This Just In… With More Pictures
Thanks for tuning in! This week’s post features: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (book), How to be the Luckiest Guy On The Planet in 4 Easy Steps by James Altucher (blog post), Why Sneakers are a Great Investment by Josh Luber (ted talk) & more. Enjoy…
Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (208 pgs)
What a book, am I right? This was the book that got me into reading. It’s a short, yet profound and a very powerful read. The book follows a boy named Santiago from a small town in search of his “personal legend.”
At first, the boy thinks his personal legend is to travel the world, so he becomes a shepherd. Then, after having a reoccurring dream, Santiago realizes his personal legend is to go to the pyramids of Egypt to find a treasure, so he sets out to do so. Having lots of ups and downs throughout his journey, hearing incredible stories and meeting some very influential people along the way Santiago ultimately reaches the pyramids and… Well, I don’t want to ruin the ending for you.
Although the story is about Santiago and his journey, the book is so much more than that. It’s about following your dreams and fulfilling your own unique potential. If you already read this book you know how amazing it is, if you haven’t yet , I insist that you read this.
Blog Post: How to be the Luckiest Guy On The Planet in 4 Easy Steps by James Altucher (5 mins)
In this blog post, James writes about how incorporating 4 simple practices in his daily life have pulled him out from the depths of despair and turned him into “the luckiest guy on the planet.” Inevitable a time comes when he gets lazy and stops these practices, then the luck begins to fade and his happiness vanishes with it. Like clockwork, James bounces back to these 4 steps and his luck is restored. The 4 things are:
- Physical — it’s hard to be happy if you aren’t healthy
- Emotional — only do the things you want to do
- Mental — the mind is a muscle also, treat it like one
- Spiritual — doesn’t have to be tied to religion
Coming from a family of bodybuilders (see below), I know how crucial the physical component is. All you have to do is take care of your body. At the bare minimum, this means getting enough sleep, exercising for 20–30 minutes and eating healthy.
As for the emotional aspect, I know its easier said than done, but all you need to do here is cut out the negative people and practice from your life and replace them with people and practices you do value and enjoy.
I think the mental facet is the most important part and there are countless things you can do here from journaling about your day to writing down 10 ideas about a specific topic to attempting to memorize something and learn something new. Make sure you’re doing something to keep the gears grinding here.
Lastly, the spiritual element is tough for a lot of people — even me and I’m in yeshiva — but it doesn't have to get too technical or crazy. Simple practices like praying to a higher power, meditating, being grateful and forgiving someone keeps you grounded in this crazy world and reminds you how lucky you are to have what you have.
I claim that luck isn’t determined by chance. I believe that luck comes from action and that people make their own luck, like Gary Player says, “the more I practice, the luckier I get.” Implement these 4 simple exercises into your life and luck will favor you as well.
Ted Talk: Why Sneakers are a Great Investment by Josh Luber (11 mins 51 secs)
If only I knew about this place while I worked at Finishline and still had all of my shoes. I could’ve made a fortune. In last week’s post, I talked about how I’m a sneakerhead and how I still get hyped about shoe releases and love Nike’s new store. Josh took his passion for sneakers to another level. He created his own site stockx.com, a price guide for sneakers that acts like a stock market where people can buy and sell shoes while tracking their portfolio.
The reason this works is because Nike has manipulated the value of each shoe by controlling the supply, driving the demand of the secondary shoe market through the roof. For over 15 years Nike has done this, now people enter lotteries and/or camp out for shoe releases since they know they can resell the shoes at a dramatically increased value. Although they weren't Nike’s I won a lottery for a pair of shoes once and sold them for a $500 profit as soon as I walked out of the store. If I waited a week I could’ve made $800. You wouldn’t believe how much the shoes cost now.
This tremendously benefits Nike of course, and it gives regular people incredible opportunities to prosper also. The problem is authenticity and transparency. Without a regulated secondary market, anything can happen. I remember being in Facebook groups with people selling what one could only hope were authentic shoes and seeing people get scammed time and time again. eBay isn’t any better. What Josh is doing has revolutionized the shoe market and has changed the lives of a lot of buyers and sellers. This might make me get back into the shoe game when I get home.
Bonus: Recipe: Bourbon Cough Syrup for Grownups by The Kitchn (27 secs)
It’s that time of year again, the weather starts to change and almost immediately you begin to feel it. I’m not talking about the excitement of having a huge family gathering while eating turkey and watching football games, not the holiday spirit that comes from seeing the unnecessarily early Christmas decorations, not even the feeling of relief knowing that this year is coming to an end and a fresh year is rolling in #newyearnewme.
I’m talking about sore throats, runny noses, drowsiness, all the aches and pains. I’m talking about cold season. To bring a little joy to these otherwise dreary times, here’s a little DIY remedy that I found to make these times seem not so terrible. I don’t know if this drink actually helps or if the whiskey just makes you “feel” better. But hey, it’s worth a shot… or two, or five.
Quote: One of the secrets of life is to keep our intellectual curiosity acute — William Lyon Phelps
I end all of my posts with “To your growth! Stay curious…” because, like William, I believe curiosity is the fundamental basis to growth. Throughout history the greats like Da Vinci, Ben Franklin, Einstein and Steve Jobs thrive because they were curious. All of their biographers recognized that their innate, childlike curiosity was a key component in their success. So forget about the saying curiosity killed the cat and question everything. Don’t believe what you hear or read — not even what comes from me — do your research and find out what is true for yourself. Let curiosity be your teacher, follow your curiosity for it will be the compass that guides your path. Stay curious my friends!
What was your favorite bullet in this post? If you had to pick only one bullet to keep in this post what would it be and why and if you had to get rid of one what would it be and why? Send a message or comment below.
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To your growth! Stay curious…
P.S. If you want my notes for the book above, send me an email with the subject “Notes for (insert book name)” and I will happily share.
