Working back in a major CBD again has made me focus on one of my favourite past-times.

People-watching.

I see the finely-dressed people in power suits or power skirts walking wth the ear buds in, serious expressions on their face as they talk ,,, trying to look more important than others.

It makes me laugh. 😄

Their suits would cost a few thousand.

Their Rolex’ watch? … another few thousand.

And yet, I’d wager they have sleepless nights about paying rent or the mortgage.

I’ve always believed one of the most expensive costs in life is the cost of appearances.

It’s an insidious disease that manifests itself when one exhibits a tendency to compare oneself to others.

This usually results in excessive expenditure being incurred on non-material items to impress others.

The cure usually only reveals itself at some future stage when the individual in question realises that he/she hasn’t gained anything by trying to impress others.

They then go back to simply focussing on working hard in whatever endeavour they wish to get ahead in, without the distraction of comparing themselves to others.

The reality is, the only person you should compare yourself to … is you in the past.

That way you can determine whether you’re making progress on whatever journey you’re on, by following whatever pillars you have.

Life is already full of distractions.

You don’t need to make it worse by comparing your journey to someone else’s.

I’ve noticed the word “discipline” used in two separate conversations this week.

Both in terms of health and how to improve it.

To be honest, I was mentally tuning-out to these conversations as they were along the lines of the usual “gotta toughen the f&^%-up!” catch-cry that influencers generally use.

Having lived, won and failed with many things over a number of decades, I tend to have a simple definition for discipline.

Discipline is the state of being achieved when the pain in staying the same exceeds the hurt associated with change.

As people, we’re strange creatures.

We intuitively know when change is required, but we fight tooth and nail to maintain the status quo.

It’s only when we’ve hit the iceberg and the ship is going down, that we’re motivated to do something to alter course.

By then, it’s often too late.

Knowing how a situation will eventually unfold to our detriment also doesn’t seem to provide sufficient motivation to exercise discipline.

So how do we change?

Can we?

Or are we destined to always learn the lesson after failing in life?

I wish I could provide some sage advice to address this situation.

But I’m merely a pixelated avatar trying to find his way back in life.

Although, if I were to be asked, I’d merely say to try and imagine the worst pain you can imagine by continuing with your current path in life.

Imagine going to bed each night with it and waking up each morning with it.

If you can do that, then having the discipline to change might not seem so bad after that.

You might find you build a resilience to the lesser pain it might entail.

And who knows? … you might even find you enjoy it. 🙂

I’m lagging on my fourth pillar 😕

I haven’t really been hitting the “social renaissance” … otherwise known as relationships … as much as I should.

To be quite frank, I haven’t really felt like it with leaving early for work and getting home after 6:00pm at night.

I’m lucky if I hit my exercise goals each night.

So taking the time to build my network has fallen by the wayside, to-date.

But one morning last week, an email newsletter from Nick Gray hit my inbox.

I like his style as his emails only come once in a while and they usually talk about meeting people and enjoying the interactions.

In his latest email he talked about the concept of increasing your “surface area” … something he in turn was quoting from Cate Hall.

The main points of the concept are:

✅ Highly successful people experiment frequently

✅ Meeting 1-2 strangers a day is ideal … 1-2 strangers a week is too slow

✅ Operate from genuine curiosity

✅ Give generously before expecting returns

✅ Host regular, low-stake events

✅ Expect awkward beginnings

This concept resonates with me so much that I’m doing what any self-respecting person who wants to get ahead does and I’m stealing it. 😬

But first I have to think about HOW to meet people.

I feel ridiculous for even mentioning it but I feel with the troubles I’ve experienced over recent years, I’ve lost the ability to initiate conversations.

And that annoys me. 😠

If I can’t even initiate a conversation then I can’t sell myself and I can’t progress.

So the onus is on me now to prepare a plan to put me in a position where I can’t NOT meet people.

Like many things in life, if you want to achieve something of importance to you, you first have to contrive the best environment that allows you to an achieve that goal.

After all, we all have to take some risks in life.

Time to put on my thinking cap! 🤔

It’s now been a month since I started my first job in about 10 years.

