Thanks to all of you who sent the great letters and comments I received this week on the stocks.
I had some great picks no doubt, probably too many to list.. but it’s time for a little something different. Believe it or not I have a grasp on reality, although my sense of humor may not reflect as much.
As I sit here wondering what I’m going to say next I’m sipping on a really nice Amarone and puffing a Cohiba Especial Cuban. This cigar is the exact one that Fidel Castro used to give to his Generals as a reward. It’s a killer cigar, been aging it for 8 years now in my humidor. How much better can life get? We are all so fucking lucky.
I travelled to India for about six weeks some time ago.
We did the typical tourist thing for awhile, but then I got bored. I decided it was time to go through some of the villages of Hyderabad just to see what life was like on the other side of reality. I have travelled the world, been to all sorts of places, but to be perfectly honest I have never been to a place quite like the villages surrounding Hyderabad.
The first thing we saw when we pulled up to this place was a giant rock with “shell shaped” cow pies all over it. Ya, the kids play with shells, grab some cow shit and create a shell form of cow shit on the rock. I guess you could say there isn’t much to do out there. The kids all go to a tiny one room school, where they also hold community events. We were invited into someone’s home where they served us cold drinks in mildly dirty glasses. Their house was a mud hut, they had 18 people living in the place and it was the size of my master bathroom. The kids were standing there in awe of us, watching every move we made intently. I noticed in the distance the trench that was dug along all of the huts in the back, that would be the washroom.
They were extremely happy that we were visiting, ever so generous. I quietly insisted to my family that we sit down and finish the drink before we got up to leave. I was with my father in law who happens to own the farm that this community lives on. I offered the family some money as a wish of good luck, certainly not much to write home about – but about a years worth of income for four of them.
I’m married, I have kids. You’d never guess from my Twitter persona, but I’m a dad. I’m a fucking good dad, but I’m also a guy who came from nothing and learned the value of money at a very early age. I wanted my kids to understand that money doesn’t grow on trees. They were shocked that the kids of the village had never seen a DS before, let alone an iPhone. My kids learned a great deal from travelling to India, unfortunately memories are easily forgotten, so it’s probably time for us to go back again in the near future.
The most eye opening thing about our visit was the incredible perspective that these villagers have about life. Even though these kids had absolutely nothing in terms of toys, they were all smiling, laughing, and playing. They all seemed very content with life. If you’ve seen Slumdog Millionaire yet you’ll get the idea, these kids dressed and looked no different. The parents only wish is that they make enough money to send their kids off to the big city for a higher education.
con·tent
[kuh n-tent]
[kuh n-tent]
adjective
satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else.
If you were to die today would you be happy with what you left behind as your legacy? In other words, would your wife and kids be okay? Would there be any question that you lived a full life or not? If you are unsure you might want to re-think your life and plan like you’ve never planned before.
I’m certainly not saying that I’m content, but I’ll tell you what; I have never seen a place like this before. Those kids were happy playing with piles of shit.
What would you need to be content with life? Is it money? Trust me when I say, no amount of money will not make you content. It’ll help, and it’s a step, but it’s not the holy grail.
Think about what would make you content, write it down on a white board. Keep it on an easle if you want in your office. Stare at it everyday, and use that as your ultimate goal in life. Remember, no matter how much money you’re making or losing at this point in life you’re still better off than most of the people on this earth.
Good luck in finding your perspective.
