The Stratagem’s Archive

Category: The Stratagem’s Archives

  • Similar, But Not The Same

    How would you describe yourself to someone?

    I wouldn’t know where to begin if I were to describe myself to someone, be it familiar or stranger. No two people would say the same thing twice. I could be anything to anyone at any point in time:

    • Friendly
    • Empty
    • Neurotic
    • Dull
    • Lazy
    • Bitter
    • Angry
    • Excited
    • Loyal
    • Curious
    • Inquisitive
    • Experimental

    I could be everything in between or nothing at all to anyone. I could be polarizing, neutral, or static, but the answer changes and it’s never consistent. We’re all the strange phenomena of, “Schrödinger’s Cat” – we’re all walking paradoxes of being both alive and dead – we’ll never know the answer unless we open the box, right?

    Even if my task is to describe myself to someone, I wouldn’t be able to. I, myself, have an insufficient vocabulary, so, I wouldn’t have much words to properly express myself well. I am whatever the other person perceives me to be and nothing – reputation or action – could change their mind. I’ve slowly have come to terms with not changing someone else’s mind. Trying to is a terrible waste of time, energy, and resources.

    The one thing that I could share though, despite it all, is that I’m still here; I’m still navigating the complexities of life and seeking simple pleasures wherever and however I can. I know I’ve made strides from the person I used to be to be who I’ve grown into, but old patterns linger and have festered when I thought they were gone. Nope. Out of sight, sure, but never far from mind.

    So, in essence, I’m still fighting to live, fighting to remain, the only word here is fight. I might not be standing on a blue mat, I’ve been thrown around by life, be it by choice or circumstance: surviving, battered, beaten, bloodied, even without obvious evidence showing otherwise. I get up against my severe need for rest and I keep getting slammed anyways. Eventually, I’ll be able to retaliate, I’m bidding my time and waiting for the chance to strike. I know how far I’ve traveled in my own journey, some people don’t need an explanation, only I do and that’s enough.

  • I Had No Idea What I Was Doing, But I Still Fixed This Xbox 360 (With No EXP)

    A New Challenge and New Headaches:

    Welcome, Co-conspirators, The Stratagem’s Archives are now open for perusing. Today, I learned, after HOURS of searching through so much YouTube videos, I have fixed an Xbox 360 with something I’ve never experienced before: An error code, E68.

    Last night my boss at my rage room job received an Xbox 360 in great condition from a customer who said that it was broken. A coworker tested it out on our job’s TV to see what it looked like and it looked like this:

    This video was taken in my apartment, but the system error remained the same.

    The power bank light is green, the power on the system itself is red, and the screen shows an error message on my TV. I had spent, I’m not sure how long, looking for solutions to fix this Xbox. I turned it off, laid it on its side, turned it back on, only to have the same message appear because most of the advice from over 10 years ago showed this did fix their systems. It didn’t work for this one…

    Like this was going to work, but I was skeptical.

    Then, after reading through the comment section from this one YouTube video by “Huzaifa Techincal Guru”, it is when I finally found out the reason for the error code for this Xbox. Now, my Xbox (right of one in video) is fully functioning after all these years when I realized I put the AV cords into the wrong ports of my LG TV. So, I figured, something is causing this other console to act up.

    That’s when the video asks that I take it apart. Not apart to it’s minuscule component, rather to get to it’s hard drive.

    If you can’t spot something different about this vent, then I’ll point it out that the vent looks different where I circled in red. There’s a gap in this vent. That’s where the hard drive is. I was mind blown when I learned those 3 vents were a button to open that hatch!

    The inside to the hard drive!!!

    Once you have the cover off, you will see something with a small piece of fabric sticking out now. That is the hard drive. From my understanding, it is not for extra memory, rather it is used to play first generation Xbox games on this second generation system. It makes it backwards compatible and able to function as though it is the original system.

    Once you remove this hard drive, as far as the error code E68 goes, this is what happened.

    IT’S ALIVE!!!!

    The Xbox starts to function and the error code is gone! Apparently, as far as this experience went, E68 occurs if the hard drive is malfunctioning. You technically don’t need it.

    This is only for allowing the Xbox 360 to play Xbox games.

    The Xbox 360 has it’s own internal memory, unless you want to play games that require more memory or you have a lot of game profiles, the best solution is to remove the current malfunctioning hard drive and get a new one. Else, it’s really not needed and works fine without it.

    One System Has Been Saved!

    After trying to figure out what was wrong with this system, I felt dumb because the solution was so simple – I didn’t have to open the entire system open, I would have broken it for real because I don’t know what to do, then my boss could sell this at work to break. Some people get ecstatic when they get to break a gaming system not theirs. I was so happy because I told them I was going to fix it, with no prior electronics experience AT ALL, and I did!

    Now, my job can do what they want with this system, but I figured that, since it works, we could put it to use than break it when can still be used to play on. The customer that dropped it off also gave the remote controllers and the Kinect system too. All we’d need would be batteries and a few multiplayer games, then we’d be set!

    I’m glad that I was able to figure out how to fix this system, I didn’t want to give up on it until I went through every option possible. Now the Xbox 360 will have multiple error codes appear, but I am thankful I was able to solve one of those error codes today and not resort to watching a system get utterly destroyed.

    I’m biased because I’m a long time gamer; been playing since my dad showed me his PlayStation 1 console playing “Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Nemesis, Frogger, Tomb Raider, Mortal Kombat and other games. Then we got the PS2, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, PSP, and PSVita. I haven’t gotten any new systems in forever, but that’s for later.

    Anyways, I just wanted to share something new I learned and, if your Xbox 360 having the same issues that you want to keep and is fully functional, maybe this might help. Let me know in the comments, what technical issues you had to deal with and how did you fix it? I’m curious to know what kind of electronic mis-adventures you’ve all had, especially if you have no idea what you were doing, but fixed it somehow.

    Until next time, Co-conspirators, The Archives will now be closing. Until we open again!

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  • Too Focused To Notice The Time

    Which activities make you lose track of time?

    The activities that make me lose track of time are:

    • Daydreaming
    • Playing Video games

    I’ve gotten accustomed to my own company that my mind will wander often. I would entertain the thought of what it would be like to be wealthy and then I could plan my way to wealth; I could imagine being someone of little importance, yet be so well connected that I could have spies everywhere. Just a snap of my fingers and an elite squad of trained mercenaries answering my call.

    Or I’d wonder what it would be like to pick locks, steal something, working with computers, opening electronics up and putting them back together again, repurposed or for it’s intended purpose, just being highly skilled at something useful and hiding it away from the world. More for my entertainment than anything. Although, most of these skills I could learn, so it’s not too far from being only in imagination.

    This is what happens when someone watches too many movies and doesn’t interact with enough people often.

    Then there’s the video games – a past time I got from my dad and one I kept because it’s a solitary activity – the thing that always distracted me. I’ve gotten better at managing how long I play, but when I was younger, you’d have to fight me tooth and nail to get me to turn off my gaming systems.

    I’d wanted to level up my fictional character that I never wanted, until recently, to level myself up in real life. I’ve changed my tune, although, I am making up for the years I spent staring at screens. Though I could say that my personal stats are pretty decent. Especially if I use D&D stats to represent how I’m doing, then I could say:

    • Strength: 4
    • Wisdom: 4
    • Charisma: 3
    • Intelligence: 5
    • Constitution: 5
    • Dexterity: 4

    I could improve my own stats, but at least my personal stats aren’t 1’s anymore, so that’s an improvement!

  • Travel Solo or Gift Away

    If you won two free plane tickets, where would you go?

    If I won 2 free plane tickets, I’m traveling solo and both tickets could be used for two separate locations, then I would fly to Texas to visit family and get to see what farm life is like, a real life “Harvest Moon” experience. From there, I could visit that bookstore, The Painted Porch, in Bastrop, Texas, if I could drive there. If it’s far from my aunty’s farm, then I could experience a roadtrip too.

