Prosperity Archives - Randy Gage

Who You Become…

Scott Adams, yes that one, frequently talks about a concept he calls skill stacking. The gist of the concept is that it’s really hard to become the very best in the world at almost everything. There is only one LeBron James, Maya Angelou, or Elon Musk. But when you can stack a high degree of proficiency in two or even three areas on top of each other, you make yourself extremely valuable.

Official Coronavirus Cancellations and Postponements…

If you’re like me, you’ve been fixed on all al the activities and diversions that have been cancelled, wondering when they will return. I have such a fix to play softball again, go to dinner with friends, and watch a major league baseball game. Not to mention, nervously eying the calendar as the date for the Motley Crue/Def Leppard/Poison concert draws near. (And coming to the realization that getting a refund for the extra two grand I paid to the ticket scalper is about as likely as receiving a kiss from Tommy Lee.) I decided the best strategy was doing some postponements and cancellations of my own. Here’s what I came up with so far. Please feel free to add any events I missed.

The People Like You…

Got a very enthusiastic response to this week’s Friday Filosophy newsletter about the need for individualism today. In it, I highlighted the failures of our institutions – the failsafe, backups we count on – to protect us during this current pandemic. It seems not a day goes by that another glaring weakness is exposed. In light of the response I received, it seems like expanding on the topic here would be helpful.

When This Is All Over…

The last three weeks have been spent in self-isolation due to the coronavirus. Looking at the models, it appears I’ll be hunkered down for at least four weeks more. Like a lot of you, there are many things I desperately miss: dinner out with friends, playing softball, and writing at my regular table in my favorite neighborhood diner. But when this began, the plan was to approach the experience time as though the opportunity arose to study at a Shaolin Temple or spend time in a cabin at Walden Pond. (Alone time = Thoreau time.) Those goals led to others which were developed along the way. For those interested, here they are...

Tithing, Karma, and Payback

One of the fascinating beliefs of religion is the notion of how the actions you take (or don’t) influence the response you receive from the world around you. In the Bible there are unforgiving examples such as “an eye for an eye,” and beautiful ones such as the concept of tithing. Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Taoism, and Sikhism all speak of karma.

Test Your Prosperity Mindset

In times like these, even your normally positive sources of input are probably reflecting some negative, fearful, or defeatist thoughts. And unfortunately, if you haven’t already done some serious work questioning your programming and the core foundational beliefs you developed from that – your mindset may have a negative default setting.

Pandemic + Politics = Death

In the case of a worldwide pandemic, lots of people die. And unfortunately, lots of them die needlessly. These unnecessary deaths are usually because of politics.

What Have We Learned from the Pandemic?

One of the wisest things economist Milton Friedman ever taught was that only a crisis — actual or perceived — produces real change. It is times of crisis that cause our preconceived beliefs and confirmation biases to get shaken and stirred. Things that weeks ago seemed politically impossible become politically inevitable. Countries and cultures mirror individual people in the sense that we usually learn a lot more from our challenges than we do from our victories.

Category: Prosperity