There’s a common phrase we use in the personal finance community… “Zoom out” We use this when people stress about a “crash” in the stock market or losing money in a few bad trading days… It can feel like the whole world is ending! But if they just “zoom out” a little, they realize that Read more about When in doubt, zoom out. 👀[…]

“Wow! You look so cheery and happy this morning… I’m lucky to know such a positive person” “You’re an incredible problem solver. Thanks for teaching me new things all the time!” “I just want to say I’ve been noticing how much you care about XYZ, and your hard work really shows. Thank you for what Read more about National compliment day 💁[…]

It happened again yesterday. We had a massive wind storm and the palm trees outside our house got hammered. The wind blew off about 50 palm fronds, which flung all over our street and into the neighbors yards… I used to be annoyed at wind storms… They come out of nowhere, leave a huge mess, Read more about Shedding your old leaves[…]

Check out this photo someone sent me yesterday… On a quiet suburban street in Denver, a driver made a 3 point turn and unknowingly left 2 perfect love hearts traced in the snow. What a beautiful accident. This got me thinking: Love, truly is, all around us. Sometimes it’s obvious and sometimes it’s hidden. But Read more about A sneaky hidden love message[…]

“You can’t reach for anything new if your hands are still full of yesterday’s junk” – Louise Smith   Just a quick reminder… For every minute you spend worrying about stuff outside of your control, that’s 1 less minute you have to work on things that are inside your control. And for every minute you Read more about Yesterday’s Junk[…]

Happy MONDAY… It’s time to: M ake your coffee ✅ O rganize positive thoughts ✅ N arrate your task list ✅ D ominate everything on it! ✅ A nd don’t forget to call 📞 Y our mother and tell her you love her ✅ Have a great week, y’all! Make it the best possible. – Read more about Good morning, sunshines! ☀️[…]

A little boy was bothering his mother after school one day… “Mommy, mommy, can you read me a story?” But the Mom was tired and didn’t have time… She needed a way to distract the persistent little boy. So the Mom grabbed a magazine sitting on the table and tore off the front cover. There Read more about The boy who put the world back together 🌎[…]

“Bees don’t waste their time explaining to flies that honey is better than poop.” This weekend: Be like a bee. You have no time to waste and too much honey to enjoy. Happy Saturday! – Joel Cooper certainly knows how to relax!

There’s a lot of pressure these days to do things NOW, achieve things ASAP, to 10X your goals, retire “early”, refashion yourself overnight, etc. Well today’s message is the opposite. Sometimes you’re ready, whenever you are ready. It’s OK to grow at your own pace. And grow you will. When you are ready. It’s only Read more about You’ll be ready –> when you are ready[…]

Came across this awesome graphic yesterday… courtesy of @lizandmollie It got me thinking about how progress comes and goes in waves. Sometimes progress is fast. Sometimes it’s slow. Sometimes it’s backwards 🙁 But, there are always more good days than bad ones, more forward days than backwards days, and more satisfaction than regrets. Progress is Read more about Doing your best — varies day to day[…]

A young runner was very excited. After months of intense training, he was running in his very first marathon. After the starter’s gun went off, he started with great enthusiasm, taking great strides and building a strong rhythm. However, after a few miles, he began to tire and he felt like stopping. “Don’t stop! If Read more about The Marathon Runner 🏃[…]

A bottle of water at Costco is $0.25. The same bottle in the supermarket is worth about $0.50. Same bottle in a bar costs $2. In a good restaurant or hotel it can be worth up to $3. At an airport or on the plane, you may be charged $5. The bottle and the brand Read more about Your higher value…[…]

qui·e·tude (noun) a state of stillness, calmness, and quiet in a person or place. “it highlights her quietude and wise passivity” ***** Happy Sunday my friends! Today: Find your quietude. Silence isn’t empty. It’s actually full of answers. Have a good one, Joel New Years Day sunrise on the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA. Read more about Finding quietude 🤫[…]

Today is my birthday! I have officially reached life level #37! But, my age number doesn’t really mean much… Because I still play hide and seek with the neighborhood kids like I am 5 years old, I go to bed early like a 70 year old, I drink like I’m in my 20’s still, explore Read more about Life level #37! 🎂[…]