    Then my next stop would be a coin toss between Tennessee or Minnesota for the Titanic tours I could attend and cross off my travel list from a different prompt answer Leveling Up Exploration Skill IRL:. I don’t care if I could come out more depressed than going in, I want to see the Titanic in real life, even if it’s a replica. It won’t be the same as the real deal, but it’s a history lesson I want to experience.

    Why settle on drinking, drugs, or screen addictions when I could have an existential awakening from witnessing tragedy second hand and then, realize how fragile everything is, do something with myself?

    Otherwise, if I could do anything with these plane tickets, especially if the tickets are valid for traveling anywhere in the world, then I would gift these tickets to my parents. My mom enjoys traveling, so her and my dad could continue traveling, enjoying mini-vacations, while they can before they get swamped or stuck at work. A change in scenery would be nice every now and again, and I’m certain that my parents have more places to visit.

    Better to let them enjoy traveling abroad than me. I could explore at home and have my own adventures outside, no plane ticket required: visit shops I’ve never heard of, volunteer, or go to every library and bookstore that’s open and browse. Yeah, that would be quite the adventure there.

  • When You Think Your Car Was Stolen (It Wasn’t) and What to Do Next Time Around:

    Deep Breaths Before Freaking Out:

    Welcome, Co-conspirators, to The Stratagem’s Archives, and it is open for perusing. Recently, I, your humble narrator and purveyor of meticulous plans, was taught a lesson – a valuable one – and, thankfully, it ended up being the best case scenario because the worst case would have sent me into a spiral of despair.

    My part-time rage room had pitted me against my ultimate nemesis: parking. In a downtown area where parking is horrendous, customers and employees are allowed to park in another business’s parking garage until spots open up. It’s a 5 minute walk, including the stoplights and the walk up to the garage, a small inconvenience for a mastermind in the making like myself.

    The Moment I Crumbled

    When there was a lull in the chaos at work, I mentioned to my boss and coworker that I was going to retrieve my car, and headed over. As I ascended towards the parking garage, I walked towards the back corner of the lot, and my worst fear unlocked: my car stall was empty.

    My first impulse had always been to contact my parents, my first points of contact for anything, but they weren’t answering my calls. I panicked, then called my boss because I didn’t know what to do or who else to call. Bless his heart because he walked over to where I was to help as I struggled to maintain my composure. My boss, ever the pragmatist, spoke to the security guard on my behalf.

    The security guard, a surprising font of wisdom, mentioned that patrons often misplace their vehicles in this labyrinthine garage. They hadn’t towed anyone in months, he reassured us, despite the downtown area’s reputation for vehicular heists. I managed a shaky nod, agreeing to take “one more look.”

    A Villain’s Humiliation, A Hero’s Resolve

    I swear, in that moment, I’d never wanted to slap myself so hard in my life until that night. While I waited, my amazing Aunty appeared, dispatched by my now-reachable parents who were mobilizing other family members. She sat with me, a calm presence amidst my unraveling. My boss, having confirmed with the security guard that all was well, headed back to his work.

    My aunty, a seasoned veteran of downtown skirmishes, then delivered a surprisingly profound message. She herself had faced the predatory tactics of local towing companies – notorious for being petty thieves who can charge exorbitant fees, vehicle theft, and unhelpful interactions with the police. “I’m glad this happened,” she said, “because now you’ve experienced what this area is really like.” She emphasized the importance of documentation, of relying on evidence rather than my “fallible memory” in a district known for vehicular thefts. Her wisdom resonated deeply.

    And so, with renewed resolve, I took that “one more look.” I walked up one more floor and there it was, my trusty vehicle, precisely where I had left it. I had been diligently searching the second floor, when my car had been patiently waiting for me on the third floor all along. Upon returning to work, and later, when I arrived home, I made sure to take pictures of my car, just as my aunty advised.

    I took her advice to heart, immediately snapping photos of my car when I returned to work and again when I finally got home. I also had to issue a series of apologies to my boss and all the family members I had unnecessarily alarmed. Despite my embarrassment—being 28, I truly felt I should have “known better,” reacting impulsively instead of proactively assessing the situation—everyone reassured me that such mishaps are common. I thanked them all for their invaluable support, vowing to do better next time.

    A New Stratagem: The Deep Breath & Documentation Protocol

    This misadventure, my co-conspirators, taught me a crucial lesson. Even the most cunning among us can be blindsided by our own panicked assumptions. My villainous tendencies, in this instance, led me to prematurely declare defeat and, worse, to neglect the power of proactive measures.

    My commitment to you, and to my own continued reign of… well, whatever it is I’m reigning over, is this: Next time, when the unexpected strikes, I will implement the Deep Breath & Documentation Protocol. Before succumbing to the urge to declare immediate catastrophe, I will take a moment, survey the scene with a clear mind, and double-check my initial assumptions. Furthermore, I will ensure I have a visual record, a digital alibi, to counter any potential memory lapses or external threats. I will not repeat this mistake, and I hope those who read my blog can learn from my temporary lapse in judgment.

    For those of you, my equally neurotic co-conspirators, who might also find yourselves teetering on the edge of a freak-out, remember my ignominious tale. Before you unleash your inner panic monster, take a deep breath. Seriously. Just one. Then, maybe, another. And if circumstances allow, snap a quick photo. Often, the solution is much simpler (and far less catastrophic) than your racing mind leads you to believe, and a little evidence can save you a lot of grief.

    What minor misstep has sent your carefully constructed plans into a temporary tailspin? Let me know in the comments below and I will see you all again when the archives open!

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  • A.I. Was Taking Over My Writing Life — I Had to Pull Myself Back

    Pocket Full of “Answers”: How Using Google’s Gemini Shrank My Mind

    Welcome, Co-conspirators, to the Stratagem’s Archives. Today I’ll be sharing my experiences when using Google’s Gemini and how it’s been affecting me. I can’t consider myself a “True Mastermind” if I delegate my thinking to an external database. So, I’m here to reclaim my self-proclaimed title by doing what I should have done from the beginning – Thinking for myself – and having my work, my ability to write, tell stories, come up with ideas, and string coherent sentences, be judged than be seen as “perfect” with A.I.

    Disclaimer: I am not a cyber analyst, engineer, nor great with technology. I’m great at using Google’s search bar. Anything else, I’m abysmal at, so please consult with professionals or someone worth their salt if you’re looking for a proper tutorial. I’m here to share, but not to that level yet. Thanks!

    The Codependency is Real, Co-conspirators…

    If you refer to my previous blog articles here in The Archives, then you will see a massive difference between my writing – messy, distracted, and long winded, a reflection of how the writer speaks in person – and using A.I.

    I used AI to check for grammatical errors, improve the writing format to match this blog’s “Mastermind/Villain/Autodidact” tone, and realizing “my idea” became “it’s work” instead.

    When I had compared my writings in the Archives, I had noticed that, despite my own biases, I was reading something a person wrote; the writing isn’t professional, it’s full of mistakes, and takes awhile to get to the point.

    When reading something generated by an A.I. it feels empty, like I’m reading words, but no emotion is stirred within me: no call to action, no call to fight some injustice, nothing arises.

    A Side by Side Comparison:

    This comparison can be easily seen in my earlier blog post, 2025 is Nearly Over! A 6-Month Reflection & Projecting Ahead. I can candidly share that the majority of that article had been rewritten after being examined by Gemini.

    I didn’t like what I wrote, I thought that my real work would lose people’s interest or attention, as this is my first real project being shared publicly. I struggle to write anything engaging or interesting without running off tangent, which happens often, and is apparent in my first two articles.

