aWanderingMind.Life

*Source:  https://awanderingmind.life/blog/psychology-creativity-innovator Every one of us carries within us a spark of innovation, a creative potential that's waiting to be ignited. Creativity is not a privilege reserved for artists, musicians, or writers—it is a fundamental human trait that can be nurtured and developed in all of us. But what fuels this creative fire? How can we tap into this wellspring of originality? Welcome to the fascinating world of the psychology of creativity, a realm where science meets art, and where understanding can empower us to unleash our inner innovator. The Nature of Creativity Creativity, at its core, is about generating new and valuable ideas. It is the ability to see connections where others don't, to challenge existing norms, and to imagine new possibilities. Creative thinking is not limited to artistic pursuits—it's integral to scientific discovery, technological innovation, business strategy, and even social interaction. But wha...

In the realm of technology, few concepts have generated as much buzz and excitement as the metaverse. The term, popularized by Neal Stephenson's 1992 science fiction novel "Snow Crash," has emerged from the realms of speculative fiction to become a tangible focus for tech giants and startups alike. But what exactly is the metaverse, and how will it shape the future of our digital interactions? Let's dive in. The Concept of the Metaverse At its core, the metaverse is an expansive, shared virtual space that's collectively created and accessed by its users, typically via the internet. Imagine an immersive digital universe where you can interact with other users and computer-generated environments in real-time. You could attend concerts with friends, shop in 3D stores, or explore virtual realities, all from the comfort of your home. The metaverse is more than just a sophisticated video game or an advanced version of virtual reality. It's an evolution of the in...

Non-Fungible Tokens A non-fungible token (NFT) is a unit of data stored on a digital ledger, called a blockchain, that certifies a digital asset to be unique and therefore not interchangeable. NFTs can be used to represent items such as photos, videos, audio, and other types of digital files. Access to any copy of the original file, however, is not restricted to the buyer of the NFT. While copies of these digital items are available for anyone to obtain, NFTs are tracked on blockchains to provide the owner with a proof of ownership that is separate from copyright. In simpler terms, when you mint an NFT, it is recorded on the blockchain, and any subsequent transfers to another party is also recorded on the blockchain allowing everyone accessing the blockchain to see who currently owns the NFT. Artists can also have the option of choosing to add a royalty payment as part of the fee for subsequent sales. For example: If <insert name of artist> mints a token and lists on the marketpl...

How To Take Control of Your Life When I was in Basic Training and AIT learning and developing the skills needed to be a successful Combat Medic, our Drill Sergeants and Whiskey Instructors, as they were called, said many things that have stuck with me since, but arguably, the most important thing they said (or yelled) over and over again was. " Make a decision! Any decision is better than no decision! " That phrase has stuck with me all those years, and as they were saying it, I understood the meaning in the sense that in a combat situation, indecisiveness leads to immobilization, which leads to death. That made absolutely perfect sense me, but after I left the military, I was no longer experiencing the highly stressful, simulated combat zone with instructors yelling at me.Yet, the saying stuck. In the few years after my ETS Date, I carried on with life continuing to be decisive in my thoughts and actions. However, when I started learning about script writing and film making,...

Crown Tundra Release Time Is Near This post is going to be a short one. After several months of waiting since the release of Isle of Armor, today, we finally get to play the Crown Tundra DLC... or maybe. I've been waiting since noon now, but I think Nintendo is aiming for a 5 PM EST release. I've always found that odd. Why don't they make these games available at midnight on release day? it would make so much more sense. Is it to build anticipation? Either way, in preparation for getting the DLC to drop, I've transferred some legendary Pokemon over to Pokemon Home, which is going to be down for a whole day almost, but once it's back up, I have a line up of pokemon I anticipate are being added to the Pokedex line up to get a good start on completing the Crown Tundra Dex. I have Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos waiting. I have the Dragonite line waiting along with some others. It would be awesome if they made this a National Dex, but I doubt we'll ever see that on a ...

Why use Stash? What is Stash ? Simple answer: Stash is an online banking platform. Online banks are banks that operate without physical branch locations. Without the costs associated with having a physical brick and mortar location, these banks tend to have lower or nonexistent fees and higher interest rates than traditional banks like Wells Fargo or Bank of America, for example. Most have no monthly fee, and some don't even charge overdraft fees. You will never have to meet face to face with a banker, and you can manage your account(s) at anytime on a computer or mobile device. These banks also provide ATM access through networks like Allpoint.  Why Stash as opposed to another online bank? Stash  does something entirely unique to the banking sector: Stock Back Rewards . Theses rewards function the same way as a cash back rewards does, but instead of receiving cash for your purchase, you receive shares of the company. For example, during Amazon's Prime Day promotion, Stash ...

My Monthly Dividend Portfolio     My  dividend stock portfolio is equally weighted (all equities are equally proportioned). Thus, my dividend payouts vary greatly depending on which equities are paying out a dividend that month, but it can easily be adjusted to generate a more steady stream of passive income throughout the year assuming these companies continue their dividend payouts. This portfolio consists of 2 companies that pay out a monthly dividend, 6 that pay quarterly, and 1 ETF paying a monthly dividend. The quarterly dividend companies are picked based on the months these companies typically pay out their dividend in order to ensure that 2 companies are paying out a dividend each month. Overall with this portfolio, you will be receiving 5 dividend payments every month.  Quarterly Dividend Companies: January: Comcast (CMCSA) and Verizon (VZ) We could very well argue that both Comcast and Verizon are members of oligopolies in their industries. Comcast owns an...

