One of my favorite comic strips of all time is Calvin and Hobbes, the story of a precocious 6-year old kid and his stuffed animal tiger – seen as a stuffed tiger to everyone else, but very much alive when viewed through Calvin’s eyes.
It’s a comic that really spoke to me from the moment I first discovered it as a kid – a combination of funny, heartwarming, meaningful, and just generally good stories. Even though it was just a newspaper comic strip, it was really much deeper than that, with strong storytelling that could rival any book. Looking back, it’s a comic strip that I think a lot of people would benefit from reading today.
In the pantheon of Calvin and Hobbes stories and jokes, perhaps my favorite comes from this collection:
In this particular scene, Hobbes stumbles upon Calvin digging a hole in the ground, looking for buried treasure. When asked if he’s found anything, Calvin tells Hobbes that he’s found “a few dirty rocks, a weird root, and some disgusting grubs.”
“On your first try??” says a surprised Hobbes.
“There’s treasure everywhere!” Calvin proclaims.
It’s a wonderful moment. And Calvin’s proclamation that there’s treasure everywhere is one that I’ve tried to adopt as my own theme in life, especially as I’ve stepped off the traditional path and gone my own way. I think there’s a lot of power in looking at the world in this way, seeing the treasure that is all around us.
A Mindset Shift
When it comes to mindset, I think there’s a natural tendency for many of us to think in worst-case scenarios. We’re often taught to play things safe, and if we do anything out of the ordinary, there’s no shortage of people who will step in to tell us all of the bad stuff that can happen. I think this often makes us forget about all of the opportunities that are out there. We make our decisions, not from a place of abundance and optimism, but rather from a place of fear and scarcity.
I know this because that’s exactly what I did. Back when I graduated from college in 2009, the world was in a tailspin. With no apparent options, I made the decision to study for the LSAT and go to law school. It wasn’t that I wanted to become a lawyer. It was just something that seemed like a safe thing to do and I’d never opened my mind to the idea that there were other ways to make a living beyond just the traditional path of going to school, getting a good job, and working there for 30 years.
When I found myself unhappy with my job and career path, my solution wasn’t to find something else to do. Instead, I decided to aim for financial independence, telling myself that I just needed to grit through my working career until I could quit and do something else.
And even when I decided that waiting wasn’t the right move for me, I still held myself back. A lot of things held me back from making the jump to full-time self-employment, but perhaps the biggest thing was the fear I had of all the worst-case scenarios for me.
And what was my worst-case scenario? I’m not even really sure, but I think somewhere in my head, the thought was that I’d make no money and have no way to get a job to support myself.
When you say it out loud, it’s sort of a ridiculous thing to think. I’d been figuring out ways to make money for a while. Why would I suddenly forget how to do that? And the idea that a healthy 30-something wouldn’t be able to ever get a job again isn’t even realistic.
And yet, this is how a lot of us think – telling ourselves about the worst-case scenarios and forgetting about what is more likely to happen. I think we have a sense that opportunity is out there, but most of us seem to work out of a position of fear, rather than whatever the opposite of fear would be. I know that I’m constantly having to remind myself of the positives that are out there, rather than the negatives.
That’s why I think Calvin’s proclamation that “there’s treasure everywhere” is worth keeping in mind.
There Really Is Treasure Everywhere
It turns out there are so many paths people can take and an infinite number of ways to make money to support yourself. And if you don’t have debt and don’t need a lot of money to support your lifestyle, you can do almost anything you want. There really is treasure everywhere!
Sometimes it’s literal, physical treasure – like the year I found over $1,000 worth of stuff in a dumpster in my apartment building
Other times, it’s just realizing there are creative ways to earn income. Think of things like my scooter charging gigs, food deliveries, or walking dogs. In today’s world, our phones make it possible for us to find treasure all around us. Years ago, if you told me that I could make money from people reading my blog, I’d never have understood how.
And other times, companies are just giving treasure away – think of travel hacking or taking advantage of bank account bonuses. I haven’t paid for a flight in three years thanks to taking advantage of credit card rewards. And as I write this, I literally made $500 just by going into a bank and opening up a checking account.
