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Watch out for those who care too deeply about the opinions of those they are trying to gain something from (business, prestige, etc). If you watch them closely, they don’t respect those who they feel are “beneath” them. The problem is, sometimes these people can deceive others – tricking them into thinking that they are kind and generous, but really, it is all for show. Often times they give to charity only as a means to improve their social status with whomever they are trying to impress. They wear a figurative mask to cover up their true self because their true intentions are ugly and only of self-interest.

We all do this to some degree, but some do it more than others. Today, take the time to reflect how you are treating others. When are you wearing your mask and when are you your true self? Hopefully you have no mask and what people see is what they get. But really, ask yourself, “Do I act differently in front of those who have more status than me? How do I act or react to those closest to me? Am I treating them with the same amount of respect as the people in power? Do people know who I really am? Or do they just see my mask?”

Samuel Johnson once said, “The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.” Take that to heart. Be kind to everyone. Hope for the best for others. Give, be charitable, love, and care for those around you. And please, don’t just do this for show. Don’t do it only so that you get recognition from others. Do it because it’s the right thing to do.

First of all, I’m an amateur investor and have no financial credentials, so this post is just my opinion. Before you make any decisions, you should consult your financial advisor (and make sure they are a fiduciary). If you don’t know one, message me privately and I can potentially point you in the right direction.

Ok, so, as this Coronavirus pandemic has continued, I know that there has been a lot of panic regarding the stock market. It causes a lot of people stress, seeing the market go down, down, down. And it is concerning. But if you’re in this for the long run, you will be ok. Do NOT sell your stocks or anything in your portfolio if it has been performing leading up to this temporary setback. If you do, the only thing you are doing is ensuring that you lose money. You are selling when the market is down.

Even if the market came up from yesterday, but is down overall from the past month, two months, six months, or more, if you plan on investing for the long-term, chances are likely that the stock market will not only recover, but grow to new heights. If you sell your shares now, stay out of the market until you feel that it is safe, and then buy when you’re feeling better about the economy, you’re essentially selling low and buying high (the opposite of what any investor wants). Remember, until you sell, you haven’t technically lost anything.

Let’s take a look at an example…Let’s say you have 100 shares of a company that is trading at $100 per share at the height of the market (in this hypothetical scenario, you’re investing in one company, but really, you should invest in mutual funds or index funds). That means you have $10,000 of paper equity (100 shares x $100/share). If the stock market crashes, and now that company is only worth $70 per share, your paper equity has been reduced to $7,000 (still 100 shares, but now you’re multiplying that 100 by $70/share). Your mind may be telling you that you lost $3,000, but really, you haven’t lost anything because you haven’t sold any shares. If the market rebounds to its initial $100/share and you still have 100 shares, you’re back to being even. If it grows above the $100/share mark then you’ve profited! Your gains won’t be as high as if the market never tanked in the first place, but you didn’t lose anything.

So, if you think that the market will come back (hint, as long as it has been in existence it has always come back) then don’t sell! Don’t panic. We will all get through this.

(Side note, unless you actually have extra cash that you can invest now, it’s not necessarily a good idea to buy more than usual right now either. I like the idea of dollar cost averaging for most people. That means you put in the same amount every month, so you’re not trying to “time the market.” Don’t deplete your cash reserve and then have to rely on credit cards because you threw every extra dime you had into the market. Be smart with your money. Only you can decide what that means.)

Being stuck at home, out of our routine, and surrounded by negativity on the news and social media, it can be easy to start feeling a little down about the “stay at home” orders. But with every challenge that we face, as long as we can survive it, there is always a silver lining. If you search for things to be grateful for, you will find them. If you search for things to be upset about, you will find them. Today and everyday, try to search for the good in life. Because, in reality, there is no better time to be alive than right now, and we have so much to be thankful for. Below are my top five reasons to be thankful during my Coronavirus “quarantine.”

1. Spending more time with my wife and kids…Ever since graduating high school, I’ve been go, go, go. From working 25+ hours per week while taking a full course load at Ohio State, to graduating and working mandatory overtime at my full time job plus two part time jobs, to my current role, I’ve put in considerable hours into my academic and professional career. But this time off has given me more time with my family over a short stretch than I have had in years and I’m loving it. It is definitely something to be grateful for.

2. Completing mini projects around the house…I’ve been able to update faucet supply lines and install Shark Bites for the first time ever, do some minor drywall touch ups, and paint so far. I didn’t prioritize these items previously, but now am able to squeeze activities like these in during the kids’ nap times.

