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_{Exploring the model bridge, alchemizing thought, and following curiosity}

Happy Thursday! Thanks for reading Intentional Dollar — where we look at old money ideas through a new perspective.

What’s inside?

• One idea to experiment with

• Two quotes from others

• Three questions to dig deeper

• Four lines of poetry for the point

Disclaimer: This is not investment advice. These weekly posts represent my simple thoughts, a few quotes, and some questions — for educational purposes only.

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_{One idea to experiment with:}

The Model Bridge

In seventh or eighth grade, I wanted to be an engineer. That early aspiration vanished within the first few years of high school—probably to society’s benefit, as any newly built bridges are safer without my involvement.

Back in one of those early engineering-type classes, I got to build a bridge. Little wooden sticks, lots of glue, and negative understanding of physics.

I built the bridge.

When it was complete, I had to subject it to a structural testing machine whose sole purpose was to tear down what I had worked so hard to build up.

With utmost care, I placed my prized bridge into the contraption. It survived but a brief moment in time before succumbing to far less pressure than it should have withstood.

Although I didn't become an engineer, that broken bridge didn’t break my dreams. And reflecting back on the experience has me thinking about systems design, specifically how we go about fixing broken components of systems.

If I would have reconstructed my failed bridge by cutting another piece and gluing it into the same place as its predecessor, it would have failed again. There was a design flaw. Simply re-gluing another beam was a suboptimal strategy.

I’d add more glue. I’d cut the piece more precisely. I’d try harder. But no matter how strong the glue or how perfect the cut, a flawed design will still fail under pressure.

Our systems break like this all the time. Habits, strategies, budgets—all fall prey to the same fundamental error: forcing the wrong design.

Instead of scrapping the blueprint or adjusting the broader structure, we keep standing up a new piece in the same fragile spot—only to watch it collapse again and again.

If the same failure points are plaguing your systems, start sketching new ideas. Ask different questions. Redesign. Retry.

_{Two quotes on alchemizing thought:}

Writing down thoughts is magic. You alchemize the invisible into a tangible, written, recorded piece of personal history. You’ve made permanent the fleeting and short-lived; you’ve preserved something endangered, at risk of never being seen again. 

_{Three questions on following curiosity:}

1. Instead of rigid and structured learning, what if I followed the rabbit holes of my curiosity more often?

2. How might I tie my natural curiosities into my daily work so that I’m more effective?

3. What topics typically pull me into the black holes of research and losing track of time?

Which question stuck with you? Questions like these are spotlights for the mind. Reply to this email and let me know which one shined light on a previously dark cave.

_{Four lines of poetry for the point:}

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Disclaimer: This is not investment advice. These weekly posts represent my simple thoughts, a few quotes, and some questions — for educational purposes only.