What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0160

7951.  If you’re looking for a good, local steakhouse in (Las) Vegas, go to “Herbs & Rye” (HerbsAndRye.com);

7952.  When you’re in your head, feel/notice your toes for 15 seconds;

7953.  Don’t dance by yourself to get back into flow/state;

7954.  A bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn;

7955.  You are enough;

7956.  You matter;

7957.  You deserve a happy and fulfilling life;

7958.  I don’t want to die without any scars;

7959.  Nicole (Hawkins) loves me (. . . as a friend);

7960.  Ashley (Estep) loves me (. . . as a friend);

7961.  Don’t let a(n) Lyft/Uber or taxi drop you off in front of the Spearmint Rhino (Gentlemen’s Club in Vegas).  Get them to drop you off around the corner.  If they drop you off in front, you’ll have to pay a ($50.00) cover (even if you have local identification);

7962.  At a strip club, the customers have more power than the dancers . . . as long as you don’t do anything inappropriate;

7963.  Apparently, strippers love to talk about astrology/horoscopes and spirituality;

7964.  Apparently, a lot of the cheap lobster, prime rib and steak places in (Las) Vegas are (downtown) on Fremont Street;

7965.  There are $5.00 blackjack tables at the Fremont Street Experience (in Downtown Las Vegas) (at least on Tuesday nights);

7966.  Now I understand why everyone raves about California.  The weather is great . . . by the beach that is (specifically Santa Monica/Venice Beach);

7967.  I can say (that) I’ve had a fish burrito in California;

7968.  When you change your dynamic with your family, it forces them to change because you’re different;

7969.  You can know something logically, but your (inner) child can still the emotion until it’s released;

7970.  Apparently, in Asian cultures, going to (any kind of) therapy is shameful;

7971.  If you think you’re going crazy, you’re not;

7972.  Spanking only teaches children to be afraid of their parents;

7973.  The way to discipline/teach children is by taking away things and short periods of isolation;

7974.  Parents communicate with (young) children through eye contact;

7975.  Most people pick partners who are like their moms or dads or (are) opposite of them;

7976.  As humans, we aren’t meant to be happy all of the time.  We should accept pain so we can be happier and experience joy;

7977.  If you’re too open or too closed, you’ll be ineffective in your relationships;

7978.  Most people get together to solve a problem (i.e., have a baby, get a better apartment, etc.);

7979.  You want to build a life where you don’t need another person to solve your problems.  Then, you actually have to like the people around you;

7980.  When you’re bored, you become uncomfortable so that you avoid any fear or pain that may come up/surface;

7981.  Initial attraction to someone is usually “child” to “child” where one tries to get what s/he didn’t get from her/his parents as a child;

7982.  People usually keep some darkness;

7983.  I can say (that) I’ve had a street burrito;

7984.  Contentment feels like low grade joy.  It’s not spiky, but “rounded” emotions;

7985.  Apathy is closed and indifferent, the opposite of feeling;

7986.  According to Brent (Charleton), I seem (a bit) sad and lonely;

7987.  (According to Brent Charleton,) I was (emotionally) neglected by my parents;

7988.  (According to Brent Charleton,) my brother never (emotionally) grew up;

7989.  Apparently, if you want to get deep sleep (and long-lasting, rock hard erections), take a ¼ scoop/serving of horse supplements (specifically “Full Bucket Equine,” “Medical Muscle”);

7990.  Everyone has a primary and a secondary role in their family;

7991.  You don’t choose the role, it chooses you;

7992.  You are not (actually) your role;

7993.  Sleeplessness is a normal response to anxiety.  You don’t need medication for it;

7994.  The youngest child tends to play the “lost child” role;

7995.  Children learn by watching (and emulating) their parents;

7996.  Your “teen” is for extreme survival;

7997.  Your (family) role is a coping mechanism;

7998.  You don’t actually have to be intelligent to play the “computer” role;

7999.  It’s not good for children to be socially precocious because they won’t know how to play with other children;

8000.  Drugs allow people to feel a consistent emotion v. being all over the place;

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7901.  Understand that what you think about expands (i.e., “As a man thinketh, so is he.”).  If your thoughts are filled with doubt and you have a closed mind, you will of necessity act upon those closed-minded doubts and you’ll see evidence of your thinking virtually everywhere you are.  On the other hand, should you decide (make no mistake about this, it is a choice) to have a mind that’s open to everything then you’ll act upon that inner energy and you’ll be the creator as well as the recipient of miracles wherever you are;

7902.  Money can’t buy you happiness, but poverty doesn’t either;

7903.  Elizabeth wants to be spanked more;

7904.  How do you stop a woman from orgasming?  The answer is: Spank her;

7905.  Dylan Werner believes that goals aren’t real or tangible.  They’re not useful or beneficial because they’re too far in the future.  He went on to explain that setting the goal isn’t motivation, it’s a distraction.  Even if you succeed with that goal, you’ll just set another one and create another distraction;

