Friday reads – volume 6

And here are the lineups for this week…

I retired a millionaire at 30 — and now I know why everyone is so unhappy – Business Insider 

“I just want to feel a peace. I want to feel calm and present. I want to feel alive. I want to feel at one with the world and myself. I don’t want to be shackled by worry about money or the future. I want to feel at ease. Like I’ve found my rhythm. Like I’m in the right place. That “peaceful easy feeling.”

An article that Dave shared on the Minimalist in the City facebook page, this article resonated with many, even though we might not yet be retired. Is retirement, or early retirement, the answer to the problems that we have? It might be, but until we can realise inherently why that is so, it could probably just solve the issues in passing.

5 Years On… Is The 15HWW Still Relevant? – My15hourworkweek 

“Life will never be perfect and there’s likely some things you will miss about work besides the monthly salary. There are some invisible perks to work besides the income, especially part-time or self-employed work, where the upsides could likely outweigh the downsides.”

My15hourworkweek wrote a pretty compelling piece on the 15 hour work week. Everyone’s circumstances are different and as he shared his thoughts, what you are gravitating towards?

The Link Between Simple Living and Finding Your True Self – Becoming Minimalist

“In an apartment full to the brim of the things she’d collected in her 85 years of life, she simply sat and waited. When it came down to it, nothing meant more than letting her daughter know she was okay and getting some food in her body to give her the energy to get through the morning.”

Personal relationships outlast stuff. That’s the way it should be.

Dealing with Addiction and Its Financial Consequences – A Personal Story – Money with A Purpose 

“Once you start, it’s hard to turn it off. They are phenomenal at getting you to feel sorry for them. Their stories. Their logic. Even their excuses somehow seem to make sense. Seeing your son or daughter suffer and not helping is one of the hardest things a parent will ever do.” 

A dark, yet first hand account told by a dad, addiction is an unexplored topic and how it hurts personal finance is definitely a direct one. Especially, when you are “funding” their habits unknowingly and the recurrences there after.

Non cogito, ergo sum – 1843 Magazine 

“Unthinking is the ability to apply years of learning at the crucial moment by removing your thinking self from the equation. Its power is not confined to sport: actors and musicians know about it too, and are apt to say that their best work happens in a kind of trance. Thinking too much can kill not just physical performance but mental inspiration. Bob Dylan, wistfully recalling his youthful ability to write songs without even trying, described the making of “Like a Rolling Stone” as a “piece of vomit, 20 pages long”. It hasn’t stopped the song being voted the best of all time.”

A timely read since it’s the World Cup season. Makes me wonder if that is the reason for those penalty misses. Perhaps it is more applicable on the goalkeeper? Soccer aside, are we overthinking so much so that perhaps if we “unthink” and make decisions, that could yield better results?

And here’s a quote to round it up.