Wacky Golf Fact – Hammering Down Tee and Walking On Water

This unusual story was related to me by my good friends, Bob and Gaby.

A couple years ago, they went out to the golf course on a cold brisk day for their first game of the season. Everyone knows it would take more than bad winter-like conditions to stop good old golf enthusiasts like them.

Yet, that morning, Bob and Gaby found out that some maniacs are wackier than others as they were paired up with 2 complete strangers…

It all started right after they introduced themselves to each other. One of these odd guys, dressed more for duck hunting than golf – but we could pardon it because it was pretty damn cold, pulled a hammer out of his golf bag!

Using Hammer to Tee Off

And not a little tiny hammer but rather one of these big construction-type metal ones with a black rubber handle!

What could he be doing with a hammer of a golf course?

Portfolio Update August 2016

Note that, as usual, you can expect our next update in about 12 weeks or so, in November 2016.

Meanwhile, you can also have a look at our actual portfolio and previous portfolio updates here:

DIY Portfolio

Portfolio Update August 2015

Portfolio Update November 2015

Portfolio Update February 2016

Portfolio Update May 2016

Since May, markets have continued to soar up. This is a great thing for our DIY Portfolio value but kind of makes it very difficult to find interesting stocks to buy.

We were hoping Brexit (the possibility of Great Britain leaving the European Union) could provide some short term disturbance to make solid stocks more affordable, but looks like the scary Brexit-leave-vote-bomb was a dud after all.

Then the agonising question comes back to haunt us yet again:

Should we be worried about these skyrocketing markets?

Once more, I’ll remind you that I am not an investment or tax professional of any kind. The intent of this blog is not to give specific investing advice. Before investing yourself, we suggest you to do all necessary research and consult a licensed financial professional if need be. 

Brexit Scare Quickly Went Away

A couple weeks before the Brexit vote, world markets, anticipating a stay vote, mounted quite a rally. Things were running smoothly and we were almost ready to talk about Brexit as a past remote possibility. Heck, less than 24 hours before the vote, even bookmakers heavily favoured the stay side and you know and no sane person would dare bet against these guys…

The Next Best Way of Living in the Present

Many studies and reflections on happiness seemed to point out that living in the present is an important key.

Even if I know deep down that it would obviously be the best thing for me, for some reason, I just can’t commit to that ultimate goal: to always live in the present moment. There’s no use feeling guilty about it but I’m probably still a little too weak to completely grasp and embrace that fundamental happiness concept.

Yet in recent months, I have discovered an interesting intermediate alternative: I use the 12-Minute approach to concentrate on the actual 12-Minute segment.

Now when I start a task, I focus on it and know what I’ll be doing for the next 12 minutes. At the end of the 12-Minute segment, I begin a new 12-Minute cycle with either a different task or continue with the initial one if it is not yet completed.  

That way, I’m never get too far ahead of myself and I can concentrate on what’s happening right here and now!

It may sound odd but I feel more secure taking bigger bites (12 minutes instead of an instant) with that half-way approach. It has made it easier for me to evolve towards the ultimate goal of truly living in the present!

This method also helps getting through tougher days. Sometimes, it can be a drag to motivate yourself for a whole day but you can almost always envision yourself getting by the next 12 minutes.     

Even though it’s not perfect, living in the 12 actual minutes has really made me take major steps and as time goes by, I am able to appreciate precious little moments of my life more and more. 

Photo Credit

12-Minute Basics (Revisited)

The 12-Minute Series was originally posted in 2012.

We’ve decided to republish it integrally because we believe it can still help as everyone aspires to make things better.

Let’s hope it stirs up the discussion and stimulates you to change the world 12-Minute at a time!

This article was originally posted on January 12, 2012

Help To Change 

By suggesting simple methods and unique ideas, the 12-Minute Approach will help you implement change and improve.

For exemple, for most people, the optimum concentration period is only 12 minutes. That is, the time they can really focus on a task.

Wacky Golf Fact – Birdie Hunting

This one occurred to my bubbies and me many summers ago. Back then, we were young golf studs or at least thought so.

That morning, Frank had a particularly bad outing with his famous driver. When we got to the 17^th hole, a long but sometime reachable par 5, he was determined to have his vengeance and tried to hit a bomb off the tee. And he did!

He probably made his best pass of the day and hit a wonderful powerful drive in the center of the club right down the middle of the fairway. His fancy driver even mad a big POW!

Literally Getting a Birdie

Everything would have been fine but out of the trees, a bird flew across the fairway at the same exact moment. Frank’s ball violently hit the bird! They immediately both fell straight down…about 25 yards in front of us, just between the gentlemen’s and ladies’ tee boxes.

We even noticed a few feathers blown away…

Steve immediately yelled out: BIRDIE!

Build Wealth by Reducing Recurring Expenses

In our so-called modern but consumption oriented society, people get a kick out of shopping and buying stuff. Many spend too much and that may be the main reason they will never really get wealthy.

When it comes to saving, most people tend to get pessimistic very fast because they focus on the millions they would need to truly become financially independent. Some have completely given up and don’t even bother anymore.

Additional income sure wouldn’t hurt building up your fortune. But today, we will concentrate our efforts on the other side of the equation: expenses, and especially the quiet but nasty recurring ones!

The Illusion of Seamless Payments

To add to the misfortunes of compulsive shoppers and buyers, salespeople and marketers have found a new trick in this consumption driven era: they hide the real price of products and services behind easy-to-make payments.

That way, consumers don’t exactly know how much they are paying; they only know how little their payments seem to be.