Sweating the Small Stuff

Hey everyone,

It's been two weeks since my last post and now I'm home! Last week I was studying for finals and preparing to move out which is why I missed the post, but I'm happy to be back and writing again.

This week, I have one piece of advice:

Only sweat the small things that add up.

For example, learning one extra piece of information about an important topic may lay the foundation needed to master that topic and those following it. However, stressing to get that extra 1 percentage point in a class often doesn't help you in the future at all - especially if getting that 1% doesn't force you to learn anything new.

The difference? Your learning compounds into more learning while your grades usually nudge your GPA up or down.

The same is true with wealth. Physical wealth and freedom are often compounding measures - paying dividends to you in the form of good health and memories. However, financial and social wealth (status) can be stagnant - with every extra dollar you earn or follower you have merely leading to an extra purchase or a second of satisfaction.

However, does this mean that financial wealth and social wealth are useless? Of course not!

But, you must make sure that if you're worrying about something - that thing needs to have a compounding positive effect on your life.

Because of course, financial wealth can compound: that's what investments are for.

And of course, having social status can be helpful, but you have to use in ways that either help or fulfill you. After all, many influencers are great people who live fulfilling lives, and rich people constantly get advantages in their status.

So maybe, as you search for what things will sum up to something meaningful, you can also turn other things that weren't important, into positive compounding aspects of your life.

• For example, a positive interaction with a stranger might never matter to you. However, consistent compounding positive interactions may lead you to getting a lifelong friend, a spouse, or a business partner.
  • Sometimes, things that don't matter transform into things that do if we're passionate enough.

The moral of the story, life is strange. For one, it is too short to worry about small things that amount to nothing when summed up. However, it is also long enough for seemingly insignificant choices to make a huge difference.

In turn, the challenge of being alive is deciding which choices will amount to something and then, choosing which you'd like to shape your life around.

Have a wonderful week, and I'll see you all next Sunday.

-Ethan