[The following was copied and pasted from GPT-4 after I fed it a transcript of a 3 minute ramble I had recorded while walking just now and asked it to turn it into a 500 word blog in the style of Morgan Housel]
Title: Cut Costs, Style Freedom: A Tale of Shifting Perspectives, Sustainability, and the Art of Maintenance
Hey there, friends. It's a sunny day, and I've got an unusual, yet compelling subject to share: my journey with home haircuts and its strange parallel to life and investing. Yes, you heard it right. Cutting hair, for me, is much more than a personal grooming ritual; it's a lifelong journey that unveils a myriad of lessons about savings, freedom, and the art of maintenance.
Ever since I was 18, I've been my barber. Simple math shows that I've saved over $5,100 across 18 years, assuming a $20 haircut once a month. What began as a quest to save a few bucks, over time, morphed into something more profound. I realized the autonomy it offered me - the ability to style my hair as I pleased, anytime, anywhere - was the real wealth I was accruing. A 'do to match my beard? Easy. A different vibe for a spontaneous night out? Done. All without a salon appointment or an insistent stylist.
Now, as I journey through life, my hair, like most men's, has decided to take a different path. Thinning, receding, going AWOL in places. But the beauty of self-styling is that you adapt, tweak, and evolve. Buzz it a bit more often, keep it short, throw in a nice tan – it's the spirit of resilience and embracing change.
And here comes the most important part of the journey - the blade saga. Over the years, I've owned four pairs of hair clippers, each ranging from $25 to $50. The first three pairs died on me after a few years. It was frustrating but seemed inevitable - or so I thought. Until one day, I saw these glaring words on my fourth pair of clippers: "KEEP BLADES OILED." In a moment of revelation, I followed that simple instruction and, voila, eight years on, they are still going strong!
Here's where the metaphor gets real. This one minor act, oiling the blades, extended the life of my clippers exponentially. It's akin to how an investment grows over time, given the right care and attention. Just like regular oiling keeps the clippers running smooth, regular contributions and prudent decisions keep your investment growing. Ignore the advice, skip the small maintenance steps, and you end up spending more than necessary, not unlike my three dead pairs of clippers.
In the grand scheme of things, it isn't just about the money saved or the autonomy over my hairstyle. It's about an overarching philosophy of life - sustainability, adaptability, and the profound wisdom hidden in the seemingly mundane. As I draw this parallel between my home haircuts and life, I want to leave you with a thought that I've shared with my students: "Keep the blades oiled." Take care of your tools, investments, relationships – the things you cherish and rely upon – because more often than not, maintenance is the key to lasting value.
So, whether it's your haircut, your career, or your life savings, remember to keep those metaphorical blades well oiled. That's what keeps things running smoothly for longer. As always, stay curious, friends, and keep discovering those little nuggets of wisdom in your everyday life. Until next time.