What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0146

7251.  You don’t have to suffer like everyone else.  You can live differently, but it all starts with a choice that you won’t be a victim to your circumstances;

7252.  You are not responsible for what’s happened to you, but you are responsible for what you’re going to do;

7253.  You can’t control the outcome of your actions, but you do get to control your actions;

7254.  Every failure contains a treasure trove of valuable lessons if you just take the time to look for them;

7255.  Failed to achieve your previous year’s goals: 1.  Forgive yourself for not achieving the goals you didn’t accomplish; 2.  “Should” goals v. “Must” goals; 3.  Make a 100% commitment to the goal; 4.  Implement a daily, weekly and monthly planning system; 5.  Implement a better time management system; 6.  Practice “The Success Principles;” and 7.  Remove all unconscious limiting beliefs;

7256.  Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world.  S/he who understands it, earns it.  S/he who doesn’t, pays it;

7257.  Dividend payments received from participating life insurance policies aren’t subject to taxes by the Internal Revenue Service because the insurance companies generated the gains off of their policyholders.  In essence, the dividend payments are treated as refunds for overpayment of the premium;

7258.  Leaving what we know and facing the unknown can be a scary move.  That’s why most people rather stay in their misery for the rest of their lives and keep complaining instead of stepping up and attacking their fears head-on;

7259.  Winning means being unafraid to lose;

7260.  Winning usually follows losing;

7261.  For most people, the reason they don’t win financially is because the pain of losing money is far greater than the joy of being rich;

7262.  Brian Mitchell (formerly of the Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants) eats at (Joe) Theismann’s (Restaurant);

7263.  I can say I’ve been drunk with Brian Mitchell;

7264.  Brian Mitchell has a degree in chemical engineering;

7265.  Life is a unique combination of “want to” and “how to.”  We need to give equal attention to both;

7266.  If you want to write covered calls in the safest way possible, always make sure you’re selling a contract with a strike price higher than the price you paid for the shares.  And also remember to factor in all commission costs related to both the underlying investment as well as those paid to open and close the options trade;

7267.  You are not your past.  What’s happened to you has happened to you.  You can’t change it.  You can only change your perception of it;

7268.  (Fried) kale on pizza works;

7269.  How to get out of your comfort zone: 1.  Nobody incentivizes you to step out of your comfort zone, incentivize yourself; 2.  You can get ahead and rise above mediocrity quite easily.  The competition is sleeping; 3.  Take responsibility and ownership of your life; and 4.  Exercise: 10 negative/potentially positive results of stepping out of your comfort zone;

7270.  Apparently, the biggest difference between pastrami and corned beef is that pastrami is smoked after it is cured while corned beef is not. . . . Pastrami is typically cured with a dry rub and corned beef with a brine. . . . Brisket seems to be the most common cut for both;

7271.  You are your greatest asset.  Put your time, effort and money into training, grooming and encouraging your greatest asset;

7272.  Show me somebody who has never failed and I’ll show you a failure;

7273.  The way you can expand your world is by taking small risks and learning from them;

7274.  Our choices are one of the few things in life we can totally control;

7275.  Potbelly (Sandwich Shop) (Potbelly.com) has an “underground” menu. . . . The Wrecking Ball (i.e., a Wreck toasted with meatballs, marinara sauce & topped with lettuce & tomato) is pretty tasty;

7276.  If you look for what’s wrong about the person you’re in a relationship with and store that negative image in your mind then that’s where your relationship exists.  If you change your thoughts to what you love rather than to what you label as wrong, you’ve just changed your entire relationship.  It went from lousy to great by changing your mind;

7277.  You carry every relationship around with you in your head;

7278.  We love the things we love for what they are.  When you forget this and process other people on the basis of what you think they should be, what they used to be or how they compare to what you are then you’ve sent love away and, in your mind, the relationship has soured;

7279.  You experience everything and everyone in your thoughts.  Change your thoughts and you change what you carry around in your head as problems;

7280.  Apparently, there are opioids in milk. . . . It’s to encourage the baby/offspring to eat more. . . . This could explain the addicting nature of dairy products such as cheese and ice cream;

7281.  A dream written down with a date becomes a goal.  A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan.  A plan backed by action becomes reality;

7282.  The difference between profiteroles, éclairs and cream puffs is that profiteroles are frozen and the others are not.  They may all be filled and topped the same way;

7283.  WIN = What’s Important Now?

7284.  The formula for failure is a few errors in judgment repeated every day;

7285.  The formula for success is a few acts of discipline repeated every day;

7286.  Success is the one thing you can’t pay for.  You buy it on an installment plan and make payments every day;

7287.  (Quick, one-minute) oatmeal made with chocolate, almond milk isn’t bad;