7906.  The trouble with goal setting is you think you have time.  Instead of setting long term goals of where you want to be in 5, 10 or 20 years, what would it look like if your only aim was to be your best self every day?  What could your life look like, and, perhaps more importantly, how would you feel if that was how you lived your life?  Would your relationships flourish?  Probably.  Would you make progress with your career?  Almost certainly.  Would your health improve both physically and mentally?  It’s practically guaranteed;

7907.  Acknowledge that you have to grow or die.  Instead of creating a goal, setting it aside and saying, “That’s a great goal, I’ll work on it tomorrow,” you must continually grow.  You’ll achieve naturally if you set your focus that way;

7908.  Find balance between feeling contentment with who you are and giving life your all anyway (in yoga, these concepts are called santosha and tapas, respectively);

7909.  When you feel yourself getting out of whack, check in mentally and ask yourself, “Is my ambition getting in the way of feeling pleased with my life?”  And if you notice you’ve been slacking in areas of your life, ask yourself, “Have I grown too complacent?  Is it time to try harder?”

7910.  Focus on giving instead of taking.  When you give more than you take, you’ll enrich the lives of others.  That’s when you really start living.  After all, life isn’t worth living without the company of others.  It’s when you give that you really begin to feel alive;

7911.  The best thing you could possibly do in life is to find that balance between contentment with yourself while still striving to do better. . . . If goal setting has never resonated with you in the past or you’ve found it hard to be happy with where you are, consider this approach instead;

7912.  Growth does not occur on the happy, sunny days where everything goes well.  Growth only happens in the dark times when it’s hard and it sucks and your only choice is to fight or die;

7913.  Life is about taking advantage of the opportunities in front of you and that will never happen if you don’t take chances and pull that trigger;

7914.  No matter what your goal is, you’ve got to take chances to make it happen.  Whatever it is, you’ll never have it if you don’t make the leap every now and then;

7915.  In addition to taking personal risks, take a stand for what you believe in.  Stop worrying so much about offending other people;

7916.  You’re allowed to have a position and you’re allowed to defend that position;

7917.  Go your own way and don’t worry about what other people will say.  Your parents, your friends and your contemporaries, they’ll all have something to say about whatever it is you’re doing, but who cares?  They’re not living your life, you are;

7918.  Ignore anyone who wants you to play small and don’t look back because you’re not going that way;

7919.  While you’re out there doing your own thing, remember to make a contribution back to the world.  Helping other people is why we’re here on this Earth and, when you help others, you help yourself too;

7920.  If you want a full and rich life, you can’t let intimidation get in the way;

7921.  When you take chances, your life will be better for it every time;

7922.  The 85 percent solution: Getting started is more important than becoming an expert.  Act and get 85 percent right than do nothing.  Think about it; 85 percent of the way is far better than zero percent;

7923.  It’s okay to make mistakes.  It’s better to make them now with a little bit of money so that, when you have more, you’ll know what to avoid;

7924.  Spend extravagantly on the things you love and cut costs mercilessly on the things you don’t;

7925.  The Soviet Union put the first woman in space;

7926.  Because of the high cost of landing on the moon, President (John F.) Kennedy (actually) proposed working with the Soviet Union before his assassination;

7927.  Most people never spend even 10 minutes thinking through what “rich” means to them.  It’s different for everyone and money is just a small part of being rich.  For example, different people value different things.  Someone could love eating out at Michelin-starred restaurants where a meal might cost $500.00.  Others love traveling.  Others love buying clothes.  If you don’t consciously choose what “rich” means, it’s easy to end up mindlessly trying to keep up with others;

7928.  There’s a limit to how much you can cut, but no limit to how much you can earn;

7929.  Apparently, the key to (deep) frying a Snickers bar (or any other kind of candy bar) is to freeze it;

7930.  I can say (that) I’ve had a (battered and deep) fried (ham)burger. . . . It’s (pretty) good . . . and juicy, but (very) greasy;

7931.  Using a hairbrush as a sex toy . . . check;

7932.  Basic investment rule #1: Always know what kind of income you are working for.  A)  Ordinary earned income is generally derived from a job or some form of labor.  In its most common form, it is income from a paycheck.  It is also the highest-taxed income so it is the hardest income with which to build wealth.  B)  Portfolio income is generally derived from paper assets such as stocks, bonds and mutual funds.  Portfolio income is by far the most popular form of investment income simply because paper assets are easier to manage and maintain.  C)  Passive income is generally derived from real estate.  It can also be derived from royalties from patents or license agreements.  Yet approximately 80 percent of the time, passive income is from real estate.  There are many tax advantages available for real estate;

