Arman's Antics (#087)
Latest from the curious contrarian
Hola partner,
I don’t know why you’ve come. But I’m glad you’re here.
Coming to you live from Austin, Texas.
Here’s your weekly dose of Arman’s Antics — five things I’ve been exploring or pondering that will give you a good think, laugh, cry (or a nasty combination of the three).
Let’s give it up for the thirty-five new subscribers receiving this for the first time (680 total). I don’t take your attention lightly.
Fingers crossed nobody reads this, but if you do, please keep it to yourself.
Essay I wrote this week
Would you rather succeed wildly by doing what others told you to do or fail spectacularly doing exactly what you want to do?
Fail doing what you want to do
Make sure you fail doing exactly what you want to do. That, you can live with. Unlike most advice swirling around in the culture, this bit caught my eye and deserves some further exploration.
Book I want to reread
Die With Zero by Bill Perkins.
I used to despise reading with every bone in my body.
But personal finance and investing books changed that for me a decade ago.
I’ve read many of the classics, but they all start to sound the same after a while.
Then I stumbled upon this gem. If I had to sum it up in one line it’d be — the stupidity of indefinitely delayed gratification.
Here’s the description:
…A startling new and provocative philosophy as well as a practical guide on how to get the most out of your money—and out of your life. It’s intended for those who place lifelong memorable experiences far ahead of simply making and accumulating money for one’s so-called “golden years.” In short, Perkins wants to rescue you from over-saving and under-living…
It’s hard to present a contrarian and convincing take on money.
But this book delivers the goods.
Beware: your favorite financial guru will probably hate this.
Rap freestyle I’m enjoying on repeat
My wife rolls her eyes every time she walks in on me watching yet another freestyle.
What can I say? I’m a sucker for a banger.
Enjoy.
Wasting time
Jerry Seinfeld’s secret to life is — wasting time in ways that you like.
I love that.
I often have to resist the urge to always feel like I’m doing something productive.
Why is it so hard to waste time in a meaningful way?
Not meaningful in the eyes of others. Just meaningful to you.
I love wasting time playing basketball, watching rap freestyles, and going for long random walks around the neighborhood.
But I have to remind myself that none of this time is truly wasted if I enjoy it.
What’s your preferred method of time wasting?
Random thought
They didn’t teach me how to live at school. They taught me everything else.
That’s it for the 87th edition of Arman’s Antics.
Most people aren’t curious. You’re not most people.
And now back to your regularly scheduled nonstop scrolling.
Cheers,
Arman
Die With Zero is such a great book and philosophy for living. Great recommendation.
Also loved the section on wasting time. I'm still trying to convince myself of this (not an easy task): "none of this time is truly wasted if I enjoy it."
Thanks for writing, Arman.
Wasted time is what I call unfocused time. Time that’s lead by curiosity