I’ve been publishing on the web since 1994. (The oldest evidence of my web presence is this capture by the Internet Archive on 30 November 1999.)
I started my first “web journal” (we didn’t call them blogs then) on 16 August 1997 as a means to document my weight loss. From there, it was a natural leap to writing an actual weblog that documented my daily life. My first short-lived blog launched on 22 September 1998.
Over the past fifteen years, I’ve written at a number of sites. And I’ve produced millions of words online. Some of those words are better than others. This page contains links to some of my favorite articles from years gone by. As time passes, I’ll add links to different articles I re-discover in my archives…
Change: The Art of Personal Transformation — I gave the closing keynote at World Domination Summit 2012. After listening to Brené Brown talk about vulnerability, Susan Cain talk about introversion, Scott Harrison talk about building wells in Africa, and Chris Brogan talk about bravery — after listening to all of these professional speakers, I took the stage. I’m just an average guy. I shared what I’ve learned about how to change your life. This is the text of that talk.
How to Be Happy — I’ve been reading and writing about money for nearly a decade. I’ve been reading and writing about happiness for nearly as long. The subjects are deeply intertwined. Based on my research and experience, I’ve developed not only a philosophy of well-being, but a short summary of the research into how to be happy. This hundred-word piece is a sort of personal roadmap; whenever I sense I’m drifting off course, I re-read it, and I find my way again.
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Mustachianism — A history of my financial development, from debtor to saver to financial independence. This article contains a succinct summary of my current financial philosophy.
DIY Finance — In this guest-post at Boing Boing, I encourage readers to take charge of their financial lives.
The Worst Job I Ever Had — I made some poor choices at the end of my college career; as a result, I graduated without a prospect for work. No matter — I lived off my credit cards for a few months, basking in the glow of adulthood. Eventually I realized that I needed to find a job.
The Power of Yes: A Simple Way to Get More Out of Life — For much of my adult life I’ve been shackled by fear. I’ve been afraid to try new things, afraid to meet new people, afraid of doing anything that might lead to failure. This fear confined me to a narrow comfort zone. In 2007, however, I made a single small change that has helped me to overcome my fear, and allowed me to get more out of life.
You Are Your Own Worst Enemy — My friend Gillian called the other day– she’s been having money trouble and was looking for help. “I’m not really a financial advisor,” I told her. “I write about money, and I try to help people at my website, but I’m not qualified to coach you one-on-one. ” Still, she’s a friend, so I resolved to at least give her some advice.
Free at Last! Saying Good-Bye to 20 Years of Debt — It took a lot of time and effort, but these actions have finally paid off. Today I wrote a check for the last of my consumer debt. I’m now debt-free, except for my mortgage. I’ve been walking around in a happy little haze all day long.
The Razor’s Edge: Lessons in True Wealth — My friend Sparky made what I thought were odd choices. He lived like a monk while at home so that he could spend his money on travel and other things that were important to him. This article describes the lessons he taught me.
How to Build Confidence and Destroy Fear — Without self-confidence, we have a tendency to make poor decisions. We make choices based on fear instead of what’s best for us. If you lack confidence, you might fill your life with self-destructive behavior. You might work at a job you hate. You may allow yourself to get deep in debt. You may find yourself moving from one bad relationship to another. Without confidence, you don’t allow yourself to pursue your dreams. Here are a few courage-building techniques I’ve picked up over the years.
Action Not Words: The Difference Between Talkers and Doers — If there’s something you want to be or do, the best way to become that thing is to actually take steps toward it, to move in that direction. Don’t just talk about it, but do something. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. Just take a small step in the right direction every single day.
Drama in Real Life: A Place for Mom — My mother has struggled with mental health problems for over a decade. After a few years of increasingly erratic behavior, my family finally had to take action, we had to help her find a new place to live where she could receive constant supervision.
America’s Love-Hate Relationship with Wealth — After writing about money at Get Rich Slowly for six years, I noticed that people in general (and Americans in particular) have a complex love-hate relationship with wealth. People want to be rich — but they’re suspicious of those who already are.
A Place of My Own — The toughest blog post I’ve ever had to write: After months of hinting at things, I revealed that my wife and I were getting a divorce, and that I’d moved into an apartment of my own. This post explored some of the implications of that decision.
How and Why I Sold Get Rich Slowly — After years of ignoring offers to buy my site, a close friend’s death (and a fear of burnout) prompted me to sell the blog. This post explains how and why I did so.
This I Believe: 43 Lessons from 43 Years — The lessons I’ve accumulated that might help you lead a happier, more productive life.
You Are the Boss of You: How to Find Success With Money and Life — I’ve always said that nobody cares more about your money than you do. But I’ve also come to realize that nobody cares more about you than you do. The key to success — in every area of life — is to understand that you control your own destiny.
Finally, here’s a collection of the best articles from the dusty archives of Foldedspace. In no particular order…
- Get Rich Slowly!, my most-read piece: I summarize the financial self-help books I’ve recently read (this led to the creation of my weblog of the same name)
- Man vs. Skunk: a Photoessay, in which I retrieve a dead skunk from under a trailer house
- Action Girl’s Guide to Living, a summary of a fantastic life philosophy
- The Golden Rules of Weblogging and Everyone Has Something to Say discuss the art of weblogs
- Independence Day — a snapshot sparks memories of my father’s final days
- U2: A Love Story — I fell in love with U2 in high school
- How Not To Watch a Movie — Joel, Dave, and I get kicked out of a movie
- On the Malleability of Time — I wax philosophical about the nature of time
- Golden Plates — I was raised Mormon
- Genesis, Exodus, and Revelations — in which I explain my spiritual sojourn
- Star Wars Generation describes my youthful love for Star Wars
- Everything Here is True — a discussion of truth and journalism (especially weblogs)
- How Did We Get Here? — a brief recent history of the Middle East; an attempt to explain 9/11
- Whose Rules? — Whose rules should we live by? Yours? Mine? Your god? My god?
- Sometimes I write about food: Best Salsa Ever, Best Clam Chowder Ever, Best Gingerbread Cookies Ever, and Gin Fizz, Illustrated
- When the Bullet Hits the Bone — goofy nonsense
If the past is any indication, I’m going to be writing about stuff and nonsense for years to come. Most of what I write will be entertaining but not substantial. But sometimes I’ll produce something worth sharing — when I do, I’ll add these gems to this list.