7933.  Basic investment rule #2: Convert ordinary earned income into portfolio income or passive income as efficiently as possible;

7934.  Basic investment rule #3: Keep your ordinary earned income secure by purchasing a security you hope converts your earned income into passive income or portfolio income.  A security is something you hope will keep your money secure.  And generally, these securities are bound up tightly by government regulations;

7935.  Basic investment rule #4: It is the investor who is really the asset or the liability;

7936.  Basic investment rule #5: A true investor is prepared for whatever happens.  A non-investor tries to predict what and when things will happen.  Most investments that will make you rich are available for only a narrow window of time . . . a few moments in the world of trading or a window of opportunity that is open for years as (it is) in real estate.  Regardless of how long the window of opportunity is open, if you are not prepared with education and experience or extra cash a good opportunity will pass;

7937.  Jimmy Dean’s “Pancakes & Sausage on a Stick” are (pretty) tasty;

7938.  Wood trim for stairs in particular is a pain (in the ass) to install after/when it’s swelled;

7939.  When you’re painting your baseboards and you’ve put masking tape down to protect your carpet, push down on the tape after the paint has dried to break the seal with the painted baseboard.  It’ll prevent the new paint from peeling off the baseboards and it’ll lessen the likelihood the tape rips when you pull it up;

7940.  If you miss even one payment on your credit card, there are 4 very bad results you may face: 1.  Your credit score can drop more than 100 points, which would add $227.00/month to an average 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage; 2.  Your APR can go up to 30%; 3.  You’ll be charged a late fee usually around $35.00; and 4.  Your late payment can trigger rate increases on your other credit cards as well even if you’ve never been late on them;

7941.  You can recover from a missed payment to your credit score usually within a few months;

7942.  If you’re just a few days late with your credit card payment, you may incur a fee, but it generally won’t be reported to the credit bureaus;

7943.  Just like with car insurance, you can get great deals on your credit when you’re a responsible customer.  You should call your credit cards and lenders once a year to ask them what advantages you’re eligible for.  Often they can waive fees, extend credit and give private promotions that others don’t have access to;

7944.  Automatic warranty doubling: Most credit cards extend the warranty on your purchases;

7945.  Car rental insurance: If you rent a car, don’t let them sell you on getting extra collision insurance.  You already have coverage through your existing car insurance plus your credit card will usually back you up to $50,000.00;

7946.  Trip-cancellation insurance: If you book tickets for a vacation and then get sick and can’t travel, your airline will charge you hefty fees to rebook your ticket.  Just call your credit card and ask for the trip-cancellation insurance to kick in and they'll cover those change fees usually between $3,000.00 to $10,000.00 per trip;

7947.  If you’re applying for a major loan for a car, home or education, don’t close any accounts within 6 months of filing the loan application.  You want as much credit as possible when you apply;

7948.  Humans are wired to compare themselves to others.  Interestingly, the worse situation we’re in, the more we look for others to reassure us that we’re not really that bad.  It doesn’t change our situation, but we feel better about ourselves;

7949.  Once a problem is sufficiently large, we rationalize any single change as “not enough,” when in reality, real change happens through small, consistent steps;

7950.  There are similarities between the decision making of those in serious debt and those who are overweight;

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7851.  Goats can eat poison ivy and poison oak. . . . Who knew?

7852.  A superior cost structure is often fundamental to a business’ sustainable advantage;

7853.  For an airline, first-class pilots are essential so costs are very people-intensive;

7854.  In the carpet business, only 15% of costs relate to employees.  The big cost is the raw materials, the fibers;

7855.  In the insurance business, the big cost is future claims, which involves a lot of estimating because claims might be paid 5, 10 or 20 years later;

7856.  In retail, the big cost is rent with labor being a significant secondary cost;

7857.  The big cost can vary enormously by the type of business you’re in;

7858.  The key to investing is to understand a company’s costs and why it’s got a sustainable edge against its competitors;

7859.  The big problem with airlines is not so much aggregate revenue, but whether your average costs are out of line with your competitors.  Since the airline travel is pretty much a commodity business, costs are the key factors.  The biggest cost is labor;

7860.  The figure to look for with airlines is cost per available seat mile and the cost per occupied seat mile;

7861.  In airlines, as with many other industries in a capitalistic society, business will eventually gravitate to the low-cost player;

7862.  Warren Buffett suggested that for those who believe U.S. businesses will do well over time, dollar-cost-averaging into a broad-based index is a reasonable approach;

7863.  Charlie Munger noted that many corporations have large mergers and acquisitions departments spending huge amounts of time to do huge amounts of due diligence.  Yet at least two-thirds of acquisitions are duds;

