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Posted here instead of on the booklog, because on both counts I'm more interested in myself than the book.
(1) Richistan, by Robert Frank: Frank profiles some people who are really rich. Surprise, surprise, they spend their money on dumb stuff. I have people in my family who spend their money on dumb stuff, so none of this really enlightened me, except this:
I knew this before, but it really struck home for me when I read this: no matter how much you have, it will never be enough. You can't patch up anxiety by getting more money, more stuff, more accolades; you can only make it worse.
(2) Refuse to Choose, by Barbara Sher: Sher proposes a kind of people, called 'scanners,' who are destined to never find their One True Calling, who will instead have their whims and passions and flit from one activity to another--while being intense and devoted to all of them...
If Sher is right, then I am without a doubt one of those people. And she does have some useful stuff to say: You get out of a hobby what you get out of it, and there's no rule that you have to stay with it for the rest of the life, or you have to make money with it, or you have to finish everything you start. You don't have to feel guilty about the projects you've left unfinished and the money you've spent on hobbies you no longer pursue. You don't have to have a job that you're amazingly passionate about; you need a job that doesn't take more than 40 hours of your week, so that you have the rest to devote to things you are passionate about. Life is long and you have time to do what you want to do... even if there's a lot you want to do.
But Sher is a life coach, which I can't help thinking of as Not A Real Job, but what you do if you can't figure out what to do with your own life but can con people into thinking you can figure out what to do with theirs. And I think she's off the mark on the realities of working a day job and devoting your leisure time to things that are fun and creative, both in terms of money and time.
First, she figures that if you work 40 hours a week you have 3.5 hours in the evenings and 12 hours on Saturday and Sunday to do what you want. Does she take into account housecleaning, laundry, groceries, cooking, taking the kids to soccer practice, walking the dog, commuting? And is it really realistic to not feel guilty about spending the money to get into a hobby that is abandoned soon after? Many hobbies aren't exactly cheap to get started in. And aren't there ever times when getting enthusiastic about a hobby is mostly about getting to buy nifty new stuff?
Nevertheless, I did take away some useful things from this book: it wouldn't be a bad idea to budget a little bit of money each month specifically to spend on things I want on a whim. But I mostly need to stop goofing off on the internet and watching Law and Order.
(1) Richistan, by Robert Frank: Frank profiles some people who are really rich. Surprise, surprise, they spend their money on dumb stuff. I have people in my family who spend their money on dumb stuff, so none of this really enlightened me, except this:
A study...shows a surprising pattern among Richistanis when they're asked how much money would make them secure. They almost always answer that the amount they need to feel secure is twice their current level of net worth or income. Those worth $500,000 to $1 million said they needed $2.4 million... and those with $10 million or more said $18 million.
I knew this before, but it really struck home for me when I read this: no matter how much you have, it will never be enough. You can't patch up anxiety by getting more money, more stuff, more accolades; you can only make it worse.
(2) Refuse to Choose, by Barbara Sher: Sher proposes a kind of people, called 'scanners,' who are destined to never find their One True Calling, who will instead have their whims and passions and flit from one activity to another--while being intense and devoted to all of them...
If Sher is right, then I am without a doubt one of those people. And she does have some useful stuff to say: You get out of a hobby what you get out of it, and there's no rule that you have to stay with it for the rest of the life, or you have to make money with it, or you have to finish everything you start. You don't have to feel guilty about the projects you've left unfinished and the money you've spent on hobbies you no longer pursue. You don't have to have a job that you're amazingly passionate about; you need a job that doesn't take more than 40 hours of your week, so that you have the rest to devote to things you are passionate about. Life is long and you have time to do what you want to do... even if there's a lot you want to do.
But Sher is a life coach, which I can't help thinking of as Not A Real Job, but what you do if you can't figure out what to do with your own life but can con people into thinking you can figure out what to do with theirs. And I think she's off the mark on the realities of working a day job and devoting your leisure time to things that are fun and creative, both in terms of money and time.
First, she figures that if you work 40 hours a week you have 3.5 hours in the evenings and 12 hours on Saturday and Sunday to do what you want. Does she take into account housecleaning, laundry, groceries, cooking, taking the kids to soccer practice, walking the dog, commuting? And is it really realistic to not feel guilty about spending the money to get into a hobby that is abandoned soon after? Many hobbies aren't exactly cheap to get started in. And aren't there ever times when getting enthusiastic about a hobby is mostly about getting to buy nifty new stuff?
Nevertheless, I did take away some useful things from this book: it wouldn't be a bad idea to budget a little bit of money each month specifically to spend on things I want on a whim. But I mostly need to stop goofing off on the internet and watching Law and Order.