3 Tools To Help You Pay Less Taxes We all have a love-hate relationship with taxes. While taxes go towards paying for public services everyone take for granted. We all wish we could pay a little less. Fortunately for us. There are a few things we can do to give less of our hard earned money to the government in taxes, and keep a little more for ourselves. The 401K Plan 401K plans are a great way to pay less in taxes and keep a little bit more for yourself, and many employers match your contributions, allowing you to essentially automatically double your tax-deferred contributions. With a 401K plan, you can allot a certain amount of money to be put towards your retirement before you pay your taxes, and you’d then be taxed when you start withdrawing your money later in life. The Roth IRA Account  Roth IRA’s are by far my favorite investment accounts. With a Roth IRA, you can make contributions after you’ve paid your taxes, and the great thing is that your money wil grow tax-free. Mea...

S&P 500 at a New All Time High The S&P 500 has rallied 59% from the bottom reached in march. My last post explained my strategy on taking advantage of the 2020 stock market crash. I was able to double my portfolio since March by primarily investing in SPXL. SPXL is a 3X weighted ETF tracking the S&P 500. Meaning, a 1% move in the S&P 500 yields a 3% move in the price of this ETF. I have locked in some profits, and now, I’m looking to redeploy some my gains into some new opportunities to make some massive profits. Many experts are now saying the stock market is too expensive to be deploying money into right now. The average P/E ratio of the S&P 500 is now sitting at 36.4 when the average normally sit at about 21.12. While many companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and other companies with huge market caps have made significant gains. Most of the other companies in the S&P 500 have not yet recovered from the crash. The chart bellow shows the performance...

Many are struggling with their weight. They try various methods to lose the excess fat, and they may lose a few pounds to begin with, but gain it again soon after. Various companies take advantage of the fact that these people are struggling with their weight by selling them on these weight loss miracle products and diets that ultimately do not work. The truth is, you can lose the weight you want without buying into all of these obvious, predatory money grabs. In order to lose weight you just have to do one simple thing. It’s pretty obvious, and it’s backed by science. You simply have to burn more calories than you consume every day. If you do this every day, you will see the pounds come off day by day until you reach your target weight. This is an obvious tactic, and many are aware that it works. So why isn’t everyone doing it to reach their ideal weight? Doing this requires two things. The drive to do it and the resources, and luckily it is not very costly. You likely a...

Making Big Gains When the Market Makes Big Moves. Today, 03 September 2020, we saw a big dip in the market. The S&P 500 dipped 3% by 11:30 AM EST and this is how I took advantage of the it: Every morning, when I wake up, I take a look at futures. On this particular morning, they were all in the negatives. Then, I looked at my watch lists. By primarily looking at my list of the top 500 market cap companies, I anticipated a dip in the market. I’m always looking for a market dip. In my opinion, market dips provide a great opportunity to make money in both short and long term investments. Next, I looked at the VIX, the S&P 500 volatility index, and saw an increase. That cemented my decision. I went to my go-to stock for market dips, SPXS. SPXS is a 3X weighted bear EFT that tracks the S&P 500. Every 1% move downward in the S&P will yield a 3% increase in the price of SPXS. While I could have decided to short SPXL, a 3X weighted ETF that moves in the same direction as the S...

Stocks & ETF’s I’m Buying During The Market Crash of 2020 As you all know, the stock market has been hit hard by the corona virus, and many have been wondering, “Why is the stock market crashing?” Why is the stock market crashing? 1) The stock market was well overdue for a correction. People have been seeing company evaluation rise and rise, and unfortunately, many were under the impression that it would go on indefinitely. That is not the case, the market has cycles of bull and bear markets. Bull markets typically lasts about 10 years, and are then followed by a bear market that can last a few months, up to a few years. It was just due to happen. 2) Coronavirus : Due to China and other countries essentially shutting down, that has caused a huge disruption in production lines. Many events are being cancelled, and this is causing a lot of fear and uncertainty. People are freaking out and selling off their stocks thinking the economy is going to tank, which in turn, c...

I believe everyone should be investing in the stock market, and now is an interesting time be a stock market investor. The barrier of entry is at an all time low with new companies like Robinhood and  Webull  making it possible for investors to trade commission-free. These sites also give out free stocks to new members that sign up using a referral link like mine. Plus, with  Robinhood  introducing new features like cash management and fractional shares, you do not need a lot of money to get started. With, the right mindset, great decision making, and proper research, one could conceivably turn as little as one dollar into thousands over time.     S&P 500 Index - Image From Yahoo Finance The S&P 500 is up over 60% over the last 5 years and is already up over 2% as of January 17th 2020. It seems like we may be off to another great year. However, The are articles all over the news about an imminent crash in the stock market. While a large grou...

2020 Pokémon Go Lunar Event Pokémon Go just announced the Lunar Year Event taking starting on January 24th and going on through February 3rd.  The biggest thing I’m looking forward to during this event is the increased likelihood of becoming lucky friends and the increased likelihood of getting lucky trades.  What is a lucky friend? Once you’ve become best friends with someone on Pokémon Go, you have a very minute chance of becoming lucky friends on one of your future interactions. Once you’re lucky friends, your next trade is guaranteed to be a lucky Pokémon.  Why do you want lucky Pokémon? Well, a lucky Pokémon’s base stats are guaranteed to be at least a 12/12/12. Meaning, their Attack, Defense, and HP stats will at leas be in the 3rd bar, making for a more powerful Pokémon than most you will encounter. The icing on the cake: the cost in stardust for each power up is cut in half. If you want battle worthy Pokémon, Luckies are the way to go. M...