Special Guest Article, Originally published on Facebook in a Note

Sometimes the best place to find inspiration is to revisit the place where one last felt inspired, rather than starting from scratch again. The past is there for a reason, and whether we like or not, it is here to stay.

I say this because that’s how this note has to start.

It has been requested of me to write another philosophical piece, and being the person I am, I said yes. However, it has proven to be a challenge. No matter how I try, I could not seem to find anything meaningful for me to write about. And I told this person that multiple times, and they kept responding by telling me to keep trying. And when I finally come up with an idea, it dead ends and has no where to go. I have gotten to a point where this person suggested I write about random stuff, and I suggested bananas as a joke. Needless to say it was a poor joke, but it still wasn’t enough to get me started.

So I finally decided to just start writing with a phrase like "My friend wants me to write a new note, so here it goes." Not the best opening line, but passable. At this time, I opened Facebook and went to my notes section to write a new note. Before I did so, I decided to look at my old notes because I didn’t remember writing one (which is because the post date is incorrect for some reason).

It was "A Penny For Your Thoughts."

So I read it, recalling the time when I wrote it and why I did so, all this time listening to the song Northern Downpour, which is very peaceful in the beginning. It thus embodied the same feeling I felt months ago, and sparked in me a desire to continue off of that feeling somehow.

And this note was born.

It came about not because I came up with something new or something incredibly creative, but rather because I revisited my past work. But this note isn’t about how beautiful the world is, or how I am reflecting on my past successes and failures in the way its predecessor was. It’s more about not forgetting what I’m made of. I was sitting at my computer, lying in bed, working, golfing, playing video games, hanging out with friends trying desperately to come up with a brilliant new piece, and that never happened; each night I went to sleep feeling that I failed.

The true failure was my ignorance.

In a way, this note is declaring my hypocrisy,as I wrote something about my needing to experience what the world has to offer, not let it pass me by. I needed to slow down and get back to basics, as does anyone when they lose their way. I had strayed to far from myself, and thus I had no ideas or inspiration. And while we all need a cleansing experience where we drop everything and leave for a week or two, it cannot be permanent. We all need to stick to the tried and true, whatever it may be.

We all need those epiphanies where we finally realize why we messed up or why we were stuck in a rut. We all need that moment in time where it all clicks back together and it feels the same as before. We all need that time to rediscover the inner beauty of who we are, who we were, and who we will become.

The past is defined as what has happened to us all, and sometimes we just need to take a step back and draw on it to get us going again, or for the inspiration to move ahead.

Special Guest Article: To provide a wider range of content on my blog, I have invited a special guest author to write about a topic I am unfamiliar with – the stock market. Please visit and read the mentioned links in addition to this article to get a better understanding of the concept.

I have been bugging my dad to open me a brokerage account for a few years now. He always responds by saying that “it’s too risky” or that the stock market is “rigged by a small group of individuals.” I agree with him that there are a few fatcats that control over the markets, but I do believe that there are ways to minimize risk and still make money. In my opinion, most individuals who invest in stocks are suckers. The risk is too high and the reward is too low—especially in today’s volatile economic environment. Many peoples’ portfolios have halved in recent years. Jim’s Cramer’s strategy of buying a small portion of the stock back when the stock is low and selling off some when the stock is high is better than just letting the stock channel—but it’s not much of an improvement. Here are a few Money Market strategies that I have uncovered over the years that could potentially reap good returns with smaller than normal risk.

Day Trading (Buying) Options: You can learn all about stock options here.

Bottom Line: A safe tragedy would be to buy options and reap small profits when you see the market is moving in a certain direction. Indicators like volume can solidify your confidence in the market’s direction.

Selling Options: Selling options can also earn you decent profits.

Bottom Line: This is an interesting strategy because when you first sell the options—money is instantly transferred to your account. In today’s environment, it would be wise to sell calls (bet against the market) for stocks that you do not believe will reach a certain price for the time that the option is still good. There are also more complicated strategies called: Bull Put Spreads and Bear Call Spreads that can be used to minimize risk when selling options. You can learn about these strategies here.

If you have a substantial amount of money and are looking for guaranteed profits, then I would recommend you look into Swiss Annuities. There are many different types that you can choose from to fit your needs/situation.

Hopefully you learned some decent money-making strategies that you can potentially put to good use.

-Garret Erb

The same friend that wrote A Penny For Your Thoughts wrote another note on Facebook today that I thought was, again, thought-provoking and meaningful. It’s a philosophical piece that reflects on personal identity.