“How can I make your life easier?” This is a really powerful question. Before your spouse leaves for work in the morning, ask them… “Is there anything I can do this morning to make your day easier?” At work while meeting with your boss… “what can I take off your plate to make your life Read more about My fav new question…[…]

It’s been an awesome year. Thank you everyone for reading, sharing, and replying to these morning emails. I love you all. In the spirit of reflection, I pulled a report to show the most popular emails (based on total view/share count) from the past 12 months. Out of the 350+ morning emails sent, here are Read more about Top 10 morning emails from this year…[…]

Mornin’ mornin’!! Remember my “outrageously generous” friend, Steve? Well he just sent me another cool story I wanted to share with you guys… “After our family church zoom call I got to thinking about how Mary and Joseph probably felt not being able to find shelter. So I called up a few extended stay motels Read more about Another “outrageously generous” story…[…]

Five Universal Truths of Human Interaction: All people want to be treated with dignity and respect. All people want to be asked rather than told. All people have a desire to know why they are being asked. All people want to be given options, rather than threats. All people want a second chance when they Read more about The gentle art of persuasion…[…]

If it makes you happy –> it doesn’t have to make sense to anybody else. Reminder for today: It doesn’t matter what others think. You get to create your own happiness, however you want to. Wishing you a happy, personalized, unapologetic and empowering Tuesday. Love, Joel Sunset at the beach this past weekend! As usual, Read more about A quote to live your life by…[…]

Happy Friday y’all! I received about a billion book recommendations yesterday! And after a lot of cutting and pasting and linking, here they all are in one big list! (It’s more like ~50, not a billion 😊) These links are all Amazon links, but if you are interested in reading any books I definitely recommend Read more about Book Recommendations: For You, From You![…]

Someone asked recently, “how can I stay positive and happy in every single situation?” Honestly, I think the answer is: you can’t. Everybody has bad days… The trick is not to dwell on them. Everybody has negative thoughts… The trick is not to speak them or act on them. Everybody gets angry and frustrated… The Read more about Can you be positive ALL the time?[…]

Here’s a scary but cool story I found recently called The Hope Experiment… 👇👇👇 ***** During an extremely inhumane study at Harvard in the 1950s, Dr. Curt Richter placed rats in a pool of water to test how long they could tread water. 🐀 On average the rats would give up and sink after ~15 Read more about The Hope Experiment 🐀[…]

This past Friday I helped ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Sorry I haven’t responded to those who emailed with questions… Here is a quick overview and some other trip photos. (I’m writing a more lengthy post for my other work blog which will drop this coming Friday! I’ll share the Read more about Some NYSE info and trip photos![…]

If you want to be normal —> do normal things. If you want to be exceptional —> do exceptional things. So, what’s it gonna be today? Are you going to follow the crowd, or break out and be different? (Hint: choose the latter — it’s way more fun! 😉) Make it a good one, – Read more about Are you “normal”?[…]

Living in the moment is a gift. (That’s why they call it the “present”) Today: Gift yourself a great day. Focus on the people around you, the stuff you have in front of you, and the activity you are currently doing. You never get the same moment twice, so enjoy every second! Happy Sunday 😎 Read more about 🎁 A gift to yourself 🎁[…]

Mornin’ happy people! Today I’m sharing a snippet from a post over at The Frugal Girl. (h/t to J.Money for sharing with me!) 👇👇👇 “Another tip that’s both frugal and effective in boosting happiness: a decade ago I started a project where I took two empty jars, and put “good moments” in one jar, and Read more about A frugal and effective happiness trick…[…]

Woohoo! It’s the best day of the month —> the 1st! And it’s the best month of the year —> December! Time to celebrate! My wife and I started this tradition ~6 years ago… To celebrate the 1st of each month. It began as a way to toast to our money wins, but has now Read more about It’s time to shell-ebrate 🐢[…]

Imposter syndrome… It happens everywhere, at every level of life. Trying something new?… Imposter syndrome. Leveling up or getting a promotion?… Imposter syndrome. Networking, making new friends, visiting new place’s?… Imposter syndrome. Everyone feels it. So…. Instead of feeling weird, running from it, or letting it hold me back, from this day forward, I’m going Read more about Proud to be an “imposter”.[…]

