In partnership with

_{Exploring the rules, doing one thing well, and patterns}

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.

Stay Informed, Without the Noise.

Your inbox is full of news. But how much of it is actually useful? The Daily Upside delivers sharp, insightful market analysis—without the fluff. Free, fast, and trusted by 1M+ investors. Stay ahead of the market in just a few minutes a day.

Subscribe today.

_{One idea to experiment with:}

The Rules:

As a society we’ve manufactured systems and along the way written rules that govern how we play in them. 

We step into this stream and let the system’s current carry us, never investigating why we are in this particular river, why the rules are what they are, and whether or not we even need to play this game. 

Have you ever questioned the rules? Here are some simple questions I have:

• Why are diamonds the symbol of love, and why do we spend so much on them to show how much we love someone?

• Why is someone more successful if they accrue more wealth rather than help more people, in society’s eyes?

• Why do we get encouraged to buy nicer things, bigger things, more things, when we get more money?

• Why is it expected that we master one job and work continuously from college to retirement? 

We are playing someone else’s games, with someone else’s rules. 

And this brings a few options:

1. We can compete for status in the existing game

2. We can step out and write the rules of our own game 

The fastest path to win is by writing your own rules and playing your own game.

If society suggests that the winner of the game is the one with the most economics, you can say “nope not playing.” Maybe for you it’s about helping the most people. Whatever it is, write your own rules and measure yourself from them. 

And if you find your inner voice whispering, “well that’s just how it is” then all the more reason to invest time in stress-testing old assumptions about the apparent requirement to play this game. 

The boundaries are there, but they are soft, pliable, short — you can go beyond them.

_{Two quotes on doing one thing well:}

Find what you do best, what you love, and forget everything else. Make that one thing the best in the world.

_{Three questions on patterns:}

1. What patterns seem to follow my good decisions?

2. What patterns can I see in others and the direct impact on their subsequent thoughts, feelings, actions?

3. Instead of trying to do the thing, whatever it is, what if I jumped a step ahead and focused on the patterned element that led to my desired action?

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:}

Contact Me:

Content ideas, questions? Reply to this email or reach out to me at [email protected]

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

📚 Join the Duolingo for Investing

📈 Want to learn investing? Check out Blossom, where you can find 50+ hours of Duolingo-style lessons, taught by North America’s largest investing content creators.

⭐️ With a 4.7 rating and ranked an Essential Finance App of 2024 by Apple, Blossom is loved by over 250,000 members.

Join Blossom for free!