    Here in the article, “2025 is Nearly Over! A 6-Month Reflection & Projecting Ahead”, I didn’t finish the entire rewrite because I got lazy, bored, and distracted. I had other ideas I wanted to pursue and, just rewriting the text and switching back and forth between tabs, took a lot of time. It took a lot of time because:

    1. It takes me days, maybe weeks, to finish one article draft to completion, then look for grammatical errors or polish it up through Gemini.
    2. I have to copy and paste each header and block here on the WordPress/Jetpack app individually into Gemini’s text box because I can’t highlight the entire text to copy and paste.
    3. After inputting my work and have Gemini look it over, I am practically starting over from scratch. If it took me days to write the original text, then what I’m doing doubles the time redoing everything and copying the “answers” Gemini provided was better than anything I could ever come up with.

    While everything being provided sounded better in comparison to what I came up with, it took 1 video to snap me back to reality. I was stunting my own growth and, where I was heading, my future looked bleak and blank.

    What Prompted The Stratagem’s Archives to Share This?

    That’s a very good question! Thank you for asking that, Friend. I’m definitely not pantomiming an imaginary conversation. Nope, not me. I was prompted to write this post while listening to The Bioneer on YouTube. His video, “THIS is the Most Powerful Form of Brain Training – Stay Ahead of AI!”, made me realize that I was neglecting my own skills, my own ability to learn, and grow.

    I was actively stunting my own growth – replacing potential ideas, my words, my voice, and conversational and therapeutic help – for fast results. I used something that actively agreed with everything I typed, and it didn’t provide a counterargument or challenged my thoughts. I had an intangible “Yes Man” in my pocket, not a helper.

    After The Bioneer’s video ended, I got up to brush my teeth, then I was hit with an idea. It was for a text based game idea I called, “Return to the World”; the synopsis is about the player character living in isolation for some time and heavily relying on their artificial assistant “R.O.A.M.” (Ready Optimal Artificial Mediator).

    After a system error shuts R.O.A.M. Down, you, as the player, has to relearn how to take care of yourself almost from scratch, slowly developing skills that became dormant from a lack of use and, as the title claims, you are returning to reality and its complexities.

    That is what I am declaring here – I will reclaim and share my personality, reactivate dormant skills, learn new skills out of genuine curiosity, and become an authentic Mastermind – I had been confused when I had started The Stratagem’s Archives, originally known as “Plans2Action”.

    I thought that I had to be a real life villain to be engaging.That being inspired by fictional villainy and twisting this concept on its head, maybe I’ve been describing an anti-villain or anti-hero this whole time, to have an outline to follow. But I’m not cut to intentionally be a real life villain, and being a hero is unappealing to me.

    Instead, I’d rather be a wild card – I can still work my way up to be a “True Mastermind”, but not in the same way I had been throughout most of my blog posts – diving into new ventures and sharing them here. Being intentional with what I choose to do and not do, rather than trying to take over the world.

    Any Upsides to A.I. Though?

    Reawakening dormant skills will take work and, while I will be actively working to reduce my over reliance on using A.I., it has a time and place just like any other tool. You can use a fork to eat cereal, but a spoon would be more effective.

    I think A.I. has been able to help me identify things I could describe, but lacked the proper vocabulary for. For example, when writing my last article, The Stratagem Begins: From Scarcity to Financial Empowerment: Part 1:, I couldn’t figure out what a specific feeling was called and needed help. I typed in Gemini, asking it, “What is that visceral feeling you get when you are using physical cash to pay for something instead of using a credit or debt card?” And it gave me the term called, “the pain of paying”: a well-known phenomenon in behavioral economics made known when paying with physical cash as opposed to using a credit or debit card.

    This term, though I didn’t do further research into this phenomenon, perfectly described the feeling I felt when I had started to pay with cash to prevent increasing my revolving debt. It’s an uncomfortable feeling, I can feel my wallet grow lighter, and the consequence of having a set amount of money at hand forces me to prioritize my needs from my wants.

    Anything Else to Add?

    In conclusion, A.I. may have muddled my mind, I must train myself to strike a balance with it supplementing my work than having it write it for me.

    A.I. still has its uses, it still has a time and place, but over relying on it can shrink your mind, skills, and narrow your perspective. That’s my opinion, at least.

    Work on your own skills, have stories to tell, share them with your own personal flair, rather than delegating that option to A.I. Let it be a tool, not the solution. Let it help, not infantilize you and take over your life.

    If you’ve had similar experiences with A.I., or are overcoming an A.I. dependency, share how you’ve been using A.I., how it’s been affecting you, and your journey to find a middle ground in the comments below. With that said, The Archives will be closing. Until we open again!

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  • Some Days I Don’t Want to Be Here — On Surviving When Everything Else Feels Heavy

    I Don’t Have Any Answers

    Welcome, fellow archivists.

    This isn’t going to be a post full of strategies or 5-step solutions. I don’t have answers. I don’t have any neat, Instagram-worthy fixes for feeling worthless, angry, exhausted, or like a failure.

    All I have is the truth: I’m still here. I show up. That’s it.

    When There’s No Outlet That Works

    Every day, I feel like crying. Or screaming. Or fighting someone. Or curling into a ball and disappearing.

    Most days, I don’t do any of it. I keep it inside. I go to work. I lift boxes. I nod. I breathe through the rage.

    It feels like that, at work, the only time I’ll be acknowledged is: being asked to pick up someone else’s slack, when my mind blanks out and I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing, or when I make a mistake and that immediately overshadows ALL of the good work I’d done prior.

    Sometimes I don’t even feel angry — I’m just so tired that people assume I’m mad.

    But truth is? I’ve tried the healthy outlets.

    I’ve done the journaling. The walking. The meditating. The deep breathing. The exercising. The learning. The “focus on your goals” grindset.

    I’ve tried cold showers. Better sleep. Better food.

    And it all helps… but it’s not enough. Not when the storm keeps coming back. Not when my mind is so convinced that I’m not worth keeping or being around.

    I Keep Trying Anyway

    I try to channel this torrent of emotions into my projects:

    • Writing D&D prompts I may never run.
    • Trying to code, even though I spent 10 years thinking I wasn’t smart enough.
    • Taking online courses that might help one day.
    • Working two jobs.
    • Keeping myself occupied so I don’t fall into that deep, silent well again.

    But most of the time, I’m not healing. I’m just surviving.

    Mostly I’m surviving. If you want to read more about these slow projects and quiet experiments, I sometimes write about them in Letters from the Void.

    This Pain and Anger Has A Name

    I would often ask myself the same question over and over again;

    What do I have to be angry about?

    That question, that right there, is called “Comparative Guilt.”

    This guilt would trick me, maybe it tricked you too, into thinking that I’m not suffering enough as someone going through real suffering to matter.

    I have so much good in my life:

    • I have caring and supportive family.
    • I’ve been living on my own for a few months.
    • I chose myself over staying in toxic and diminishing friendships.
    • I’ve started my own blog.
    • I’m working 2 jobs to aggressively get out of $15,000 of debt.
    • I’ve been investing in my retirement and my present for 2-3 years now.

    So, what should I be angry, upset, or numb over? I’ve got it so good, someone would want to trade spots with me.

    That’s the guilt trying to tell me that I’m not enough, even though I already struggle with combating feeling like a failure, worthless, and not good enough on the daily. It’s trying to say, “give up, you’re not worth it.”

    But I don’t give up, I’m stubborn like that. I might be a glutton for punishment because feeling angry, upset, or numb might be the only things I can feel these days. For now, that is enough, until I’m able to learn how to smile and feel content or joy again.

    Living Is The Loudest Rebellion I Have

    I’ve started believing that the biggest “f*** you” to a world that seems to want you to disappear… is to not disappear.

    Not to win. Not to thrive. Not to be impressive.

    Just to keep existing, even when it hurts. Even when nothing helps. Even when you don’t want to.

    There’s no power move louder than refusing to vanish — even if you’re dragging yourself through the day.

    If You’re Still Here Too…

    Then maybe you’re like me.

