Comment on Summer Job Ideas For Teens by Matt @ Distilled Dollar.
I wish I saw this list in high school!
Nowadays, I’ve noticed a few of my professional colleagues and friends become tutors for admission tests. Similar to your tutoring example above, many of these people are pros at the GMAT/LSAT/GRE/etc and they’re able to share their knowledge. The one big advantage they say is tutoring a student after college is easier since the student himself/herself is invested.
My summer job back in the day was boring. I would drive to pick up supplies or move items around. Pretty much janitorial level work (including cleaning bathrooms). I wish I could say I learned some lessons during that time, but really, I just kept thinking I needed to be paid for my thoughts/ideas as opposed to my time. That’s one of the sparks that led me to graduate with an accounting degree and become a CPA. No more cleaning toilets! 🙂
Recent Comments by Matt @ Distilled Dollar
The Ups and Downs of Blogging
I love this post! I haven’t left a comment on a site in a while now, but I felt a need to write one here.
Your third point on accountability resonated with me and I feel many don’t understand until they’re in the process of writing/declaring goals to the public. Without an online outlet, I’m convinced the DD household would only have had a marginal improvement in 2016. Instead, blogging gave me a route to see so many great sites, share ideas, and most importantly, have those great readers offer me advice, insights, and of course, accountability.
I don’t have any insights into what more you can write about. I feel that’s one of those questions you know the answer to already 😉 What I can say is keep being authentic. Many bloggers online write flashy headlines and you can tell they’re looking for a quick profit. We all know it doesn’t work that that way and many of those burn out quickly.
Keep up the great work!
How Does Elon Musk Get So Much Done?
I’m also a big fan of Elon Musk since I purchased Tesla shares back in 2013. Too bad SpaceX is a privately held company!
When I think of the word success, Elon Musk comes to mind for the modern era. I’m not sure I have anyone else in that boat, and I know Elon has plenty of flaws, but overall, I find him truly inspiring. And he’s only 45!
The one thing I have noticed with people like Musk is they have a strong ability to say No, and at the same time, they have a laser like focus on specific tasks at hand. Sure, they give grand presentations on long term strategic thinking, but it only serves as a method to align the organization. Once the alignment happens, then it is time to dive into the nuts and bolts. In Elon’s case, his desk is in the middle of the factory floor. He’s put himself in a position where outside distractions are put to a minimum.
Much of the productivity we can make up in our lives doesn’t come from adding tasks to our plate, but comes from removing waste. Similar to our budgets, we end up with much more if we can remove the heavy baggage.
Feedback Welcome and Appreciated
Two great philosophies – especially the first.
I’m glad you’ve taken to dive deep into what the original purpose was. I’ve seen a lot of newer bloggers focus exclusively on the numbers and I think that can be a negative path. Sure, it is great to see numbers go up, but was the original purpose of the blog to see the numbers move?
As you’ve highlighted, the best parts about creating a site have been interacting with people directly (thank you internet), developing skills and having people keep you accountable by providing feedback and insights.
Being hard on yourself can be a constructive tool, but it can also lead to a negative cycle. I think you’re finding the right balance for it to be useful in your life.
State of Uncertainty
I agree the world is a hectic place and seems to be getting worse. Great point made by Steve in the comments, that the 24 hour news cycle seems to only add fuel to the fire.
My approach has been to (for the most point), ignore it. My time is already stretched pretty thin between my career, my family, my social relationships, and of course my girlfriend. To add to that, I’m preparing for another triathlon this summer and trying to read a new book once every other week. The last thing I want to do that at the end of a long day is turn on the television to see images of war, murder and poverty.
While I wish I can make a difference today, I know that I’m still weak in the sense that I depend on my career to pay me an income. I like to think once I hit financial independence, I’ll have the time and energy capable of making a small change at a local level. This might not be everyone’s approach, but I believe we should make ourselves strong before we try to make others strong.
Excellent post and glad you took the time to write a bit outside of your “normal topics”.
Financial Slacker 2.0
Based on the other comments, it sounds like you know what to do! I think incorporating the personal side to financial planning makes it easier on everyone.
Props to running three different sites at once, that is impressive!