7288.  You can feel whatever you feel, but you can’t always do whatever you want to do;

7289.  Most people are afraid to try something new because they are afraid of disappointment.  They are afraid they might make a mistake or be rejected;

7290.  If you want to be successful in life and not just get by, you need to be able to try new things.  And if you do that, be prepared to be disappointed;

7291.  Just like inside every problem lies an opportunity, inside every disappointment lies a (priceless) gem of wisdom.  The key is knowing how to deal with and learn from disappointment;

7292.  The reason there are few, self-made, successful people is because few people can tolerate disappointment.  Instead of learning to face it, they spend their lives avoiding it;

7293.  Just as we learn from our mistakes, we gain character from our disappointments;

7294.  Expect disappointment.  Only fools expect everything to go their way.  Expecting to be disappointed does not mean being passive or a defeated loser.  It is a way of mentally and emotionally preparing yourself to be ready for surprises that you may not want.  This allows you to be calm and dignified when things don’t go your way, which in turn allows you to think better;

7295.  Success takes time and along the way there is much disappointment.  You have to be ready and willing to keep pushing and learning;

7296.  One of the most painful aspects about making mistakes or failing at something is not what other people say about us, but how hard we are on ourselves.  Most people make a mistake and beat themselves up more than anyone else would;

7297.  It’s hard to learn anything new if you punish yourself all the time.  So be kind to yourself;

7298.  We all make mistakes and face disappointments.  The difference lies in how we process them.  This starts with facing the consequences of our actions and telling the truth about why we failed;

7299.  People, who take risks, make mistakes and recover, often do better than people who learned not to make mistakes and are afraid to take a risk;

7300.  Being independent, in the financial aspect of your life, comes when you finally feel free to make mistakes and manage risk;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0145

7201.  When you understand there is not one thing in the whole universe that can touch you, limit you or harm you, but that which acts through your own feeling world then will you come into the fullness of life;

7202.  Researchers Caprariello and Reis found that across 4 studies, it was the inclusion of others that was the key to happiness when it comes to spending extra money;

7203.  Research by Dunn, Aknin, and Norton has shown that there is a happiness boost to spending a small amount of money on someone else whether that be a friend, stranger or for a charity;

7204.  The gang ped yang (i.e., slices of honey, roasted duck simmered in spicy, red, curry sauce with coconut milk served with chunks of pineapple, tomatoes & basil leaves) at Sam Phao Thai Cuisine (SamphaoThaiCuisine.com) in (Old Town) Alexandria is (really) tasty . . . and the duck is so tender;

7205.  By justifying your problems, you recommit to them;

7206.  Give up your personal history.  If you don’t have a story, you don’t have to live up to it;

7207.  The wake is not what drives the boat.  The wake is just a trail that is left behind.  And so is the wake of your life.  The wake doesn’t make the boat go and neither does the wake of your life the reason why your life is going in the direction that it is.  The wake is a trail that is left behind and it’s an illusion to believe that it is the cause of your suffering, your struggles or your difficulty;

7208.  You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it;

7209.  The secret of a successful relationship is understanding that you put your attention and energy in a person on what you love rather than what you don’t love;

7210.  We love the things we love for what they are not for what they ought to be, not for what they used to be, but for what they are;

7211.  I can say I’ve seen the Washington Capitals score a short-handed goal (specifically Chandler Stephenson against Carter Hutton and the Buffalo Sabres);

7212.  In fiscal year 2018, Wal-Mart had 500 billion dollars in revenue; 5 billion more than Belgium’s GDP;

7213.  If Wal-Mart was a country, it’d be the 25^th largest economy in the world;

7214.  Wal-Mart has 2.2 million associates worldwide.  If Wal-Mart was an army, it’d be the second largest (in the world) behind China;

7215.  90% of the American population lives within 10 miles of a Wal-Mart;

7216.  Reflect on your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your misfortunes, of which all men have some;

7217.  Every culture in history practices some form of mindfulness to experience more peace and joy either through meditation, prayer, embracing nature or simply appreciating the company of others;

7218.  Debt is not the same thing as having liabilities.  A liability is something that is an expense in your life.  In an accounting sense, debt only exists when your liabilities are greater than your assets.  In short, debt is not owing money.  It’s owing more than you own.  It’s your liabilities outweighing your assets;

7219.  You want to avoid true debt (i.e., having more liabilities than assets), but if a loan is beneficial to your productivity or value creation or prosperity, you don’t want to avoid incurring that kind of liability just because someone else tells you it’s a debt;

