I agree with all of these. I would add the ability to speak in front of a group should added to the list. If a person can read, write, speak, and hold their focus for more than 30 seconds, will be considered a star. If they are healthy, not obese, no meds, and no mahor diseases on top of reading and writing, you may be thought of as an alien. I am with you, my doctors are all amazed that in my early 60's with no health issues and I can get up off the floor with no hands.
Tim, I could see many of these ideas presented here coming to fruition.
I want to share a story that tells me why I think you're spot on about the future of work.
You often write about the opportunities that arise from writing online. I've long wondered if and how they would ever pop up in my life.
A few weeks ago, I watched a panel of agricultural speakers at a St. Cloud, Minnesota, conference.
One of the speakers was a farm management instructor from my hometown. I felt a bit of envy watching her share her ideas, both on the stage and in the farm magazines I often find her writing.
I told myself I needed to find a way to do what she does, but I had no idea how.
Later at lunch, my partner and I found the last empty table and took a seat before three gentlemen sat next to us. One was Brad, a farmer I'd met in the lobby bar the evening before. The second was Carl, a rookie field inspector. The third guy I did not recognize.
Before long, the conversation began when Brad mentioned something about an idea for a magazine article to the third guy.
Huh, magazine, I wonder as I glanced at the third guy's name tag. Kevin. Editor at The Farmer magazine.
How will I get this guy's attention without holding up a "Hey, I'm a writer" sign?
Think Kuznia, think.
Then it hit me...Brad mentioned he was from Thief River Falls, right next to the lineup of Versatile tractors I wrote about last summer in a Substack newsletter. So I turned to him and asked how far his farm was from the lineup of old iron.
After a chuckle, Brad told me about his neighbor with a yard full of junk and old tractors and how he hadn't thrown anything away since Moby Dick was a minnow. We all laughed while I casually mentioned my Substack and how my lady and I snagged a bunch of pics of the junkyard for the newsletter. Nothing more.
The conversation continued while we wrapped up lunch and prepared to head back into the conference room when Kevin turned to me and said, hey, did you say you write articles?
Yes, I write a weekly stack about farming and mental health and share my life experiences from the farm. After informing him what Substack is (it still surprises me how many people are still unaware of Substack, which tells me there is still a ton of room for growth), he asked me if I've considered doing any freelance writing because he's struggled to keep up with covering the entire state and could use some help.
Would I?
Unable to conceal my excitement, I blurted, I'd love to!
We exchanged business cards, shook hands, and returned to our seats.
A few weeks passed until yesterday when Kevin emailed me asking if I wanted to write a story for The Farmer about sugarbeet production in the Red River Valley.
My first freelance writing gig presented itself because I put myself out there long enough to get noticed. Pretty fucking awesome.
Stories like this make me think of the knock-on effects of writing online and following successful writers like you. It makes me excited for the future and not having to waste away in a nine-to-five.
If it weren't for your writing giving me the motivation to keep cracking when I was frustrated and wanted to quit, this opportunity would've remained a dream.
Thats great! I love it! It shows the basic elements that are about human beings, us, things that make us human - at least decent humans. What I find is that when we move from a place of getting pushed from one side to the other in terms of jobs, attention, prodicts and basically everything, we lose ourselves, and we become the playing ball of others. It makes us sick and we become much of the person that has a very low attention span, that is grumpy, all by him/herself and in a state of 'I was here, but I am not here anymore'. I felt within myself. I was depressed, I put my head down, walked like a zombie along the streets, staring at my phone, watched youtube all day and dreamed of a better life. Nothobg happened and I got even more depressed. I stopped saying please and thank you, I stopped sharing what I knew, I stopped caring about anything else than getting out if that rut and being depressed. Bug the moment I changed from within (and still working on it), my interaction with the world changed as well - I was excited for others, I helped without expecting sth in return, I valued what others did to me and I realized how unhealthy I was before. Your text is a great reminder of the looking after ourselves, caring for our life, and in turn caring for those around us. Showing up, putting in the work. And I think then we came a good way forward to coming close to success and those thibgs you mention in your article. Thanks for sharing! :)
Thank you Tim, great article. I’ve been driving my friends crazy to make sure that they start teaching their kids about investing and finance. I’m on a learning path too.. and wish I’d started earlier but I’m doing it now.
I think people are becoming a bit superficial due to the information overload. Some good old fashioned deep thinking and a solid value system should help most in the 30 seconds realm :-)
When I am maintinaing my weight, I eat 65% plant-based, 30% meat, and 5% saimple carbs. When losing weight, I shift to 75% plant-based, 20% meat, and 5% simple carbs. The most important thing I do is eat my vegetables first, followed by meat or protein, and finish with simple carbs. This allows the vegetables to cover my gut with fiber to filter out high absorption of glucose. I lost 105lbs doing this and kept it off since 1998.
