New Content… Please
As long-term readers are well aware, 2018 was a very tumultuous year for me. The year got started off awesome enough, with many of my mining stocks hitting historic highs and yours truly watching their portfolio eclipse $1 million in profits. Unfortunately, all that good news and euphoria was very short lived…
Like is usually the case when it comes to life, it’ll throw you a few curveballs when you least expect (want) them…
For myself, unfortunately, I spent a better part of the first half of 2018 exasperating myself day and night trying to extricate myself from a most horrible real estate situation out in South Chicago. To say that whole ordeal burned me out would be a huge understatement, as it really (probably) was the worst experience of my life. I mean, it was something so heinous, I just wanted to get out ASAP and to help out as many other people as I could in the process of getting myself out too. When the Shitcago dust finally settled, I walked away losing -$200,000.
EEEEEEK!!!
Yeah, that’ll leave a permanent scar, no doubt…
Please, have some sympathy/empathy/something, it was really tough, tough, tough, brutal times…
Anyway, the second half of 2018, yeah, you could say it didn’t go according to script (what script?), with even more changes going on in my life… Although I have shared a bulk of details about my own personal life on this blog, there are some things I have kept to myself, and especially when stuff is happening right there and then, it usually takes some time before one wants to open up about it…
Without getting into too many details, while the first half of 2018 was pure hell, there was definitely a silver lining, and the year capped off with me feeling a renewed sense of self-worth, belief, confidence, and just that whole attitude that I can do it… and get shit done. I finally got to incorporate something into my life that was previously a massive void waiting (needing) to be filled. Ya’ll can probably figure out what that was…
Which helps greatly explain where my mindset was in late 2018… To be honest, I wasn’t fixated on this blog as much as I know that I need to be, moving forward…
But trust me, I really needed that time for my own personal life… To embrace entirely. And I’ll be better off because of it.
It was time absolutely well spent.
When 2019 first started, I got to work right away and was uploading fresh content to YouTube, while also working hard on writing a lithium ebook. Things were going well enough, but a lot of momentum was lost (along with progress) when I had to cut things short and depart Manila for a previously planned vacation already booked to explore some other islands in the Philippines. A short while later, I kind of got sick and have been fighting a rather nasty cough/cold for awhile now…
Thinking I needed a breath of fresh air (literally), I left polluted Manila and am now writing to you all from Bali. Currently, I’m staying at a resort that is literally like a 5 minute walk away from the beach.
It’s nice.
And Bali has got a ton of culture, things to do and explore, and all that jazz…
Not to mention, the food is absolutely delicious and totally underappreciated by the global audience… If you haven’t experienced authentic Indonesian/Balinese food, seriously, you’re missing out BIGLY!
My buddy is a big fan of gurami, so I just knew that I had to try some while I was out here…
Gurami ftw!
In addition, here’s the best fried chicken I’ve had abroad this trip (since September 2018)…
Sawah Indah Resto has got some really good food… but it might be a tad on the pricey side for Bali.
And the coconut ice cream from Tukies, in Ubud, was super legit…
Anyway, I could go on and on about how great traveling is and all that, but really, straight up — After you’ve experienced all that stuff for awhile, at the end of the day, you’re likely to want something else (more)…
Damn, I hope that doesn’t read all negative, because really that’s NOT my intention at all!
Like, deep down, I know that I’m a super duper simple guy (these days I live my life out of a suitcase) and I require pretty much not much at all to be perfectly content… and happy…
But, for sure, the luster of traveling and sightseeing and trying all these new things, well, it’s true what they say, after a few years of that, “living the dream”, that stuff can start to get a little old and stale…
Well, maybe NOT for some people, like my brother…
But we aren’t all monkeys (or in his case, born in the year of the monkey), and I guess especially if you’re more inclined to being an introvert (like me), you’re kind of always pondering:
“Ok, I’ve done all this “fun stuff”, so what’s the next step in life?”
Money is absolutely an easy motivator, and really, most people who have earned enough money to never need to work again, still find a way to convince themselves to keep doing it…
Money is a way of keeping score, after all, right?
But, there must be more, too, right?
What is it, that will bring us immense (long-lasting) joy?
Legacy?Being a role model?Giving back and helping others? (I really like this one)Pursuing our true passions?Creating something that to us is very meaningful?Mo money for the sake of mo money?Etc.Really, I’m not quite sure…
I just know that seeing moar and moar islands is starting to lose its appeal (who would have thought?)… Don’t get me wrong, I’ll always appreciate a nice beach, and like in mid-January when I packed my bags and left for Guimaras Island and Camiguin Island, it was a very much appreciated reprieve from grinding it out all day writing…
Anywho, I just wanted to let you guys know that I have no immediate plans of going away… In fact, I know there’s so much content that I need to write/share, and sometimes it feels overwhelming knowing how much work you have staring in front of you…
It’s like preparing to climb another mountain…
And after going up the mountain twice already, I know it’ll take a ton of: drive, commitment, sweat, effort, persistence, etc.
Since I’m still sick right now (*cough* *cough*), naturally, attempting to scale Mt. Everest seems like a completely daunting task, at the moment…
But yeah, that’s kind of what I think a lot of peeps in early FI need to bring that new rush, sensation back in their lives…
It’s kind of crazy, you know, we live in an Instagram world, where for many people, their lives are all about capturing that “amazing” shot so that they can share with all their followers…
God knows why, really?
Do we feel more accomplished with ourselves if our IG lives look amazingly awesome, somehow?
I guess “hell yeah” would be the answer for so many people (especially the millennial generation)…
For someone like me, that’s just not my bag… baby…
But who knows, maybe hearing this from someone who’s full time occupation is currently “bum life” is something early FI seekers might want to think about… It’s not all sunshines and lollipops… Glamour and glitz all the time…
Real life can be rather mundane, uneventful, and blahhhhh…
Or if you’re unfortunate like me, you’ll have gotten sick with a bad cough twice over the last month alone…
With all that said, I’ve got articles to write, books to write, and other stuff to conjure up…
For 2019 and beyond, really, deep down, I just want/need to figure out a way to bring more value to my readership base… I gotta put to pen lots of: stories, experiences, learning points, etc.
In short, that means much more new content!
I guess being able to relate to the Average Joe/Jane fighting for early FI, that’s what gets me up in the morning.
We all find joy and fulfillment through various different means…
Just sharing my own thoughts, now that I’m in Bali…
Just gotta shake this cold/flu bug thing that I’ve got and I should be good to go.
Thanks for reading!