    You don’t have the answers.

    You’re angry and exhausted and worn down.

    But you still show up. Somehow.

    And that counts for something, even if no one sees it. Even if you forget why.

    This post isn’t here to fix you.

    It’s just a reminder:

    If all you did today was survive, that’s still resistance.

    A Note For Fellow Archivists

    If any part of this piece resonates, I’d love to invite you to pause for a moment and reflect on your own journey.

    What part of your story feels messy, uncertain, or unfinished right now? Where are you weary, wondering, or wandering? What small reminder do you need today that you don’t have to fit neatly into anyone’s expectations?

    You don’t have to share your reflections out loud — sometimes it’s enough just to notice them for yourself. But if you’d like, you’re always welcome to write them in the comments, or even send them my way privately. This space is here so that we can remind ourselves and each other: you’re not alone in this.

    If you’ve found something meaningful here, liking, sharing, or subscribing helps fellow wanderers find this little pocket of the internet too. And if you subscribe, you’ll also receive Letters from the Void, my newsletter where I share more quiet reflections, behind-the-scenes projects, and updates before they appear anywhere else.

    However you choose to engage — silently reading, reflecting privately, or joining in the conversation — you’re part of this archive. Thank you for being here.

  • Eradicating A Burden: Eliminating Personal Debt to Ascend:

    The Stratagem’s Impediment:

    Welcome fellow Villainous Co-conspirators, for stumbling into The Stratagem; now, today, I’m going to share a predicament that I, The Stratagem’s creator, am facing right now… this burden hinders all people from all walks of life — heroes, villains, anti-heroes, anti-villains, and civilians alike. It is one of the main foundations for any pursuit. This crippling burden I’m speaking of is called, Personal Debt—a significant amount, and if you think heroes are the only ones to throw a wrench in your plans, you are sadly incorrect.

    Do you have any idea why Personal Debt is a far more devastating force to deal with than any other living and conceptual adversary? Imagine this: you have constructed the perfect plan, a plan so diabolical that it could turn the tides to your favor, and all you need to ensure its construction is possible is money. Every fictional villain tends to steal from banks and incredibly wealthy individuals. If operations, tools, gadgets, and personnel could function on hopes and dreams, or fear and anxiety, what then? No, no, no, money isn’t just a symbol of one’s avarice and greed; it is a tool for fair exchange since gadgets, keeping the Stratagem running, and paying for good help takes money. This is how any business functions.

    We need to make sure that every dollar we owe to Personal Debt returns to us for our own personal use. I personally hate debt, especially debt that hinders the individual’s progress, growth, pursuits, and opportunities. Imagine what it would be like to be free from debt, no longer owing money to financial institutions because of an emergency or surprise expense that you didn’t have cash on hand. You could return to your plans of crafting the life you want to be proud of. In the following paragraphs, I’ll share with you what I’ve been doing to eradicate my personal debt, the resources I’ve been learning and from using, and the progress made since taking on this challenge.

    Have You Acknowledged That Something Is Wrong With This Picture?

    During my journey into financial literacy books, videos, and other resources, the one thing that we need to start with in destroying Personal Debt is to acknowledge it— Acknowledge that there’s a limitation preventing you from achieving your goals and halting your plans. My favorite resource to watch that shows what happens when people ignore their debts, who keep racking up new debt onto existing debt, and thinking it’ll magically sort itself out is from a Netflix show called, “How to Get Rich.” If you’ve ever read the book, “I Will Teach You to be Rich” by Ramit Sethi, or watched his YouTube channel by the same name, he has had guests on this show do just that: ignore their debts.

    I think that ignoring your debts is a horrible tactic and it widens the gap between becoming free from it and remaining its hostage. The best financial resources I’ve come across that’s helped me improve my financial literacy and competency(in no way am I affiliated with these resources) are:

    • I Will Teach You to be Rich: The books, journal, and YouTube channel by Ramit Sethi.
    • The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.
    • The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason (audiobook Narrated by Grover Gardner).
    • Alux.com YouTube channel and app.

    I had improved with how I use the money that I earn, saved, and invested from jobs that let me hide among the masses. These had been the best resources I could find that helps people who don’t have a business or are not self-employed make the most of what they have. I am not affiliated with these people, just a fan of their work, which has helped me see with more clarity than before. Now, let’s move on to how I’ve been tackling my Personal Debt of $17,000.

    The Stratagem’s Aggressive Payoff Strategy:

    How I started to tackle my Personal Debt was to write down how much I owed and what each of my debts APR(Annual Percentage Rate) for each debts (which includes interest rates and fees) and displaying them prominently. For myself, I have a white board on my desk, so I wrote the numbers down.

    • Short-term debt: $5,000
    • Medium-term Debt: $12,000

    The first thing that I decided to do was to put a stop to using my short term debt. I had paid off all other balances using a loan. I didn’t want to spread my money too thin again. Putting your physical and other means of accruing debt away to not use will take willpower to not swipe and increase your debt. Instead, I changed to using a cash envelope system.

    If you’re unfamiliar with what the Cash Envelope System is, it’s where you take out cash each month to pay for your necessities, groceries, gas, and fun activities or things you want to buy on a budget. Using this system will give you pause where you would have to ask yourself: 1)what can I get with X amount of dollars in my hand? 2)am I buying X because I need it or because I want it? These are the few questions I ask myself when I go shopping and I withdraw between $200-$300/week to spend. How I separate the money each week, especially more than $200, let’s use $300 as easy math:

    • $200 for groceries.
    • $40 for gas
    • $20 put away for, as Ramit Sethi coined it, “Guilt Free Spending”.
    • $20 put aside for funding this blog.
    • $20 for whatever cause I will financially support once I reach $100-$200 milestone.

    The second thing that I decided to do was to get a part-time job; this was a personal choice because my full-time job had our hours cut and my paycheck shrank as well. I went job hunting for 1 month looking on Indeed and applying on the company’s job board before getting hired at a rage room part-time. The extra money, even though I had to adapt to extra workload, had helped with making sure my bills were paid. I’m not beneath working 2 jobs, though I am fortunate that both jobs were flexible and worked with me, no one should not feel ashamed for making such a decision.

    Having 2 jobs, though draining, had given me the freedom to use an aggressive pay off method called, The Avalanche Debt Payoff Method. What this means is that you are paying more than the minimum payment towards the debt that has the highest APR. When looking at this from a mathematical perspective, tackling the debt with the highest APR also reduces the amount of interest that could be added on to the existing debt.

    Even though my highest debt is $12,000.00, it would not make mathematical sense if I paid this off first. When using the Avalanche Debt Payoff Method, getting rid of the debt that will accumulate interest fastest will free up more money in the long run. By ensuring that I pay the minimum payment towards my other loan, I’ll be shrinking that loan with less penalties. I’ve been saving as much as $1,000.00 to put towards my credit card debt to pay it down faster. The more money you can put towards it, the faster this burden will be gone.

    A Less Aggressive Option is Available

    I chose the Avalanche Debt Payoff Method because I could pay off my debt aggressively. Thanks to working a full-time job and a part-time job, this option is mathematically sound for my situation. However, for those who aren’t able to use the Avalanche Debt Payoff Method, a less aggressive method is available: The Snowball Debt Payoff Method is used to pay off the smallest debt balance off first and work up towards the highest balance.

    For example, if my $17,000.00 debt were spread across 4 different accounts, using this hypothetical debt to explain this payoff method, you would start by paying off the lowest balance. Then you’d move up to the next balance, until you pay off the next balance, and you focus on the last debt.

    From personal experience, using the Avalanche Debt Payoff Method can feel mentally taxing—you’re seeing a lot of money move from your bank account to pay towards your debt and it can feel as though you’re not making a dent. I’ve thought of many scenarios of what I could be doing, instead of paying off my debts. I could be using that money to:

    • Donate to either a food bank, the blood bank, a school that needs school supplies, to a local library, or a farmer’s market.
    • Buy a nice lunch for my family once a month.
    • Repay my parents money I had borrowed from them for an event I chose to attend last minute.