Tim, I'm not sure that owning Bitcoin will be a status symbol but my opinion is also subjective. One thing I know for sure, though, is that financial markets will play a more important role in 10 years. Investing is becoming a necessity now. It'll be a must a decade later (low wages, non-existent state-sponsored pensions, etc.). Those not growing their wealth in the financial markets are missing out on a huge opportunity even beyond Bitcoin.
“Having good manners is going to be a huge flex in 10 years. Start mastering the subtle art right now.”
Amazing what a cheat code it is to just be polite to people.
I was unemployed for a bit recently and my former employer wanted to dispute my eligibility for unemployment insurance. I got an email saying I would get a phone call from an arbitrator and a snail mail with the details.
I only saw the email a few hours before the call and never got the letter, but when the arbitrator called and asked if I was ready I said “no problem let’s just get this taken care of, I’m sure you have a busy day already” and I made sure to be polite the whole time and she went out of her way to find reasons to take my side and even got upset over the fact they were making trouble for me in the first place. Then she called me back 5 minutes later and told me her plan to make all this go away. Which it did.
Insightful and thoughtful article. I have two quibbles though- nobody really understands cryptocurrencies- it started out as an unregulated currency, and is now basically a scarce asset.My prediction is that the more it is mainstream regulated, the more it will default to its currency usage, and the more its value (then no longer a scarce asset) will diminish. Therefore, rather buy old- fashioned gold for long-term investment returns. Second quibble- I am not sure if your garden food- source is an argument for veganism, but I suspect non- animal- based nutrition will be a first- world luxury for a long time to come.
I can relate, especially with the “not on medication” part. People are encouraged to take pills when there is a slight discomfort (headache, stomachache) while waiting it out for some time will get it to normal.
Thanks for the insights, Tim. Well written with a nice bit of humour thrown in.. I like the Nobel prize idea.. just for finishing a book.. I’m in the running and I’ve got ten years to finish a few.. yeah!..
I thought I was the only one who had noticed the disappearance of please and thank you.. it takes you so far in life, especially when travelling, that it’s a bloody life skill! My grandmother would also be mystified, God rest her.
I agree with all of these. I would add the ability to speak in front of a group should added to the list. If a person can read, write, speak, and hold their focus for more than 30 seconds, will be considered a star. If they are healthy, not obese, no meds, and no mahor diseases on top of reading and writing, you may be thought of as an alien. I am with you, my doctors are all amazed that in my early 60's with no health issues and I can get up off the floor with no hands.
Tim, I could see many of these ideas presented here coming to fruition.
I want to share a story that tells me why I think you're spot on about the future of work.
You often write about the opportunities that arise from writing online. I've long wondered if and how they would ever pop up in my life.
A few weeks ago, I watched a panel of agricultural speakers at a St. Cloud, Minnesota, conference.
One of the speakers was a farm management instructor from my hometown. I felt a bit of envy watching her share her ideas, both on the stage and in the farm magazines I often find her writing.
I told myself I needed to find a way to do what she does, but I had no idea how.
Later at lunch, my partner and I found the last empty table and took a seat before three gentlemen sat next to us. One was Brad, a farmer I'd met in the lobby bar the evening before. The second was Carl, a rookie field inspector. The third guy I did not recognize.
Before long, the conversation began when Brad mentioned something about an idea for a magazine article to the third guy.
Huh, magazine, I wonder as I glanced at the third guy's name tag. Kevin. Editor at The Farmer magazine.
How will I get this guy's attention without holding up a "Hey, I'm a writer" sign?
Think Kuznia, think.
Then it hit me...Brad mentioned he was from Thief River Falls, right next to the lineup of Versatile tractors I wrote about last summer in a Substack newsletter. So I turned to him and asked how far his farm was from the lineup of old iron.
After a chuckle, Brad told me about his neighbor with a yard full of junk and old tractors and how he hadn't thrown anything away since Moby Dick was a minnow. We all laughed while I casually mentioned my Substack and how my lady and I snagged a bunch of pics of the junkyard for the newsletter. Nothing more.
The conversation continued while we wrapped up lunch and prepared to head back into the conference room when Kevin turned to me and said, hey, did you say you write articles?
Yes, I write a weekly stack about farming and mental health and share my life experiences from the farm. After informing him what Substack is (it still surprises me how many people are still unaware of Substack, which tells me there is still a ton of room for growth), he asked me if I've considered doing any freelance writing because he's struggled to keep up with covering the entire state and could use some help.
Would I?
Unable to conceal my excitement, I blurted, I'd love to!
We exchanged business cards, shook hands, and returned to our seats.
A few weeks passed until yesterday when Kevin emailed me asking if I wanted to write a story for The Farmer about sugarbeet production in the Red River Valley.
My first freelance writing gig presented itself because I put myself out there long enough to get noticed. Pretty fucking awesome.
Stories like this make me think of the knock-on effects of writing online and following successful writers like you. It makes me excited for the future and not having to waste away in a nine-to-five.
If it weren't for your writing giving me the motivation to keep cracking when I was frustrated and wanted to quit, this opportunity would've remained a dream.
Thanks for all you do, Tim Denning.
