I have a myriad of reasons for writing my blog week in and week out. One of them is that it can serve as a quasi-diary of my life so that I have something I can turn to remember what was happening in my life and when.
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The Philosophical Investor's Blog
What Is Your Story? Creating A Story Where You Are The Hero
by 
Gary Carmell
Gary Carmell
Marc Andreessen said something in an interview that I have thought a lot about over the years. I have been a big fan of Joseph Campbell who was an expert on myths and deconstructing the hero’s journey into its most important components and structure.
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Stressless Stress for Commercial Real Estate Investors
by Gary Carmell
Gary Carmell
“When clouds appear, wise men put on their cloaks.” – Shakespeare
Hyman Minsky famously said that stability creates instability. Good times sow the seeds for bad times because people believe that stability will be the norm and growth will continue uninterrupted.
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Inverting James Taylor: The Fan
by Gary Carmell
Gary Carmell
Every couple has its idiosyncrasies. One of those in my long relationship with Roneet was her insistence every night that we sleep with the portable standing floor fan on no matter how cold it was inside the house. I am pretty sensitive to being cold at night so when she would insist that the fan be on,
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Turn and Face the Strange(r) - My Hippie Uber Driver
by Gary Carmell
Gary Carmell
In David Bowie’s song Changes, the protagonist tells himself to “turn and face the strange”. Change is inevitable and in order to drive change or adapt to it, one has to go outside of the comfortable and familiar and take risks.
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Sorry Jack: Strong Economic Headwinds - Now What?
by Gary Carmell
Gary Carmell
Last week was one of those data weeks that corroborated the bond market’s view that the world is facing some strong economic headwinds. The news on the international front was particularly dismal with Chinese exports dropping by 20%, and German factory orders contracting as well.
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The Art of Improvisation - Liberating Your Artistic Genius
by Gary Carmell
Gary Carmell
I want to continue focusing on books that resonated with me. A while back I was doing a mental exercise and thinking about some of my most memorable experiences. I was trying to determine if there was some sort of common thread weaving throughout all of them.
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Hope Is Not A Strategy - Don't Discount Liberal Arts!
by Gary Carmell
Gary Carmell
This will be my last blog post related to Andrew Carnegie. All good things must come to an end. When I started at CWS out of college my first boss asked me what my major was and I told him political science. He had an engineering background and kind of snickered and asked what I planned to do with that degree and if I considered “opening up a political science store.” I laughed it off and gave the standard retort that I thought it would help me be a better writer and think critically.
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Strangers Stopping Strangers: 7 Benefits of CEO's Having Hobbies
by Gary Carmell
Gary Carmell“Strangers stopping strangers
Just to shake their hands”
-Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter
I recently went to listen to a Grateful Dead cover band at a local bar/restaurant. I was immediately impressed by how good they were and the joyous atmosphere they helped create.
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In Sickness and Health
by Gary Carmell
Gary Carmell
It was a year ago that Roneet and I, along with her parents went on a trip of a lifetime. We took a five-week cruise that stopped in 11 countries in Africa and Asia. I am so glad that we took that trip as we were able to spend such a glorious time together and I ended up with such beautiful memories and hundreds of pictures to remind me of our special time.
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