7864.  It is helpful to list the qualities you would want in a friend and then seek to instill those qualities in yourself;

7865.  It’s a matter of choice (and) not DNA.  Anyone can develop good character and quality lifetime habits;

7866.  Warren Buffett recommended realism in defining one’s circle of competence and discipline to stay within the circle.  It helps to insulate yourself from popular opinions.  You’re better off sitting and thinking;

7867.  Read a lot of annual reports.  Learn accounting by reading good business articles especially those on accounting scandals.  Try to know how the numbers are put together.  If you cannot understand it, it is probably because management doesn’t want you to understand it.  Management always obfuscates the facts for a reason;

7868.  Warren Buffett warned investors if management refuses to expense options or has fanciful pension assumptions they will likely take the low road on other matters as well;

7869.  Charlie Munger advocates developing a temperament of owning securities without fretting.  If you focus on the price, you are really saying that you believe the market knows more than you do.  If you think of the value of the business instead of the price, you will sleep better;

7870.  Investing should be more like pari-mutuel betting, where you need only be right a few times as long as you don’t take a big loss;

7871.  Don’t poke Elizabeth in the cheek when she’s sleeping;

7872.  Anything I’ve ever done that ultimately was worthwhile initially scared me to death;

7873.  Sports are the main way in which people in the modern world actually achieve altered states of consciousness;

7874.  It’s a professional who shows up and does the work.  It’s an amateur who waits to be inspired or waits until they feel like it;

7875.  Life hack: At Starbucks, order a café misto for 50 stars instead of a handcrafted drink.  Make it a venti and add as many add-ons (including espresso shots) as you like.  Once you checkout, all of the additional charges are removed and it’ll only be 50 stars (for brewed hot coffee v. 150 stars for a handcrafted drink);

7876.  Elizabeth played a lot of Pac-Man growing up;

7877.  For inflation strategies, Warren Buffett suggested, as a first line of defense, one increase his/her earning power.  If you’re the best surgeon or the best plumber in town, your wages will more likely be indexed to inflation;

7878.  As a second strategy, (Warren) Buffet recommended owning businesses that can price through inflation and have low capital expenditures to maintain the business;

7879.  The worst sorts of businesses to own in an inflationary environment are ones that require a lot of capital to stay in the game and provide no real return;

7880.  While gold may be a refuge from a declining currency, (Warren) Buffett observed that is true for any physical asset;

7881.  Charlie Munger noted that Berkshire Hathaway does no asset allocation.  They merely go where the opportunities are regardless of categories and that is totally out of step with modern investment theory;

7882.  Regarding modern asset allocation, (Charlie) Munger noted, “If a thing is not worth doing at all, it’s not worth doing well;”

7883.  Apparently, state inspections are free if you bought your car at Brown’s Alexandria Mazda;

7884.  It is hard to fail, but it is worse to never have tried to succeed;

7885.  On Thursdays, Dave & Buster’s (DaveAndBusters.com) has unlimited wings and video game play for $19.99 from open to close;

7886.  (Out of all of the concerts I’ve been to) who has the oldest fans (by far)?  The answer is: “The Rolling Stones;”

7887.  I can say (that) I’ve seen “The Rolling Stones” live (again);

7888.  Warren Buffett has asserted that to a large extent gambling is a tax on ignorance.  You allow gambling and it ends up taxing many that are least able to pay while relieving taxes on those who don’t gamble;

7889.  (Warren) Buffett favors great businesses, which he defines as those having a high return on capital for a long period of time, where he thinks management will treat shareholders right;

7890.  Ideally, (Warren) Buffett buys businesses for $.40 on the dollar, but he’ll pay closer to a dollar for a really great business;

7891.  (Warren) Buffett claims that his best ideas haven’t done better than others’ best ideas, but he’s lost less on his worst ideas;

7892.  In modern portfolio theory, beta is a measure of volatility, which, in turn, is seen as a measure of risk.  The higher the beta, the higher the risk.  (Warren) Buffett begs to differ asserting volatility does not measure risk.  For example, a couple decades ago, farmland in Nebraska went from $2,000.00 to $600.00 per acre.  The theory would say the “beta” of farms went way up, so you would be taking far more risk buying it at $600.00 than at $2,000.00;

7893.  (Warren) Buffett believes that real risk comes from the nature of certain kinds of businesses by the simple economics of the business and from not knowing what you’re doing.  If you understand the economics and you know the people then you’re not taking much risk;

7894.  The “newspaper” standard: Behave as if your actions will be on the front page of the local newspaper;

7895.  Berkshire Hathaway has no budgets or earnings goals;

7896.  It takes about 2 seconds for a party popper to hit the ground when it’s (been) thrown from the 17^th floor (of a building);