I believe that every person has an infinite supply of love and happiness inside of them. It’s like an energy source that never runs out. (Kind of like Iron Man’s arc reactor in his chest, except ours is invisible and supplies good feelings!) Anyway, because it’s a limitless resource, you never have to worry about Read more about Don’t be stingy 🤗[…]

Woohoo! Happy Thanksgiving everybody! This is my 13th year celebrating Thanksgiving in the USA. Growing up in Australia, we didn’t have Thanksgiving and there’s actually no holiday like it down there. When I moved to the US, it quickly became my favorite holiday! Everyone sitting around, family and friends, sharing delicious food, giving thanks for Read more about Happy Spanksgiving! 🍁[…]

What if I̶ ̶f̶a̶i̶l̶ I succeed? What if I̶ ̶l̶o̶s̶e̶ I win? What if I̶ ̶s̶u̶c̶k̶ I crush it? What if people d̶o̶n̶’̶t̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ love me? What if I’m t̶o̶o̶ ̶l̶a̶t̶e̶ perfectly on time? Today: Make sure your “what ifs” have the right ending. CONFIDENCE! 💪👊 You got this! – Joel Absolute killer sunset last Read more about What if…?[…]

“If you don’t make time for your wellness, you will be forced to make time for your illness.” Happy Sunday friends! Today, I’m working on my wellness! Mental, physical, social and financial. Here’s a few things I got planned… 1 mile run + 20 push ups ✅ Turning phone off for 2-3 hours ✅ Spend Read more about Workin’ on the wellness[…]

Yesterday, a homeless man who lives in the alley behind my house asked me… “Excuse me, do you have an old blanket I might be able to have?” I told him I absolutely do! And I went inside my house to find one. I looked in our closets and garage, and noticed I actually have Read more about We are soooo blessed in life.[…]

Hey dudes! Got some fun news… My awesome employer is giving away a bunch of $25 gift cards so that you can use them to do good in your community! Just fill in the form here and tell them your fun ideas and how you’re going to use the money to improve the lives of others. Read more about Grab a “GivingCard”[…]

One day, an engineer was designing a power meter for navy battleships… But he kept dropping springs on the ground, and he noticed the springs would bounce, bounce, bounce all over the floor… And that’s how Richard James accidentally invented the slinky! ***** One day, two brothers accidentally left a pot of boiled grain on Read more about Honor thy Errors[…]

Hey all! Happy Tuesday! Sorry for going dark the last couple days, and thanks to those who reached out checking in. We had an emergency in my family, but thankfully everything is OK… Long story short, my Mum wasn’t feeling great on Sunday morning and went to the hospital. They found a brain aneurysm that Read more about Tough times, but it’s gonna be OK.[…]

Dr. Seuss was a smart dude. So I’m following his advice this weekend… “Read. Travel. Read. Ask. Read. Learn. Read. Connect. Read.” – Dr. Seuss (Only thing he left out was 🍷) Happy weekend y’all! Thank you for reading and always being supportive 🙂 – Joel Just a little pic in the middle of nowhere Read more about Dr. Seuss weekend advice[…]

Would you ever say to your friend…? – you’re not very pretty – don’t try that new thing, you will probably fail – you’re not smart enough because you didn’t do enough school – don’t apply for that job… there are too many other candidates and you probably won’t get it. Would you ever say Read more about Be a better friend — to yourself![…]

Happy Monday! And happy 1st of the month!! A few reminders for today… 1) Mondays are the easiest days to stand out from the crowd. A smile, positive attitude, and a couple jokes up your sleeve… People need cheering up and today is a great opportunity to be a leader. 2) Do small things, in Read more about It’s gonna be a great week![…]

unfuckwithable un·fuck·with·a·ble (adjective) When you are truly at peace and in touch with yourself, and nothing anyone says or does bothers you, and no negativity or drama can touch you. “Today, I’m feeling great and nobody will deter me from accomplishing my goals. I’m unfuckwithable.” ***** Sorry for the bad language!… But what a powerful Read more about Please excuse the bad language 🤭[…]