A funny thing happened to me this morning: I looked into the same mirror and gave myself the same vacant and lackadaisical stare that greets me every other morning. It really isn’t funny, but more expected. Every day is the same, every minute identical to the prior, which makes me wonder if anything will ever change. It has to. I’m going to college in a few months, but that will just lead to the same mediocrity in a different setting. Am I destined to live the same day over and over again forever? Who am I that I will just let that happen? Who am I… A question that has been brought up many times, but not enough to be answered. Who am I? I am Roger, Rog Pog, Raj Mataj, chipmunk, and anything else I have been named. But their all just names, so Who am I? Aren’t I supposed to know by now, at such a pivotal point in my life, who I am and what I want? I’m going to college soon, all to determine my future, but it all means nothing since I don’t know what or who I want to be. Who am I, and what is my purpose? It has to exist; I can’t just be floating along waiting for nothing. So why am I here? Why not Hawaii, Spain, Africa, Asia, or even another world altogether in a distant galaxy? Who am I that I am here and not there? Who am I? I do many things; I make you laugh, I talk, and unfortunately sometimes keep talking. I listen to you, I help you, and in doing so expect nothing in return from you. You love me for me. You appreciate my very presence, the opportunity to say hello is never lost. I am trusted by you. But still the question presses, Who am I? With all that’s happened to me I would think I would know by now. Seventeen years of experiences that are unique to me define my past and what I’ve done. The people I spent time with and hose whom I’ve avoided and all the things I’ve done or not done, all of that is my past. And what is my past without me? The world is entirely different; no one would know me because I would not be. Everything I’ve done is undone and the world changes because of it. My past defines what I have done with myself. You enjoy my presence, and I enjoy yours. I do many things just to make you happy or at the very least content. Who am I… As I sit here and write this, it occurs to me that maybe the question is not always "Who am I?", but rather, "Who are YOU?"

My AP Calculus BC class had a double period class yesterday, and we had a test scheduled for the second period. Our teacher let us roam for the last half of the first period, and a friend and I went outside the room to observe the outdoors from the third floor. After I left, he stayed out there for a little bit longer, watching and thinking. He expressed his thoughts in a note on Facebook today, and I thought I would share what he had to say; I thought it was thought-provoking and meaningful, and very well worth sharing with others.

I recently spent some time staring out a window. It doesn’t have much face value, but it was a special window. It was on the third story of a building. Not just any building, but Prairie Ridge High School. The window is the one near the larger number classrooms, it looks down upon the junior lot and the track. This day happened to be a particularly nice one with a beautiful sun and a few stray clouds that make the sky just that much more peaceful. That peacefulness can only be enjoyed when one is surrounded by such peace, and this moment was no exception. There were about ten minutes left in the period, so there was no one in the hallways and I was alone, observing and admiring the world outside. The only noise to be heard was that of "Death of a Salesman" in the neighboring classroom, but the door was closed so I heard very little of it. People say silence is golden, and this was no exception. It left me alone with my mind and the complete serenity of my surroundings; all that it needed was some birds chirping to complete perfection. I thought of past events and what could come to pass, what I will miss about high school, things I would change, and things that I would like to do, even if I don’t have the courage to do them. The tranquility around me kept me relaxed, and that in turn produced some very solemn memories along with ones that made me happy, all of which make up who I am. While I spent my time thinking, i watched those who are in sixth hour gym run the track, unbeknownst to them that there is someone watching. That fact was irrelevant; they would continue to move whether I was watching or I was elsewhere. The world is always moving, whether I am there or not. The choice is mine, and mine alone, to be there with it or to let it pass me by. At this time the bell rang, and my mind was rushed into the school system once again for another math test. It was not until after school when I reclaimed possession of that feeling. It came on a golf course, which can be one of the most gorgeous and inspiring places on the planet. The way nature comes together in those locations is absolutely amazing; the trees gently swaying in the crisp, autumn-like breeze; the water gently rustling behind me; it all came together. With only a friend there with me, it was serene once again. He said to me something like "Rog, it’s really nice back here." And I replied "Yeah, it is." I had never noticed before what beauty existed in places that I had been thousands of times but had never taken the time to observe. The world is an amazing place, and sometimes it needs a second of my day for me to stop and stare and take in all that it truly has to offer, not just the obvious, but all the minute details that truly accentuate what a given location is about.

The original text can be found here.