Terry Storch Dispatch w.49.2019
Dispatch w.49.2019
I long to accomplish a great and noble task; but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble. —Helen Keller
This past week I found myself reflecting on investing quite often. Not investing financially, but investing in people and experiences, both big and small. Multiple times each day, we make decisions to invest, stay idle, or make a withdrawal. I don’t get this right as much as I would like, but I am trying to see the small opportunities right in front of me and step in and invest in the moment. When I do this, I am blown away by the return.
The Axis Culture Translator pointed me to Sacha Baron Cohen’s speech at Never is Now where he called social media “the greatest propaganda machine in the world.” Sacha is a very polarizing comedian, but he does his comedy and movies with a deep purpose in mind. He usually takes a very unique path to deliver his point. Whether you agree with him or not, Cohen has brought to light so many issues our country and world face today. In this 24-minute video, you will find some very challenging topics worthy of discussion and debate.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone. But really, what’s with all the hype? Well, it’s simple—money. This year there are six fewer days than last year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and that creates major pressure on retailers. To give a little perspective, Target, Macy’s, and Kohl’s produced approximately 34% of their revenue in the fourth quarter last year, and a large chunk of it is because of this week.
And what about Amazon you ask? Early reports from Yahoo! Finance say Amazon’s Black Friday sales are up 19% YoY. That’s a lot of retail spending! And according to CNN Business, this was the biggest Black Friday ever for online sales. Americans spent $7.4 billion! That number jumps to $11.6 billion if you include Thanksgiving Day!!
Do you take advantage of Black Friday sales? Does it play into your Christmas gift strategy or overall budget and planning? For me, it really hasn’t, which means I’m probably missing out on some significant savings. I am processing how I can better plan and budget accordingly to leverage these sales. The biggest question for me is...can I hold off and wait to make “that purchase” until Black Friday? In YNAB, I could create a budget line item and just put a little away each pay period and create a spending nest egg!
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In this article, Seth Godin reminds us that "The Attention Crisis is Real!" Do you feel it? I know I do! Not only do I personally feel it, but I see it impact my family, my team, and many around me...ALL THE TIME! We can get trapped in the tyranny of the urgent, or the “Oh, I have to do this last thing before I forget.” All of these and so many more examples are just chipping away at our attention. We sacrifice the best for the here and now. Bringing intentionality to our attention and realizing it’s a limited asset is a great start at making improvements. (read more)
If you're looking for new ideas, one way to find them is by looking for heresies. Whoa, I read that and my mind immediately threw up the praise hands emoji! Paul Graham wrote a short and powerful post titled "Novelty and Heresy," and it’s so good. I could quote the entire article, but I will just let you dive in and (read more)
In James Clear’s latest newsletter, he referenced the thought below from his wife, whom he left nameless. I absolutely loved this quote and did some research to give her appropriate credit. However, after 20+ minutes of searching, I could not find her name.
You can be happy with who you are and still want to be better. You can love your body and still want to improve it. You can appreciate your financial state and still want to improve it.
Progress does not require self-loathing. You can feel successful along the way.
On Monday, China and Russia came together and opened a gas pipeline that will have global ramifications. (AP Story) According to the Morning Brew, the pipeline known as the Power of Siberia cost $55 billion. It runs 1,800 miles from Siberian gas fields to China's northern border. By 2025, it will carry the equivalent of Brazil’s annual gas consumption—38 billion cubic meters according to the WSJ notes. Folks, Russia is no laughing matter, and it isn’t just about election hacking. And China isn’t just about tariffs.
I am absolutely blown away that earlier this week we celebrated 400 million Bible App installs. It feels like just months ago YouVersion was a loose idea and concept we were playing around with and then built a website that didn’t really work that well. Today, we see every country and territory daily engage with and use the Bible App. Wow...God is so good!