Do the Opposite #39 - Be Weird or Be Broke, How NOT to Make an Electric Guitar, Constraints are Good for Innovation

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Be Weird or Be Broke

This week as I was diving into my newfound "hobby": learning more about personal finance and money management, I've accidentally stumbled upon Dave Ramsey and his work. His books on personal finance have been on the bestseller lists for years, the most popular being "The Total Money Makeover" with 4.7/5 stars and more than 4000 ratings on Amazon US.

It all started with this video: "Paid Off $61k In Debt In 2.5 Years Making $41k" which caught my attention as I am interested in specific changes people make to change their financial situation. That lead to many more videos that are similar in nature - with people sharing their stories. I am now listening to "The Total Money Makeover" book and liking it a lot!

I love that the author doesn't promise easy solutions and get-rich-quick and such schemes, it's more of a set of principles and rules that he has developed that teach one financial literacy. If you decide to check the book out and take that journey with me (kind of like a book club:) - I would love to hear from you! The book is pretty short but I hope it helps you! You don't have to be in a bad situation financially to reap the benefits though - there are always things to optimize even if you are doing well.

What I want to share today is this video by David: "Be Weird or Be Broke"

In the video David talks about certain inconveniences you might have to suffer through if you decide to radically change your financial situation. This is a perfect mix of the "Do the Opposite" ideas and Financial Independence principles. When you watch the video you will understand what I mean :) David even says that you need to do the opposite from what everyone else does in terms of personal finance decisions and lifestyle. Let me know what you think!


Articles:

1) "No 'yes.' Either 'HELL YEAH!' or 'no'." by Derek Sivers
A decision like this has recently came up in my own life which caused me to remember and refer to Derek's strategy of HELL YEAH! or not at all. It means that if you are thinking of whether to say something you are not entirely sure of or not very excited about - say no. We all have limited time so say yes only to the things that really stir your soul.

2) "Why Constraints Are Good for Innovation" by Oguz A. Acar, Murat Tarakci and Daan van Knippenberg
The authors have reviewed 145 empirical studies that showed that despite the commonly held wisdom that creativity reaches its maximum potential when given absolute freedom of resources and time, in fact creativity and innovation are at their peak when people are constrained by certain limitations and conditions. So if you think that something is holding you back, try to "change the paradigm" and think of ways you can make that constraint a lever you use to get ahead.

3) "The Simple Dutch Cure for Stress" by Alice Fleerackers
We all know that it's very important to be active and spend time outside, but often there seems to be no time for that in our busy schedules. However, recent research shows that even 5 minutes spent outside decrease the stress level. That means we don't have to get over-ambitious with the outdoor activities in order to reap the stress-lowering benefits in our lives.


Videos:

1) "How NOT to Make an Electric Guitar (The Hazards of Electricity)" by Mehdi Sadaghdar ("ElectroBOOM")
Mehdi's channel is absolutely amazing! It's so much fun to watch - because it combines real physics and experiments with demonstrations of everything that could go wrong, in which Mehdi himself is the victim so to speak. I've initially found him through this supercut tweet video compilation of experiment fails, which is hilarious to watch. Also, check out Mehdi's channel ElectroBOOM! for more videos like these!

2) "The Matrix Timeline Finally Explained" (the "Looper" channel)
My friends know that I am a HUGE fan of the Matrix movies and its universe (I even have a Matrix-themed tattoo - "There is no spoon" on my arm :) If you ever were confused as to what's happening in the Matrix trilogy and what it all means, this is a great video to watch. Especially considering that Matrix 4 is in the works!


Tweet that resonated with me

Ethos:

Quotes:

"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest."
― Benjamin Franklin, "The Way to Wealth: Ben Franklin on Money and Success"

The competitor to be feared is one who never bothers about you at all but goes on making his own business better all the time."
― Henry Ford

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Keep doing the opposite,
Alex Kallaway
Website: dotheoppo.site
Twitter: twitter.com/ka11away