2021-04-22_Disaster_is_NOT_a_Strategy
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00:00:30.620 | - Welcome to Radical Personal Finance,
00:00:31.860 | a show dedicated to providing you with the knowledge,
00:00:33.560 | skills, insight, and encouragement you need
00:00:35.660 | to live a rich and meaningful life now,
00:00:37.560 | while building a plan for financial freedom
00:00:39.160 | in 10 years or less.
00:00:41.060 | Today I have one very simple,
00:00:42.940 | but important topic to discuss with you.
00:00:45.980 | Disaster is not a strategy.
00:00:51.080 | One of the things that I have found shocking
00:00:54.720 | over the past year or so,
00:00:56.920 | is how many people find themselves
00:01:00.980 | looking at the future with a sense of bleakness
00:01:04.820 | and blackness because, well, it's just all bad
00:01:07.800 | and it's just gonna get worse.
00:01:09.360 | Friend, disaster is not a strategy.
00:01:15.660 | If you find yourself looking at the world
00:01:18.400 | and looking at something that you believe is catastrophic,
00:01:21.540 | something that you believe is an impending disaster,
00:01:24.680 | and you find yourself just sitting and saying,
00:01:26.680 | "Well, this is certain," do not stay there.
00:01:30.580 | Make a plan and take action on it.
00:01:34.920 | There is not a single bad thing
00:01:39.420 | that you can tell me today that you're worried about,
00:01:41.960 | that I cannot help you make a plan for.
00:01:44.600 | There is nothing that you are concerned about
00:01:49.340 | that cannot be planned for.
00:01:51.300 | And as human beings, we are endowed
00:01:53.580 | with the power of creativity.
00:01:55.980 | We are endowed with the power of creativity.
00:02:01.580 | Hopefully you understand the double meaning.
00:02:07.760 | We can think creatively
00:02:10.100 | and we can create what we think about.
00:02:13.060 | And so you must always train your thoughts
00:02:19.100 | to go from problem to solution.
00:02:22.740 | Do not dwell on the problem.
00:02:24.940 | Simply look around and say,
00:02:27.280 | "Hey, look, here's a problem.
00:02:29.480 | Here's something I'm concerned about.
00:02:31.580 | Here is something that I think
00:02:32.780 | is going to be difficult in the future."
00:02:35.780 | And then pull out a piece of paper,
00:02:38.260 | grab a pen and make a list of things
00:02:40.360 | that you can do about it.
00:02:42.000 | In theory, there might be something
00:02:46.120 | that you cannot actually do anything about.
00:02:48.500 | There might be something
00:02:49.600 | that is outside of your control, in theory.
00:02:52.600 | I have a hard time coming up with anything
00:02:54.740 | that I can't do anything about.
00:02:56.680 | But we all acknowledge that you and I
00:02:58.400 | are not sovereign over the affairs of this world.
00:03:00.980 | You and I are not sovereign over what happens to us.
00:03:03.740 | But if you will stop and think about
00:03:06.320 | even the worst case scenario
00:03:08.080 | that you're concerned about,
00:03:09.720 | and then simply say,
00:03:10.760 | "Well, if this did happen, what would I need to do?"
00:03:13.760 | And start taking action on it,
00:03:16.060 | you will feel a lot better
00:03:18.460 | than if you sit and mope and stew
00:03:20.660 | and grumble and complain and whine online
00:03:24.800 | about this thing that you're concerned about.
00:03:27.100 | Friend, things are not as bad as you think they are,
00:03:30.940 | and you have so many options in front of you.
00:03:34.040 | Disaster is not a strategy,
00:03:39.140 | but you can build a strategy for any disaster
00:03:43.420 | that you are concerned about.
00:03:48.620 | Disaster is not a strategy,
00:03:50.320 | but you can build a strategy for any disaster
00:03:52.920 | that you are concerned about.
00:03:54.560 | And I want to challenge you.