3. Helping more around the house…My wife and I never had an agreed upon set of chores that she does or I do, but we’ve found that we compliment each other well in what each of us likes/dislikes doing. For example, I always take out the trash and do dishes most of the time. We both vacuum and while I usually start the laundry, she likes folding it (one of my least favorite activities). But now that I’m home more, I’m able to contribute more and make her life a little easier by cooking and cleaning more frequently. And when I’m not doing those things, I can play with my son (which makes it easier for her to do what she wants).

4. Getting caught up on shows…Honestly, I haven’t watched very many t.v. shows in the past four or five years. The only shows I watched were Game of Thrones and Westworld. All of my other free time was spent trying to be more productive (reading, working, listening to podcasts/audiobooks, or exercising). But I can only read so much before I want to fall asleep. Or I can only exercise so much now before my body feels like it will break. So what can I do? Get caught up with shows like The Mandalorian on Disney Plus. It’s excellent and I’d highly recommend it.

5. Not taking having a job for granted…People complain about their jobs all the time and some people even get a case of the “Sunday Blues” when they think of going back to work after a couple days off. But working gives you purpose. It helps you feel like you’re accomplishing something, and that you’re contributing to something greater than just yourself. Volunteering does the same thing. But with this quarantine, being stuck inside and isolating ourselves from our friends, we don’t get to feel that normal sense of purpose anymore. This is why I enjoy working. Even though it can be stressful at times, a life without stress would be boring. If you had to rate each day of your life on a scale of 1-10, it’s the low days (1’s-4’s) that really make you appreciate the average days (5’s-7’s). And without those low days, the high days (8’s-10’s) might not even be possible.

In closing, those are just a few positive takeaways from my “quarantine” so far. What are some of yours?

On April 23rd, 1910, Teddy Roosevelt gave one of my favorite speeches. The speech was titled “Citizenship in a Republic,” but it is more commonly known as “The Man in the Arena” speech.

In the most famous part of the speech, Teddy criticized those who tried to tear others down. If you were ambitious and trying to make a difference, trying to improve your life in some way, that is what T.R. respected. He wanted to encourage more people to become doers, and to not be the types of people who pointed out when others “failed.”

It’s easy for us for sit in the stands and judge others. Actually doing the work though? That’s the tough part. That’s the part that many people are unwilling to do. But if you truly want to live your best life, that is what you must do. Because if you succeed, you will know that your success came from hard work, determination, and persistence. It wasn’t handed to you. And if you don’t reach the heights that you initially imagined? It may be disappointing, but it’s not failing. Failing is not trying and wondering “what if…?” Failing is giving up before you really even get started.

Ultimately, the best part of life is that the actions we take are the biggest factors in determining our level of future success. So ask yourself, do you want to be the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood? Or do you want to be a spectator, watching others do battle in the arena? The choice is yours.

I love a good checklist. It is so satisfying to me to be able to see an something that needs to be done, to complete that something, and then to check it off of my “to do” list for the day. At the end of the day, I can look back at my checklist and see all that I have accomplished.

Checklists can be wonderful things. They can get us to refocus on what needs to get done for the day, especially if you get pulled away by something or someone else. When you come back to your desk, the checklist is there – waiting for you. It lives for you to cross items off the list. But there’s a dark side to checklists too…

Remember that satisfying feeling I talked about when you cross an item off of you list? Be careful that you’re not putting trivial items on there just so you can feel better about crossing them off. For example, you wouldn’t put “brushing your teeth” on the list. Do you need to do it? Yes. Is it important? Yes. But is it really separating you from your competition? Hopefully not.

We must learn to think bigger if we want to dramatically improve. This goes for goal-setting too. Writing a S.M.A.R.T. goal is important. But something can still be written S.M.A.R.T. and be too small to move the needle for you or your company. That’s why stretch goals are so important. It’s ok if you don’t know how you will achieve your stretch goal initially. It may seem far-fetched. But if you break it down piece by piece, approach it from a new direction (you can’t do the same thing that you’ve been doing and expect a different result), and are consistently working towards your goal, you have an opportunity to achieve these large goals.

So, when you make out your “to do” list for today, remember to only put the big action items that need to get done. And if you have time, look at your goals for the year again. We’re just about done with the first quarter. Have your goals changed? If not, should they?