The Voluntary Life

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234 Radical Personal Finance Interview— Job Free Jan 26, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode comes from Joshua Sheats, host of the Radical Personal Finance podcast: "Most of us in the Radical Personal Finance community are pursuing our own financial independence. And most of us want to get there as quickly as possible. But, most of us only have one idea of one way to get there. Did you know there are a bunch of different ways to go job-free and gain financial freedom? I'm excited to bring you my interview with Jake Desyllas, author of "Job Free: Four Ways to Quit the Rat Race and Achieve Financial Freedom on Your Terms."" Show Notes: Job Free by Jake Desyllas Radical Personal Finance Podcast

233 The Next Level — Horizons of Focus Part 2 Jan 18, 2016

Show notes

Part 2 of the discussion between Brett Veinotte and Jake Desyllas about using Horizons of Focus for productivity and purpose. In this episode, we conclude our discussion by talking about how to identify your vision for your future, and how to find purpose in life. Show Notes:

232 The Next Level — Horizons of Focus Part 1 Jan 13, 2016

Show notes

Brett Veinotte from School Sucks podcast interviews Jake Desyllas about using Horizons of Focus for productivity and purpose. In this episode (part 1) we introduce the concept of horizons of focus and talk about the best ways to identify actions, projects, goals, and areas or responsibility. Show Notes

231 Financial Freedom and Exiting the Rat Race Dec 28, 2015

Show notes

Ashe from the Liberty Entrepreneurs podcast interviews Jake about starting a business, selling a business, and financial independence. They talk about Jake's background, becoming an entrepreneur, selling a company, and life afterwards. In this episode, you can hear about the people and books that influenced Jake, and some hacks and suggestions for anyone interested in starting a business. Show Notes:

Liberty Entrepreneurs Podcast
Becoming an Entrepreneur by Jake Desyllas
How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World by Harry Browne
The Ultimate Guide to Journaling by Hannah Braime
Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson
Getting to Yes by Fisher and Ury

230 How I Crowdsourced Feedback on my New Book, "Job Free" Dec 16, 2015

Show notes

I had an amazing experience getting feedback during the writing of my new book, Job Free: Four Ways to Quit the Rat Race and Achieve Financial Freedom on Your Terms. I had 165 beta readers during development. That's a lot of feedback! This episode is about the process of crowdsourcing feedback, using the example of my experience writing Job Free. I describe the workflows, tools and benefits of crowdsourcing feedback. I also tell you all about my new book, and explain how it can help you achieve real freedom in your own life. Show Notes:

Job Free by Jake Desyllas
Becoming an Entrepreneur by Jake Desyllas
Presentation on Four Ways to Quit the Rat Race
99 Designs
The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki

229 Travel and Life on Bitcoin Dec 12, 2015

Show notes

In this interview, Tuur and Becca talk about life as perpetual travellers, living on bitcoin. They describe how they got interested in bitcoin and how it has become an integral part of their international lifestyle. They also explain how they cope with the roller-coaster volatility of living from bitcoin. Tuur was one of the first investment newsletter writers to recommend bitcoin. He describes his own journey in the industry, and shares his thoughts about where bitcoin is headed. Show Notes:

228 Making Sense Of Civilization Nov 30, 2015

Show notes

This episode shares some fascinating ideas about how to understand culture, identity and civilization. The historian Steve Davies argues that rather than being at the end of a long story of "western civilization", we are at the beginning of something radically new, unplanned and totally alien to the historical cultures of both the "West" and everywhere else before circa 1800. I've summarised these ideas in the podcast, but I also recommend that you watch the thought-provoking lecture by Steve Davies. Show Notes:

Stephen Davies on Western Civilisation
The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley

227 Review Of The Better Angels Of Our Nature By Steven Pinker Nov 16, 2015

Show notes

This episode is a review of a fascinating book, The Better Angels Of Our Nature, by Steven Pinker. The following quote summarises the book's main argument: "Believe it or not—and I know that most people do not—violence has declined over long stretches of time, and today we may be living in the most peaceable era in our species' existence. The decline, to be sure, has not been smooth; it has not brought violence down to zero; and it is not guaranteed to continue. But it is an unmistakable development, visible on scales from millennia to years, from the waging of wars to the spanking of children." Steven Pinker Show Notes:

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker

226 The Mindset For Financial Independence Nov 05, 2015

Show notes

This episode is about three concepts that I've found helpful for managing money. These concepts are about the big-picture when it comes to money, rather than the details. They express the mindset for achieving financial independence. Here is a summary of the ideas discussed:

Be Your Own CFO: managing your own money as you would manage the finance of a business.
Be Investment-Oriented, Not Consumption-Oriented
Be A Passive Investor.

Show Notes:

How to Be the CFO of Your Own Life by Luke Landes
How to Become CFO of Your Life by JD Roth
E219 How To Do A Monthly Financial Review
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley
E155: Review of A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel
Please note: I'm not a financial advisor and your money is your responsibility.

225 Comparative Advantage Is Mind-blowing Oct 26, 2015

Show notes

Comparative advantage is a simple idea from economics, but its implications are mind-blowing. It is a process that most people misunderstand, but it is at the root of everything that we create. Comparative advantage is intimately linked to what it means to be human. Show Notes:

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