“I realize this is a guide to wealth, not some lecture on the voices of greed. I’m not here to lecture you or moralize all day. Making money is great, I wholly endorse it. I love making money. But it’s important to think about what the point of earning money is. Ideally, we want to make money so we can enjoy the “finer things” in life. What I’m questioning is what those “finer things” in life actually are.”
I took this quote from a blog called Post Masculine – Radical New Perspectives On Life. The quote is from the entry I chose called, “The Post Masculine Guide to Wealth”. I have read a few other posts by the blogger and generally find most of his work to be interesting enough to at least come back occasionally. His thoughts on modern day life are generally different from the average American, but he certainly knows what makes him happy and he tries to spread his philosophy through the blog.
His target audience generally seems to be men, as he talks a lot about style/presentation and ways to approach women. For this post he seems to be trying to reach anywhere from young adults who are just entering the work force to men and women who are already fed up with their jobs. He does not dispute that making money is important in the modern world, but like the quote I have included states, it’s all about the way you spend the money for him. “Money is only as valuable as the experiences it brings you. Experiences create happiness. Money is merely a tool used to achieve greater experience.” This is another quote from the blog post and outlines his philosophy well, he believes you are only as rich as the experiences you have have in your life. Having money to create these experiences help, but happiness will not come without the value you get from the meaningful experiences.
The blog does a good job conveying the ideas that he finds most important, he uses italics and bold statements to emphasize what he feels strongly about. He includes pictures here and there and some other stories from outside sources that reinforce his overall idea well. There is a great story from Tim Ferriss’s book “The Four Hour Work Week”, which I included because I thought it was pretty funny at the bottom.
Overall his writing style seems a little preachy at times, I feel as if he lives a life that even though he gains value from his certain experiences, others may not. He does switch over and try and relate his theory to people who may have a harder time spontaneously traveling and creating these meaningful experiences which I think is important in a post. His entries are lengthy and he uses a lot of long paragraphs where he solely includes his point of view. Luckily for him his writing is generally entertaining when hes not just preaching, and he generally provides a thought provoking way to look at a familiar topic.
Story from, Tim Ferriss -“The Four Hour Work Week”
An American consultant was at a pier in a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow-fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied only a little while.
The consultant then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?
The fisherman said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.
The American then asked the Mexican how he spent the rest of his time.
The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, señor.”
The American consultant scoffed, “I am business consultant and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and, with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution.
“You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But señor, how long will this all take?”
To which the American consultant replied, “15-20 years.”
“But what then, señor?” asked the fisherman.
The consultant laughed, and said, “That’s the best part! When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public. You’ll become very rich, you would make millions!”
“Millions, señor?” replied the Mexican. “Then what?”
The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”
The Official Blog of WRTG 3007, Summer 2012 
Although his blog does seem to be aimed towards men, I still found this post to be interesting. I think some of the things he says are true…like how money is really only what you make of it, and how you use it to fulfill your dreams or goals. I know that money is not a huge motivator to me. I’ve had jobs in the past that made plenty of money, but I didn’t really have anything else going on, I didn’t have things that I loved to do or that felt satisfying in the longer term. No doubt that money doesn’t automatically solve all your problems and make you happy….you have to be smart about how you take advantage of having it.
Although this blog was more aimed at men, I felt like I could completely relate. I agree as well when he talks about, how money is only what you make of it. Many people make money and spend it on silly things that don’t really matter in the long run. Then there are people that make money, and are wise about it. Money can almost be evil in that sense, it can destroy you, but it can also make you that much more happier. I know specifically that this is a mens blog, but does the blogger also have a women’s blog? He seems like he really knows what he is talking about…and hey who doesn’t like advice about money?
I agree with Olivia that I can relate to this blog too. Although the author specifically genders it–which I think does some very interesting things in terms of positioning his audience–much of what he discusses, such as money, has relevance no matter who you are or how you identify!