The Propeller – June 18, 2023 – This Father’s Day, Let’s Celebrate the Man Who Made Us Who We Are

Father’s Day holds a significant place in my heart as it allows me to honor the exceptional man who has been a constant presence in my life. My father’s guidance and teachings have imparted invaluable wisdom, shaping my understanding of the world. I am immensely appreciative of the profound impact he has had on my life.

I remember when I was younger, my father would always let me tag along with him just about everywhere.  I learned so much from hanging out with my dad all the time.  From taking me with him to work and letting me sit in on meetings with him, (I remember times going to the courthouse with him and people would think I was a lawyer as well – even though I was kid!) to always including me in whatever he was doing. I wasn’t much of a “sports” guy as a kid, that was all my brother, but anything else my dad would involve me in, I’d happily join him.  This played a huge impact on the person I turned out to be.  I always looked forward to our time together.  I know he probably wished I followed in his footsteps and became a lawyer, but the tech world just came naturally to me and I progressed into that.  (Although I think I’d still make a good lawyer!)  I think my roots in tech were based on the fact that my dad was always one of the first to get cool new tech stuff.  When my brother and I were young kids, my dad would be at events with his early camcorder (It wasn’t small and required lugging around a big VCR to record that you carried with a shoulder strap) creating memorable video tapes long before every parent eventually would record things with their phones.  He had one of the first “portable” (More like luggable) computers – a Kaypro that he would do work on and bring home to let me play on.  That wasn’t our first computer though, we built (more like him) a Timex Sinclair that involved soldering all the components together and my first foray into programming in Basic.  My dad lit the flame for my love of aviation, tech, and everything else that has made me the success I am today. 

Now that I am an adult, my father still continues to be a big part of my life.  He even always takes my calls answering legal questions (Hey, it’s great having a free lawyer I can call anytime day or night!).  I still look up to my father. He is my role model, and I am so proud to be his son. I know that I can always count on him, and I am so grateful for his love and support.  He always gives great advice, and I haven’t always followed it, but he let me make my own decisions and still stuck with me when I went against his advice.  His guidance taught me that we can learn and move on.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Father’s Day!  Today my dad and I spent the day at the Columbus Airshow – very fitting for us! 

The Beatles are back!

But wait, There’s a new member joining the Fab Four and it’s not Ringo’s cousin or Paul’s pet dog.  It’s our good friend, Artificial Intelligence!

Yeah, you heard it right!

This week, Sir Paul McCartney spilled the beans to the BBC.  Using an old demo recording of John Lennon singing an unpublished song, AI has managed to create a new Beatles track!  

It’s like me trying to get a song out of my old voicemail messages… Good luck, AI!

The iconic band, which parted ways over 50 years ago, is now set for a posthumous last hurrah!  Sir Paul is being coy and hasn’t revealed the name of the soon-to-be-released song, but fans are speculating it’ll be “Now And Then”. A special tune recorded by Lennon in the late 70s and marked “For Paul”.

I guess even in the afterlife, the Beatles are making sure old tunes play new melodies.

You may be avoiding investing because you think it’s something that’s reserved for the wealthy. But you have it backward, The way you get wealthy is by investing.

If you have an entry-level income, you’d be wise to invest whatever you can, even if you can only invest $20 a month — that’s how you get started.

Rather than forcing yourself to part with the money each month, set up automatic transfers from your paycheck into an investing account.

You can often change your entire socioeconomic trajectory for yourself and your family by starting this one simple thing, which is automatically investing. This type of investing can lead to financial independence.  Financial independence gets me excited because it means you can actually start to live a rich life, and not worry about money. 

That’s because while you’re out living your life, your money is doing the slow, steady work of growing at a compounding rate.  Let the money work for you.

Real wealth creation takes time. It’s boring. It’s methodical.  And if you think of anything you’ve done in life that took a long time that you’re really proud of — maybe it’s your fitness, maybe it’s learning a language — you know what it’s like to work on it every day and just get a little bit better – but with investing, the money does the work for you.  That’s what wealth creation is about.

Sitting in the comfort of your home and going online to order a pizza might seem like a common occurrence today, but almost 29 years ago it was a groundbreaking moment.  Pizza made history as the very first item ever sold online, and Santa Cruz residents in 1994 were fortunate enough to witness this groundbreaking feat firsthand. Imagine sitting at your computer, firing up your trusty browser (back when options were limited), and effortlessly ordering a pizza through the revolutionary platform known as PizzaNet, owned and operated by none other than Pizza Hut.

PizzaNet was an audacious experiment that emerged in the early ’90s, serving as Pizza Hut’s bold endeavor to gauge the potential of this budding World Wide Web phenomenon. Spearheaded by an enterprising Pizza Hut owner in Santa Cruz and developed by a dedicated team at Santa Cruz Operation (SCO), this virtual pizza joint embodied the spirit of innovation.

While the site’s simplicity reflected its experimental nature, it was teeming with endless possibilities. Internet users could log on to pizza.net, complete a form with their preferred pizza selection, address, and phone number, and voila! A pizza would soon arrive at their doorstep. Even though the web wasn’t originally designed for such purposes, it didn’t dampen the incredible experience it provided. 

What’s truly remarkable about PizzaNet is its birth in 1994, making it one of the early pioneers among the first few thousand websites in existence. Back then, web browsers struggled to support images, and the online community was still a nascent realm, far from the bustling digital landscape we know today. PizzaNet emerged at a crucial juncture when the web transitioned from being an academic and research-focused domain to a space where individuals could forge their digital identities and participate in online communities.

My goal of reading one book a week in 2023 is still underway.  I am on book number 25 this week! (I’ll be publishing a Blog post soon on my website http://www.LeonardMack.com with full reviews of all these books.)

What I read Last week:

Never Finished is the follow-up to Goggins’s 2018 memoir Can’t Hurt Me, which was a New York Times bestseller that I also recently read and reviewed. In Never Finished, Goggins continues to share his story of overcoming adversity and achieving extraordinary things. However, this book goes deeper into the mental and emotional aspects of Goggins’s journey. He talks about the importance of self-discipline, resilience, and never giving up on your goals. This is more of a self-help book providing practical advice on improving your own circumstances.

One of the things that I appreciated about Never Finished is that Goggins is not afraid to be open and honest. He talks about his struggles with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. He also talks about the abuse he suffered as a child. By sharing his vulnerabilities, Goggins shows that even the most successful people and those who you think have everything together, have their own demons to battle.

Another thing that I appreciated about Never Finished is that Goggins provides practical advice on how to improve your own life. He talks about the importance of setting goals, developing a growth mindset, and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. He also provides specific exercises that you can do to improve your mental and physical toughness.

If you enjoyed Can’t Hurt Me, then you will definitely want to read Never Finished. This book is a powerful reminder that anything is possible if you are willing to put in the hard work.

Read/Listen along by getting your copy here:  https://amzn.to/3N12yLZ

What I am reading this week: 

Let me preface this by saying I am really not a Grant Cardone fan at all.  However, this book has come highly recommended.  Here is the description from the publishers website:

“Extreme success, by definition, lies beyond the realm of normal action. If you want to achieve extreme success, you can’t operate like everybody else and settle for mediocrity. You need to remove luck and chance from your business equation and lock in massive success. The 10X Rule shows you how! Success is your duty, obligation, and responsibility, and this audiobook gives you step-by-step guidance on how to achieve phenomenal success for yourself!”

Read or listen along by picking up your own copy of the print or audio book here:  https://amzn.to/3Jkhd3P

 

Have a wonderful and successful week!