7220.  In many instances, the way to increase your prosperity and wealth is to increase not decrease your liabilities;

7221.  Your mind is like a parachute; it only works when it’s open;

7222.  Look at negative feedback as a gift because it truly is.  It’s an opportunity to get better and improve.  Feel grateful for the people who are comfortable enough and confident enough to have challenging conversations with you and share their thoughts and feelings;

7223.  There’s as much positive data in negative feedback as there is in positive feedback; it tells us we’re off course and that we need to adjust accordingly;

7224.  To reach your goals more quickly, you need to welcome, receive and embrace all the feedback that comes your way.  Knowing in detail how you can change your performance and get better results in the future is invaluable;

7225.  Roadblocks to wealth and success: 1.  Any self-limiting beliefs; 2.  Relying on a single limited source of income; 3.  Financial illiteracy; 4.  Debt; and 5.  Discomfort over asking for money advice;

7226.  The “Rule of 5” dictates that every day you should take action on five specific things that will move you closer to achieving your goal.  It doesn’t matter how small these things are.  As long as they are action steps that will move you closer to your goal, they are moving you in the right direction;

7227.  Whatever your goal may be, taking five steps toward reaching it each and every day will eventually yield major progress and often in much less time than you’d expect.  That’s because of the compound effect of all these small steps.  Taken individually, each small step you take may not seem all that significant, but when you add them up over time, they add up and lead to extraordinary results;

7228.  Each tiny step you take brings you closer to your goals while each step you don’t take keeps you exactly where you are;

7229.  Have you ever wondered why it’s so easy to love other people yet so difficult to love ourselves?  One reason is that we’re taught to believe that loving ourselves is selfish or narcissistic in some way.  However, there’s a huge difference between practicing self-love and being a narcissist.  Loving yourself has nothing to do with being selfish or conceited; it’s simply recognizing all of your great qualities and acknowledging that you’re worthy of love.  And the most important person you need to receive that love from, more than anyone else, is yourself;

7230.  When we love ourselves, we also become better at loving and empowering others, which in turn makes the world a better place;

7231.  Many people resist change or consider it to be a negative.  This is because it’s far easier for people to stay small and in their comfort zone rather than expand, change and take risks;

7232.  It’s the change we create and the risks we take that allow us to become better versions of ourselves;

7233.  Every outcome you experience in life is the result of how you’ve responded to the event in your life;

7234.  When you find yourself faced with a big change that feels overwhelming or scary, stop and take time to imagine the best possible outcome that can result from that change and respond accordingly;

7235.  You always have control over how you choose to respond to change.  And when you respond with an attitude of curiosity, optimism and confidence, you’ll find it easier to survive and thrive during difficult or unexpected events;

7236.  Change is inevitable and resisting it is futile.  Instead, when you accept and embrace it, you’ll give yourself an opportunity to grow and evolve as a person, forcing yourself to master new skills and develop new qualities like flexibility, optimism, courage and persistence;

7237.  Think about a change that you’re currently facing, and then ask yourself, “Where’s the opportunity in this change?”  If you look close enough, you'll find it and it’ll help you embrace and appreciate change rather than to fear and resist it;

7238.  When you experience true joy, it’s a sign you are on the right track and doing what you are meant to be doing;

7239.  When you are not doing what you are supposed to be doing, you might feel dissatisfied or deeply unhappy with your life;

7240.  Numbing your pain is like taking the battery out of your smoke detector because the noise it is making is annoying you.  Just like the smoke detector, your physical pain is sending you a message that you need to pay attention to.  Whether that message is telling you that something is wrong in your body or that something is wrong in your life, it’s important to listen to it and take action to resolve it;

7241.  Remember anyone who has ever made it to the top has had to deal with rejections;

7242.  How to reject rejection: 1.  Rejection is what you make of it; 2.  Keep asking; 3.  SWSWSWSW – some will, some won't, so what someone's waiting; and 4.  When the world says no, you say next;

7243.  Change is an opportunity for you to experience something new and to grow and evolve as a person;

7244.  Every negative event contains within it the seed of an equal or greater benefit;

7245.  Believe it’s possible to create positive outcomes no matter what change is happening around you;

7246.  Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve;

7247.  Acknowledge fear that shows up then take action anyway;

7248.  Hate never comes from above.  It always comes from below.  It’s never the people who are further along than you that throw stones;

7249.  Just because you have a disease, it doesn’t mean you are the disease.  It could just be part of a bigger story you’re telling yourself.  I’m not saying it doesn’t exist.  I’m just saying you don’t have to be a victim to your diagnosis.  You are not your diagnosis.  You are you.  The same can go for things like anxiety and depression.  Or maybe you’re a victim to shitty parents, a rough childhood, losing your family or maybe it’s even worse;

7250.  You can’t choose your past, but you get to choose your future;