The Mom Weekly Volume 19: December 5, 2023
An Important Lesson from Charlie Munger
Charlie Munger, the billionaire vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, and Warren Buffett’s best friend, died last week at 99. There have been countless obituaries and appreciations. Among the details of his life are some problematic donations, notably to Planned Parenthood. But apart from that (which has me praying for him, don’t worry), he has wisdom and ideas that are both old-timey —in a good way—and timeless.
Earlier this year, I pre-ordered the Kindle version of Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger. It released today, so I’ll let you know what I think about it.
I can’t find an exact source for this story about Munger making the rounds. But it is
1. great and
2. seems like him:
Munger was once asked if he played piano, and he replied,
“I don’t know; I’ve never tried.”
That may seem like a simple statement, but consider how most people who’ve never played would answer:
“No, I don’t play piano.”
Or: “I could never.”
Even people who have played piano might say, “Not really” or “only a little.”
But Munger answers truthfully, but in a much more positive way: I don’t know, because I’ve never tried.
To put it another way: “Not Yet.”
Munger here is rejecting “limiting beliefs”—those thoughts we have that prevent us from accomplishing things, or even trying, because we believe we can’t. Here’s an explainer.
My (crocheted) history of limiting beliefs
You probably know the story by now of how dear old Mrs. Soseman, God rest her soul, tried to teach me crocheting probably 25 years ago. She gave up after half an hour, telling me I could “never crochet, because you’re such a tight knitter.”
And for a quarter of a century, I’ve believed something pretty ridiculous: I am incapable of learning to crochet.
I’m so glad that I took the time to learn crochet last summer. I’m not doing it as avidly as Giuliana, who has made the most wonderful assortment of crochet squares.
However, the time that I took to learn crocheting got me back into knitting in such a fun way, and I’m happy for that.
I also find myself thinking about other things—maybe more important things—that I say to myself “I can’t” do. I’m not talking about being a star NBA player or becoming an EGOT winner by next year.
Instead, I can remind myself this:
Something I “can’t do” is something that I just can’t do … yet. I haven’t tried.
Also, I can decide that something I can’t do is not that important to me, and owning that.
What are some limiting beliefs that you have? Give that thought experiment a try!
Remember how much I love you,
Mom
Interesting/Noteworthy
How to Avoid Being Boring at 60 — WSJ (gift link)
I don’t think that I am boring, but maybe it’s because I am doing some of the things discussed in this article. I like the idea of making it more formal, though. What do you think?
My Day with Charlie Munger
Round and Round–forthcoming Hallmark Movie
Everyone knows my weakness for Hallmark Christmas movies (okay, let’s just be honest: year-round Hallmark movies). I am grateful that a number of the movies recently have been surprisingly good!
In particular, the last few years have shown well-produced and enjoyable Hanukkah-themed movies. One premiering early next week looks wonderful—it’s like Groundhog Day set during Hanukkah. I can’t wait!
How to Overcome Self-Limiting Beliefs—Harvard Business Review
Interesting about functional imagery training—never heard of this before!
An Action Item: Consider year-end (Advent) donations
(When looking up the spelling of Hanunkkah, I found this article about why children are given “gelt” or money during the season so that they can give some of it to charity. So, apropos of this action item.)
During Lent and Advent is when we typically make bigger donations to charities.
Over the years, I’ve tried to get more creative in giving. Even though GoFundMe and similar fundraisers are not tax-deductible (a minor point!), I consider donations to a GoFundMe or similar fundraisers in the category of charity giving.
Typically I give only to people I know personally, but when someone I respect vets a trusted fundraiser, I might. I discovered this group through someone I respect well: the Order of Judith. It’s in process of being formed as a 501(c)3 charity, but it’s only in the beginning stages, so raises money through GoFundMe. First of all, what a great cause, and I am especially impressed by the fierce name of the group. I was happy to donate, and you might want to consider that, too.
What are you doing this weekend?
The Mom Weekly schedules to post on Tuesdays. One of the reasons for this is to encourage you (and me, too!) to think about weekend plans. All too often, I have let that go until Friday, and then it’s hard to get people together, or make plans for coffee, or figure out when you go to Mass (other than the default, which is what we typically do).
So, now that it’s Tuesday, what are you planning for the weekend? I’m going to suggest trying to cover four “F”s to get ideas flowing:
*faith—when are you going to Mass?
*friends—what friends will you see or connect with?
*food—any fun recipes you plan to try, or restaurants you plan to visit?
*fun—anything interesting you are going to play, watch, or do this weekend? Now’s the time to think it through, and put it on the calendar (even informally).