Humans love new inventions and technology. The fact that I can check my email in the palm of my hand anywhere and anytime I want is truly fascinating. 20 years ago this capability didn’t exist! But just because I am able, does that mean that I should check my email everywhere I go and every Read more about The Autonomy Paradox[…]

  Soooo…. What’s it gonna be today? Are gonna run around all scatterbrained? Or actually focus on what you’re doing and enjoy the present? Happy mindful Friday! – Joel

A psychologist called Richard Wiseman set up an experiment one day. He had two different actresses try to sell blenders in a mall… The first actress had the perfect sales pitch, flawlessly blending a smoothie in front of potential customers. The second actress had the exact same sales pitch, but accidentally left the blender lid Read more about Vulnerability is attractive.[…]

I just learned there is a hotline called “Callin’ Oates”… You call this number [719-266-2837] when you’re having a bad day, and it plays nothing but Hall and Oates songs! So next time you need an emergency cheer up, call the hotline to hear some sweet tunes! Now you have no excuse for having a Read more about Emergency Hall and Oates Hotline[…]

“You only need to know the direction, not the destination. The direction is enough to make the next choice.” @JamesClear   I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. But it doesn’t worry me anymore. All I need to do is keep taking tiny baby steps in the right direction Read more about Get steppin’…[…]

“You can’t pour from an empty cup.” It’s simple mechanics… If you’re giving out more energy than you are bringing in, you’ll be fully depleted. This weekend: get enough sleep ✅ limit cell phone time ✅ listen to music ✅ spend time outside ✅ breathe deeply ✅ appreciate & count your blessings ✅ be romantic Read more about Fill up that cup ⚡️🔋[…]

One day Albert Einstein wrote on the blackboard: 9 x 1 = 09 9 x 2 = 18 9 x 3 = 27 9 x 4 = 36 9 x 5 = 45 9 x 6 = 54 9 x 7 = 63 9 x 8 = 72 9 x 9 = 81 9 x Read more about Laughing at Albert Einstein…[…]

A teacher once asked all the school students to grab 1 balloon, inflate it, write their name on it, and throw it in the hallway. The teacher mixed all the balloons up randomly… The students were then given 5 minutes to all run into the hallway and find the balloon with their name on it. Read more about Finding your balloon 🎈[…]

  “How to write a good email: 1. Write your email, 2. Delete most of it, 3. Send.” — Dan Munz   Today: Your mission is to craft short, effective, to-the-point emails. Short emails remove emotion, save time, and can carry more power. Try it! Happy Thursday! You’re doing awesome! – Joel Cooper is doing Read more about Effective emailing hack[…]

Happy Sunday everyone! What a beautiful morning! Today, I’m living life in airplane mode… Not just on my cell phone, but airplane mode for my mind! This means… muting excess noise and drama entering my life rebuilding boundaries focusing on family/friends and what’s truly important, without distractions silencing work problems that can be solved tomorrow Read more about Put your brain on Airplane Mode ✈️[…]

Someone asked me a strange question yesterday… “On a scale of 1 to 10, how weird are you?” At first, I thought about answering 1 to 2… thinking I’m probably like a 1 to 2 on the weird scale… But then I realized, I am definitely more than a little bit weird… maybe I’m 3 Read more about How Weird Are You?[…]

Good morning from Austin, Texas! This week I’m traveling at a conference called FinCon! A few reminders for today… – YOU are confident – YOU do valuable work – People want to meet YOU – People like YOU and like working with you – People love your happiness and positivity! So share it as much Read more about Hello from Austin![…]

Mornin’ everyone! Happy hump day 😉 I read a cool article last week about reducing your “have-to’s” in life. (full article here from Becoming Minimalist) The bit that stuck with me the most was changing your mindset about “have to” into “get to”. Instead of thinking “I have to work today”… think, “I get to Read more about Replacing “have to” with “get to”[…]

If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on! —Sheryl Sandberg   We’ve all been offered an extraordinary opportunity… LIFE. Every morning we wake up and have the chance to live our dreams. So jump on board and experience everything you can today! Try everything. There are opportunities Read more about An extraordinary life![…]