Trust, invented in the medieval times to offer a peace of mind to those who might not return from the battlefield. A soldier give authority of their assets to carry their intentions.
As times changed, trusts evolved. It can avoid hefty inheritance tax, bypass processes and protect assets.
These are financial tools are worth understanding. More than using them, you might learn if someone is worth your trust depending on how they are using these tools.
Why am I so energy and time-poor?
As I reflected on the question, I was surprise by how many reasons emerges.
This got me thinking about advice. How can I possibly offer the right advice without knowing the nuance?
How can I ask the right question to know the problem?
I learned two new words this week that I really like, reductive and provocative.
Sometimes I hear an explanation, “We are just atom, vibrating”., “We are just energy”.
It is technically true, but something is missing. That’s reductive.
Reductive doesn’t mean untrue. It means cutting away too much truth.
Is business just about making money? Is love the answer? Is that just trauma?
Provocative, it sounds exactly like what it means.
It explain why it’s okay to exaggerate (emotions, stories or our clothes) to get it across and land in our head.
Picture the world’s attention as onebig squishy pile of apathy. To cut through, our idea, music or business, has to be both true and provocative.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is reductive and provocative.
Warnings prevent unhappy screaming customers.
People want to do the right things, if you care enough to inform them.
Who would miss me if I’m gone?
Did I earn the benefit of the doubt from people I respect?
When I’m home to my family, am I a better person?
Did I leave a footprint that I’m proud of?
Did I do my best today?
What feels like a day well-spent?
It’s short-term capitalism.
Capitalism, together with industrialism and technology, has given pencils, books and air conditioning. It got us through COVID with record-low harm (the Spanish flu killed 50 million people).
It continues to gift us new innovations that we rely on every day.
Short-term capitalism, however, tries hard to create lock-in, inflate prices, reduce competition, and innovation. It treats humans as a cog and seeks to maximise profits without creating value.
Capitalism is an extraordinary engine. Like any vehicle, we need guardrails (policies to prevent monopolies), a diagnostic system (to call out the bad actors), and effective steering (policies) to guide it in the right direction.
We’re told lies about purpose. An object, a purpose. But if you squint hard, your clothes, your shoes and your phone, it’s hardly just for the function, looks or price.
The same is true for work. And maybe that’s why you’re unhappy.
Liz pointed out there are 4 ways to think about your work.
Job – is something do it for money. It doesn’t need to be awesome. It doesn’t have to fulfil you. It’s doesn’t even have to be joyful. It just has to pay.
Career – is like a job, one that you’re passionate about. You’re willingly to put in extra, sacrifice for, because it matters to you.
Hobby – is something you do for fun. There are no stakes, and it doesn’t have to make you famous. You do because it make you feel you’re more than a cog in the machine.
Vocation – the holiest, most scared of all. It is like a hobby, but also mystical. It is a calling, a divine invitation for you to create in this way.
Melville worked as custom inspector while writing Moby Dick. Einstein had his breakthrough while working in the patent office. They both enjoy a life filled with a multitude of hobbies. It was only until much later their vocation became their career.
Industries come and go. If the book business went away, guess what Melville would do.
If you think that just because you have a job, you are not allow pursue your fascinations. You’re probably in a career that you hate (then go get a job), or you’re little lazy and a little lacking in self-accountability.
Don’t surrender your agency and revert to the numbing day-to-day grind of compliance. Think about what those words mean to you, and what kind of life you like to lead. You can do better.
Probably the most famous cellist in the world, Yo-Yo Ma, played free in the subway station. Thousands walked by, not realising they missed a performance of a lifetime.
A Banksy painting got auctioned for $1.4 million and immediately shredded itself. The shredded remains may now be worth even more.
Lynn, a inventor, had a brilliant idea to offer to market. It’s her passion and she have a vision. For nine months, every toy company in America was mean to her. She pivoted to the book business, and sold more than 5 million copies of her first book.
Why did no one stop to hear Yo-Yo Ma? Why would shredded paper be worth more? Why wouldn’t toy companies give Lynn a chance?
Where are placing yourself (and your work)?
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