2 of the Most Important Things We Should Be Informed About in Life

Nik
(Image via Flickr)

It’s a miracle that your life started.

In June 2013, the global money supply for U.S. dollars, considering all available cash, checks, checking accounts etc. equaled about $2.5 trillion. The odds of being born as a human – everything considered, are about 1:400 trillion.

That’s insane. Most of the time we take our lives for granted, yet we don’t even remotely understand how we got here in the first place.

It’s a miracle that your life started.

Be grateful for it.

It’s a certainty that your life will end.

In the time it took you to read the first part of this answer, 64 people have died. Another 151,540 will part this world like they did, just in the next 24 hours.

Yes, we live to be older and older and maybe, we’ll all live to be 120 one day. Maybe, we’ll all become cyborgs by 2045.

But no matter how you look at it, or how many years you add, so far, in 200,000 years of human history, not a single one has escaped death altogether.

It’s a certainty that your life will end.

Act like it.

However much time you have in between and whatever you do with it, as long as you keep those two in mind, every single day, you’ll do just fine.

Optimism: Definition, Explanation & The Ultimate Guide to Go From Being a Pessimist to Becoming an Optimist

Nik

Right this second, someone is recording a Youtube video, grinning from ear to ear, trying to sell you on the idea that if you’re not happy, there’s something wrong with you. Even worse, there’s probably also someone writing an article claiming they can show you how to fix it in seven easy steps.

First off, there is nothing wrong with you. If you don’t want to run around the streets naked right now or aren’t at the verge of a positivity-induced ecstatic breakdown, that’s just fine. What’s not fine is that there is a massive storm of fake happiness going on out there, and it leads to the kind of bad advice and “just be happy” bullying I just mentioned.

Today, you and I will identify, criticize, and debunk fake happiness. You will learn why people confuse happiness and something else, namely optimism. You will understand the true meaning and definition of optimism.

We will also learn how science defines optimism, which traits make a person optimistic, and how you can develop those traits in yourself, no matter whether you are an optimist or a pessimist right now. Let’s start by looking at 200 million pieces of terrible advice.

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What Trends Are We Likely To See in Ad Tech in 2017?

Nik

Friction-free impulse buying on mobile devices.

The web browser is already disappearing on mobile phones, as more and more apps allow cross-platform browsing.

Not having to switch to another app or go to your browser to complete a purchase after seeing an ad will spike impulse buys, because it will eventually reduce friction to zero (or rather one tap with your finger).

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3 Things You Can Do Right Now To Increase Your Productivity

Nik

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” — Albus Dumbledore

1. Have a collection bucket.

In the Harry Potter series, Dumbledore has a “pensieve” in his office. He uses it to return to thoughts and memories, which he pulls out of his head using his wand to file them away for another day.

Distracting thoughts probably cost the world trillions of dollars in lost productivity each year. They’re in your head, but very real.

I find the best thing I can do is to pull them out and store them somewhere. David Allen calls this a “collection bucket” in GTD.

Just have a notebook or use the notes app on your phone, and whenever you think of something distracting you want to remember or get back to later, put it there. Review the bucket regularly. I try to empty mine every Friday.

For example, if you remember you have to buy milk in the middle of a task, put it there and the thought will stop nagging you instantly.

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If You Could Call Yourself Five Years Ago and Had 30 Seconds, What Would You Say?

Nik

January 10th, 2012. Rrrrrring.

“Hey Nik, I don’t have much time, but this is important: stop worrying so much about your fucking grades and start earning your own money.

I know you’re stressed out, because in 4 weeks exams will start and you’re taking more than ever this year, but trust me on this. Grades don’t mean shit and they’re not gonna open you the doors you think they will.

However, not having to rely on your parents’ money to live is something you’ll be proud of for the rest of your life.

And yes, you’ll fail that math exam you postponed because you shat your pants last time. But even that will be okay.

Now go work for Starbucks, that’ll really teach you something.”

How Is Brand Building Best Done Using Social Media?

Nik

Social media is great for listening and engaging. Social media is all about people. And all brands are run by, surprise, people.

The listening and engaging part IS what builds the brand.

If you’re building a brand for cross-country motorcyclists, then your only job is to care about cross-country motorcyclists.

  • Help them,
  • serve them,
  • make them feel better,
  • ask questions,
  • answer questions,
  • give them something to think about,
  • ask them for direct feedback,
  • make them think,
  • show them respect,

and, most importantly, don’t rip them off for a short-term gain, because long-term, your brand only exists because of them.

If you care more about cross-country motorcyclists than anyone in the world, prove it and one day, you’ll be the most popular cross-country motorcyclist brand ever.

How Do I Acquire the Millionaire Mindset?

Nik

Last year, I’ve written 365 book summaries. Among the books I learned from were many like the ones you refer to, like The Millionaire Next Door, The Millionaire Fastlane or Secrets of The Millionaire Mind.

The truth is none of the things I learned actually moved me closer to being a millionaire. Writing the summaries on a blog that makes money did.

A blog I was writing because writing is the thing I want to become insanely good at, the thing I have tons of fun doing, the thing I want to do to change the world.

And if one day I become so good at it that the world can’t help but make me a millionaire, then that’s cool. If not, that’s perfectly fine too.

You can go through a million mindsets without ever making any progress, because if deep down your shit is broken, no mindset will get you those 7 digits.

As long as you’re chasing the million just for the sake of money, you won’t keep any mindset long enough to actually get it.

If you have the right why, if you’re doing something you can commit to, because it’s fun, meaningful and you have a talent for it, almost any of all these positive mindsets will get you there.

When you have your priorities in the right order, all you have to do is one thing:

Make more money than you spend.

Making more is hard. It takes time. It takes skills. It doesn’t happen fast.

What’s easy is spending less. Don’t spend your money on dumb shit.

  • Don’t buy a house.
  • Don’t buy a car.
  • Don’t buy a TV.
  • Don’t buy new clothes unless your old ones are tearing apart.
  • Buy good food.
  • Rent a good place.
  • Save and invest the rest.

Take a percentage out of your paycheck that goes right to the bank. Take another cut and put it in stocks. Take another and invest it in business ideas.

Once you do that, life becomes a fun journey you never want to end. Regardless of the money.