I love reading books. But whenever I buy one I no longer keep them. Either I give them or lend them to someone else.
If I read a book and keep it, there is little chance that I will get the same book and read it again. I might never touch it again. It will just be on the shelf gathering dust.
But if I give it away or lend it to another reader, the book will have a new life.
The book has inspired me and it will inspire another.
Lucky is that book to have served its purpose more than once.
I haven’t read any Seth Godin book… yet. But I heard about him. I also read about him and I sometimes read his blog.
I am puzzled by how he writes everyday in his blog. I wonder how it does that. I can’t imagine how one can write everyday. Especially someone like him who is busy.
I want to do that as well. But I wonder what to write.
Luckily, I stumbled upon an interview by Copyblogger.
Do you believe in “writer’s block”? If so, how do you avoid it?
This is a fancy term for fear. I avoid it by not getting it. Because I write like I talk and I don’t get talker’s block.
So here I am writing like I am talking. And so far, I am not running out of things to talk… and to write.
Thanks for the tip Seth.
One of my money saving trick is making an Unwish List. Basically, the Unwish List is the exact opposite of a Wish List. The Unwish List is a list of things I will not buy… yet.
Not spending is the sure way to save. But everywhere you go and look encourages you to spend. I even think that the very idea of having a Wish List is just a marketing ploy to get people to spend their money.
I have kept an Unwish List since 2015. Some of the items listed in 2015 remain in the list until today. I have never bought it yet. It can be attractive like a new gadget or something useful like a home appliance. But past experiences taught me to delay spending and wait for more reasons to finally buy it.
My Unwish List has helped me save money. Just the simple task of listing them down and making an estimate of how much I need to save to buy all of them is enough to discourage me from buying an item on my Unwish List.
For example, at one time I had a GoPro, a drone, a pocket projector, an airfryer, a Bose portable speaker and an upgraded mirrorless camera in my Unwish List. All in all, I could have spent more than 200,000 had I brought them right away.
Years later, I eventually I bought a GoPro Hero 5 and a cheaper portable speaker.
I really would love to own a drone but I still consider it as an added burden when I travel. The pocket projector is still unjustifiable. My 2 year old camera still works just fine so I dont need an upgrade yet. And I am not convinced of the benefits of an airfryer yet.
What I saved from my Unwished List is spent on travel. So I wonder if I am really saving money after all. Hehehe…
I realized that I no longer need to turn on mobile roaming or to buy a local sim so that I can access the internet when I’m abroad.
The free internet at the hotel, coffee shops, restaurants, and public areas are enough so I can be connected.
You don’t have to be connected every time. You don’t have to post all your travel activities real time. You don’t have to give live updates or tweets.
You can do all these later when you’re back at the hotel or have a quick check during lunch or dinner if they provide free internet.
Spend the time getting lost. Take a few photos and take more time to discover instead.
Use offline maps. Ask for directions. Talk to strangers. Stop and smell the flowers… and the food.
Internet can wait.