> I would rather be poor than make a lot of money doing something I hate. I too would love to have that choice. But my wife and kids might disagree
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How I Choose What to Work On (2023)
31–38 of 38 posts
Re: How I Choose What to Work On (2023)
#32> Part of the reason I’ve been able to do this is because I’ve always designed my life such that it can benefit from having money (pinball arcade rooms and all that…) but is also compatible with having no money. Good observation from the OP. Living lean opens up the possibility to do more things; but it also requires sacrifices that most aren't able to make, and why it's so difficult to work on the things you want to…
I’m just not sure how to square that quote with this from the about page: > I reside in Las Vegas but also spend a lot of time in Hawaii, Budapest, and elsewhere. I’m a minimalist nomad. No matter how minimalist one is, traveling is difficult with no money.
Tynan here. I've bought small apartments with groups of friends in Hilo, Budapest, Tokyo, and bought a small island in Canada. My share of all four of those cost under $50k. So most of the time when I travel I go to places I have my own place. I don't do a ton of touristy stuff, because I've been to all these places dozens of times, but instead more or less live a life like a local there, which doesn't cost more than my life in Vegas.
I still have to buy flights, but there are a lot of well known methods (points, etc) to get really cheap flights.
Even back when I really had no money, a buddy and I just rented cheap apartments around the world for a year and gave up our places at home. It cost very little.
Re: How I Choose What to Work On (2023)
#33Agh, the glory days of when tynan and sebastian marshall inspired what I would do later on in life (it's vagabonding, sort of vagranting). Also, his gear posts are really interesting.
Happy to hear it! --Tynan
Re: How I Choose What to Work On (2023)
#34Re: How I Choose What to Work On (2023)
#35> I would rather be poor than make a lot of money doing something I hate. This post and quote resonated with me. I love my work and have been fortunate to make enough disposable income to enjoy life and support my family. And it is funny how the money seems to follow the passion-- something that wasn't obvious to me for several years. However, I would stop well short of saying that I'd rather be poor than make money…
I'm the author. I'm married but don't have kids. I distinctly remember when I first visited Hilo, Hawaii when I was 15, thinking that if I had to be homeless there, it would be better than having a job I hated. For years I lived in a tiny 21' RV behind a gas station in SF.
Now I'm married, and I would certainly sacrifice a lot for my wife. I don't have kids, but I would also sacrifice a lot for my nieces and nephews.
What I should have said is that I'd rather live a very materially basic life than do work I hate. If I couldn't afford clothing/food/housing/etc. I'd do whatever I needed to.
Re: How I Choose What to Work On (2023)
#36I think this is the best insight into why OP is successful: "Once I have a business, my priority is to make it the best possible option for the user"
Re: How I Choose What to Work On (2023)
#37> I would rather be poor than make a lot of money doing something I hate. I too would love to have that choice. But my wife and kids might disagree
It depends just how miserable it makes you, and the rest of the family's views. I wouldn't want my parent/spouse to be absolutely miserable just so I can have nicer things. Also a parent who is absolutely ground-down by their work might have psychological problems as a result which could negatively affect the child, or at minimum less time/energy to directly give to the family.
Most people, past or present, have had to do whatever labor they can to (hopefully) simply survive at the contextual standard of living. Some kids may love a parent who lets them go hungry so they can do work they don't dislike as much -- but the other adults around them probably won't have such a generous view, and I think rightly so.