Name this song:
“I don’t want a lot for Christmas … there is just one thing I need …”
Yes, it’s the song that every shopping centre uses to gently remind you that you definitely do want a lot.
Okay, one more:
“Just when I thought I got him to fall in love with Tennessee.”
You have no idea, do you?
Me either.
It’s ‘Choosin’ Texas’ by Ella Langley.
Who? What?
This is America’s biggest number one song … ever!
The first track in history to spend 26 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, beating Mariah’s 22 weeks. It’s also No. 1 on the ARIA charts here and has been streamed well over 1.3 billion times.
And most people have never heard of it.
How the heck does that happen?
Simple. Your music algorithm hasn’t suggested it, and it’s not playing in Coles.
Your algorithm is like living on a diet of highly processed food. You know it’s not good for you. It’s full of chemicals, bias, vibes and exaggeration. But it tastes great and it kills the boredom. (And eventually it poisons your mind.)
A mate of mine takes this seriously:
He goes to his parents’ place on Sundays and quietly curates his 84-year-old mother’s Facebook feed:
“We drank from the garden hose and we turned out fine!” (Like!).
“Check out this adorable video of a cat who thinks it’s a dog!!” (Heart emoji.).
“Thumbs up if you think Ben Roberts-Smith is a patriot” ('Not interested’. Don’t show these posts again).
(No need to have mum radicalised while he’s at work during the week.)
The algo is how a diesel mechanic I had working at the farm recently went from “nice spot of rain we’re having” to unleashing a ten-minute monologue that started at Albanese and ended at Muslim gangs and civil war.
Totally unhinged.
It’s similar to the people who write to me who are sure the share market is about to crash 80% like Japan’s did. Or that we’re going back to the gold standard. They get fed more of those stories every day because the algorithm knows that fear works.
Some of these people end up selling out of their super and eating baked beans in a bunker, waiting for the reckoning.
Case in point: in September, AustralianSuper members moved $1.27 billion into cash, that’s up 51% on the previous month.
What happens next?
Well, they’re on the sidelines, waiting for the algorithm to tell them when it’s safe to go back in (hint: it never does). The problem is they actually need to be right not once, but twice: get out before the market crashes, and get back in before it rebounds. As my wife tells me, I’m not even right once, let alone twice.
Now that Mariah is playing in Coles, you’ll be at Christmas lunch soon. Uncle Wally will soon be explaining how the whole financial system is about to collapse. At least you’ll know exactly where he got it from.
Tread Your Own Path!
Your Questions & Answers
How to Have No Regrets
Why are Governments Telling Us to Stockpile Food
How to Have No Regrets
Hi Scott,
I’m 15 years old. I’ve read both your books, and they changed how I think about money. Before reading them, I thought money was mostly about buying stuff and trying to look successful. Now I’m thinking long term. I’ve got $3,500 in shares. Yet once you go online it gets overwhelming fast. Everyone’s getting rich overnight on crypto while long-term investing feels boring. If you were 15 today, what would you focus on over the next 10 years?
Luke
Hey Luke
Brilliant question.
From the thousands I get, this is easily top 10.
You said once you go online it gets overwhelming fast. Damn right it does!
That’s because the algorithm is shoving you towards the stuff most 15-year-old boys are trying to work out: how to be a man, how to attract girls, how to get rich. And the loudest voices in that space are cartoon characters like Andrew Tate and influencers who sound convincing and look sorted on socials. But they’re not. Their real job is flogging you their overpriced courses or, worse, some crypto scheme they’re making money from.
The truth, Luke? Nothing life-changing happens while you’re staring at a screen.
The average kid your age spends more than six hours a day scrolling. That’s more than 2,000 hours a year. Over ten years? It’s more than 20,000 hours.
You asked me a brilliant question, but here’s a better one: what could you do with that time instead?
Well, you could sit down and learn directly from people who’ve lived extraordinary lives. You’re a reader, which is an unfair advantage, to be honest. While your mates waste hours each day watching content creators pretending to be successful, you get to spend your time learning from people who have actually done things.
Here are a few to get you going:
The Power of Choice by Neale Daniher. You want to learn how to be tough? To be a real man? Neale was diagnosed with MND, a disease that tortured him every second of the day for 13 years. Yet each morning he chose to get up, smile, and serve others. And in doing so he became a legend, loved by all. He died earlier this year, still choosing how to show up. This book is his guide to making the choices that matter.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. This is the original book (written in 1936) that many influencers copy (badly). It will teach you the number one skill in relationships: empathy.
Atomic Habits by James Clear. You asked what to focus on over the next 10 years. Ultimately, you need to focus on doing things. Not just reading or watching videos about doing things, but doing them. Most people never make that leap. This book will help you build habits. And just like compound interest grows your money exponentially, good habits at 15 – like reading, exercising, and being kind to others – will completely change the trajectory of your life.
Finally, let me tell you why I loved your question so much:
Most of the people who write to me have regrets, but you’re not old enough to have any big ones yet.
Those 20,000 hours are yours to do with what you want.
The question is, what are you going to do with them?
Why are Governments Telling Us to Stockpile Food?
Hi Scott,
What the hell is going on? Americans are being told to prepare for 90 days and the UK government is urging people to stockpile supplies for at least three days. Usually, I’d put this in the doomsday prepper basket, but now it’s apparently coming from governments? Should I be withdrawing cash and hiding it under the mattress? Buying extra food? I’m trying to stay cool and calm on the outside, but inside I’m wondering whether I need to take this seriously. Help!
Louise
Hi Louise,
THIS IS AN EMERGENCY. STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING. READ THIS NOW.
Sorry for shouting in all caps, Louise.
However, now I have your attention, I need to clear a couple of things up for you.
The US government is not telling its citizens to prepare to survive for 90 days.
The UK’s ‘checklist’ recommends 9 litres of water per person (roughly the size of the water bottle my wife sips from at her yoga class), and keeping some non-perishable food on hand.
And our government has not joined in on prepper-prodding the public.
Why?
I’d like to think it’s because our leaders are being very careful about the messages they send out. After all, the level of fear is off the charts right now. In fact, I’ve never experienced anything like it, and I’ve experienced a lot: bushfires, the GFC, Kevin Rudd, Covid.
Remember the Prime Minister assuring people that we had plenty of toilet paper?
(Actually that’s why I have a bidet right now.)
So, to your question:
Is there something the powers that be know that could be in the works that they’re not telling us?
There are dozens of things.
But they’re not secret, they’re on the news every night:
Massive cyber attacks. Civil unrest. Terrorist attacks. Wars. Plagues. Donald Trump.
Any of these could potentially stop life as we know it.
That’s just life in 2026.
My view?
It pays to be alert, but not alarmed. And I think it’s a smart idea to have some basics on hand.
We live on a farm with four kids, so our home feels like a prepper bunker at the best of times.
We’re used to the power going out for hours, so we have torches and candles. We’re on tank water, and we have some bottles filled because the pumps can stop. We grow our own veggies, and we have very fat lambs. (Though my wife has recently become a vegetarian so they’re safe when the rapture comes.)
And while I have some money on hand, I don’t like to keep too much because I don’t like the thought of getting robbed, and the real thief is inflation eroding its value while it sits not earning any interest.
What about holding crypto?
Well, last week the world’s biggest crypto exchange, Binance, suffered the largest hack in history – $US6.3 billion stolen in just 20 minutes.
Better add that to the list.
Thanks for reading,
Scott.