My day now consists of getting-up, packing my work bag, walking to the bus stop, catching a bus to take me into the city and getting into the office first when it’s nice and quiet.

I then spend my day working hard, head-down, bum-up, until just after 5:00pm and leave to catch a bus to get me home, by 6:00pm.

I try to do 10-15 minutes of exercise before making my dinner, lunch for the next day and sitting down at 7:00pm to do some of my own work and simply relax, before going to sleep at 9:30pm.

I know I’m still adapting but I’m still very tired at night and a bit brain-dead.

My grand ideas of devoting two hours a day to building a side-business are just a dream at this stage. 😩

But I can also see how else work negatively affects you.

I’ve had to cut-down on my exercise regime and I’m seeing the consequences.

Immediately before I started work I had put on about 5 kgs in the prior 6 months; mostly muscle.

That required focussed devotion to the exercise regime I had constructed for myself.

I was doing around 4 x 45-60 minute sessions a week. But now I’m lucky if I do 2 x 45 minute sessions. 😕

This is in addition to the 10-15 minute sessions I already do at nights.

And while I still look a lot better than 9 months ago, I can feel the difference in my body. I can feel that I’m not getting that feeling of self-fulfillment you get when you know you’ve worked hard and pushed through a solid exercise session.

This definitely has to change in future as otherwise I won’t be adhering to the Health pillar I’ve set myself.

I’m also missing my weekly walks with my best friend.

We used to do these at 6:30am one morning each week and we’d walk along a bush track, solving the world’s problems and finish with visiting a cafe and having a coffee.

It was a way for us to catch-up and see how each other is doing, before the day really started.

But of course now I can’t do that!

And I realise just how much I needed that.

And as I mentioned in Are You Too Old to Change After 50? I’ve had to cram what I previously did in seven days, into two.

None of this is any surprise!

I always knew there was an adaptation period.

But it’s only reinforced my desire to build something on the side.

I’ve tasted a work for yourself environment and I truly believe that having once tasted that fruit, you can never go back to being “just” an employee.

My plan was always to adapt for the first 3 to 6 months, pass my probation period and then look for ways to lock-in two hours in the day for me to work on other things.

Business … investments … health … me!

But that day can’t come quickly enough!

Ok, it’s pretty obvious we’re in the “winner’s curse” phase of this stock market cycle.

This is the phase where stocks tend to rise for no other reason than stocks rise!

Meaning that people see a stock rise, experience FOMO and pile in.

Thus, pushing the stock even higher.

In my past life, I’d recognise that the stock price is higher than what its fundamentals may dictate and simply sit on the sidelines, only to see the stock continue its bizarre ascent and for me to miss out on some gains.

But the new, damaged and improved Pete has learnt! 🤓

This time I’ve made the decision to participate in the ride.

But I haven’t chosen just any old stock.

I want one where volatility is high to allow me the chance of some reasonable gains.

But I still want to limit my risk as I believe next year at some stage a recession will hit.

So I’ve entered an options trade in ETHA, the Blackrock Ethereum ETF, given my previously-discussed interest in options.

I’ve done my numbers and if it hits my price target, that should give me a nice 3-to-1 reward/risk ratio.

Not too shabby!

I’ve also allowed myself some time for the trade to play out with the expiry of the option in December.

I was fortunate enough to enter this trade a few weeks ago, before ETH went bonkers and experienced a 30% increase in price.

So my ETHA trade is currently sitting in a healthy profit position, with time to capture any more upside.

But I’m also very cognisant about hedging my already-earned profits on this trade, so I’ve offset this trade with a short on IWM, the Ishares Russell 2000 ETF.

This ETF tracks small companies and if the economy starts going pear-shaped then any loss of profits from my ETHA trade may be offset by gains on the IWM trade.

I’m my own one-man, long-short hedge-fund!! 😬

In all seriousness, I need to start taking more financial risks and for a long time I’ve thought 2026 is the year where things might start turning south, from an economic viewpoint.

And if that’s the case, I’m going to be on the lookout for opportunities as I’m very much a believer that opportunities arise when everyone’s selling assets.

A bit cold, perhaps, but I have to start being very focussed now … more easily said than done at times!

And as long as this market is being somewhat irrational, I want to be there to benefit from it.

