Motivation

One reason many people shy away from competition is that they dislike losing. With often only one winner, the sting of defeat can feel too humiliating. When people stop competing, they can become more fragile over time, to the point where even small setbacks can disrupt their well being. Ironically, the best path to victory

On August 7, 2023, I received an email from Amy X. Wang, the assistant editor at the New York Times Magazine, inquiring about the modern-day FIRE movement and its Fat FIRE offshoot. Amy is a self-proclaimed FIRE enthusiast who has worked side hustles to earn extra money and utilized rewards points to save. As one

My life has been filled with rejections, and I’ve finally come to embrace rejection as a natural part of life. To me, being rejected is akin to the urgent need to visit the bathroom after indulging in too much Taco Bell. The discomfort is undeniable at first as your stomach sours from the inside out.

Happy new year everyone! For 2024, my theme of the year is, “One last year of intense focus.” This marks my 15th year running Financial Samurai, coinciding with both my children starting full-time school in September. Fatigue has set in, reminiscent of 2011 when I pondered leaving investment banking for good. That burnout prompted a

I’ve been writing year-in-review posts for over a decade now. It’s a rewarding way to document what went well and where I can improve. While 2023 brought more failures than wins, being alive and healthy fills me with gratitude. My theme for 2023 was “Back To Easy Living.” After an exhausting pandemic period, I aimed

At the end of every year, I highlight the best posts and podcasts on Financial Samurai. Determining the “best” of Financial Samurai is both objective and subjective. For those new here, I started this site in July 2009, at the depths of the global financial crisis. I had been considering launching the site since 2006,

While watching some competitive 5.0 tennis, a top 1% level, I suddenly started to reflect on why the window of opportunity that many of us have is smaller than we think. From 2015 until 2021, I played at the 5.0 level. I lost 69.3% of my matches, but USTA’s computer algorithm wouldn’t drop me down

Instead of sharing the usual things I’m thankful for (health, family, being Asian, etc.), I thought I’d share some unusual things I’m thankful for this year! 2023 was supposed to be a return to easy living. Alas, I don’t feel very relaxed. The combination of keeping Financial Samurai going and being a dad is grinding

If you want to succeed long-term, make sure you are working mostly for intrinsic rewards not extrinsic rewards. I believe the right balance for success is to have greater than 70% intrinsic motivation and less than 30% extrinsic motivation. If most of the reason why you are doing something is due to extrinsic motivation, you