7897.  Electric scooters can go pretty fast;

7898.  Truths about romantic relationships: 1.  Monogamy does not equal a healthy relationship; 2.  Another person cannot “complete” you; 3.  Romantic relationships are unconscious reenactments of what we witnessed in childhood; 4.  A healthy relationship can feel boring especially if you have a history of chaos and instability; 5.  People don’t change for other people; 6.  Love is rooted in accountability, honesty and vulnerability; 7.  Without doing re-parenting work, you’ll always have “communication problems;” and 8.  We pick partners with traits similar to a parent whose love we wanted the most and did not receive;

7899.  Refuse to allow yourself to have low expectations about what you’re capable of creating.  As Michelangelo suggested, the greater danger is not that your hopes are too high and you fail to reach them; it’s that they’re too low and you do;

7900.  A mind that’s open to everything means being peaceful, radiating love, practicing forgiveness, being generous, respecting all life and, most important, visualizing yourself as capable of doing anything that you can conceive of in your mind and heart;

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7801.  Buying experiences as gifts for others (i.e., tickets to a baseball game or spa day) versus material things also delivers more happiness for those receiving the gift which is something to consider when buying gifts for loved ones for birthdays and special occasions;

7802.  If somebody has told you they really want a new pair of shoes and you say, “No, I am going to buy you an experience.”  That’s probably a bad call because it turns out people really like getting the things they asked for.  If somebody has told you what they want X just get them that;

7803.  Almost everything about modern society pushes us to consume right away and (often) pay for it much later.  People are better off doing just the opposite.  You’re more likely to get happiness from your spending if you can pay upfront and actually delay consumption.  For example, if you’re planning a trip and you can either pay for it a month in advance or put it on your credit card and pay for it after the trip, by paying in advance, you get the pain of paying out of the way and you get to enjoy the pleasure of anticipation.  It is good to separate payment from the experience itself;

7804.  Having our favorite things a little less often can enhance our ability to enjoy them.  The more we have of something the more we tend to get used to it and lose the same sort of intense pleasure we got when we first experienced it;

7805.  Taking a break from the things you enjoy can renew your capacity for pleasure.  It can also save you some money;

7806.  When people spend money on others, they actually get more happiness than from spending it on themselves;

7807.  Donating to a charity can especially lead to happiness.  People who donate to charity are happier than those who don’t even after taking into account things like their level of wealth;

7808.  “Auto giving,” where you automatically contribute monthly or yearly to a charity, may not lead to increased happiness.  The “set-it-and-forget it” mentality means you are probably not getting much of a burst of happiness when that $100.00 disappears from your bank account every month;

7809.  Warren Buffett notes that book value is seldom meaningful in analyzing the value of a business.  Book value simply records what was put into the business.  The key to calculating value is determining what will come out of the business;

7810.  Warren Buffett believes that buying a business is much like buying a bond with no maturity and with a blank coupon.  You must write in the coupon and the accuracy of that coupon is the essence of intelligent investing.  If you cannot guess the coupon with any accuracy then do not invest in the business;

7811.  A corporation’s return on equity approximates its equity coupon;

7812.  In a 1977 Fortune article, Warren Buffett noted that the average return on equity was then 12%.  Charlie Munger started to chip away at that noting the following: 1.  Post-retirement medical benefits amount to a huge liability for corporate America that has been accruing for 20 years, but is only now beginning to be reported on balance sheet.  Deduct 1/4 to 3/8 of a point; 2.  Stock options and other executive compensation that goes unreported by GAAP accounting.  There is another 1/4 to 3/8; and 3.  Overfunded pensions that have led to faithfully recorded prepaid pension costs, which are not what they would call earnings;

7813.  Signs of emotional dysfunction in families: 1.  Emotions of one member changes the emotions of all members; 2.  Parent shares marital issues with children; 3.  Messages are passed through other family members (i.e., Can you ask mom why she’s made at me?); 4.  Repression of certain unaccepted emotions; 5.  A felt need to be secretive or to hide parts of oneself; 6.  A felt responsibility to change or care for the emotions of parents or siblings; 7.  Parent being “best friends” with the child; 8.  Parent deeply involved in the activities/relationships of the child; 9.  Feeling guilty when spending time outside of the home; and 10.  Afraid or feeling ashamed to say “no” to a request;

7814.  Signs of emotional dysfunction modeled in childhood: 1.  Inability to set boundaries: feelings of fear, shame or being “wrong” in setting them; 2.  The belief that they are responsible for the emotions of others; 3.  The belief that someone can (or should) change for them; 4.  A desire to control situations: a fear of unfamiliarity; 5.  Unhealthy marriages/relationships; and 6.  Viewing children as an extension of oneself;