    These are the things I would do once my debts are paid off. Remember that everyone is facing different challenges and has their own goals. These are mine and I will see them fulfilled.

    This payoff method offers a plethora of benefits that its aggressive counterpart would not. The less aggressive method grants:

    • Bursts of dopamine from eliminating small debts and seeing each debt gone.
    • A sense of accomplishment.
    • Provides an increase of strength to keep pushing through their (financial) challenges.

    This method could also help individuals who are:

    • Working one job.
    • Earn under $50,000/annual salary.
    • Taking care of children, elderly or sick family members.

    For anyone who is already overwhelmed by their debt and other responsibilities, this could offer a sense of accomplishment and as though their situation has hope, instead of seeing it as hopeless.

    Plans Need An End Date

    Regardless of the method you choose to use to pay off your debts, you will need to have an end date for when you will become debt free. Why? Because it gives you something tangible to strive for than leaving it up to chance.

    When I didn’t set a deadline to when I wanted to be debt-free, battling debt felt impossible in the beginning. Not having a deadline drops you into the someday category, the same as how New Year’s Resolutions are: I’ll someday get to travel, or I’ll someday get healthier, or I’ll someday get myself out of debt. NO! Someday, without a goal and a when to strive for, is a wish, not a strategy.

    Go ahead and try it; keep paying your debts without a deadline and see how it feels, then set one. Share how much of a mental shift it is once you’ve tried this out yourself.

    Treat your empire the same as eliminating debt—have a concrete date for when you want to start building your empire, instead of letting it become a someday wish. Otherwise, you will likely be at the mercy of life and nothing will change for you because you followed the same strategies you’ve always followed. We’re not simply Dreamers, Fellow Co-conspirators. We are Dreamers who plans, takes responsibility, and executes on our plans. Now, let’s move on.

    What Happens If You Choose Neither Method?

    If you choose neither method to tackle your debt—then the only thing that will happen would be a longer financial sentence. You need to choose which plan works for your situation and act on it, then you have enough sense to not remain debt’s prisoner.

    You are the only one who gets to decide how to live your life, no one else, especially not some institution who cares about taking as much money from you as possible. That is what we’re here for—fighting for our financial freedom and get back to building our empire!

    Charting Your Course to Financial Domination!

    Understanding your enemy and the damages they can inflict on your rising empire is the first step towards victory. We’ve explored how devastating inaction can be and the immense power the strategies like the Avalanche and Snowball methods. Now, the choice is yours fellow co-conspirators.

    No matter the battlefield you are fighting on, the time to act is now. What course of action are you taking and how you feel about the progress you’ve been making? Share in the comments a glimpse of your journey for other co-conspirators to learn and take inspiration from. Thank you for visiting The Stratagem’s Archives, now build your empire!

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  • 2025 is Nearly Over! A 6-Month Reflection & Projecting Ahead.

    Where Did The Time Go, Co-conspirators?

    The early morning rays had dared to interrupt my slumber. My alarm had futilely blared its presence at 0530, but I laid there, staring at the ceiling, under my warm blanket, and scrolling through the digital void of YouTube for 30 minutes. My plan, a meticulously crafted stratagem for a day off, was to rinse, cleanse, conquer the pavement with a quick jog, the return home for a home workout, shower, laundry, and a decisive jumpstart to my precious free hours.

    It was already past 0730. This procrastination, a momentary lapse in my crafted discipline, was unacceptable. I shot up out of bed, washed, changed into my workout gear, laced on my shoes, then hit the pavement. What would have been a walk around the block became a determined jog to make up for my poor decision of staying in bed. My body and mind were primed for the workout I had planned the night before, climbed the stairs back to my apartment, locked the door behind me, and grabbed my tools of choice.

    After weeks of strategic active resting, it was time to return to being active. With my kettlebells and bands in hand, I was ready to forge myself through training once more:

    • Dynamic warm ups: 3 minutes
    • Banded overhead presses: 3 sets of 10 reps
    • Reverse Lunges: 3 sets of 5 reps each leg

    Then my main workout consisted of the following:

    • 20 lbs Kettlebell Swings: 1 set of 20 reps
    • 20 lbs Kettlebell Deadlift: 3 sets of 10 reps
    • 20lbs Kettlebell squats with calf raises: 3 sets of of 10 reps
    • Body weight push-ups: 3 sets of 10,11, and 12 reps respectively. The last set, a tactical drop to my knees, was still a victory.
    • Finally, a 5 minute cool down period using static stretches, twist holds, bridging, and fluid movement.

    With my workout finished, I took a lukewarm shower to wash away the smell of effort and tossed my dirty clothes into my basket. Today was laundry day, my precious day off from two fronts of income generation. This was my day off and I intended to be productive.

    Thankfully, my apartment complex offers an on-site laundromat, less than a 2 minute stroll from my unit. I loaded my clothes into the wash, set my timer for 50 minutes, and headed back. As soon as I reached the bottom of the steps, slowly climbing, my mind, normally a fortress of strategic and practical thought, was surprisingly blank. Then, it hit me as though lighting struck,:

    ‘Holy crap, it’s already July 1st, the beginning of a new month… 2025 is almost over…’

    My mind was slowly processing this thought, as I ascended the stairs back to my studio. Once I returned to the safety of my living space, it dawned on me; this is the perfect opportunity. A chance to reflect on the battles I’d engaged in and won(or lost) so far this year, and the most strategic place to document it is here on my blog. This blog, this project, that I’ve talked about starting for years, was now real and a tangible fortress I’d begun building. And I’ve been fortifying it brick by deliberate brick.

    Let’s Pause, Reflect, and Dominate!

    How often have you heard someone say, or heard yourself lament, “where did the time go? Another year is almost over!” And then, the polite (or perhaps subtly condescending) inquiry, “have you met any of your New Year’s resolutions yet?” The “New Year, New Me” mentality is a common recurring trend.

    Whether you kept to your goals or abandoned them because life got in the way, that’s okay! Stepping back to gauge where you currently are in your life isn’t about casting judgement; it’s about gathering intelligence. Reflection is a crucial reconnaissance mission: to chart how far you’ve advanced this year, to discern what shifted or remained stagnant, and, most importantly, to extract lessons from your progress, no matter how insignificant, to project victory within the remaining months ahead. This is NOT an option.

    That is the premise behind “Stratagem’s Archive”; my objectives were to dissect my own campaigns: what I’ve deployed, what fascinated me, my strategic objectives, how I execute each idea, and the tangible results of taking decisive action. Here, I reveal the tactic I’ve tested, how I’ve course-corrected, and the necessary adjustments made to maintain momentum despite changes in the battlefield. Even mere thought experiments are crucial for priming the mind for future opportunities.

    Instead of chalking 2025 as another year of time flying by or wondering what you did this year, let’s take a moment to think over a few questions. Some might be simple, others could reveal uncomfortable truths, because, ‘nothing’, is the typical default answer. Let’s begin planning, strategizing, and constructing our own empire one goal, one brick, and one step at a time.

    The Questions Begin Here: YOU Are Here:

    In the last 6-months of 2025, here are a small list of questions to mull over:

    • What’s changed in your personal domain?: Your relationships, habits, health, or finances?
    • What’s changed in your professional sphere?: Your job, career trajectory, projects seized or surrendered, roles mastered, skills mastered and deployed?
    • Regarding your objectives: Which have stalled? Which were rightly abandoned because they were never your battles to fight? Which goals transformed entirely?
    • What constants remained in your life? Your core values and priorities? Any daily routines, both that served you and sabotaged you?
    • What persistent challenges, or which areas demand immediate, undivided attention?
    • Which aspirations remained unwavering?
    • What were your greatest victories, monumental or minute? Acknowledge them, celebrate them.
    • What were the unexpected challenges or strategic detours? What did they force you to learn?
    • What habits or practices served as powerful allies on your journey?
    • What habits or practices proved to be liabilities, holding you back from conquest?

