the hardest 'would you rather' question ever

if you could only have one but not the other, would you rather have

(1) inner peace

or

(2) money + power

?

i heard this question on a podcast recently, & everybody i’ve asked it to has given me the same answer:

‘inner peace.’

i disagree.

but not for the reasons you might expect.

when we think about money + power, we think of the greedy billionaire who hoards his money & uses it to feed his own ego.

this stereotype exists for a reason — there are plenty of rich, powerful people who are also scumbags.

when we think of inner peace, our minds paint an image of a zen monk who spends his days meditating in nature.

this stereotype also exists for a reason — all the research we’ve done on happiness + inner peace shows that monks are always in the top 0.01% for both.

it’s no surprise, then, that we romanticize the idea of a life like that, while we villainize the pursuit of money + power.

i did the same.

but i think we’re forgetting something.

yes, money + power can corrupt. it can cause pain. it can start wars. it can serve ‘the few’ instead of ‘the many.’ it can ruin lives.

but the opposite can also be true.

money + power can heal pain. it can end wars. it can serve humanity. & it can save lives.

or in other words,

money + power is an amplifier.

the more of it you have, the bigger your potential impact on the world — for better or for worse.

that’s why if your goal is to do as much good as you possibly can, you could argue that pursuing money + power isn’t just acceptable — it might be the most ethical choice you could make.

or as Alex Hormozi said:

‘money + power can be used to build hospitals, save countries, save people…

peace can only save me.’

that’s why i’d rephrase the original question to this:

if you could only have one but not the other, would you rather be

(1) happy

or

(2) useful

?

inner peace makes you happy.

utility makes the world a better place.

& if you want proof of that, look around you right now.

the chair you’re sitting in. the clothes you’re wearing. the building you’re in. the device you’re reading this on.

none of them just appeared one day.

they only exist because at some point, a complete stranger decided that they wanted to leave the world a bit better than they found it.

an engineer might do it by designing a 3% more fuel-efficient engine.

a teacher might do it by telling a student ‘i’m proud of you.’

a receptionist might do it by asking how a person’s day is & truly meaning it.

they’re all little things.

but when you zoom out, everything we do is little.

we’re all gonna die one day & eventually, nobody is gonna remember us.

that means if anything truly is ‘eternal’ about our existence, it would be what we leave behind.

& that’s why a while ago, i made a decision that i try to live by every day:

above all else, i will be useful.

& if ethical money + power can help me do more good in the world, so be it.

because i don’t want to ‘save myself’ & spend my life meditating in a forest.

i want to be the guy who planted the trees.

‘the hands that serve are holier than the hands that pray.’

some things i learned

1. the 1-year breakup rate, ranked by how couples met
   online: 16%
   through friends: 10%
   through family: 9%
   in a bar/restaurant: 7%
   in college: 6.5%
   as coworkers: 6%
   in primary/secondary school: 5%
   in church: 1%
   (credit: Rob Henderson)

2. talent is forged in the dark hours
   ‘i call them ‘dark hours’ because no one sees them.
   
   you don’t have a boss, you don’t have a clock, other people are off doing their thing, & it’s just you and the work. you play, experiment, & learn one dark hour at a time.

   
   what looks like skill is mostly just a lot of work in the dark.’
   ~ Shane Parrish

3. perception is everything
   ‘when you’re naked, if you put on shoes you’ll somehow feel MORE naked.’
   ~ Shane Gillis

cool stuff i found

1. my favourite photographer
   Karim Amr takes pictures that i can’t stop looking at. here’s one:

   

2. a great snack for bulking
   if you’re a slimmer guy trying to put on weight, these energy balls have been one of my go-to snacks for extra ‘easy’ calories between meals.

   

3. my dream car, but electric
   this guy put a Tesla motor + battery in a 1987 Toyota Pickup. when you catch me driving one of these, just know that i made it in life.

that’s all for this week!

for maybe the first time ever, i have a backlog of videos to post on YT.

i really want to ‘relaunch’ the channel, but my priority is finishing up this secret project i’ve been working on before i start telling everyone about it.

all i can say is, i’m super excited.

you’ll just have to hang on a bit longer though (;

~ liam

PS - send me your top 3 recommendations for ‘cool things i found’ !