7815.  Few people understand that they have a right to their own thoughts, feelings and a life that they choose;

7816.  I’ve been asked to be a sperm donor;

7817.  Warren Buffett believes the long-term government bond rate (plus a point or two if interest rates are low) is the appropriate discount rate for most assets;

7818.  True investing is really more like betting against a pari-mutuel system trying to find a 2-to-1 shot that pays 3-to-1.  Value investing is looking for a “mispriced gamble;”

7819.  The danger of relying on historical statistics or formulas (in investing) is that you end up betting on a 14 year-old horse with a great record, but is now ready for the glue factory;

7820.  When investing, to think about what will happen versus when is a far more efficient way to behave;

7821.  It is Wall Street nonsense to say that something that earns a lumpy 20% to 80% is “riskier” than something that earns a predictable 5% year after year;

7822.  Peach wine and hard cider are good substitutes for peach schnapps in white sangria;

7823.  Something with a lousy past record and a bright future should be an opportunity you’re going to miss;

7824.  Warren Buffett noted that you do not have to make money back the way you lost it;

7825.  A stock does not know you own it, the price you paid, who recommended it, the prices someone else paid, the stock does not give a damn;

7826.  Charlie Munger said the ideal business has a wide and long-lasting moat around a terrific castle with an honest lord.  The moat represents a barrier to competition and could be low production costs, a trademark or an advantage of scale or technology;

7827.  Warren Buffett noted it is important to differentiate between a business where you have to be smart once versus one where you have to stay smart;

7828.  Warren Buffett said when accounting appears confusing, avoid the company.  The confusion may well be intentional and reveal the character of the management;

7829.  Things to keep in mind when setting boundaries: 1.  An emotionally healthy person will always respect a boundary; 2.  You are not responsible for the emotional response of another person; 3.  We can’t stop others from crossing our boundaries, but we can choose our response; 4.  Silence sends a message; 5.  You have a right to say “no” or change your mind; 6.  A person’s reaction to a boundary has nothing to do with you and everything to do with their internal environment; and 7.  It’s unfair to expect someone who has no boundaries in their own life to understand yours;

7830.  Key business risks: 1.  Capital structure – A company with a ton of debt could be a candidate for foreclosure; 2.  Nature of the business and its capital requirements – For example, commercial airlines require tons of upfront capital and competition is intense; and 3.  Commodity businesses – Unless you’re the low-cost producer, these are poor businesses to own;

7831.  If the business is sound, there remains the risk of paying too much.  The risk is time versus loss of principal.  If you overpay, it will take time for the business value to catch up to the price paid;

7832.  Charlie Munger noted people underrate the importance of a few big ideas.  Filters simplify the decision-making process.  Filters work really well because they are so simple;

7833.  Filters: 1.  Opportunity cost – For any corporate stock, a bond is an alternative.  You must choose the best opportunity you can understand; 2.  Quality people – Warrant Buffett said he looks for a manager who bats .400 and loves it.  Charlie Munger noted there are many wonderful people and many awful people.  Avoid the awful people.  Stick to those who take their promises seriously; and 3.  Good businesses – Go with those that are understandable with a sustainable edge.  The pond you choose is far more important than how well you swim;

7834.  Executive stock options should reflect the business’ intrinsic value and not simply the market price;

7835.  It is essential to learn from both the mistakes of others as well as your own;

7836.  It’s an honor to die for your country.  Make sure the other guys get the honor;

7837.  Even if you’re living overseas, you still have to pay U.S. taxes;

7838.  Dorm(itory) room . . . check;

7839.  You are your greatest asset.  Put your time, effort and money into training, grooming and encouraging your greatest asset;

7840.  Just like attraction is not a choice; catching feelings for someone is also not a choice;

7841.  If you see a girl over a long time, one of 4 things will (eventually) happen: 1.  You both fall in love with each other; 2.  One person falls in love, but the other one doesn’t; 3.  She gets into a relationship with a different guy and you might remain friends with her; and 4.  You part ways for different reasons;

7842.  Apparently, I’m in the 45^th district for the (Virginia) House (of Delegates) and the 30^th (district) for the (Virginia State) Senate;

7843.  Apparently, I’m in the “(0)105: Lee Center” precinct;

7844.  If you’re abundant on the inside then you’re much more likely to experience abundance on the outside;

7845.  Cynics and fools are twins on opposite sides of reality and possibility.  A fool will believe any far-fetched scheme and a cynic will criticize anything outside his/her reality.  A cynic’s reality does not let anything new in and a fool’s reality does not have the ability to keep foolish ideas out.  If you want to be abundant and rich, you need to have an open mind, a flexible reality and the skills to turn new ideas into real and profitable ventures;

7846.  If you want a faster way to get rich, you need to have a mind open to new ideas and have the skills to take on possibilities greater than your current abilities.  You must have a reality that can change, expand and grow quickly.  To try to get rich with a poor person’s reality or a reality that comes from lack and limitation is impossible;