    A Ruthless Self-Reflection

    “Looking back, what’s one thing that you are proud of the most of, and what’s something you could have approached differently?”

    Self-reflection is not a gentle act; it is a brutal, necessary assessment. It is the individual’s imperative to retrace their personal timeline, to identify moments of strength and precision, and to pinpoint where tactics could have been superior. Some people, in their pathetic weakness, weaponize self-reflection to shame others, failing to practice the very discipline they preach. We are not them. We are here to claim our gains and to extract every possible lesson from the trials of the past.

    The prompts above are merely catalysts for your mind to begin its strategic dissection. Countless resources exist – on the internet, in texts, through insightful individuals – if you possess the cunning to seek them out. It demands profound inner strength to gaze upon your past self, your words, and your actions, and to maintain that gaze when the easy path is to recoil in shame, blame, or guilt. Your willingness to engage in this means that a profound shift has occurred within you – a shift you may not have yet the words for. It demands to be acknowledged, flaws and all, because it finally commands a portion of your attention. And it knows you need its guidance to comprehend what has truly changed and what your next move must be.

    The following prompts further insights, designed to converge disparate ideas and unveil something previously inconceivable—something insightful, enlightening, something uniquely yours. It originated from within you; now you have to give it a voice. It is ready to be shard with you, its creator. Document your answers in a journal, a notes app, or an audio recording. This is your historical record, a tangible marker of, ‘this is what I once believed and thought’ versus ‘I no longer wholly agree; something has transformed, and here is what it is.’

    • What was your biggest victory in the first half of 2025?
    • What’s one habit that you will cultivate or ruthlessly eliminate?
    • What’s one area of your life do you want to be more intentional, more dominant?
    • What’s one thing that surprised you the most?

    Engagement: Share Your Intelligence

    Through your period of reflection and assessment, what small insight have you gleaned? Or, what single word would you use to describe the first half of the year for you? Share your intelligence in the comments below.

    We Still Have Time Before 2026 Arrives People!

    Do you comprehend the absurdity of hearing individuals declare, ‘it’s too late to achieve their New Year’s resolutions,’ when only a month or three has passed? Six months into the year, however, presents a significant chasm from January. Yet, consider the undeniable truth: 2025, like all other years, still contains an immense window of opportunity before its official end. While it may be July 1st, at the time of this writing, this year is far from over.

    It’s like being on a malfunctioning escalator and calling for rescue. The escalator may have ceased its ascent, but you are not stuck. It has simply transformed into stairs, and it is time to activate those legs and climb!

    • Look over your original (year long) goals? Are they still relevant? Do they need adjusting based on your review?
    • Break down your larger goals; how might they be broken up to fit into a 3-month and 6-month actionable steps?
    • Remember: focus on the 1-3 areas that you want to work on for the rest of the year. Any progress, despite the length and duration it’s been cultivated, can show more than simply saying you won’t make any.

    Let’s say for example that you want to focus on your health and well-being. How would you be able to group this together? Could we posit that we could group exercise, nutrition, and sleep together? For example: could you take a walk for 5-10 minutes, eat 1 fruit a day, and sleep 10 minutes earlier? Starting small gives you a foundation to build upon until you are able to increase the amount of healthy habits and it becomes an automatic practice, not a punishment.

    This idea can be thought of the same way with other activities and goals: learning new skills, a new language, entering a new industry, pursuing a relationship or repairing one, the possibilities are endless! However, given that we all have so much attention throughout the day, giving your attention to a small amount of projects would help keep you focused and delay feeling overwhelmed. Give it a try and see what happens when you dedicate your attention to 1-3 projects than 3+ projects with the amount of time we have left in this year.

    In order to reinforce these habits and practices to become automatic, set up a monthly or bimonthly review to see how much progress you’ve made so far. It gives you a sense that you made strides from who you were to who you are now and consistent effort and reflection keeps you accountable. It gives you a sense of being responsible for yourself and your actions to keep making progress. The biggest thing here is to remember; plans are guidelines, not strict rules. Plans can be adjusted when known and unknown variables shift, when life gets in the way, and something isn’t working anymore. Being flexible with your goals is just as valuable as it would be for professional pursuits.

    What Are You Willing to Do Now?

    Given how quickly time has flown and we’re already beginning the month of July, I had given myself time to reflect on my own accomplishments, lessons, and goals so far. For instance, my biggest wins I’ve had so far this year were: moving out of my family’s home and living on my own. I wanted to know what it was like to live on my own and be responsible for myself, not because I was kicked out or I wasn’t happy at home. I’ve grown to become reliant on myself, evaluating my interests and values and priorities and relationships in my own environment had been eye opening. It got to the point where I’ve had to say goodbye to relationships and hobbies that were no longer mutually respectful between myself and those I was friends with.

    The main lesson I’ve learned came from making financial choices without thinking things through and without doing the math. I’ve accumulated over $5,000 in credit card debt with rent, expenses, recurring programs, and a paid program to help me find my dream job. They’ve compounded and I still had the mentality that I was still living at home with little consequence and thought and my credit card has an APR of 25.26%. That’s huge for someone in a low income bracket, but that was my choice.

    Prior to moving out, I also took out a $13,000 personal loan with an 8.70% interest rate to help pay down a different credit card that had a $7,000 balance on it for car repairs I couldn’t pay upfront. The 19% APR was killing me and I despise being in debt, so a personal loan made sense living at home, but not so much living on your own. I took it upon myself to work a full time job and a part time job to aggressively pay down my debts. My goal is to avalanche the most funds towards my $5,000 balance first because of the APR, then allocate those funds to pay off my personal loan. By doing the math, I’ve projected that I’ll be able to aggressively pay off my credit card by the beginning of November to the end of December, 2025.

    As soon as I’m able to deal with my credit card, I’ll focus on my personal loan and use the same aggressive approach. I’ve projected that I’ll be able to pay this off, even with a small interest rate and monthly payments, by next year June-July. Working two jobs, eating poorly or nothing after a certain time, and getting very little sleep during my work week is the price I’m paying to get out of my debt. I could use those freed up funds to invest more into my Roth account, build up a bigger emergency fund, and have money to spend guilt free each month. I’m much more conscious of my spending and I’m doing what I can to make sure I won’t make the same financial mistakes again. I’ll be much more prepared next time with the funds ready to be deployed than needing to borrow again.

    Finally, the area of my life that I want to be more intentional in are with my friendships. I briefly mentioned that I’ve had to say goodbye to friendships that were no longer mutually aligned and weren’t supporting both parties involved. I’ve learned what my values and boundaries are and they had been repeatedly violated when I clearly stated something was not okay or I wasn’t available then made myself available to make other people happy and myself miserable. It was a matter of when to move on and I chose to let go this year then let things continue the course it was on.

    I’m currently debating with myself about handling a decade long friendship. I don’t see myself being valued or included into my friend’s life anymore, so

    I’ve been reflecting about what to do next; the two of us are on different life paths, we don’t have much in common anymore from when we were two broke college kids, I felt unheard when I expressed my needs and values and how it felt being around my friend and his girlfriend. I adore his girlfriend, but she’s not responsible for my friend’s actions, or lack thereof, and I’ve expressed that she shouldn’t take away my friend’s autonomy to communicate with me on his own terms. I want to have an adult conversation, but that isn’t going to be happening anytime soon.

    I’ve shared my thoughts, set my boundaries, and I’ve just been distancing myself from this friend. I had shared that I am busy with work and I’ll get back to either of them when I’m available, but I’m not ready to have that conversation yet. If I don’t then, I could regret it for the rest of my life. If I don’t then, then I better prepare myself to lose something and someone I held with high regard. Right now, I just see the shell of the people we used to be and our dynamics has grown in different directions, it’s one sided and not sustainable anymore. But that is my problem to face, so that will be a conversation for another time.

