out to dinner. In his words, he "could have been killed!" Not sure how much I believe that, but glad they're both safe.
Take away on this one is never own a rental property with a pool or trampoline. Too many what-ifs and liabilities. Reduce your stress and keep life simple.
7/10/18
Know your worth. Almost everyone will try to low-ball you in every way possible. I write this on a day that I received an extremely low bid. I kindly responded with a price higher than my ask.
Know the value of your time, product, or asset, and don't sell yourself short. Expect to negotiate every offer, so price accordingly. Allow yourself flex to be able to close a deal, and don't let a deal die over pennies and ego. Be fair to others when making deals, for it reflects on your integrity, and you don't want to start a relationship on the wrong foot. But, don't be a pushover. Be kind, yet firm.
People remember a cheat and don't want to do business with people that deceive them. Accordingly, don't continue, or do business, with those willing to take advantage of you. The right deal is fair to both parties, while leaving a bit for each to still desire more.
7/9/18
Keep things simple. Things you enjoy will naturally come easy, and appear easier, than things you dislike. Don't over complicate things you dislike just because you don't want to do them. Get them out of the way first to free your mind to focus on other things.
Always do that hard thing first. The only instance you should defer a difficult task is if you need time to figure out how to solve a complex problem. Sometimes working through easier steps, leads you to figure out the more difficult ones.
Everything has an order of operations. You need to have a high level view to know the order. Top to bottom is generally a good guideline or starting point.
7/8/18
Be content with what you have, and give back to others. That's the real secret to life.
7/7/18
If someone you trust is taking the time to give you advice, then take the time to do research to determine it's validity. Don't just ignore them. Them sharing their knowledge, is a gift to you. You may think you know everything; be humble, know there's always more to learn. Realize that knowledge can come from any source and any age; even after you're knowledgeable on a subject. Be open minded. Listen to what the more experienced have to say, and use that to allow you to progress at a faster rate. Learning from your own experiences and mistakes is the slow way. Learning from others experiences and mistakes is the fastest path to success in any form, on any subject. Resist the temptation to do it, or learn it, your way, until you have become knowledgeable on the subject.
7/6/18
Validate there is demand before creating a product to sell. If possible, find those interested to reserve the item with some form of contact, preferably an email, and at least give you a deposit. If possible, have them prepay the full amount, and set aside until you can make delivery.
7/5/18
I found it fitting to start this on the 5th of July since I met your mother on this day 6 years ago. Life really started after that day.
Our first date was a picnic at Mission Bay in San Diego, CA. I brought a port wine to drink while we sat and talked, since I liked sweet white wines and your mother said she liked red. That was one compromise that was a major flop. I clearly knew nothing about wine, as a port is a desert wine, and was basically undrinkable. We both drank it with a smile pretending it was good to appease the other. That flop still got me a second date, and we've been inseparable every since.
We celebrated 6 years this evening at Bar 65 in NYC:
The beginning