The Originals

Baseline Happiness

I retired at 34 with $3 million—here are 5 downsides of early retirement that no one tells you. (via @CNBCMakeIt) https://t.co/2Z6Av1Bp9z

— CNBC (@CNBC) August 31, 2019

Sam @financialsamura -- you should angel invest in tech startups that will do a ton of good for the bottom two billion. #EarlyRetirement

— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) August 31, 2019

I retired at 34 with $3 million—here are 5 downsides of early retirement that no one tells you no matter how much of a boost we get in freedom or money, we eventually revert back to our normal baseline of happiness. ....... losing social interactions at work, a loss of purpose, boredom and depression. ...... Eventually, I grew tired of explaining why I retired early or that I wasn’t a trust fund kid. To keep the discussion simple and regain a social identity, I’d simply say I was a writer and tennis coach...... Many people think that once they achieve financial freedom or leave a job they hate, they’ll be permanently happier. ..... One a scale of one to 10, my happiness level skyrocketed to a 10 after I was able to negotiate a pretty solid severance. It was enough to pay for five years worth of living expenses. But not too long after that check hit my bank account, I reverted back to my normal post-retirement baseline of happiness. ....... Retiring early is like finishing the season finale of your favorite TV show. You’re glad it got a nice ending, but you’re also sad it’s over and left wondering what’s next...... We did a lot of traveling, but more importantly, we became parents, which renewed my sense of purpose. ...... Here’s the truth: If you’re unhappy before you retire early, it’s likely that you’ll still be unhappy after you retire. It’s better to figure out what’s at the very core of your issues and fix them first....... Early retirement isn’t the elixir to everlasting happiness, but it sure beats commuting to work and sitting in meetings all day long!

Financial Samurai

Angel investing will challenge you like real estate can not. Real estate is dud.

— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) August 31, 2019

Especially if the service motive is clear, strong, and well-defined. You enhance your baseline happiness by serving others.

— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) August 31, 2019

https://t.co/buCYW3610v Baseline Happiness for a @financialsamura

— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) August 31, 2019

Digital Leadership

Only 9% of managers believe their leaders have the skills to lead in the digital economy. https://t.co/tK6zbO3pTZ

— MIT Sloan School of Management (@MITSloan) August 29, 2019

What makes someone a great leader in the digital economy? Some leadership characteristics are enduring – courage, for example – but others are uniquely important in today's digital economy......... a handful of leadership characteristics will endure no matter what. Integrity comes to mind, as do courage and the ability to execute. ..... whereas crafting a vision and a strategy is an enduring leadership characteristic, doing so in a transparent, inclusive, and collaborative manner is a contextual characteristic, given the expectations of the new workforce ...... “Great leaders will need to more artfully merge the ‘what’ with the ‘how’ to thrive in tomorrow’s world.” ...... “We can train for the digital skills that are important for future success,” he writes. “But developing a digital mindset is a more complex challenge because it is a less tangible one to address.” ...... Without a mentality focused on platforms, a company’s leaders risk investing in increasingly obsolete ideas. ...... Far more than talking about digital leadership, leaders need to live it ....... Strong leadership was once about creating standardized processes, five-year strategic plans, and then establishing controls to help achieve these plans. ....... Leading in a digital world is instead about creating a culture that encourages — even demands — rapid innovation and experimentation. It is about empowering employees to feel and think like owners so that they remain motivated to create new opportunities. It is also about establishing a kind of radical transparency in which voices across the hierarchy can be heard. But all of this requires, in turn, the cultivation of an open and trusting environment. ....... leaders who can create an innovation-minded culture that fosters creative thinking, agility, and speed....... He started with five-year-olds and found that, against the test’s criteria, 98% of them performed at “genius level.” ........ The scores dropped from 98% at five years old, to 30% at 10 years old, to 12% at 15 years old, to 2% as adults. Land summarized the results simply: “Noncreative behavior is learned.” ......

“As leaders in today’s world, we need to recall the gifts of our inner child.”