7847.  The hush puppies at Willie’s (WilliesSportsBarDC.com) in D.C. are tasty;

7848.  Investors need only to have a sensible way to keep wealth growing (especially if they are already rich).  If someone else is getting rich so what?  Someone else will always be doing better;

7849.  The notion that an investor or investment manager should be “required” to beat everyone else is nonsense.  The real key is to know what you really want to avoid and give those things a wide berth (such as a bad marriage, an early death and so on).  Do this and life will go much better;

7850.  Dating advice: If they like you, you’ll know it.  If they don’t, you’ll be confused;

What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0156

7751.  More people are afraid of things like public speaking, heights, spiders and the dentist than they are of death;

7752.  Humans are only born with two natural fears.  The rest, we’re all taught by our parents, our society and our upbringing;

7753.  Humans are naturally afraid of sudden loud noises and falling from great heights.  They keep us safe from what could be a predator or danger that would cause harm;

7754.  Lessons from vulnerability (i.e., the willingness to be seen): 1.  Your story has the power to heal; 2.  Criticism is part of being seen and cannot be avoided; 3.  Portraying any image other than who you are causes self-inflicted stress; 4.  Community heals; 5.  If you show up, so will other people; 6.  If you don’t show up, don’t expect to receive; 7.  The narratives in our mind are not reality, they are our past; and 8.  People triggered by your vulnerability have their own healing to do;

7755.  Vulnerability simply means showing up, being seen and being heard.  For most of us, this is terrifying because as children we internalized the fear of showing up from adults around us.  We were judged or criticized (even in a light hearted way) and our nervous system felt the hit.  It recorded the memory in the subconscious, which is why our minds race as any type of exposure is felt.  They say, “Don’t do that again.  That isn’t safe;”

7756.  Work on becoming valuable to valuable people;

7757.  Every other fear, from that common fear of public speaking to social judgment to small spaces or spiders or dogs, is programmed into us throughout our lives;

7758.  Whatever your fear is, there was an event in your lifetime that created that fear in your mind.  All those paralyzing fears are completely learned;

7759.  10 things to say to your inner child: 1.  You are enough; 2.  I see you; 3.  You are worthy and can create your life experience; 4.  I understand; 5.  You live in a new reality now; 6.  It wasn’t your fault; 7.  I forgive you; 8.  You are a resilient warrior; 9.  I am here to guide you; and 10.  The present moment is safe;

7760.  5-step method for peak productivity: 1.  At the end of each work day, write down the six most important things you’d like to accomplish tomorrow.  No more than six; 2.  Prioritize these in order of true importance; 3.  When you arrive tomorrow, focus on the first task.  Work on it until complete.  Then move to the second task; 4.  At the end of each day, move unfinished items to a new list of six items for the following day; and 5.  Rinse and repeat;

7761.  If being heard is one of the things we crave/want most as being human then it explains why being thoughtful can have a powerful impact/meaning to us;

7762.  There are several different strategies to taking a nap during the day and optimal times to employ each of them.  The ideal scenario is timing your nap based on when you started your day;

7763.  The goal is going to sleep at a time when your slow-wave sleep (SWS) will perfectly intersect with rapid-eye movement (REM) (i.e., the time when you’ll get the deepest, most relaxing round of rest).  Just as an example, if you woke up at 7:00 AM, your ideal nap time would be 2:00 PM;

7764.  The “power” nap: If you just need a quick refresh, sleep for somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes.  You won’t enter really deep sleep so it’s easy to wake back up and return to whatever task is at hand;

7765.  The “coffee” nap: It’s the same as the power nap only you drink some coffee first.  Scientists say this actually works better for two reasons.  Caffeine is a stimulant so you’ll automatically feel more alert as it kicks in which happens to be right around the time you’re waking up.  The caffeine also competes with adenosine for the receptors in your brain.  Since adenosine is a chemical that promotes sleep and makes you feel more tired, it doesn’t really take hold as much as it would if you hadn’t consumed the caffeine before nodding off.  The end result is you may get a double benefit from pre-gaming with the coffee;

7766.  Research suggests 200 mg of caffeine is a good amount for a “coffee” nap although that’s a full two cups worth;

7767.  You should (probably) avoid taking a “coffee” nap too close to your regular bedtime.  You may run the risk of disturbing your regular sleep;

7768.  Most experts recommend stopping caffeine consumption a full six hours before bedtime;

7769.  The “almost there” nap: A one-hour nap is pretty good overall.  You’ll get the deepest type of sleep (slow-wave) but it might take you a little while to come around;

7770.  The “ideal full-sleep-cycle” nap: It takes about 90 minutes to run through all the different phases of sleep (light, dreaming, etc.) so sleep for an hour and a half is just about perfect.  You should wake up feeling really good and since you’ve completed the full cycle it should also be relatively easy to get up;