00:03:57.360 | It is unhealthy.
00:04:00.200 | It's stupid to live in a sense of blackness
00:04:05.240 | where you just think everything is bad.
00:04:07.200 | Everything is gonna get worse.
00:04:10.080 | This is crazy.
00:04:13.520 | You will find yourself feeling far better
00:04:16.940 | if you will get up and start doing something
00:04:20.380 | about whatever it is that you are concerned about.
00:04:23.360 | Struggling with whether I should give you
00:04:28.700 | example after example after example.
00:04:30.700 | Let's do a few, okay?
00:04:34.440 | Let's say that you say, "Joshua, listen,
00:04:36.100 | "I can't control everything that happens to me."
00:04:38.740 | Let's start at the worst,
00:04:39.580 | like weakest, impotent thing you can do.
00:04:41.940 | I can't control what happens to me.
00:04:44.880 | And so because I can't control what happens to me,
00:04:48.280 | after all, what if I'm driving to work today
00:04:51.080 | and a car jumps the curve,
00:04:53.360 | or a truck jumps the curve, smashes me,
00:04:55.220 | and I'm dead, sitting right in my seat?
00:04:57.500 | All right, let's start there.
00:05:00.560 | That's pretty bad, right?
00:05:03.000 | You're dead.
00:05:04.100 | So what do you do?
00:05:05.000 | Well, you begin by assessing your spiritual condition
00:05:09.200 | and make sure that when your body is dead,
00:05:12.240 | your spirit is not dead.
00:05:14.960 | There's no reason whatsoever for your physical death
00:05:18.160 | to be the end of your life,
00:05:19.700 | except you don't choose to partake of the gift of life
00:05:23.800 | that has been offered to you
00:05:24.800 | by the creator of this universe.
00:05:26.980 | So first, assess your spiritual state,
00:05:29.680 | repent of your sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
00:05:32.680 | be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins,
00:05:34.380 | and receive the Holy Spirit, be born again.
00:05:36.520 | Then at your death, your family can come together
00:05:40.420 | and can rejoice about your life,
00:05:42.360 | knowing that for you to die is gain
00:05:45.320 | because you're with the Lord.
00:05:47.120 | Pardon the moment of preaching, but I can't resist.
00:05:50.300 | What else can you do?
00:05:51.840 | Well, you could think about how your death
00:05:53.900 | would impact the world around you.
00:05:56.200 | I'd say the first question is,
00:05:57.680 | would anybody care about your death?
00:05:59.580 | If nobody would care about your death,
00:06:02.380 | then why does it matter?
00:06:03.920 | You're dead, they're not, your life didn't matter.
00:06:07.620 | Go on with things, they're not gonna go on.
00:06:09.980 | So build a life where they're actually gonna care
00:06:12.180 | and they're actually gonna care.
00:06:13.720 | Think about how short life is
00:06:15.560 | and make sure that you're living today
00:06:17.720 | as if you knew that two years from now
00:06:20.100 | that truck was gonna hit you.
00:06:21.300 | Make today count, don't waste today,
00:06:23.100 | don't waste this week, don't waste this month.
00:06:26.240 | Make today count.
00:06:27.800 | Then as you're living today and making today count,
00:06:30.840 | then systematically move yourself in the direction
00:06:33.880 | where you take action to protect those things
00:06:36.280 | that would be harmed by your death.
00:06:40.280 | Make sure that your loved ones have your passwords
00:06:43.880 | to all of your online accounts
00:06:45.720 | so that they can close out your affairs
00:06:47.520 | with a minimum amount of problems,
00:06:49.920 | so they can turn your Facebook profile into a memorial.
00:06:53.160 | Make sure that you have money to care for your family.
00:06:56.660 | Make sure you leave them in a good situation,
00:06:58.340 | buy life insurance, so that if you're dead and gone,
00:07:00.860 | all of your dreams can still come true.
00:07:03.440 | Just go down the list
00:07:04.740 | and start solving the problems one by one.