I’d like to say it will calm down to more rational levels, but I’m constantly reminded of the old saying …

“Markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent”.

Here’s hoping for more wins!

I’ve now been working in my new job for a few weeks.

In that time I’ve been able to assess the firm’s current “tech stack” and I’ve come to one resounding conclusion.

Despite all the talk of integrated systems and seamless processes, most organisations are operating a hotch-potch of separate systems and trying to brute-force cohesiveness.

I’m focusing on the technology and automation of the firm as it forms one of my Four Pillars in helping me to come back.

From speaking with a few people in my firm I can see a clunky system leaves everyone feeling frustrated!

But help is at hand. 🙂

A new system has been “ticked-off” to implement.

One that actually houses a number of existing legacy systems under the one roof.

Which is all very well and good ….. but I have a secret agenda. 😏

I want to use the implementation of this new system as the impetus for changing some other processes.

Reduce admin and make the “supply-chain” of work a bit simpler.

I feel in 6 months, things will be a lot better.

But that’s not all.

I’ve been using AI a lot for research purposes too, even though I’m finding it still hallucinates a bit.

The key is to always ask for citations and combine that with making sure the instructions you give the new agent when setting it up are lengthy, rather than condensed.

I’m also experimenting with how the answers to questions I ask change depending on which platform I’m using.

I tend to use Claude Sonnet a lot as I find that suits my style quite naturally, but I’ll sometimes switch to Gemini 2.5 Pro for some matters.

All-in-all, I feel I’m starting to make some inroads with the job, whilst making sure I also look after my health.

Early days still but at least I’m beginning to see a path to follow that can help both myself and the firm. 🙂

I’m finding I’m not remembering technical details in my vocation as easily as I used to.

No surprise there … but it’s frustrating. 😠

It means I have to spend more time thinking about things I used to pick-up easily and without too much thought.

Which is somewhat of a problem as my role incorporates a highly technical component.

I remember thinking back to my interview and what I said about my skillset and how I said it.

And I’ve belatedly realised something.

I can tell a wonderful story!

But at some stage you have to be able to back-up the story with ability!

And that’s testing me.

I think it’s just a time thing and that I will eventually get it back … but I hope sooner rather than later.

I’m also finding I’m exhausted after the day finishes.

I’ve tried to fit in some exercise when I get home, but I admit it … I’ve had to condense some things until my mind and body adapt to my new current life.

One pleasing thing I’ve noticed is that I’ve been paid my first pay in over 10 years. 🙂

It’s nice to see my bank account actually go up for a change, instead of its gradual decline over recent years.

How long that lasts is anyone’s guess with the level of exhaustion I’m currently feeling.

But for the moment, I’ll take the small wins and keep moving forward.

A very awkward conversation at work today.

I was talking to a few of the women and one just came straight out and asked it.

“Pete, why are you single? … What’s wrong with you?”

(“Jesus,” I thought … “Where do I start?”)

I had recently been to a social function with what were soon to be my work colleagues before I’d even started with the organisation. I’d been invited along and I thought it would be a good occasion to meet them and chat in an out-of-work-environment.

During the function I had mentioned I was divorced but no further “hard” questions had come after that.

But it seems I had had only a temporary reprieve!

Now in the office it seems like my female colleagues had come back with reinforcements.

I managed to artfully and skilfully deflect the question regarding my relationship status by saying … “Dunno”.

But they wouldn’t leave it at that. 🙄

Soon a barrage of questions came regarding my physical appearance (good) … my intellect (adequate) … and my lack of using moisturiser (what the …? 🤷)

It was as if they had grabbed my head and skull-f%$^ed me until I was a blithering mess.

I finally managed to escape by saying I had to prepare for a non-existent meeting.

But I know they’ll corner me again.

It’s one of life’s fascinations that women, everywhere, feel the need to know everything about everyone they meet.

Then with their newly-acquired intelligence about that person, they pair-up with an equally inquisitive female friend and rendezvous at headquarters (ie. the ladies’ bathroom) to debrief.

A man, on the other hand, can happily engage in a life-long friendship with another man, with only 17 words having ever passed between them in that time.

