Hello all. As I said yesterday, I have a lot of things I would like to write about. Let me start with the current hot button topic in the US, the presidential election. If you are outside the US, you are probably saying “Why do I care?” But I think you should. The reason is that we live in a complex world. Something happening in some corner of the world has an impact in our corner. Especially because the US is the one of the top economies in the world and need I remind you how the US mortgage crisis of 2008 affected markets all over the world. Or how the economies of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries will affect the other economies. Similarly, an infection in one corner of the world can become a pandemic in a few short months because people travel so easily from one place to the other.

Let me get back to politics. People often get bogged down with politics and politicians that they have no control over. They think that if so and so becomes the US president, all their problems will be solved. It is not just in the US. It can be any country.

I believe we should just ignore the media hype, lies, and the ‘dog and pony show’ of the elections. Why? Because all we should focus on is accomplishing our goals of personal growth and freedom. Worrying about things mostly out of our control has no bearing on achieving our goals.

I understand that in a democratic system it is undemocratic not to care about your vote. I sincerely believe in exercising your right to vote. Just limit the time you spend on the whole fiasco. And yes, in a democratic system, majority rules. But the sad reality is that a majority of people know nothing about economics, history, etc. and they are swayed by how their parents or friends vote. The only reason you should take an interest in this is to consider how it affects your goals in life. For example, how a certain foreign policy affects the oil price and how it will affect your daily life or your stock portfolio. Or how government money-printing affects interest rates and the price of gold? Or follow popular trends that indicate which business sector is worth investing in. Which candidate is likely to influence some of these things a certain way?

And if saving the planet or campaigning for whatever really is your calling, become financially free so you can pursue this. Either way, it all comes down to freeing up your time.

So on a regular basis, in your spare time, work on your personal goals, ask yourself: “Is this activity moving me towards my goal of XYZ?”

If the answer is a big, fat NO… then stop that activity and get back on track to what you should be doing!