I've got an itch

Hey oh, Dynasty Dad, here. We’re the celebration of fatherhood. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Hope ya’ll had a great Father’s day. You deserve it.

This week's kickoff: I’ve Got An Itch

Dad Meme and Joke Of The Week

Meme

Joke

What are chocolate’s pronouns?

Hershey

(Thanks P. Welch for another beauty)

I’ve got an itch.

Because of a serendipitous coffee shop encounter, (that sounds more romantic than bumping into each other at a Starbucks in Detroit) I met the love of my life.

That coincidence eventually grew into love.

And then marriage.

7 short years ago, my wife, Meredith, and I tied the knot.

And after 7 years, I have an itch.

I fantasize about it on the regular.

Don’t worry, I broke it to Meredith, on our anniversary.

And she is more than ok with it.

My fantasy.

No kids, just her and I.

Traveling, having a lazy morning, and exploring the world together like we did BC (before children).

Ok, now that I shared my deepest darkest fantasy…I realized something else pretty amazing.

The magnitude of things that can happen and be achieved in 7 years.

Bill Gates once said something like, “people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year and seriously underestimate what they can accomplish in 10 years.”

We were amazed when Meredith and I reflected on what we had accomplished in 7 years.

And excited by what the next 7 will hold.

For perspective, 7 years ago, I ended my dream of creating my own company from scratch. I had poured everything I had into a family startup for a little over 4 years.

After having almost nothing left to my name, I decided it was time to move on.

I used a loan from an old 401k to buy and rehab a duplex.

We rehabbed another commercial building.

We bought a second duplex and renovated it.

We had 3 kids, two of which came during a pandemic.

We sold a business.

We bought a fourth property and moved our family 250 miles away.

I started three new jobs.

And I got in shape (dropped my cholesterol by ~120 pts and cut my risk of dying by 64%)…phew.

I’m so excited by what will happen over the next 7 years.

Our fuzzy goal is to achieve self-sovereignty ( a term for financial independence tossed around by personal finance influencers).

Two paths we are pursuing:

1) buying and creating a rustic property with multiple vacation rental options (camping and cabins).

2) buying a boring business, a profitable business most baby boomers couldn’t pass on to the next generation because it isn’t sexy (i.e. car wash, plumbing company, garage door installer, storage units, etc.).

Now its time to get to work.

Happy anniversary my love, and cheers to the next 7 years!

What excites you about the next 7 years?

This Week's Interesting Thing:

TotalMan

Life is a pendulum that swings from extreme to extreme. Once it reaches an extreme the laws of nature slow and reverse it's course.

Recently on one of my favorite podcasts (My First Million, MFM for short) the hosts were talking about a concept they termed TotalMan.

In short, TotalMan is the celebration of masculinity (not misogyny).

The way I think of TotalMan is the man’s man. The guy who puts food on his table (hunts, fishes, forages, farms).

You know that guy, maybe it's you, that can survive if they were dropped off in the woods with only an axe.

The TotalMan is a celebration of being a real dude. The guy you want in your corner if the world goes to shit.

The guy who is self-sustaining. In a world where we depend on our industrial systems for everything from food, to shelter, to heat, to clothes.

The TotalMan thrives in any environment because they have been forged in the fire of being able to provide and overcome.

The MFM hosts, Sam Parr and Shaan Puri, shared a few examples.

David Goggins, the ex-Navy Seal who pushes his mind and body to extremes running 150-mile races on the regular.

Or Joel Rogan and his hobby of the art of bowhunting to fill his freezer.

In an era where culture is blurring the lines between men and women.

TotalMan is proudly a man who strives to provide for himself and those around him.

What do you think of TotalMan?

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