My new work environment is dominated by female colleagues, in a ratio of 7 females and 3 males … which I’m guessing is going to make for some pretty interesting conversations in future.

But given one of my Four Pillars is to meet people and build social connections again, this might actually be what I need.

I just have to prepare some stock-standard answers for when I’m ambushed at work again! 😄

I just completed my best options trade about a week ago.

I’ve always had an interest in finance and investment ever since I saw all those Wall Street movies and documentaries about stock trading in the 80s.

(Channeling my inner Gordon Gekko 😬)

So as part of my rehabilitation over recent years, I decided to learn how to trade stocks, via options.

I slowly learnt some things about the industry and pieced together the mechanics and started doing some basic trades.

Nothing Earth-shattering but enough to maintain my interest and want to progress.

Over recent months I’ve also set-up my “Options Trader” AI agent and run things past it.

My knowledge has increased further and it’s a net positive in having this agent helping me.

But any illusions I may have had about it providing exact trades to place have been severely dispelled.

I had noticed a pattern of it agreeing with my suggestions and being confident with its responses to my questions. Which provided some confidence that I was on the right track with some things.

But after finishing a discussion with it I reflected on some things and went back to it to question some further points.

It was only then that it agreed with my updated thoughts, albeit very confidently again, so I decided to address this issue right there.

I told it I expected it to challenge me on my assumptions and not simply be a “yes” man/woman/machine/thing.

On the few occasions where I’ve talked to it since then, it has come-up with some really good points. In some cases, there were simple answers to the questions I raised, but in others I hadn’t considered some points it raised.

But a more important realisation I had is that I prefer to be challenged on some things. This surprised me as I generally tend to prefer agreement with me and positive reinforcement in other areas of my life.

The new, improved Options Trader AI agent came down to me adjusting my expectations of it and communicating it appropriately … much like what you would do in the workplace.

Which, in turn, I’m hoping will result in the new, improved Pete. 🙂

I’ll keep monitoring its performance to see whether any further communication is required in due course, to make sure it provides the maximum value for which it was intended.

Ironically, much like I’m sure is happening with me in my new work environment. 🫤

Having adjusted to my new reality of work life again has meant I’ve had to adjust in different ways as well.

🔑 I now have to take a bus into work again every day

🔑 I have to wash and iron my business shirts, something I haven’t done for eight years

🔑 I have to do my grocery shopping on a weekend instead of throughout the week as I previously did

🔑 I now have to fit my cooking in on a weekend instead of throughout the week as I previously did

🔑 I have to plan my exercise around nights during the week instead of days

Basically, I’ve had to cram a lot of what I would have done over a five day week, into a two day weekend. 😩

I’ve found this to be extremely tiring, though not unexpected, and it raised a question in my mind.

“Can a person over the age of 50 really change their habits and behaviours for a prolonged, sustained basis?”

Throughout my life, based on what I’ve seen, I would have to say the answer is generally … no.

As a sweeping generalisation, by the time someone is 50, they’re in wind-down mode.

House paid-off … kids off their hands (as much as kids ever are) … and retirement funds starting to look pretty.

Sure, they may work to get some extra income, but the pressure has wound-down a bit.

Why on Earth would they change in order to learn new things?

Especially if it relates to technology … as seen by the number of post 50 years olds who need assistance from their kids or younger people to help them.

But there are cases where sustained behavioural change can occur.

A favourite saying of mine is that nobody ever changes until they’re hurting enough.

So sustained change after 50 years of age can occur through forced necessity.

I’m the living argument for that!!

But I’ve also seen instances where sustained change has occurred on a voluntary basis.

This has usually been in cases where a person is sitting pretty in life, with minimal pressure from any source and the desire to change comes from a personal development/self-actualisation point of view.

These people are usually single and looking to not only change their life, but also their own personal identity.

But overall, fewer people over 50 change their behaviour and habits than those that do.

Which is a bit disconcerting for me, given I’m attempting to be one of the few that actually can do it!

But it’s also pointless dwelling on this stuff.

I mean, it’s only been a week since I started my new job!

I’ll reflect on this question, though, after 6 months and see if there’s a clearer answer in my case.

Assuming I last 6 months! … in which case, Ive got my answer. 😉