"Reading is how we learn about the world. Writing is how we dissect what we’ve learned to reveal the truths, paradoxes, and lies.
Read more than you watch. Write more than you talk."
This is a must if you want to get ahead in the world. I hope readers heed your advice.
Great read as always Tim!
I believe that the SIZE of your garden/food source will be the ultimate status symbol flex.
(“Flex” is the nicest possible manner!)
We have 36 layer hens and an 80’ hoophouse with a big garden.
This provides more than enough food for our family and friends, which we in turn sell the remaining roadside.
Every year we get more efficient which makes things easier as we go!
Getting good at providing for ourselves is going to be a skill we pass along simply by osmosis to our now 5 year old.
Keep fighting the good fight Brother!!
Thats great! I love it! It shows the basic elements that are about human beings, us, things that make us human - at least decent humans. What I find is that when we move from a place of getting pushed from one side to the other in terms of jobs, attention, prodicts and basically everything, we lose ourselves, and we become the playing ball of others. It makes us sick and we become much of the person that has a very low attention span, that is grumpy, all by him/herself and in a state of 'I was here, but I am not here anymore'. I felt within myself. I was depressed, I put my head down, walked like a zombie along the streets, staring at my phone, watched youtube all day and dreamed of a better life. Nothobg happened and I got even more depressed. I stopped saying please and thank you, I stopped sharing what I knew, I stopped caring about anything else than getting out if that rut and being depressed. Bug the moment I changed from within (and still working on it), my interaction with the world changed as well - I was excited for others, I helped without expecting sth in return, I valued what others did to me and I realized how unhealthy I was before. Your text is a great reminder of the looking after ourselves, caring for our life, and in turn caring for those around us. Showing up, putting in the work. And I think then we came a good way forward to coming close to success and those thibgs you mention in your article. Thanks for sharing! :)
Thank you Tim, great article. I’ve been driving my friends crazy to make sure that they start teaching their kids about investing and finance. I’m on a learning path too.. and wish I’d started earlier but I’m doing it now.
I think people are becoming a bit superficial due to the information overload. Some good old fashioned deep thinking and a solid value system should help most in the 30 seconds realm :-)
When I am maintinaing my weight, I eat 65% plant-based, 30% meat, and 5% saimple carbs. When losing weight, I shift to 75% plant-based, 20% meat, and 5% simple carbs. The most important thing I do is eat my vegetables first, followed by meat or protein, and finish with simple carbs. This allows the vegetables to cover my gut with fiber to filter out high absorption of glucose. I lost 105lbs doing this and kept it off since 1998.
Thank you, Tim, for this enjoyably thought-provoking and informative article.
Tim, I'm not sure that owning Bitcoin will be a status symbol but my opinion is also subjective. One thing I know for sure, though, is that financial markets will play a more important role in 10 years. Investing is becoming a necessity now. It'll be a must a decade later (low wages, non-existent state-sponsored pensions, etc.). Those not growing their wealth in the financial markets are missing out on a huge opportunity even beyond Bitcoin.
“Having good manners is going to be a huge flex in 10 years. Start mastering the subtle art right now.”
Amazing what a cheat code it is to just be polite to people.
I was unemployed for a bit recently and my former employer wanted to dispute my eligibility for unemployment insurance. I got an email saying I would get a phone call from an arbitrator and a snail mail with the details.
I only saw the email a few hours before the call and never got the letter, but when the arbitrator called and asked if I was ready I said “no problem let’s just get this taken care of, I’m sure you have a busy day already” and I made sure to be polite the whole time and she went out of her way to find reasons to take my side and even got upset over the fact they were making trouble for me in the first place. Then she called me back 5 minutes later and told me her plan to make all this go away. Which it did.
I haven't read it.
Insightful and thoughtful article. I have two quibbles though- nobody really understands cryptocurrencies- it started out as an unregulated currency, and is now basically a scarce asset.My prediction is that the more it is mainstream regulated, the more it will default to its currency usage, and the more its value (then no longer a scarce asset) will diminish. Therefore, rather buy old- fashioned gold for long-term investment returns. Second quibble- I am not sure if your garden food- source is an argument for veganism, but I suspect non- animal- based nutrition will be a first- world luxury for a long time to come.
'the normal thing to say is “But it doesn’t affect me.” '
Apathy amongst the common people really is one of the worst things that can happen to society.
I can relate, especially with the “not on medication” part. People are encouraged to take pills when there is a slight discomfort (headache, stomachache) while waiting it out for some time will get it to normal.
If people want to commit less, surely temporary tattoos are the things people want.
Thanks for the insights, Tim. Well written with a nice bit of humour thrown in.. I like the Nobel prize idea.. just for finishing a book.. I’m in the running and I’ve got ten years to finish a few.. yeah!..
I thought I was the only one who had noticed the disappearance of please and thank you.. it takes you so far in life, especially when travelling, that it’s a bloody life skill! My grandmother would also be mystified, God rest her.
Great stack! ✍️👏