00:07:08.340 | What else is out of your control?
00:07:10.040 | Global warming, okay?
00:07:13.100 | The world is headed for a climate catastrophe.
00:07:15.520 | It's a climate emergency.
00:07:17.860 | We're all gonna die, all right?
00:07:20.240 | Well, start working on it, right?
00:07:23.640 | Start planting trees, start planting green stuff
00:07:27.360 | to take some carbon out of the atmosphere.
00:07:29.480 | If you think the sea levels are gonna rise,
00:07:31.560 | move from Florida to Colorado
00:07:34.160 | because I can promise you that Colorado
00:07:36.080 | is not going to be inundated with rising sea levels.
00:07:39.600 | If you think temperatures are gonna rise,
00:07:41.640 | move from Mexico to Canada.
00:07:45.300 | Canada could be quite lovely if temperatures rise.
00:07:49.280 | If you are concerned that agricultural production
00:07:52.920 | is going to cease, then stockpile food,
00:07:56.440 | stockpile seeds, build a resilient property, right?
00:07:59.540 | I always think back to Ben Falk, the permaculture designer,
00:08:03.220 | who always, in his permaculture designs,
00:08:05.000 | always plants crops for a couple of different climate zones.
00:08:09.000 | Let's say you're in a climate zone seven.
00:08:10.680 | He'll plant crops for a six and a five
00:08:12.960 | and an eight and a nine.
00:08:13.960 | That way, if the earth warms,
00:08:15.880 | his zones eight and nine crops will flourish,
00:08:19.800 | and if the earth cools, his zones six and five will flourish.
00:08:24.080 | So, start, do something, right?
00:08:26.960 | If you're concerned about global food supplies,
00:08:28.840 | then start growing food.
00:08:30.200 | What else can you do?
00:08:33.760 | Let's say you say, well, my school is going down.
00:08:37.240 | They're making my kids wear masks.
00:08:39.960 | They won't open schools.
00:08:41.200 | They're teaching my children a bunch of crazy stuff
00:08:43.740 | that I don't believe in.
00:08:45.080 | Well, pull 'em out.
00:08:46.180 | Pull 'em out and go find a better school.
00:08:49.860 | You say, I don't have money for a better school.
00:08:51.560 | All right, well, go make more money.
00:08:53.300 | Don't sit around and reflect on the fact that you're broke.
00:08:55.400 | Say, I'm broke.
00:08:56.240 | This sucks.
00:08:57.060 | I'm gonna go make more money,
00:08:58.120 | and sit down and start brainstorming every single day
00:09:00.640 | plans as to how you can make enough money
00:09:02.440 | to get your kids into a decent school
00:09:04.480 | where they're not gonna be indoctrinated
00:09:06.000 | with stuff that you don't believe in.
00:09:08.480 | You say, well, my country is just headed down the tubes.
00:09:11.000 | My country is in a bad shape.
00:09:13.360 | Everything is just getting worse,
00:09:14.760 | and can you believe these politicians?
00:09:16.360 | Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
00:09:18.120 | Well, get out.
00:09:20.020 | Leave.
00:09:21.480 | You're not stuck.
00:09:22.920 | You're not a slave.
00:09:24.280 | Pick up and go.
00:09:25.480 | Go find somewhere better.
00:09:29.300 | Maybe it takes you five years to find somewhere better.
00:09:32.320 | Okay.
00:09:33.880 | Better than sitting around whining for five years
00:09:36.800 | realizing disaster is certain.
00:09:39.120 | It's nonsense.
00:09:42.980 | I could go on and on with example after example.
00:09:49.100 | If you ever find yourself just reflecting
00:09:53.000 | on how disaster is certain, everything is bad,
00:09:57.560 | immediately catch yourself and stop,
00:10:01.040 | and say, what can I do about this?
