“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
-Wayne Dyer
During my massage therapy, Winston (not his real name, and of course not the UK former prime minister) told me financial problems are 99% the cause of wellness problems in North- America. I thought health was wealth, so I pushed back. Then he asked me the following rapid-fire questions!
HOW SMART ARE YOU ABOUT MONEY?
- True or False? If you look rich, you are likely rich.
- True or False? If you want to play on the team, go to the gym. If you want to own the team, go to the library.
- True or false? Financial success isn’t buying more stuff. It’s learning to live on less than you make.
- True or false? If I could make a lot, I would give a lot.
- True or false? Money makes a good person better and a bad person worse.”
- True or false? Most Americans are wealthy.
Good money management is about having the right mindset than being a math nerd. You can access answers to the above questions and much more information in the financial well-being chapter of my book ALIVE OR NOT ALIVE.
This past weekend, we arrived at the Apple Store within minutes as we listened to Afrobeat music choice architecture in my car. It was the last summer weekend here in the North Hemisphere. I am always intentional with my two kids. The wisdom of Vivek Ramaswamy echoed in my ears; ‘fatherlessness’ has contributed to the increasing mental health issues in the Western world. It’s that true?
Humans and primates are predominantly visual researchers, as many of the neurons in the frontal part of our brain respond to visual stimuli. The adage is so true-“More is caught than taught.”
My next book is on choice architecture, so bear with me!
I find the choice of architectural design of the local mall fascinating, but most people are unaware of this phenomenon and later blame the gods for their stupidity! I smiled and looked at my daughter, asking What she thought about Apple Choice architecture. She said it's fascinating.
My daughter wanted a new headphone after her old headphones got broken. She has been borrowing her brother's headphones and hopes she has learned the need to repair the roof on rainy days.
We are all creatures of habit, right?
We talked about the rule of 1/3 while driving down to the local mall: "Save 1/3, share 1/3, and spend 1/3". I have a spin on this wisdom and quickly added investing in your 'growth mindset' because compound interest is the most fascinating and complex system. It's the 8th wonder of the world, attributed to Albert Einstein. As we waited in Apple’s fantastic choice of Architecture, we finally spoke to this young guy; his name is John (not his real name). We both agreed that Steve Jobs is an incredible entrepreneur; his aroma, genius, and vision permeate the local Apple architecture.
The wisdom from one of my mentors came to mind, ‘You pay now or later.’ This wisdom applies to everything, including parenting! I am sure my family, friends, and colleagues reading this newsletter now know why I am paying the parenting price now when it’s enjoyable!
Minutes later, we completed our purchase, ‘paid cash,’ and headed home.
Johnny asked, Do you need apple care?
I turned to my daughter, and she said NO. She asked, do the headphones come with a 1-year guarantee? Johnny responded the warranty does cover the hardware and software but does not include incidental damage to the products.
My eyes caught the GST price tag, and I mused, ‘Taxes, change, and death are the only constant things in life.’
Did she make the right decision?
Like most parents, I believe my two kids are prodigies( biased on this?), but we shall see in the next few weeks or months.
Annie got a great black-beat headphone, with Beyoncé music; we felt we were in the studio with Beyoncé performing Halo live.
Remember those walls I built?
Well, baby, they’re tumbling down.
And they didn’t even put up a fight
They didn’t even make a sound
I found a way to let you in
I never really had a doubt
I can feel your Halos.
I can see your halos.
- Beyoncé Knowles
Do you know every time you play ‘Halo’ from your Apple music, Beyoncé is paid royalties? OMG! She responded Is that the same concept? Every time someone reads a chapter in your book ALIVE OR NOT ALIVE on Amazon Kindle, for example, the chapter on financial well-being, Amazon pays you a royalty. Indeed, with a smile on my face. ‘Making money while you are asleep is working clever and not complicated.
I shoved the book ‘Millionaires Next Door’ to her to read.’
According to my editor, Carol, most books on wellness, including the so-called ‘New York Best Sellers,’ are great. Still, the problem is that they lack the most crucial cause of family problems and divorce in North America. She thinks the financial well-being chapter in my book ALIVE OR NOT ALIVE is a rare gem, and it’s worth more than $ 9.99 the price of the book!
“Niran, I wished someone gave me this book before my retirement!”- Carol.
Do you have a retirement plan?
Do you know 99% of the world’s population only consider their retirement planning six months before retirement? Really, I asked that’s was the conversation I had with a white couple, currently semi-retired, I met recently during my recent neighbor engagement. They kindly shared an excellent resource on YouTube: ‘What shall we do with our old.’
Sorry, I missed that, “What shall we do with our old?’
What do you think? And what can we learn from the ‘melodramatic’ narrative?
In 1911, what shall we do with our old? In the movie, which you can find on ‘YouTube,’ an elderly carpenter is forced into retirement because of a younger and stronger colleague. Because the carpenter is old, he could not find another job and ran out of money. Consequently, they were starving and desperate. The carpenter steals food from the nearby shop but is caught and arrested. The Judge shows mercy, but it’s late. The carpenter’s wife dies all because he was forced into retirement.
Do you need help with financial problems?
Do you need help with financial Coaching?
What is the chance I will live up to 85?
What is the first step you need to take to improve your relationship with money?
This week, we discussed the Marshmallow test in our Gold newsletter and, most importantly, the story of 4 Canadians in their 50s, debt-free, traveling around Canada, having fun, and building wealth. They have swallowed the red pill, right?
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“A rich person rules poor people, and a borrower is a slave to a lender.”
-Proverbs 22:7
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