What would you say to a person who told you that you could retire at age 30, never have to work again, and still live a comfortable life, all on a normal salary and without winning the lottery?

You’d probably call them crazy. Of course that’s not how money works.

Well, my guest today did retire at age 30, and he did so without making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. And through his blog, he’s helped other people reach “financial independence” a lot sooner than they thought possible by living a life of “financial badassery.” His name is Pete and he’s the owner of the website Mr. Money Mustache. In today’s podcast, Pete and I discuss how living Teddy Roosevelt’s “Strenuous Life” can help you become financially independent.

#133: Financial Independence Through the Strenuous Life With Mr. Money Mustache

Poem text and context: https://www.brainpickings.org/2017/05/02/rosanne-cash-adrienne-rich-marie-curie/

Recorded at "The Universe in Verse," April 24, 2017: https://www.brainpickings.org/the-universe-in-verse/

Photograph of Rosanne Cash by Molly Walsh / Academy of American Poets

POEM TEXT / CONTEXT

Rosanne Cash Reads "Power" by Adrienne Rich

How you start something is often how you finish it, and that couldn't be truer than for the trajectory of each of your days. When your mornings feel chaotic, rushed, and fragmented, the rest of your day often does too. But when you start off with a centering, invigorating morning routine, that feeling follows you the rest of the day.

If you've been wanting to improve or simply start your own morning routine, then this episode is for you. My guest is Benjamin Spall and he’s the co-author of the book "My Morning Routine," which shares insights taken from the morning routines of dozens of entrepreneurs, leaders, and creative folks.

On today’s show, Benjamin walks us through how to craft the perfect morning routine, including how to make time for it in your schedule, what activities to include, and how a successful morning routine starts with what you do the night before. We also discuss how to adjust your morning routine while traveling and when you have kids. Along the way, Benjamin gives us a peek at the morning routines of several influential people to give us some inspiration for our own routines.

Lots of actionable advice in this episode on creating a morning routine that works for you and sets you up for a productive day.

After the show is over, get the notes at aom.is/morningroutine.

#455: How to Create the Perfect Morning Routine

The shutdowns that have accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic have wreaked havoc on the global economy. Millions of people are out of work, businesses are cratering, and the stock market has tanked. Whether you’ve been hard hit by these effects or are so far weathering the storm yet feel uncertain about your future, what financial moves should you be making right now? To get some insight, I brought back personal finance expert Ramit Sethi, author of the book I Will Teach You To Be Rich. Since the pandemic started, Ramit has been hosting “fireside chats” on his Instagram account where he covers a financial topic pertinent to the pandemic, as well as answers questions from his community of followers.

Today we discuss some of the ideas Ramit’s been hitting on during these chats as well as the common financial questions he’s been fielding. I begin our conversation by asking Ramit why he tells people they shouldn’t panic, but should overreact. We then dig into Ramit’s advice for people who fall into different categories as to how the pandemic has affected them, beginning with survival strategies for those who are out of a job altogether. Ramit then shares the money moves people who do still have income coming in should make and why he’s changed his tune on how much of an emergency fund you should have. We then discuss why now is a good time to find ways to earn more money and what investing should look like during an economic slump. We end our conversation with Ramit’s advice on how to look for a job during a pandemic and what small businesses can do to adapt to the current climate.

#605: The Money Moves You Should Make Right Now

We've all asked "what if" questions about our life: What if I had majored in art instead of business? What if I had let my best friend know I liked her as more than a friend? What if I had taken the job offer in Colorado? Sometimes contemplating the imagined possibilities of these alternative histories fills us with sharp pangs of regret.

My guest today says that's not necessarily a bad thing. His name is Neal Roese and he's a professor of psychology and marketing and the author of If Only: How to Turn Regret Into Opportunity. Neal and I begin our conversation by unpacking how asking "what if" is to engage in something called "counterfactual thinking," and how you can create a downward counterfactual, in which you imagine how a decision could have turned out worse, or an upward counterfactual, where you imagine how a decision could have turned out better. Neal then explains why living without regret isn't actually that healthy, and why even though regret is an unpleasant feeling, it can be an important spur towards greater improvement, action, and agency. We then do get into the circumstances in which regret can become a negative force, before turning to what Neal's research says are the most common regrets people have in life. At the end of our conversation, we pivot to talking about how imagining how your life could have turned out worse, can make you feel happier. 

Get the show notes at aom.is/regret.

#620: How to Deal With Life's Regrets

There are some people in life who are more than unpleasant, more than annoying. They're real, genuine a**holes.

