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 and scooters I've reviewed:
- Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
- Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
- Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
- Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
- KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
- Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
- Himiway Escape Ebike – 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 Ebike – 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.
- Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
- Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
- Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R 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 ($100) – 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 $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- Moomoo (15 free stocks and 1 stock of Tesla or Google) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 3 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Webull (12 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 12 free shares 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 shares 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.
- 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.
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 ($150) - 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.
- 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.
- Upgrade ($150) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $150 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $150 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- US Bank Business ($800) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
- GO2Bank ($100) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $100 referral bonus.
- 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.
- Netspend ($40 + 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 $40 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 $40 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
- Digital Federal Credit Union ($20) – Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $20 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
- 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.25% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $800 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- 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 $100 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.
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!
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.
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!