00:10:05.020 | If you're convinced that hyperinflation is inevitable,
00:10:09.480 | then get rid of all your assets that are denominated
00:10:12.320 | in the currency that you're worried about.
00:10:14.640 | Go buy farmland.
00:10:16.820 | Go build a business that sees to someone's needs,
00:10:21.600 | whatever it is.
00:10:22.720 | But don't fall victim to thinking that disaster is certain.
00:10:29.480 | There's a sense in which disaster is certain.
00:10:33.720 | You and I will undergo many disasters,
00:10:36.200 | but so many people spend years of their lives
00:10:39.760 | thinking about disaster, and they lose those years
00:10:43.080 | of their life that they'll never get back.
00:10:44.520 | And as far as I'm concerned, that's a disaster.
00:10:47.160 | I am more, I talk more about disaster
00:10:52.760 | than virtually anyone I know, at least in the finance space.
00:10:56.240 | I do it so that I can plan for it and move on with life.
00:10:59.800 | But I've studied it enough to know
00:11:01.200 | that the majority of the disasters
00:11:02.560 | that you and I are concerned with simply won't happen.
00:11:05.760 | And it's not that hard to prepare for them if they did.
00:11:08.460 | So I wanna close this out with a very simple charge.
00:11:14.220 | Disaster is not a strategy, but you can build a strategy
00:11:21.120 | for almost any disaster that you're concerned about.
00:11:25.920 | Even if it's only in your head.
00:11:27.920 | All right, what is your worst fear?
00:11:31.200 | Maybe your worst fear is falling off your motorcycle
00:11:33.520 | and being paralyzed.
00:11:35.440 | All right, well, let's tackle that.
00:11:38.280 | First, maybe you can adjust it.
00:11:41.400 | Maybe you stop riding motorcycles.
00:11:43.000 | Maybe when you ride a motorcycle,
00:11:44.280 | you wear all the safety gear.
00:11:46.560 | Maybe you ride more carefully, whatever, right?
00:11:49.040 | But let's assume it did happen.
00:11:51.160 | There are lots of people in the world
00:11:52.400 | who live happy, fulfilled lives, totally paralyzed.
00:11:55.320 | So face it.
00:11:57.360 | Maybe your biggest fear is getting Alzheimer's disease.
00:12:03.000 | Okay, well, let's make a strategy.
00:12:05.560 | Do everything you can not to get Alzheimer's disease.
00:12:08.880 | Study all the latest science,
00:12:10.560 | but then put in place the legal system,
00:12:12.760 | the financial preparation
00:12:14.000 | so that if you did get Alzheimer's disease,
00:12:15.600 | you would be transformed.
00:12:17.160 | And then fix your worldview
00:12:19.280 | so that you actually can trust
00:12:21.080 | that if I get Alzheimer's disease,
00:12:24.120 | I can still trust a God who does all things well.
00:12:26.680 | And if you get Alzheimer's disease,
00:12:30.920 | maybe you can take joy in the fact
00:12:32.640 | that you forget the bad stuff and the good stuff.
00:12:34.920 | And you can live a happier life.
00:12:36.520 | I mean, I don't wanna go on and on
00:12:38.880 | with disaster after disaster.
00:12:40.640 | I just wanna say that disaster is not a strategy,
00:12:42.880 | but you can build a strategy for any disaster.
00:12:45.320 | So if there's something that you're worrying about,
00:12:47.560 | articulate it to yourself, write it down.
00:12:51.040 | Start thinking about how could I plan for this?
00:12:52.880 | I guarantee that somebody else has put together
00:12:54.720 | a pretty good plan for that particular disaster.
00:12:57.320 | If you're that concerned about it,
00:12:58.560 | implement the plan and move on.
00:13:01.560 | And don't spend days, weeks, months, years
00:13:06.560 | wallowing around in your black despair
00:13:10.640 | over a disaster that probably won't happen.
00:13:14.240 | Move on and build a better life.
00:13:17.160 | I promise you, it's a better path.