7771.  The “worst type” of nap: Sleep experts say a 30-minute nap will give you almost no benefit because you’ll wake up just as your deeper phases of sleep are getting underway;

7772.  Basically, consider a quick “power” nap with or without coffee or commit to a longer nap somewhere between 60 and 90 minutes;

7773.  There’s an interplanetary internet.  Currently, there’s a network between NASA and the International Space Station and, in the future, the moon and Mars;

7774.  I was supposed to be a father/dad on May 24^th, 2019;

7775.  Addiction is repeating a cycle of unprocessed emotions;

7776.  A lot of people believe that addiction is about the drug of choice.  It's not.  It's about escape and controlled suffering not just using it, but the entire process.  It includes the high of wanting the drug, the rush of going to find it, the hiding, the danger and the deep shame that comes afterwards.  They're addicted to the entire emotional process.  The process keeps them distracted from the present moment, but in a cycle of pain they don't know how to exist without.  The same pain that was familiar in childhood;

7777.  Addiction is a learned coping mechanism for self-hatred.  Self-hatred that has become identity;

7778.  How do we heal addiction?  1.  Heal the inner child; 2.  Process and release past trauma; 3.  Teach safety in the body; 4.  Allow emotional regulation; 5.  Rewire the pathways of the mind by using the present moment; 6.  Heal the gut; and 7.  Nurture the soul;

7779.  It is far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price;

7780.  George Michaelis explains that there have been two basic themes in value investing: 1.  Buy assets; and 2.  Buy earnings power;

7781.  Buying assets focuses on buying a company well below its liquidating value;

7782.  As George Michaelis sees it, the problem with buying assets cheap is that the only way to increase the value is through some sort of event;

7783.  George Michaelis prefers the earnings power approach to value investing.  If a company earns very high returns year after year then, ultimately, those will be the shareholders' returns as well;

7784.  Three characteristics for "permanent" holdings: 1.  Good economic characteristics; 2.  Able and trustworthy management; and 3.  We like what the company does;

7785.  Warren Buffett has noted that many investors illogically become euphoric when stock prices rise and are downcast when they fall.  This makes no more sense than if you bought some hamburger one day, returned the next day to buy more, but at a higher price and then felt euphoric because you had bought some cheaper the day before.  If you are going to be a lifelong buyer of food, you welcome falling prices and deplore price increases.  So should it be with investments;

7786.  Warren Buffett believes financial disasters come about because stupid decisions in financial companies are not accompanied by immediate pain.  Instead, people give more money.  Seeing this, competitors indulge in mindless imitation.  Thus, when failure comes, it is huge;

7787.  The Chart House (Chart-House.com) has $.99 glasses of champagne or mimosas during Sunday brunch;

7788.  The artichoke (hearts) salad at the Chart House salad bar is (pretty) tasty . . . and so is the chicken salad. . . . I think there might be five spice (powder) in the chicken salad;

7789.  I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed; and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep on trying;

7790.  Most people think that because they have money problems that more money will solve their problems.  This is a myth.  The truth is that you solve your money problems by learning how to solve your money problems;

7791.  When people lie to us we personalize it.  We take the lying to mean something about how they feel about us.  We’ve been conditioned to believe this since childhood (i.e., behavior = how a person feels about us);

7792.  Behavior is how a person feels about himself/herself;

7793.  Lying is particularly painful because we feel violated.  We’re invested.  From our view, lying is a violation of trust.  We can’t see that lying comes from fear;

7794.  Children don’t come to lying naturally.  They learn it.  Children lie for one reason: to avoid perceived loss of love.  We carry this pattern to adulthood;

7795.  The statement, “You believe your own lies,” is accurate.  Our ego does this to protect us.  People who go through extreme measures to protect their lies have extreme levels of fear; fear of exposure;

7796.  How do you get past the fear of failure?  It’s simple, you embrace the suck.  You have to embrace being bad at something and get ready to learn.  When you can lean into that discomfort and allow yourself to start from scratch that’s when real growth occurs and real life begins;

7797.  What matters for your wellbeing is what you’re doing with the minutes and days of your life.  If you have a lot of money and a lot of nice stuff, but you’re spending your time doing things you dislike then your minute-to-minute happiness and overall happiness is likely to be pretty low;

7798.  People report feeling happier when they used their money for time-saving services than on material things;

7799.  Buying time is not only for rich people.  The average amount of money people spent on time-saving costs was between $80.00 to $100.00 a month and even the $40.00 created a notable difference in their happiness;

7800.  People actually get more happiness from buying experiences like trips and special meals than they do from buying material things like gadgets, clothes or shoes;