My guest today has written the preeminent field guides to identifying, dealing with, and avoiding all of life's jerks, bullies, tyrants, and trolls: The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide. His name is Bob Sutton, he's a Stanford professor of organization and management, and we begin our conversation together with how Bob defines what makes an a-hole an a-hole, what causes their jerkiness, and the costs of having such disagreeable people as part of an organization. We then get into the circumstances of when being a jerk yourself can actually be advantageous. We then turn to how to deal with the jerks in your own life, including distancing yourself from them, deciding you're going to be better than them, and imagining you're a jerk collector encountering a new species of jerk. Bob explains smart ways to fight back against jerks, and gets into the wisdom of documenting their jerkiness, why it's occasionally helpful to take an aggressive stand, and how even Steve Jobs learned how to be less of an a-hole. We end our conversation with how to build a jerk-free workplace. 

Get the show notes at aom.is/jerks.

#627: How to Deal With Jerks, Bullies, Tyrants, and Trolls

Michael interviews Simone Moir, Registered Psychotherapist, on the precept of aparigraha (non-greed) and the practice of generosity. They discuss what comes up around possessiveness, addiction and obsession, embracing impermanence, the importance of relationship and knowing the importance of boundaries.

Generosity & Not Being Possessive

The Path

Extreme Ownership, Pt. I

Dr. Ray Peat, Ph.D
Renowned Nutritional Counselor
“Hello Patrick from Melbourne Australia,
Just a quick message to say thank you and to let you know that I enjoyed your show with Dr Ray Peat immensely. He has so much knowledge across a broad spectrum of topics. Thank you so much for bringing him on and for doing what you do!!! I hope to hear more of Dr Peat in your future shows.”

“I just want to tell you how much I enjoy your recent interviews with Dr Ray Peat. I am thrilled waiting for the next one. I have known his work for quite some time, but it is so refreshing to listen to your shows. I hope you will carry on with cooperation. Dr Peat has endless knowledge to share and each time I listen to him I find something new and eye-opening. His knowledge and perspective are absolutely unique. In the world of keto, low carb nonsense, sugar hate and corrupted science, he is the last voice of honesty and sanity.” Best regards Ania from Poland

Ray Peat acquired his PhD from the University of Oregon with a specialization in physiology. He started his work on hormones in 1968 and wrote his dissertation in 1972 in which he outlined his ideas on progesterone and the hormones closely related to it. His main thesis is that energy and structure are interdependent at every level.
Please consider signing up to Dr. Peat’s terrific newsletter.  Comes out every other month at an incredibly low cost..email Dr. Peat here

Show highlights:

Dr. Ray Peat and Patrick discuss coronavirus vaccines.

How toxic is aluminum? Lipid adjuvants?

What about viruses and terrains?

How do vaccines affect the ratio between influenza and coronaviruses?

Is there a proof about anything in science?

Dr. Fauci’s “absolute or none” approach is cult thinking, not science.

Dr. Peat and Patrick talk about Dr. Ralph W. Moss, Ernst T. Krebs, and laetrile.

Were there two laetriles? Was one a poison and the other a cancer cure?

Dr. Peat did his own research on laetrile. What he discovered may surprise you.

Why is thyroid hormone so important?

Why is temperature — artificial or otherwise — so important for immunity?

What does the skin of rabbit ears have to do with human ovaries?

Why do all cancers and tumors produce lactic acid?

How does baking soda acidify the cell, not alkalize it?

“Cancer is an intracellular alkaline shift,” according to Dr. Peat.

How are PCR tests falsified to justify a pandemic?

How was it possible to convince so many people that this pandemic was real and that vaccines are the cure?

There are already over 6,000 coronavirus variants, not just a few.

Why does the government want UPS to take over the U.S. Post Office?

Why does the military and the CIA want us all on the internet?

Why is there no cure for nanoparticle absorption?

Why are the silica nanoparticles used as food additives and supplement fillers so harmful?

What is Teflon doing in our food and supplements?

What is fructose intolerance?

Why is temperature a remedy for fructose intolerance?

What do endotoxins have to do with fructose malabsorption?

What happens when microbes invade the small intestine and stomach?

Is sugar a mild anesthetic? Is it calming and quieting?

Why are carbohydrates good to eat in the evening before going to bed?

How can we stop the Medical Police State from taking over the entire world?

Will iodine help thinning hair?

“As little as one half a milligram of iodine a day on an ongoing basis will lead to deterioration of the thyroid gland,” according to Dr. Peat.

Is there any benefit to using a pressure cooker?

What’s a good source of selenium?

Does high meat intake suppress the thyroid?

Are antibodies part of the repair process or do they damage tissue?

#455: How to Create the Perfect Morning Routine

The Art of Manliness