I’ve had some strange career moves over the years, but none has been more strange than my most recent move of leaving the practice of law completely to try my hand at my own thing. I spent three years in law school and five years as a practicing attorney. From the outside looking in, it looks like I threw all of that away for nothing.
But treasure really can be found everywhere, even in unlikely places. And if we believe that, then we have the power to live life on our terms, rather than the terms other people set for us.
It’s A Magical World
Calvin and Hobbes ended its run on one of the best notes – with a white, snow-covered landscape and Calvin’s line of “It’s a Magical World Hobbes, ol’ buddy. Let’s go exploring.”
There’s so much stuff out there. Things that we can’t even imagine. We really do have to remind ourselves about all of the opportunities out there and that we can grab those opportunities if we really try. I know I’ve found a way to do that right now, doing things that make me happy and that keeps my sense of adventure alive.
The important thing is setting yourself up so that the world is open for you to explore. If you trap yourself, you’ll never have those opportunities. That means doing the basic financial things right – things like saving money and living on less than you earn. Pay off your debt. Put some money away. If you do that, you’ll find the world really opens up to you.
The world is full of opportunity – more than we’ve ever had in history. Calvin’s words are true – there really is treasure everywhere. We just have to be willing to look for it.
More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes/scooters I've had the chance to do a review for:
- GEN3 Outcross Bike – The GEN3 Outcross is a solid, affordable fat tire ebike that does a good job of doing what I need it to do. It works great for city riding, giving me a smooth ride in all conditions. It’s works really well as a winter ebike since the fat tires give it good traction over snow and ice. Check out my GEN3 Outcross Review.
- Himiway Escape Bike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Bike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($10) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $10 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with $100 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
- Moomoo (5 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 5 free stocks (usually worth around $75-$100) if you open an account using a referral link and deposit $2,000. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Webull (5 free stocks) – Webull also gives you 5 free stock valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free stocks using Webull.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- Digital Federal Credit Union ($100) – Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $100 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a saving account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000. Check out my in-depth post on how to set this account up.
- Upgrade ($100) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account and complete three debit card transactions. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Importantly, this bonus says that it’s now scheduled to end on January 31, 2023. As long as you get your account opened before January 31st, you should be eligible. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $100 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- SoFi Money ($275) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $250 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link.Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- Fairwinds Credit Union ($100) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
- OnJuno ($60) – OnJuno is a fintech/neobank that is currently offering a $10 referral bonus if you open an account using a referral link and make a deposit of $50 or more. You will also get 1000 JCOIN. The 1000 of JCOIN is cryptocurrency. At the time I'm writing this, it'll be worth about $50. Check out my OnJuno referral bonus guide here.
- Varo ($30) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $30 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
- Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
- Albert ($150) – If you can manage to do a real direct deposit, Albert is an easy account you can use to earn a referral bonus. Here’s a review about Albert I wrote. And here’s a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Albert referral bonus.
- Netspend ($20 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $20 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $20 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $250 if you complete a direct deposit.
- DCU. Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $100 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a savings account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000.
- Novo Bank. Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. It’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $10 for opening an account.
- Personal Capital. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
Thank u so much for your words of encouragement it’s exactly what I needed today. I have been a small business owner since graduating acupuncture college but now want to start a new business. I found a small business mentor but lost my joy for my new idea after meeting with her. There are many ways to fund a vision for the future and I’m back to square one putting my heart and vision out there. Thank you for the encouraging advise to remind myself to come from an attitude of abundance and optimism. Thank you!
Glad my post could impact you! Thank you for reading!
I had a similar realization a few years back when driving across the country. Going through all the small towns and big cities, it was easy to spot opportunity in lots of places along the way. Sometimes we just need a little “windshield time” to find inspiration.
I like that! It’s a big world out there! We don’t even know what we’re missing.
Having the right attitude is everything, I’m stoked when others discover this reality as optimism and positivity becomes so inspiring to those around you. Congrats on the Apex Money feature and glad I found this post over there.
Thanks Chris! Glad you found my post and appreciate the kind words!