James Barry

Chesterton’s Fence

by | Jun 30, 2021 | Mindset

There was once a town in the middle of the country called Greendale.

It was an old football town with a long history. Greendale had been been reigning State Champions for the past 5 years, and had won numerous champions dating farther back than most residents could remember.

Recently, a new mayor had been elected to the town. This mayor was determined to make some big changes.

He wanted to get rid of everything that was a relic from the past. Bring Greendale into a new age!

Hitching posts that travelers used to tie their horses to were ripped out. Horses were a rare sight these days.

An abandoned saloon was refurbished and turned into a modern motel. They had more tourists than ever these days.

A fence that surrounded Greendale High and its football field was demolished. It didn’t do anything but make it difficult for residents to watch the games anyway.

Mr. Mayor patted himself on the back for a job well done. He had successfully brought Greendale into the new century!

The next afternoon the team showed up to practice and… the field was COVERED in geese.

Hundreds of them. Their droppings were everywhere.

Turns out, Greendale High used to have a geese problem due to the location of their field. A problem that had been solved decades ago by a mayor named Chesterton.

He had a simple solution: put up a fence to keep the geese out. A solution that worked so well, they called it Chesterton’s Fence.

The new mayor learned an important lesson that day. Before you remove anything, it’s best to understand why it was there in the first place

It’s very rare for people to build things for no reason at all.

Why I LOVE Buying Used Technology

by | Jun 26, 2021 | Random Musings

I don’t like buying nice things.

They’re expensive.

You need to take extra special care of them.

Then you end up devoting an inordinate amount of mental energy to your new purchase.

“Shit, did I just drop my brand new iPhone?!”

However, there is one thing that I love. Having quality technology that WORKS.

(Because #efficiency)

So how do I reconcile these two desires?

I try to only buy technology that is either used or refurbished.

Had I done this 20 years ago… it would not have worked.

New innovations were coming out every 6-months in the early 2000s.

But today, you can buy anything that was cutting edge in 2015 and it will work just as well as a something that came out in 2021.

Here are the 5 benefits I’ve come across buying used technology:

  1. You can save a ton of money. Usually to the tune of 50% – 75% on each purchase.

  2. The products already come with wear and tear. Getting that first scratch on your screen is the worst… so just let somebody else do it for you. When I saw that my used Fitbit had a scratch I thought to myself “great, now I don’t need to worry about protecting it”.

  3. Accessories are dirt cheap. Just snagged this OtterBox case for $10 for my iPhone X. That’s an 83% discount compared to having a new phone.

  4. Avoiding the BS of new product releases. Things are more expensive and… they don’t always work. Just look at the Cyberpunk 2077 debacle.

  5. You are helping save products from the landfill. The more demand there is for used technology, the more businesses will be forced to refurbish their old goods.

Technology isn’t advancing fast enough that buying used puts you at a disadvantage.

In many ways, you come out ahead.

Doing the Bare Minimum

by | Jun 15, 2021 | Time Allocation

Everybody has those days where things are just… hard. Life is harder than usual.

Maybe you’re overwhelmed. Perhaps you’re not sleeping. Life may have just knocked you down one too many times.

This is where the bare minimum comes in. Doing the absolute smallest amount required, so you can rest and get back to normal.

You need to know what your bare minimum is first though.

If you’re a student with no responsibilities, the minimum amount you need to do is usually zero. Everything can wait.

If you’re a parent or a boss, the minimum amount is much higher. You’re responsible for kids, employees, etc. Nothing can wait.

Occasionally, I love doing the bare minimum, because doing something is better than doing nothing at all.

Cocaine All Day, Everyday

by | Jun 7, 2021 | Mindset, Time Allocation

There is a 99.99% chance you are destined to live a boring, unexceptional life.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Living an exceptional life is just that. It’s an exception to what is normal.

Because of this fact, we are obsessed with the 0.001% who live truly remarkable lives.

