These are my Momentos, short personal diary entries I write daily – since 2013 – and publish monthly. Some links are affiliate links.
1
I’ve heard said that kids rarely listen to their parents, but they often end up imitating them. Notice it myself as I get older, patterns of behavior – some good, some bad – similar to my folks. And if you don’t break a pattern, you’ll probably pass it along.
2
Blending a jug of purple, listening to lyrics… bruised and battered, couldn’t tell what I felt, unrecognizable to myself… Flashback to that corner cafe in an old house in New Orleans, words in a notebook: you don’t need to feel better, you need to get better at feeling.
3
Currently reading books about two very different billionaires. Warren Buffett earned his money honestly and patiently, and has long been content living a modest lifestyle. Jho Low stole his billions, spent lavishly on showy bullshit, and never had enough.
4
If you don’t practice something, you might as well be practicing the opposite. The pandemic has killed my social life, and I’ve done a bad job of staying social online. As such, I’ve essentially been practicing anti-social behavior. And I’ve gotten pretty good at it.
5
My brain can barely compute the story I just read: Mali woman has given birth to nine babies. Nine babies, from one pregnancy. I didn’t know that was possible. This sends me down a Wikipedia rabbit hole, reading about octuplets and the likes of Feodor Vassilyev.
6
Hard to strike the right balance between novelty and routine. Without novelty, days feel bland, hard to look back and remember what happened week to week, life passes you by. But without routine, you get less done and feel scattered, unorganized.
7
Probably the best thing I took from Atomic Habits: don’t miss twice. That is, when building a habit, no big deal if you have to miss a day, but don’t miss two days in a row. Because if you do that, you’ve started a new habit.
8
At the Botanical Garden, strolling around, chilling on benches, enjoying the weather. On days like this, I have to quiet a little voice inside me. It’s the voice saying that time off is all well and good, but don’t take too much, don’t get lazy, lots of work still to do.
9
Hair is weird. Can’t remember having hair coming out of my nose and ears for 30 years. Now it’s a regular thing. How come that hair keeps growing while my hairline recedes? And how come my eyebrows and eyelashes don’t grow beyond a certain length?
10
I used to rail against television, considered it a massive waste of time. How could people waste hours a day starting at that thing? Oh but wait… just checked how much time I spent watching YouTube and streaming services last week. 14 hours. Oops.
11
Looking at my online business framework… I left freelancing (Level 2) and started eBiz Facts as a niche site (referral business, Level 3). I like to think it has grown into an authority site (Level 4). And now we’re trying to turn it into more of a marketplace (Level 5).
12
Nine months since I last went for a run. Been bothered with a back issue, but rehab the past few weeks had me ready for a light jog this morning. 15 minutes, alternating between 30 seconds jogging, 30 seconds walking. Not much, but body and mind felt good after.
13
Back in 1995 the small staff at Amazon would ring a bell whenever an order came through. Before long the bell was ringing non-stop. Nowadays I feel like ringing a bell whenever we get a new user-generated review. Building our own little empire.
14
I’m like a zombie on Fridays trying to get the newsletter written up and sent out. Always feels like I’m running out of time and what I’ve got isn’t quite good enough. Skipped my shower this morning to start into it faster. Now the water’s shut off until tomorrow and I smell awful.
15
Reading a self-help book but it’s riddled with God-talk and Bible references. According to the author, God wants me to do this and be like that. Strikes me as the height of arrogance, someone claiming to know what God wants, or how the Bible should be interpreted.
16
Trying to detach from work stuff more on the weekends, give myself those breaks so I’m less likely to burn out. Even have to be careful what podcasts I listen to. Anything remotely related to business and my brain can be off to the races.
17
It’s been a slog, finding real students of these Amazon FBA courses and getting them to leave reviews. Trying to reach them in several different ways. Today was the first day where it felt like we’ve found a way that works. Two ways, actually. Ring the bell.
18
Every time I post a job on Upwork, I’m reminded how much opportunity is out there in the world. Because 80% of the people who respond are just awful. They can’t even manage to read the job post properly. It’s really not that hard to stand out. Just cover the basics.
19
Pushing myself to reach out to friends and schedule catch-up calls. I’ve done that far too little during the pandemic, spent too much time in my own head. Had a call today and walked around the neighborhood while we talked. Exercise for the body and mind.
20
Taxi apps really are amazing. Ten years ago in Tbilisi I would have had to call a taxi company, explain through the language barrier where to pick me up, wait who knows how long, and probably end up getting ripped off. Now I just tap a button on my phone and a taxi appears.
21
I used to donate 5-10% of my income every month. Stopped doing that because I was spending more than I earned. Now I’m earning way more than I spend. Might be time to start giving back again. More sustainably this time.
22
On the topic of charity, I had come around to the idea that it was better to focus on getting rich first, then on philanthropy. Like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. But now I’m thinking the best approach might be to have philanthropy at the core of the business.
23
Went on a bit of a road trip today, visited a couple of monasteries. I wasn’t all that interested, figured they were just random old buildings. Turns out one is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has a fascinating history. Now I’m interested. It’s the stories that do it for me.
24
Embracing build in public, should help spread awareness of what we’re doing. One downside is sorting through all the comments. Not all feedback is good feedback. Not everyone is worth corresponding with. Gotta filter them fast and move on.
25
Looks like the business will crack $25,000 in revenue this month, a new high. It’s a weird business, what with the long gap between cause and effect. Most of this month’s income was earned from work done in 2019 and 2020. So goes the long game.
26
Independence Day in Georgia. They declared independence from the Russian Empire about a hundred years ago, then got invaded by Russia and became part of the Soviet Union a few years later. Took several decades until they were truly independent again.
27
– What did you think of the course?
– It’s great, amazing value for only $10.
– Right, but what results did it help you achieve?
– Come on, results don’t matter, it’s only $10.
– Um, it’s 45 hours of training. Big waste of time if doesn’t deliver results, no?
28
Slowly along sunset streets, a smile behind my mask, listening to words Einstein never said…
“We are slowed-down sound and light waves, a walking bundle of frequencies tuned into the cosmos. We are souls dressed up in sacred biochemical garments and our bodies are the instruments through which our souls play their music.”
29
Loving these “walk and talks,” chatting with friends or family on WhatsApp while strolling around the neighborhood. I’ve done that several times this week, twice today. Ended up walking twenty kilometers today alone and hardly realized it. Feels like a new default.
30
There’s some upside to all the legal threats, negative SEO attacks and fraudulent DMCA claims I’ve had to endure the past year or so: my armor has grown thick and I know better how to handle such situations. For example, that fresh threat today… that’s one I can safely ignore.
31
Once in my early 20’s, while working at a call center, I decided to fast for 24 hours. Did that and kept going, exploring the limits of my willpower. Ended up fasting for 3 days, then cooked up a big feast of lasagna and couldn’t eat much because my stomach had shrunk.