Memento mori. And also once you have a kid, or kids, memento more for your kids. Also your mom, your partner, etc.

In this short and uncertain world in which we all live in… I suppose the big question is this:

What do you desire to build or create or develop, while you’re still alive? 

Simple thoughts

Everybody has a different Archimedes lever, a place to stand, gifts talents etc.  I think the best way to think about life and how to approach life is realizing this:

Not desiring the skills or talents of others, that which you don’t have.

For example, I don’t know how to program, write code, develop in the tradition computer science. However, I’m really good at building websites, blogging, riding, thinking, coming out with creative ideas etc.

Thus, I feel the most effective way to approach life is to maximize your commutes lover, rather than wasting time on that which you’re not really good at, rather, keep leveraging that with you’re really good at and strong at.

For example, let us use weightlifting as an example. Rather than trying to improve a lift that you are really poor, or you have poor leverage in, better to maximize your strength and your leverage and your training on the lifts which you are really good at.

Traditional education is broken

I’ll give you an example, traditional K-12 education is broken in so far much as this generalized idea that one must be “well-balanced”, in all the subject categories.

However, the reason why I think this is a poor strategy is that truth be told, once contribution to the world and society is based on typically one or two really good skills, not the weak ones.

For example, I am very poor at math, traditional sciences. And funny enough, I’ve essentially made my living from writing and photography, yet I never really did that well in English class, and by traditional sense, I have “bad “English. Also, I never went to art school, the guitar school, I never studied photography formally, but, I’m the most successful photographer that I know.

Also, in finance, economics, investing… Once again, I have never studied economics formally, or business, yet I have been very successful in my investments insulations, because I have the outside effect; I could think outside the box, because am not a slave to traditional thinking.

Why make an impact?

I think it is the desire of each and every single human being to make an impact, create a legacy, etc. There are different ways people do this. Some people do this by having kids, some people do this by writing books, articles, videos, making art etc.

In fact, when you make art, or you write stuff, it is like your metaphorical children. I think this is why before you have kids, you’re really focused on writing, and producing art. But once you have a kid or multiple children, you then realize then you’re next and new and ultimate art project is actually in fact your kids.

The solution for artists  

Funny enough, a lot of writers, photographers, artist often have creative block, in which they have a difficult time finding motivation or inspiration to make art. But ever since Seneca was born, even while Cindy was pregnant, this has been by far the most photographically productive I have ever been. I think in the past I struggled with pictures, but now, I shoot on average of around 1000 photos a day. In fact, I’m shooting so much that even right now, I have a very very difficult time keeping up. 

Ideas

I been studying a lot of bitcoin lately, I think the best new way I’m thinking about bitcoin is making the analogy that bitcoin is like the new App Store for the iPhone. Trying to learn how to virtuously use bitcoin as the developmental platform, the new open protocol.

I’ll give you a good example of an idea, which is very simple: how to get rid of advertisements on the Internet. I think bitcoin is the solution.

A very very simple idea; to create a new sharing website or platform which has zero advertisements.