Mimi Makes A Million

Below is one section of an email I received from James Altucher as I'm on his email subscription list. He is one of my favorite writers and he recently wrote about an interview he did with Mimi and Alex Ikonn, who make over a million dollars a year from YouTube.

I very much enjoy figuring out what things I can get rid of in my life, so below was my favorite part of the email. Having less clutter in your life can simplify things by getting rid of "noise" and allowing "signals" to become more clear. This is basic information theory applied to personal lifestyle.

Mimi Makes A Million

H) LESS 

Mimi and Alex (Ikonn) were working 80-100 hour weeks. They had the money in the bank. They had achieved their goals. They loved what they were doing but when you hit a lifelong goal you start to ask, "is that it?" 

They got depressed. 

Goals are a myth. Our ancestors for 200,000 years didn't have goals. Every day started from scratch: hunt, forage, eat, sex, sleep, wake up to a new day. 

Then we were told to find our "goals". And now everyone asks, "I'm 17 years old and feel like I've accomplished nothing in life. What should I do?" 

Learning to find happiness with less is true wealth. Claudia and I recently got rid of most of our belongings, for instance. Then we started canceling most meetings that I had set up. Sometimes it was hard. I had agreed to an event and then I would cancel. 

Ultimately we are the sum of our experiences and not the sum of our belongings. There is nothing wrong with making money but it is only one small part of living a life of comfort, of compassion, of calm.