linklings, failed failures
Based on some of the comments and the seeming lack of enthusiasm, I’m probably going to discontinue the 31 causes of failure series. If someone really loved it, sorry, but I just got the impression that it wasn’t catching anyone’s attention. Although I like to write for myself – it’s hard for me to write on topics I’m not enthusiastic about – I also don’t want to write anything that is boring to everyone else. I can do that in my own journals or emails!
Edit: Based on some of the comments, I guess I will continue the series, but on a slightly more irregular basis. Thanks everyone for the encouragement!
Lots of good stuff on the Internet this week. For once I was busy at my contract consulting job, so I fell behind on my RSS reads and my emails, but I still managed to isolate a few interesting pieces:
DebtKid started people talking about the “dumbest purchase ever.” Madison from My Dollar Plan shares hers, and honestly it’s one I came really, really close to making a few years ago – and still would like to make someday, when I have a little more disposable income.
Book Review: Rich Dad’s Increase Your Financial IQ
FrugalTrader‘s reviewing the latest Kiyosaki book. I’m a fan of Kiyosaki’s, but every time I hear he’s put a new book out I wonder if he’s going to finally manage to write something different than Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Sounds like this book might be a little different, but not different enough to prompt me to enrich Kiyosaki’s publishing coffers once again…
TurboTax Review: A Look At My Tax Software Of Choice Plus Useful Tools!
Over at The Digerati Life it’s time to talk taxes – or specifically, TurboTax. I’ve been using TurboTax online for years and love it. Before that I used the packaged CDs. If you are still doing your taxes by hand, save yourself some trouble! This review will give you a good idea why it’s money well spent.
Managing Your Money is Easier Said Than Done
I wrestle with this all the time. I give advice all the time (and not just via this blog), but my views evolve, situations change, I learn new things and the advice that seemed so good a year ago might seem not-so-good today.
Feeling Poor: Here Are The Two Largest Reasons Why
Lazy Man makes a great point here – if you feel poor, it’s probably not due to a lack of good financial software, amongst other things. The reasons you feel poor (as opposed to actually being poor) are reasons you can pretty easily control, starting today.
Five Steps to Pay for Healthcare in Retirement
FMF has MarketWatch’s five steps to pay for healthcare in retirement, but expands on some of the points, and his point #2 is the best advice you’re going to get today – or any day.
Couple Living in Camper After Foreclosure – Is it the Lender’s Fault? You Decide
Jeremy has a sad tale here, but unfortunately I don’t think this is going to be last tale of this type we’re going to hear over the next few years.
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That’s what I get for lurking. I liked the education one, but didn’t really agree with the attitude one. I’ll just have to go and read the book myself.
It’s funny, but I put that “feeling poor” in the title at the very end, without too much thought about “feeling” vs. “being.”
I read the foreclosure piece you listed – I understand there are some unscrupulous lenders out there. But I don’t understand people’s inclination to blame it all on the lenders. What happened to “personal” responsibility? Most of the people in trouble bought way more house than they could afford… it seems like nobody wants to “work” their way up anymore. What ever happened to a starter home? Or as we call them, a fixer-upper? I just don’t understand the blame everyone but ourselves attitude – it boggles my mind.
BrBl – seems that people only want to read your piece on 31 Successes … you know, the one that comes with the free step-by-step blueprints so that we can all simply copy with your patented Guarantee of Success
Of course, if we don’t learn from failure, then all the ‘success formulas’ in the world will do absolutely nothing for us!
I, for one, will feel the loss … please reconsider.
I hope you reconsider as well, I enjoyed the 1st few posts and was looking forward to the remainder. I think it would be interesting, thought provoking reading.
RC
Why don’t you just reveal the rest of the 31 causes in one big old post rather than stretching them out over the remaining days? I for one would like to read the rest, if only in a shortened version.
I liked the series too….you can’t always judge the audience by the comments.
Mike
OK, well thanks for the feedback, all. Maybe I’ll continue doing them but on a more irregular basis, or two/three at a time or something like that.
I vote for continuing the 31 causes of failure as well. People, see what happens when you don’t comment?
Sometimes readers can feel that a post series is hijacking a blog and taking focus away from the regular content. While I didn’t feel that way, posting them on a less frequent basis might be a good idea, as you suggested.
Oh please don’t stop! I found it so interesting I forwarded it on to several of my friends, and was waiting eagerly for the next post. I haven’t commented before, but then I only found your blog a few weeks ago, and I’m have to admit to a bit of shyness, as I’m an ‘old foggy’ who has only just learned about the joys of blogging, but you talk a lot of sense, and have made me start re-evaluating my attitudes, so please don’t stop.
From an EX-failure!
There’s been hardly anything in my life that I have set out to do, and consistently followed through to completion. It would be very inspiring to see you finish this series as planned.
Thanks everyone, I really appreciated all the comments. I will keep going with the series, although I’ll change up the format a bit. I may cover more than one at a time, and I won’t post them on quite such a regular basis (maybe every other Friday or something like that) although I won’t start doing them on a totally random basis!
I really, truly, sincerely appreciate all the words of encouragement more than you can know! You really made my day