The fragile balance

A difficult start does not define the rest of your life.

Born in 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon, Keanu Reeves’ life began with an instability that would last throughout his childhood and teenage years. But he chose to find stability in chasing his own aspirations and grew into a man who takes responsibility for his own life and decisions.

It can be more rewarding than riches.

Keanu is thought to have made about $110 million from Matrix, $75 million of which he reportedly gave to the special effects team and costume design department. He also bought the entire stunt team their own Harley Davidson motorcycles. Over the years, Keanu has also given millions to charities including PETA, the SickKids Foundation, and Stand Up To Cancer.

The financial crisis of 2008 showed that the system can buckle anytime and money may not always be worth the same.

As we get hyper-connected, the state-backed authority of currency, and what Money is really worth, is being rethought. Society has historically tried to invent new forms of currency, most recent being Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency.

The idea of Facebook's Libra, an attempt to create a new currency made from the architecture that powers Bitcoin, is that the value of new money is not derived from state authority, but a combination of mathematics, global connectivity, and trust that resides in people using Facebook.

Get a cheaper living situation: Live in a smaller house that needs less stuff to fill it or get a roommate.

The personal finance rule of thumb is to spend no more than one-third of your income on rent. 

If you can read, you can cook. If you can read and cook, you can use meal planning and prep to save time, money, and improve your health.

Base your menu for the week on two things: what you already have in the house and what is on sale at your supermarket.

Investing and passive income disrupt the time-money relationship.

To make money without having to trade any of your time frees up your time to ultimately do things that are more important to you.

• Make as much money as you can
• Keep your expenses low
• Invest the difference
• The more you invest, the faster your money will compound and bring you more money
• Sit back and earn money with no effort. You are no longer trading your time for money.

Over the long term, it's not as much about the dollar amount you save, but the percentage of your income that you dedicate to saving and investing. By focusing on percentages, you can ensure you're always saving more as you earn more. 

Most people react to their finances. The problem with that is that you rely on chance to have enough money in the bank when you actually need it. Be intentional about your money and spend time reviewing and evaluating it. If you don't, you'll never know if you're moving in the right direction or not.

You need to have a beginning that builds to a middle and an ending, or at least an idea of where you’re going, as it is key to explore your themes and foreshadow things properly.

Another important thing is to revise your writings. Your first draft is likely to contain multiple errors, poorly phrased sections, and inconsistencies.

To do it, you must know what your audience expects from the type of writing you’re doing and then defy it.

Without the surprise, without the twist, if you don’t pull the wool over the audience’s eyes, then it’s unlikely you’re going to be memorable. It’s precisely the fact that things are not what they seem that makes a story interesting.

The theory is that if everyone has high self-esteem, then everyone will be successful and live a happy life. If a society was inoculated with high self-esteem, it would end poverty, crime, and violence.

But, one should take into account that high self-esteem could be the result of success, not necessarily the cause. Also, thinking that only one thing can explain how to be successful, is probably naive.

There’s actually very little correlation between self-esteem and success.  Research on self-esteem strongly correlates with how good people feel, in general. 

Self-esteem is complex and can be a good or a bad thing, depending on what is measured. 

• Understanding how the way we tend to think about things affects our moods and emotions
• Clarifying our values and strategizing about the most effective path toward them
• Learning to communicate directly and assertively in relationships or the workplace
• Building self-confidence in social situations
• Acquiring more effective parenting skills and techniques
• Working through complicated grief or loss

Ultimately, therapy is about growth and creating opportunities for positive change.

And in addition to improving traditional mental health struggles, therapy can also be a powerful and efficient way to make progress on personal goals or aspirations.