Jonathan Vaudreuil

Having a core set of beliefs, a personal philosophy, is crucial if any of us want to have a direction in life.

The problem is that many people stop once they have the philosophy.

This conversation came up with one of my friends on the topic of money. We were taught fundamental ideas on money, a simple philosophy for what we earned. Spend less than you earn, save, invest as early as possible, take your employer up on their 401(k) match, and all will turn out well. It’s excellent advice.

It also lacks the details.

In college I had a course on personal finance and accounting. While it expanded on the fundamental ideas my parents taught me, we did not learn about how to start a Roth IRA with as little as $50 per month or how to negotiate fees with banks and lenders. The professor did not warn us to stay away from people who live a lifestyle we could not afford, because odds are we’d get start spending more as well. Heck, no one really went over how to properly manage the money we earned.Read more

One of the biggest problems I’ve encountered working in small businesses and start-ups are the devastating effect blind spots have.

You might be thinking, “Hey, isn’t that important to every person, every business, and every conscious living thing?” Yes, it’s important across the board. I’m talking about the realm where blind spots can crush everything around them. One end of the spectrum feels the impact far more than the rest: smaller groups and individuals.

Why is this?

One word: resources.

The larger the group, the more resources the group has. While not all groups are equal, having many more people means there is a higher chance someone in the group can handle a certain task at any given time. If any task can be handled by finding the right person to do it, blind spots are less of an issue.Read more

In music, most mainstream artists have a moment when their popularity hits a peak.

For some it’s a brief moment of success which never comes again. When “Closing Time” was all over alternative and pop radio and the video was played a gazillion times on VH1, the band Semisonic had no idea they would go down as a one-hit wonder.

Others have a solid career with one defining album or song. Kim Carnes had ten top-40 singles between 1978 and 1985, yet most people can only name “Bette Davis Eyes,” her biggest hit and sole #1. It topped the charts in the USA for nine weeks, won two Grammy awards, and the album it was on sold over eight million copies worldwide.

Many of the biggest artists ever have one album which is far bigger than anything else they put out: Michael Jackson had “Thriller,” Guns ‘n Roses had “Appetite for Destruction,” and Metallica had their self-titled black album.

Of the five artists I just named, which one enjoyed the peak for what it was and never worried about duplicating it?

The answer is Kim Carnes.Read more

In Hawai’i, the word 'kapu' roughly translates to "forbidden."

Doing something kapu meant you were violating a sacred value or rule. Punishment for a capital offense, which included things such as stepping in the king’s shadow or men and women eating together, was death. The only ways to avoid death were if the king decided to spare the person, or if the person reached pu'uhonua (a refuge/holy ground) before being killed.

Historians are not sure where the rule of kapu came from. Hawaiians had little idea as well. The one thing everyone agrees on is the society kept the rule of kapu because none of their rulers changed it, and the society never challenged it. It was a tradition of sorts, kept until 1819 when Kamehameha II abolished rule by kapu.

We may find it absurd that men and women eating together was punishable by death. At the same time, traditions we hold on to today may turn into an absurd concept 20 years from now.

The problem with traditions is that so many people stick to them for no reason other than tradition.Read more

There are two simple reasons you and I will or won’t take a risk.

The first reason is we know enough about the situation to make a decision based on our values. Take something like bungee jumping. Thousands of people are going to bungee jump this week. We all know there is a chance we’d get injured or even die bungee jumping, yet some will do it and some won’t. If you talked to the people who did it, you’d find out they valued something more than that chance of getting hurt. That something could be excitement, or not being bored, or not being the only person they’re with who decides to watch.Read more

I have a question for you: would you please explain the world to me using that one thing you think helps you understand the world?

It seems most people have an answer for this, or can come up with one with ease. Many pick something they’ve studies in school, like physics. Others choose an activity, like yoga. Some would side with Robert Pirsig and talk about motorcycle maintenance. One group shows the world is reflected in their religious beliefs, and another group shows it through the game of baseball.Read more

When I wrote about naming a company I had a little fun with some other company’s names. Now it’s my turn. While the people I mentioned in my post were more than happy to write back to me, I realize how difficult it can be to name something and love it.

I’m going to be launching a new blog with a few of the posts here and lots more new ones, focusing on taking risks and turning life into one big adventure. Naming this blog is harder than I thought. Even after all the pointers I gave in my post and when I answered a question on naming companies, I’m having quite the hard time.Read more

Which do you think is a greater burden: having tons of great ideas, or having none at all?

If you have tons of great ideas you have starting points to choose from. Like an idea? Run with it. Don't like an idea? Move on to the next one. On the flip side, if you have tons of great ideas you might be stuck trying to figure out which ideas to use and which ones to forget about. They all seem so great, because they're all great ideas.

If you have none and someone gives you one, then you go with your one great idea. You need to come up with one or have someone give you one, otherwise you're out of luck.

What about this: how would you know if it's a great idea or not?Read more

Trying to hike 11 miles in one day over mountains is a great way to learn about how and when to rest.

For most of us Americans, rest is an option and not a luxury. Think about that for a moment.

Until I began descending the south rock slide after hiking over the middle and south peaks, I felt great. My knees were strong, my legs showed little sign of fatigue from the miles, and other than some blisters I had tended to before they developed into something nasty I was feeling great. I had enough food in me and I had enough water to get me all the way back.

Then I had to face the fact that I was going down a mountain, not up it or across it. Down.

I’m much better at hiking up them.Read more

I reached the summit of Mount Tripyramid’s north peak to find three experienced hikers sitting down after climbing a different route up the mountain. Unbeknownst to me they were the three wise men of my journey, whose insights would shape a lot of my reflection later on in the day.

At first I thought the best thing I could do is ask questions about hiking and the White Mountains.Read more