Go for the Greenlight
Savvy Saturdays (4/24/21)
Savvy Idea: Seize opportunities, and if they’re not there now, it doesn’t mean no forever. It might just be a yellow light.
I listened to Matthew McConaughey’s book, “Greenlights” recently, and I loved his memoir!
A wild guy, McConaughey goes through the twists and turns of his life and shares many different scenarios he’s faced:
living with a crazy passive-aggressive family in Australia who didn’t know how to communicate
dreaming of having a wet dream in the jungle and wanting to go to the Amazon because of it
and holding off on reading a role an hour before the set with confidence like a lion in order to wing it, only to find out the whole script was in Spanish! (¡Qué lástima!)
One of my favorite things about the book, though, is how McConaughey talks about seizing opportunities.
What McConaughey shared was that all his life was about going for the greenlight.
When life seemed to show a red light, it wasn’t always a red light. Sometimes it was a yellow light waiting to turn green.
By asking the right questions and waiting for the right moment, those moments in life turned into green lights.
As an entrepreneur, it is invigorating to realize that life is not always a red light. It gives me energy in those moments where I have to wait for the green light. By having courage and by approaching situations with the right mindset, attitude, and enough perseverance, I can turn moments that seemed blocked off into opportunities.
As the Latin proverb says:
“Fortune favours the bold”
And yellow lights can turn green, when we seize the moment at the right time.
Questions to ponder: 🤔
What are you facing in life that may actually be a yellow light?
If it’s a yellow light, how can you approach and persevere in the situation in order for it to become a green light?
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Weekly Collections
A collection of resources for you to enjoy… 📰 🎬 🎙️
Newsletter: The Sample
Want to find interesting things to read, but not search through the million of newsletters out in the world? The Sample helps you do that!
You tell it what topics you prefer, then each morning it'll pick a different newsletter to forward you!
Check it out and subscribe!
(a sneak peek of what he provides)
Faith: Kingdom Strengths Test
For those of y’all who enjoy personality tests, I learned about one called APEST, this past week.
It's an acronym for the 5 different spiritual giftings shared in Ephesians 4: 11, after Jesus yeeted into heaven:
"And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ"
It was insightful for me, as my greatest strength is apostle, which is synonymous with visionary, and makes sense why I love entrepreneurship! (so much big picture stuff)
If y’all are interested in your strength, in a Christian spiritual context, take it here!
Personal Finance: Guide to Financial Literacy
I used to think that I was pretty good at financial literacy until one of my business friends showed me many tips and tricks to finance.
I had some basics, like having a Roth IRA set up, as well as recently learned about buckets for investing, but I didn’t know about things like money markets, paying off debt as late as possible without incurring late fees in order to maximize the value off of inflation, and creating a visual chart using diagrams.net to know where all the money is located and going.
With that, I’ve read some articles on Investopedia on financial literacy, and slowly rebuilding financial infrastructures in my life.
I recommend if you haven’t, to take a look, as building up these habits can save hundreds if not thousands of dollars in the long run!
Weekly Tidbits
Learnings, verses, & quotes to chew on… 🧐
Verse of the Week
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
—Colossians 3:23–24
Challenging Quote
“Persist, pivot, or concede. It’s up to us, our choice every time.”
―Matthew McConaughey, Greenlights
Weekly Update
Personal life stuff… 🔔
Hello friends,
Greetings from Austin! 👋 Let’s jump right in!
This past week, I started to take on more responsibility. Things like exercise and financial literacy—I feel like adulting, though isn’t easy, can be fun (and it was definitely easier because of family & friend’s support).
Additionally, my roomies and I signed for a new place for the fall! I’m excited about it, as I will have more room and will be the first time in 4 years that I am NOT living with 6 roommates.
I’m also excited to sell stuff from my current apartment, as last time I moved, which was my first time moving, only me and my roommate moved 6 guy’s worth of stuff, which was NOT fun.
Tip for moving, make sure to have a plan months in advance on what to do with your stuff, so you don’t have to deal with a mess and pull an all-nighter moving.
Hopefully this time, it’ll be easier, I’ll earn a bit of money selling stuff I would throw out on a shorter time horizon, and have people to help out.
One final update, one of the students in my life group got baptized! It was an amazing moment to witness, as it’s a huge celebration for the Christian community, and I’m looking forward to what’s in store for her in intentionally living out her faith in the future!
Anyways, here are several pictures from this past week: 📷
Thanks for sticking around to the end! It means the world to me for y’all to keep up with my newsletter, and I hope it helps even a bit.
With that, stay safe 😷, keep it savvy 😎, and I’ll see y’all in the next update 😊
Eric
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Sounds like an awesome book. What is something in your life this past year that seems like a red light but is actually a yellow or green light?