Piggy’s Blog - Journey of Success and Greatness

I just watched the film Into the Wild by Sean Penn upon a friend’s recommendation. If you have not seen the movie, make sure you have 2.5 hours to spare and not in a bad mood already because it may leave you more depressed afteward.

Don’t misunderstand me. Into the Wild is an excellent movie with a thought provoking plot and tops that with beautiful captures of natural scenery and well-depicted interactions and emotional scenes between Chris McCandless (Alexander Supertramp) and the characters he encounters. Through the well-performed compassionate nature of the characters, there are parts that are real tear jerkers.

The main theme of the movie is to urge people to seek the truth for themselves, beyond the societal facade, beyond the superficial materials, beyond the complicated and dramatic modern lifestyle. And aren’t all of us searching for the truth one way or another? On the right track or not?

Alex, as he preferred people calling him, was on a quest to search for the truth — and as I would call it, awareness. He did so by following an action path of “less is more” and by going into the nature, as his way to try to live in the moment, away from it all. This process, where one strips away all the excess in life, shall offer the chance to see what matters most in life, in theory.

However, I think he overdid it with too much obsession over physical and materialistic detachment which leads him to his consequence and failure to find truth and ultimately, awareness, which is also the ability to live in the moment. He overlooked the key point of the conceding of mental chains we impose upon ourselves through thoughts, emotions, and ego. Moreover, I think the movie over-emphasized the strained relationship betwen him and his parents, so much so that at different parts of the movie, the story seems more like he is running away than searching for truth.

Still, I do recommend the movie.

Most people into personal finance will enjoy this movie because the chacracter advocates a simple and minimalistic lifestyle that echoes frugality, as opposed to obsession over things (consumerism). In fact, they should get a kick out of the part where Alex said argumentatively to his parents, “A new car? Why would I want a new car? Datswan runs great. I mean, do you think I want some fancy boat? Are you worried, what the neighbor might think? … … I don’t need a new car. I don’t want a new car. I don’t want any thing, these things, things, things, things.”

My favorite quote from the movie is when Alex paraphrased Thoreau, “Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness… give me truth.”

He made me feel like running away like a Supertramp.

In the latest issue of BusinessWeek, there is an article about students taking the extra effort to be competitive by participating in financial/investing clubs AFTER getting into prestigious school, Meet Your New Recruits, They Want to Eat Your Lunch. Here is an excerpt:

Once, merely graduating from an Ivy League college or similarly prestigious rival like Stanford or Swarthmore qualified students for a choice entry-level perch on Wall Stree. No longer. “The whole idea of smart people just falling into banking is becoming rarer,” says Lance LaVergne, a vice-president and global head of diversity recruiting at Goldman Sachs. “Clubs are essential to preparation, especially for students who are not majoring in traditional discipline like finance or accounting.”

Also in the article, a girl is described to gain admission to three prestigious clubs at Stanford, and it is AMAZING.

I understand the world is getting tougher out there. Therefore, it is great to be driven. It is great to prepare for the future. It is great to kick-start learning about investing because that’s what I am doing now. But despite all that, I can’t help but contemplate if these students are getting too mixed up in the money-means-success culture at a very young age. I can’t help but worry that these students would grow up with the only ability to handle money, finance, and investing and narrow vision due to being a money-purist. Is that what life is all about?

I am not saying one should not focus on academic work because I did that and graduated with a 3.8+ GPA majoring in Computer Science and Japanse, and here I am working in the computer industry. One must need pragmatism to survive in this society.

However, from when I was an undergraduate, a huge part of what makes me the person today is being a part of the fencing team for 4 years, where focus, discipline, hard-work, comradeship, travelling, and fun happened, and then other things like social dancing, Japanese cultural events, a few music classes, misc. physical exercise, or just having some plain(dumb) fun with my friends. Perhaps that is why I am not rich, in today’s commen sense at least, but I am perfectly content with how I am and what I have, which are not just things and money.

On top of that, these investment clubs may have an unintended consequence of promoting short-term trading because the students are driven for immediate results to show recruiters and they have an investment time horizon of at most 4 years.

I only wish the students can still take their sweet time, in spite of those clubs, and participate in other cultural, character cultivating, or simply fun events. Because I would hate to see a bunch of physically-dwarfed, money-mongering, rich, yet utterly unhappy people to be grown out of this generation.

Your thoughts?

I like to theorize, although I may only have the vision of a donkey filled up on a dozen beer. My theory today is that human beings are merely irrational beings with rationale. Below are a few examples to support this theory.

Banks, real estates brokers, and home buyers who fearlessly bet on the real estate market to go up forever. Haven’t they heard what goes up must comes down? And how can anything grow forever?

