Why Work?
If you’ve been on the front page of any news site in the past 3 months, you’ve probably read an article about “quiet quitting”. In case you missed it, the general idea of quiet quitting is that people are now putting in the absolute minimum amount of work possible to not get fired. Articles on quiet quitting focus on how it is the only way for many Americans to protect their mental health. But is work inherently bad? Should we focus on goals like early retirement and cope with quiet quitting? Or can there be positive aspects to work as well?
To me, one of the sad truths about the world today is that most people look upon work as something to escape from. To them, this major part of life is a necessary evil, even an obstacle to the life they dream about.
Joshua Becker- Becoming Minimalist
This article by Joshua Becker looks at the flip side of quiet quitting and talks about some of the benefits that work can provide. To be clear, the article isn’t an ode to burnout. Nor is it encouraging aimlessly toiling away for wealth that you will never spend. Instead, it focuses on the fact that meaningful work can be an extremely valuable experience. Not only does the article talk about some of the mental benefits of work that we often ignore, but it then moves on to discuss how to mentally reframe work to maximize your enjoyment of your job.
What Does Success Look Like and How Does It Feel?
As humans, we all want to be “successful” in one way or another. We’re always chasing that next promotion or a bigger house or a car that’s a little bit nicer than our neighbors. Or if we’re less motivated by status symbols, we might be chasing after success in athletic, musical, or mental arenas. But for most people, success is synonymous with wealth. The media is full of praise for people like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. But is wealth the true meaning of success?
I grew up watching Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, where the host, Robin Leach, explored the yachts, mansions, and luxury car collections of the world’s wealthiest people. Then signed off by wishing viewers “champagne wishes and caviar dreams.”
One Frugal Girl
In this article, One Frugal Girl talks about her life journey and how her feelings of “success” have changed as she left her high paying career. Earlier in her life, One Frugal Girl thought that success looked like champagne wishes, caviar dreams, and other expensive lifestyles. However, she questions whether you can really consider yourself successful if you have material wealth but are miserable on the inside and/or are not healthy. While everyone will have their own individual measure of success, reading this article can help you make sure that the vision of success you are chasing is truly aligned with happiness.
A Shocking and Easy Way to Make Over $180,000: Selling Poop
The 2020’s are the decade of the side hustle. I’m sure we’ve all heard a million people talk about how to make extra money driving Uber or delivering groceries with DoorDash. But those side hustles take time and require you to put wear and tear on your vehicle. Wouldn’t it be great if you could make money with no extra time or effort? Well, according to this article by Money Hacking Mama, this might be possible with an unusual side hustle: selling poop.
Now we understand that our gut microbiomes contribute to our health and traits as much as our genetics. But unfortunately, many people in modern society have poor health and damaged gut microbiomes. But, the good news is that stool donors can help individuals who need to re-balance their gut microbiome.
Money Hacking Mama
If you’re like me, you might be wondering why anyone would need to buy poop? It turns out that medical facilities need fecal matter from people with healthy gut microbiomes for a procedure called a fecal transplant. This can be a lifesaving procedure for people who have Clostridium difficile infections. So while selling your poop seems like it could be an easy side-hustle, you should know that only people with a healthy gut microbiome are eligible to sell their poop. In fact, less than 0.1% of people are healthy enough to qualify to become stool donors. However, if you are one of the 0.1%, you can receive up to $500 per stool donation. Interested? Check out the article to see if you qualify.