The Voluntary Life

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214 From Drama To Empowerment Jul 21, 2015

Show notes

In this episode, special guest Hannah Braime talks about how to free yourself from a life of drama and move to a life of empowerment. Hannah is a coach, author, and host of Becoming Who You Are. We discuss some powerful concepts from the field of psychology that Hannah uses in her coaching. She explains how easy it is to get stuck playing a series of roles in your life— acting out a script written by someone else. These roles are all too familiar: "the victim", "the persecutor" and "the rescuer". Hannah explains how to empower yourself to leave such roles behind and live life according to your own plans. I really enjoyed the discussion and I think you will find it both interesting and helpful. Show Notes:

213 Logic And The Courage To Follow It Jul 13, 2015

Show notes

Here is how you reach true conclusions about any question in life: start with undeniable premises and use valid logic. Logic— used in reasoned argument— is the universal, impartial method that humans have for finding the truth together peacefully. Yet very few people use logic consistently. I discuss some reasons why it is so hard to be logically consistent. The most important reason is that it takes courage to follow an argument to its logical conclusion, especially if the conclusion is not accepted by the majority of people around you. If you want to think for yourself, you need more than just valid logic— you also have to have the courage to follow it. Show Notes:

Ad Populum Fallacy
If A, Then B: How the World Discovered Logic by Michael Shenefelt & Heidi White
The Right To Ignore The State by Herbert Spencer
Why I Don't Vote by George Carlin
Murray Rothbard
Hans-Hermann Hoppe

212 Science And Rationality Jul 06, 2015

Show notes

In the last episode I suggested two key challenges to resolve if you want to think for yourself:

How do you tell truth from falsehood?
How do you know what you can be certain of?

This episode is about how the scientific method can help address the first of these challenges: determining truth. I provide a summary of the philosophy of science and the rules for deciding whether a theory qualifies as scientific. However, there is a huge problem with the philosophy of science when it comes to addressing the challenge of certainty. The scientific method—as defined by leading philosophers of science—is self-contradictory. It's not even an accurate representation of what practicing scientists do (which is why scientists tend to ignore philosophers and just get on with it). In the episode, I explain how rationality is the necessary foundation of science—more fundamental even than empiricism—and how it provides the certainty that makes the scientific method possible. Show Notes:

Karl Popper
This Lecture by Hans-Hermann Hoppe about the philosophy of science provides a deeper discussion of many ideas covered in this episode with reference to economics.
Image Source: Bruno Gilli/ESO

211 Introduction To Truth And Certainty Jun 30, 2015

Show notes

You can't be free unless you can think for yourself. If someone else is doing your thinking for you, then it's not your life that you are living. When you know how to think of yourself, you cannot be controlled or manipulated. Your life is truly in your hands and is up to you what you do with it. This episode is part one of a new series on how to think for yourself. The episode introduces the two biggest problems you have to overcome if you want to think for yourself:

How can you tell truth from falsehood?
How do you know what you can be certain of?

210 Tax Strategies And Financial Freedom Part 2 Jun 21, 2015

Show notes

This episode is part two of an interview with Joshua Sheats, host of the Radical Personal Finance podcast. Joshua shares his insights on tax strategies for those pursuing financial freedom. In part one of the interview (last week's episode), we covered tax strategies for employees. In this episode, we discuss tax strategies for entrepreneurs. Joshua describes his own experience developing a lifestyle business and the tax advantages that this provides. Show Notes:

Radical Personal Finance Podcast
As always, it's up to you what you do with your money. I'm not a financial advisor and you will need to do your own research.

209 Tax Strategies And Financial Freedom Part 1 Jun 14, 2015

Show notes

Tax is the biggest expense category for most people. It is crucial for everyone interested in financial freedom to understand tax and develop a tax strategy. Yet many of the leading books on financial independence hardly mention tax. In this interview, Joshua Sheats provides a wealth of insights on this topic. Joshua trained as a financial planner and now runs the Radical Personal Finance podcast. In part one of the interview (this episode), Joshua discusses tax strategies for employees. In part two (next week), we discuss tax strategies for entrepreneurs. Show Notes:

Radical Personal Finance Podcast
Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley
IRA and Roth IRA
Mad Fientist
Go Curry Cracker
Laurence Kotlikoff
As always, it's up to you what you do with your money. I'm not a financial advisor and you will need to do your own research.

208 Creating Purpose, Structure, And Community Outside A Job Jun 09, 2015

Show notes

If you want to quit your job to pursue a more freedom-oriented lifestyle (such as entrepreneurship), there are many challenges to overcome. Some challenges are practical, such as replacing the job income that you no longer have. This episode is about the psychological challenges. Even an unfulfilling job has a psychological "pull" that is easy to take for granted because it provides:

A sense of purpose
Structure for your life
A ready-made community

Part of the fear that many people feel about quitting their jobs relates to losing the sense of purpose, structure, and community that comes from a job. To live job-free, you have to create your own sense of purpose, your own structure for life, and your own community. You can hear more about this topic in the podcast episode. Show Notes:

207 Who Will Buy Your Business? Jun 02, 2015

Show notes

If you are an entrepreneur, you might want to sell your business one day (or at least have that option). There are many issues to tackle in order to make selling a real possibility. For one thing, you need to identify a potential buyer. This podcast episode provides an overview of the two main groups of potential buyers: strategic and financial. I suggest some issues to consider when looking for each kind of buyer and I explain why I would always prefer a strategic buyer. Show Notes: Finish Big: How Great Entrepreneurs Exit Their Companies on Top by Bo Burlingham

206 Luck In Business May 24, 2015

Show notes

Are successful entrepreneurs just "lucky"? This episode is about the role of luck in business. Here are some of the ideas discussed:

The main job of the entrepreneur is to minimise chance and uncertainty. "Luck" is not the basis of success, it is the enemy.
People confuse the success or failure of a business idea with the success or failure of an entrepreneur's career—they are not the same thing. Successful entrepreneurs have many failures behind them.
A business is not static. It is not a matter of chance whether it succeeds or fails. You can adapt and change everything about your business as you go, and thereby improve your chance of success with every step.
There will always be influences that are entirely outside your control. But even those things outside your control can be managed and adapted to.

205 The Most Powerful Planning Tool I Know May 17, 2015

Show notes

This episode is about the most powerful tool that I know for planning anything. A process map is a tool for visualising a workflow. It's also called a workflow map or a network diagram—there are many different names for this tool. It's a way of clarifying exactly what has to happen to in order for you to get all the way from where you are now, to your final goal. The map shows the dependencies between all inputs, processes, and outputs. This identifies the logic of all the work ahead of you. You don't need to be involved in project management to benefit from creating workflow maps. Visualising your workflows can help you achieve your goals in any aspect of life. However, a workflow diagram is also the basis of many useful project management tools, like a PERT Chart or Gantt chart. If you want to get more into project management, you can use this tool to identify the critical path and critical chain. Show Notes:

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