A president and politicians who think a $600~ per person tax rebate will save people from losing their home and cover the losses in their retirement/pension plan.

People who are easily swayed and hastily change the opinion on a person due completely to rumors and stories about someone else who is remotely associated with him.

Someone in a dire or unfavorable somehow think, hope, or pray that the situation will somehow change without themselves changing.

Those are my few examples… What do you think about my theory? Do you have any examples from your experience? Why don’t you leave a comment and let me know?

Of course, my theory can be disproved as easily by counter examples. Hence, it is just a theory.

There is a reason for me to say this. I believe people make decisions irrationally more often than not, where they are mostly influenced by ego and emotions. I am not judging or saying it is bad per se, but if we can base our decisions and expectations on this understanding as we observe such is the case, we will come across less disappointment and misunderstanding in everyday life.

On the other hand, it is also useful to be self-conscious when you are trying to rationalize an irrational decision. This should help mitigate some of the bad situations we tend to get ourselves into. Some food for thought.

Yes. I believe people can change, that it is possible for anyone to create positive change.

Then how come people seem to be unable to do so?
Even when they know for sure they want positive change…
Be it personal finance, health, relationship, or life-in-general…

I will take a crack at the answers, and I hope you are ready to read with an open mind.

Wrong Expectation

When people talk about change, they often mean that they want change without effort. They want magic pills. Everything people do, everything people want, is a matter of instant gratification. People are high on the instant gratification drug. They want something and they want it NOW. Simultaneously, they want results but they do not want to pay the price.

Obviously, they could not be more wrong, if they truly want permanent positive change. That is why you and I keep hearing people keep talking or thinking about changing this and that but never see any results. Or they tried this and that but nothing worked. Perhaps you are one of them. How can one expect to change with such expectation?

Change is difficult. Change is never easy. And nobody wants to hear that. Change involves being uncomfortable. That is why the phrase “go out of your comfort zone” exists.

The Curse of Habits

The ways one person acts and thinks are habits. Creating positive change means substituting bad habits with new ones. Old habits require discipline to get rid of. New habits require discipline to adopt. The longer you have maintained an old habit, the longer it takes you to learn and adopt a new behavior as a habit. This is the nature of habit. This is the reason why it becomes harder to change the older one is. And yes, it is possible to change even if you are mega-old.

To create permanent positive change is a constant struggle of changing habits. And it WILL take time and patience.

Doing Differently Feels “Wrong”

Change means doing differently, and doing differently is awkward. To change means having lots of awkward moments because things you have never done before naturally feels wrong (and uncomfortable) when you first try it. People are not ready to do “wrong” and be uncomfortable.

One of my favorate quote from the movie 40 year old virgin:

Andy: This doesn’t feel right.
Jay: Of course it don’t feel right! What has felt right for you doesn’t work! You need to try some wrong, dawg.

The Intractable Ego

People is obsessed and in love with being right. They will do whatever it takes to defend what they think is right. Everything else is wrong. When you let your ego dictate you like that, you will be intractable. If your ego is too strong to bend, then it is unfortunate because part of changing means admitting what you think is right is in fact wrong.

Not a fan of finding faults within yourself? Then ask yourself the question, “Do I want to be right, or do I want to be better?” What is your answer?

Options and Backdoors

People make it an option to change. I am not saying you must change. If you are happy the way you are, that is wonderful and I am happy for you. However, if you want to change, you must make the choice to change and not let it just be an option. You cannot leave yourself with backdoors to back out. You must finish what you started.

And you must not dissuade yourself with crappy excuses such as “Yes, but…”, “I am too busy” because whenever I hear people say those, it means they are not ready to do what it takes to change.

Loneliness

Believe it or not, when you start to change your behaviors, you make others uncomfortable. Not only that, you may find yourself having difficulty to communicate to others and to have others understand you. This turns into a certain degree of loneliness each person who is changing must face. And it is possible that you may have to find a whole new set of friends.

Additionally, if you are striving to do something extraordinary, it is certain that you will face discouragement and isolation from people you know. Because not everyone has the same goal and perception to be extraordinary, or as I would call it — greatness. So really, not everyone, not many will understand you.

If you want to change, ask yourself the following questions…
Am I ready to get uncomfortable?
Am I ready to struggle constantly?
Am I ready to do it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year?
Am I ready to be wrong?
Am I ready to go from the starting line to the finishing line without giving up?
Am I ready to be different from your peers, friends, and family?

Lastly, I think it boils down to the next few questions…
Do I want to be better?
Do I want it bad enough?
Am I ready to do whatever it takes?