The outliers who live in their chosen extreme such as:

  • David Goggin’s – Did BUD/S (Navy Seal Training) 3 times. World Record holder with 4030 pullups in 17 hours. 60+ ultra-marathons.
  • Elon Musk – Runs two companies. One makes spaceships. The other, electric cars.
  • Hunter S. Thompson – Author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Hunter S. Thompson made the list because of one thing – his famous drug use. Below was his daily routine in his prime:

  • 3:00 p.m. rise
  • 3:05 p.m. Chivas Regal with the morning papers, Dunhills
  • 3:45 p.m. cocaine
  • 3:50 p.m. another glass of Chivas, Dunhill
  • 4:05 p.m. first cup of coffee, Dunhill
  • 4:15 p.m. cocaine
  • 4:16 p.m. orange juice, Dunhill
  • 4:30 p.m. cocaine
  • 4:54 p.m. cocaine
  • 5:05 p.m. cocaine
  • 5:11 p.m. coffee, Dunhills
  • 5:30 p.m. more ice in the Chivas
  • 5:45 p.m. cocaine, etc., etc.
  • 6:00 p.m. grass to take the edge off the day
  • 7:05 p.m. Woody Creek Tavern for lunch-Heineken, two margaritas, coleslaw, a taco salad, a double order of fried onion rings, carrot cake, ice cream, a bean fritter, Dunhills, another Heineken, cocaine, and for the ride home, a snow cone (a glass of shredded ice over which is poured three or four jig­gers of Chivas)
  • 9:00 p.m. starts snorting cocaine seriously
  • 10:00 p.m. drops acid
  • 11:00 p.m. Chartreuse, cocaine, grass
  • 11:30 p.m. cocaine, etc, etc.
  • 12:00 midnight, Hunter S. Thompson is ready to write
  • 12:05-6:00 a.m. Chartreuse, cocaine, grass, Chivas, coffee, Heineken, clove cigarettes, grapefruit, Dunhills, orange juice, gin, continuous pornographic movies.
  • 6:00 a.m. the hot tub-champagne, Dove Bars, fettuccine Alfredo
  • 8:00 a.m. Halcyon
  • 8:20 a.m. sleep

While the lives of these three men make fantastic stories to read about, the reality is that their lifestyles have tremendous downside:

David Goggins pushes himself to his physical limit every DAY. Just read his book “Can’t Hurt Me“.

Elon Musk publicly said “You don’t want to be me”. He works 100+ hours every week.

Hunter S. Thompson killed himself due to years of drug abuse (see the above).

It’s may be fun to dream about having an exceptional life, but there’s something amazing about just living a normal one.

7 Quotes That Have Stuck With Me

by | May 28, 2021 | Mindset

The memories that we retain are fascinating.

Especially quotes, since an entire life lesson can be summarized in just a few words.

Here are 7 quotes that have had a big impact on me.

Every day you spend above the ground is a good one.

– Unknown (but after a quick Google… apparently Scarface).

Whenever I’m having a bad day I think about this and realize I’m luckier than most. Just being alive is a gift.

One moment of pain is worth a lifetime of glory.

– Louis Zamperini

Whenever something is hard, but there’s a big reward on the other end, it’s worth doing. Read the book Unbroken, Louis Zamperini’s biography. You won’t regret it.

You should be working to improve yourself everyday.

– John Barry (My Father)

The fact that this was drilled into me as a child aside, it’s incredibly important to take the time to invest in yourself every day. Compounding returns over a lifetime will be huge.

Never make fun of somebody for something they can’t change.

– My College Teammate

Everybody has something they can’t change about themselves. Be sensitive, especially when it’s about something outside one’s control.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour. You don’t have to do it all today. Just lay a brick.”

– James Clear

Simple steps forward can add up to big results. Those simple steps just need to be taken every single day.

Your intention doesn’t matter. What matters is the outcome.

– Random (but widely known)

Nobody cares about what you wanted to happen. People care about what DID happen because of your actions.

Everybody has their own cross to bear. Sometimes you just don’t see it.

– Susan (My Therapist)

Every single person in this world is dealing with their own personal problems. Often, you just can’t see them. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t there though.