    Wrap It Up Here, P2A.

    In conclusion, keep these reflections and plans in mind, they can help with whatever you are pursuing or with what you want to pursue. It’s almost like what Tow Mater from “Cars” told Lightning McQueen about his ability to drive in reverse without crashing; “I don’t need to see where I’m going; I just need to know where I’ve been.” If you don’t know where you’ve been, then how can you know where you’re going? Food for thought. Thank you for taking the time to read this long one, and I’ll see you in another one!

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  • How I’d Spend $1 Billion in 24 Hours (A Personal Thought Experiment).

    Financial Freedom On A Timer:

    “If, one day, you wake up and suddenly find someone standing in your sleeping quarters, hand outstretched, and you see an intricately beautiful heavy platinum black card, what would you do? Most likely you’d go back and forth between feeling confused to needing to deal with a potential threat in your home, right? Even if the situation is strange and the stranger in your space hasn’t presented themselves as hostile.

    So, let’s say for the sake of argument, that you remained calm; you’re looking at the card in the stranger’s hand, then up to the stranger’s face. In a calm and even tone the stranger, gesturing to the card, says, “In this card rests 1 Billion dollars ready to be used without delay. The only conditions you have to meet are two: 1)You have 24 hours, upon accepting this card, to use the whole 1 Billion dollars in that time frame; and 2) You are not allowed to purchase any of the same item twice. Should you fail to fulfill these requirements, everything you had purchased will be revoked and you will be left with nothing. Do you accept?”

    If I were to find myself in this situation, truthfully, I would jump at the challenge to see what I would do with 1 Billion dollars. Why would I call this a challenge? Let’s consider a few points: 1) you were told that you literally have 24 hours to spend this money should you accept the card; 2) every purchase will be revoked, taken back, should you fail to spend the entire amount or purchase the same item twice; and 3) I personally struggle to imagine what 1 Billion dollars could look like in real life! I’ve only ever seen over $15,000 at once, in one point in my life. So, excuse me for not having the cognitive bandwidth to see 1,000,000,000 in my mind’s eye.

    Anyways, that is the challenge set before you; what would you do if you were presented with this opportunity? I know that I would take this chance, so, to give you an idea to think about your own choices, I’ll share with you what I would do in this situation.

    Starting From Home:

    Immediately, once that platinum card is in my hand, I’ll set a timer for 24 hours on the dot, then begin the ‘1 Billion Dollar Challenge.’ I would start at home with my immediate family: I’d retire my parents early, giving them 3 million dollars each, then my uncle 3 million to do as he pleases with, and I’d give a budget of 2 million dollars to renovate my grandma’s home; level her property, add extra security, dump and sort through all of the stuff being hoarded in the patio, and become an eco friendly home.

    Extending outward towards other family would be on my mom’s side of the family: I’d give 1 million dollars to my aunties, 3 million to my other grandma so she can finally put herself first after all these years. Then I’d hire a financial institution for $10 million to educate my younger cousins about financial literacy and competency. Maybe reach out to the folks at ‘I Will Teach You To Be Rich’, regardless if my cousins are over 18 or under, I want them to be smarter, competent, and confident with their finances. They’d be capable of taking care of themselves financially, while I’d put 1 million dollars in a trust fund for each of them, even as adults, because I’d want them to rely on themselves and learn than splurge and curse me out for not gifting them more money.

    Expanding Outwards:

    After taking care of my immediate and very close extended family, I’d turn my attention to donating 1 million dollars to every library in the state. All of them. My dad took me to read and borrow books as a kid and I still enjoy libraries and book stores as an adult. Libraries are very valuable, as it is a public and free resource to people who might not have access to the internet or printing services. Books are also valuable, in my opinion, because you can learn from other people without having to have met them in person. Gain their insights and the lessons they learned throughout the years and be able to read it whenever you want.

    Next I would branch out to other outreach programs: 1 million dollars each to the 4 main food banks, 1 million dollars to the Blood Bank, 1 million dollars each to the 5 major affordable housing projects in the state, 20 million dollars split between The American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Hazards Awareness and Resilience Program, and every other natural disaster relief programs. Though I’d use up to 10 million dollars in a great lawyer firm to ensure these funds are being used for as is intended than potentially pocketed by someone on the inside.

    What About Education?

    That is a great question! Education is important, though I am a little biased when it comes to the means of learning. However, one thing that I can understand is tackling debt, any of it. In the state, the student loan debts exceeds 4.7 Billion dollars, WAY more than the allotted amount, but the thing I would do is donate 2 million dollars to pay off the current graduating class’s debt across our universities and community colleges. 1 million would be used for scholarship programs for the next class pursuing higher education, and 1 million dollars to update and improve the current programs and clubs available in the school systems.

    Not just with higher education, but education in general. From pre-school to high school, some kids might not have the means to attend class or have the necessary supplies they need, and I’m a sucker for art and writing supplies. I’d donate 10 million dollars split across all the schools in the state, from every pre-school, elementary school, intermediate school, and high school too. Enough to get the kids what they need and to help parents support their children as well. A little help goes a long way, but I would also likely donate 10 million dollars to the Board of Education, with the help of a great lawyer firm, to update the school’s curriculum, like really? Schools need to be, not only better equipped, but need to practice what they preach too than just preaching their lessons without real substance behind them. But I digress.

    Are We At 1 Billion Yet?

    Okay, so given everything that I put down thus far, let’s see how close I am to hitting 1 Billion dollars. PLEASE, DO NOT FEAR NUMBERS! NUMBERS ARE HELPFUL BY SHOWING YOU WHERE YOU’VE GONE AND BY HOW MUCH!!! Anyways, let’s do some quick calculations:

    • 3 million * 2 (both parents) = 6 million.
    • 3 million * 1 (uncle) = 3 million.
    • 2 million to renovate grandma’s house.
    • 1 million * 3 (aunties) = 3 million.
    • 3 million * 1 (other grandma) = 3 million.
    • 1 million * 10 (cousins) trust fund= 10 million.
    • 10 million towards financial education
    • 1 million * 51 (libraries) = 51 million
    • 1 million * 4 (food banks) = 4 million
    • 1 million towards Blood Bank
    • Split 5 million across 5 housing projects
    • 20 million to HHARP
    • 10 million towards great lawyer firm
    • 2 million towards student loan debts
    • 1 million for scholarship programs
    • 1 million to update school curriculum

    Did I scare anyone away from all of the numbers yet? No? Okay, good, let’s keep going. So, with what I currently have listed above, I would end up with… let me grab my calculator real quick… if I input the numbers correctly, then I would have used $132,000,000. $1,000,000,000 – $132,000,000 =$868,000,000. That would mean that I would have 868 million dollars leftover to use… Man, did I grossly underestimate how much I would allocate money towards each program. These numbers are imaginary to me, even if this is a thought experiment. Guess I have to think harder about what else I could use the money on, huh?

    What To Do With The Remainder?

    I thought long and hard for what to do with the remaining 868 million dollars and, let me tell you, it wasn’t easy coming up with ideas of where to allocate funds towards. It was a constant back and forth between increasing funds in the list above or looking up other obscure charities or something. Then it hit me; where else could the money be used? And I came up with more places to donate money towards, so please bear with me and another list. Here are the other places I had thought of and we’re going to jump straight into bullet points:

    • 2 million towards my part-time job.
    • 2 million towards a BJJ academy I attended.
    • 2 million towards WEBToons content creators. I WANT A LOT OF STORIES I THOROUGHLY ENJOY TO KEEP GOING!!!
    • 2 million to a text based game company called Choice of Games LLC, Hosted Games LLC, and Hearts Choice LLC. (Soon I’ll learn to use their code to make my own game!)
    • 360 million towards improving the state’s infrastructure: roads, bridges, etc. (Road work SUCKS here and needs to get fixed NOW.)
    • 50 million to St. Jude’s children’s hospital.
    • 50 million towards cyber security programs for myself and my family for online and in-person privacy and safety. (DeleteMe, NordVPN, etc)
    • 10 million each to the hospitals across the state.
    • 70 million to hospice and elderly care.
    • 50 million to Alzheimer’s and Dementia research and treatments.
    • 150 million towards outreach programs for other countries in need of food, water, shelter, basic necessities, and to rebuild their lives from the ground up.
    • 50 million towards the cultural centers, history and art museums, memorials, etc.
    • 50 million towards native programs.
    • 6 million to the Humane Society and animal sanctuaries.

    So, let’s run the numbers again and see where I’m at. Time to pull out the calculator! With everything totaled up above at the ‘What To Do With The Remainder?’ Header, it’s going to come out to $867,000,000. So $868,000,000 minus $867,000,000 equals to $1,000,000 leftover. I’d say this is looking pretty good, but what about the remaining $1 million you ask? It’s pretty simple, especially if you had put yourself last for as long as you can remember. However, in my opinion, it’s easier to know what to do with any crazy amount of money when working backwards.

    Now The 1 Million Dollar Question:

    Given that we hadn’t accounted the 24 hour time frame, that’s okay, we can put that on the side for arguments sake. Let’s turn to the, now, $1,000,000 question and what to do with it. I’d say that I would use it for myself and I already know what I would want to do with it, so, below will be my list:

    • Invest $4,750 towards my contributions for 2025.
    • $600 towards a disc and digital PS5 with the disc games: Bloodborne, Elden Ring, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and whatever else I’d like to play.
    • $900 towards 3 travel size WiFi router with an encrypted VPN installed for myself and gift my parents. (Spitballing for quality and quantity.)
    • $100,000 towards a 2023-2024 Honda Hatchback Civic Sport, fully paid off, with tinted windows, an adjustable backseat to sleep fully stretched out than scrunched up, with a small collapsible fan, and front and rear dash cams.
    • $100,000 to my Dad to get him a new car, fully paid off, of his choosing and retire his Corolla and the Dart I have.
    • Put $300,000 into my High Yield Savings Account.
    • $300,000 into my 401K if I could put in post tax money. If not, then I’ll open an HSA or something akin to it.
    • $13,750 towards fixing my health, teeth, vision, sleep, nutrition, and overall well being.
    • $20,000 towards improving my wardrobe and clothes. Maybe even work with Cassandra Sethi from Next Level Wardrobe.
    • $1,000 towards getting a new IPad with all of my learning app subscriptions on, including this WordPress app, a stylus, and a drawing program for drawing, making stickers, etc.
    • $3,000 towards solar powered batteries and chargers, USB cords, for home and for my car, 1 case of canned goods, 1 case of potable water, 5 one gallon of varying brands of alkaline water, a propane stove, and varying brands of small propane tanks for potential storms and blackouts.
    • Give $16,000 to the small community I’m currently living in to give back to a closer cause.
    • $300 for the Daily Stoic’s 8 medallion bundle.
    • $39,700 towards updating my bed, desk, chair, portable home gym, and creating my personal portable “villain’s lair in plain sight’ aesthetic I always wanted.
    • $5,000 each to support the works of those I personally follow, but couldn’t do so before: The Bioneer, Jaxblade, HistoryByMae, Tales from the Stinky Dragon, Alayna Joy, Kevin Zhang, Einzelganger, The Daily Stoic, MindValley, and The School of Life.
    • $25,000 to someone who could help me improve my own skill set: writing, WordPress, fitness, nutrition, business, art, and whatever else could help me broaden and bridge my own skills and knowledge gap.
    • $12,000 to pay towards my debts
    • $1,000 budget to buy groceries and necessities for the month.
    • $5,000 for my dogs to have durable and warm beds, replace their kennels to be able to withstand rain and wind and heat, and give them better quality dog food.
    • $5,000 to support my cousin’s local pet store.
    • $1,000 into my ‘use this’ savings.
    • $1,000 to take my family out to a nice dinner. Maybe Red Lobster or Cheesecake Factory, while using the remainder to use as a tip.

    Pretty much, with the last 1 million dollars, this is how I would split the money up. Even though I gave money to other people, it’s still my choice, and there are debts that I would like to pay back and this is how I would want to do it.

    What Was The Point Of This?

    That is another excellent question, thank you for asking it! The reason this whole article came to be was because I had seen a video on YouTube called, “COULD YOU SPEND $1 BILLION IN 24 HOURS” by Alux.com and it gave me something to think about. I had encountered this first from Ramit Sethi’s ‘I Will Teach You To Be Rich Journal’ where the questions asked, ‘what would you do if you came into a windfall of $1,000’? Of $100,000? Although, $1 Billion was a more exciting and challenging number to think over than $100,000, don’t you think?

    The possibilities at your fingertips, the creativity that could spawn if you stopped and gave things some thought than none eat all, can be very enlightening. Enlightening how? You see, everything above had been a culmination of days, maybe even weeks, of ruminating, drafting, figuring out what I value, and it was a struggle when I got my family taken cared of first.

    This thought experiment can show you what you value and in what order of importance you’d put them in. I’m not saying that you should put yourself down for prioritizing some things and people over others, no one is wrong unless what you value does harm to other people. Then that can be harshly judged, but, again, I digress and I’m biased. Personally, this was easier for me to work backwards anyways and I know that I wouldn’t need or want too much stuff anyways.

    I know what I like: video games, comics, books ranging from finances, philosophy, psychology, fitness, and high fantasy (which I still have a huge backlog to get through)even books that push me to think about the other side of the argument, pens, notebooks, stickers, mechanical pencils, colored pencils, listening to music, taking a walk around the block, supporting those who supported me, being supportive in general, having my own space and privacy and autonomy in person and online, and accessories from games, and I make sure that I’m building up an emergency fund, investing in my retirement.

    The point here is that giving something like this some thought not only shows you what your values are, it presents an opportunity to start planning. To think about the building a solid foundation, an actionable plan, to ensure that these ideas can become reality than simple wishful thinking. For example, if I wanted to take my family out to eat at a decent restaurant, then I’d have to plan out how much money I’d like to accumulate, how long it would take to build up if I put aside $50 per paycheck, and then set up a reservation somewhere where everyone is off from work and able to hang out.

    If I wanted to support the Blood Bank, then I’d see where the closest donation center would be and give blood once or twice a year; If I wanted to support the libraries and book foundations, just like with the family dinner example, I could volunteer my time or donate money to help keep the place running however I could with my current salary. You start with where you currently are and can start to ask yourself questions, like; ‘if I could do this for longer and contribute more, then what could I do to increase my [volunteering time, donations, etc.]? What could I do now that would get me closer to X and Y? I had started a “charity envelope” where I would put in $20/biweekly or per month, if I could spare it, so I could eventually choose where to donate it to.

    No small thing is ever inconsequential as they eventually lead up to bigger things. Give this thought experiment a try! If $1 billion is too much then work backwards to move forwards:

    • What if I came into an extra $100? What would I do with that money and how could I earn this?
    • What about $1,000?
    • $5,000 cash windfall?
    • $10,000 is in your possession?
    • $100,000? $1,000,000? Until you reach $1 billion in real life?

    While we might not have 24 hours to burn through whatever money we earn or gain, it’s all about perspective, planning, adjusting, and taking action because we will never know where life will take us or how it’ll end. But if we never gave something a try, then the answer will be an elusive and could crushing, “I wish I had done X or gave Y a shot when I had the chance. So, take that chance now while you still can. Who knows where things could lead, when, and how. Thank you so much for reading! Stay tuned for the next one.

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