I know most readers of my work will come here for the geopolitics and financial market information I discuss. But I’ve got something a little different to discuss. Something more personal. I’d be grateful to anyone who could indulge me as I venture outside the usual proceedings.
I enjoy reflecting back on the time that has passed. So I’ll take you back to the beginning.
How We Arrived In The Present
I set up a Twitter profile in 2020 that I called The Portfolio Report. I knew I wanted to be active in a community within the Financial Markets. Around this time, I started listening to the Macro Voices Podcast. An episode with Dr Pippa Malmgren was my first taste of Geopolitics. I realised how much could be explained about the world in the hidden events that few people actually knew about. I dived in head first. I built a layer of ground knowledge over the next two years, upon which The Portfolio Report became Geopolitics Explained.
When I started this writing endeavour a year ago, I didn’t expect that I’d be writing to hundreds of people. I spent the first two months writing to absolutely nobody! Like most people’s first attempts, it wasn’t great.
But that’s the beauty of continuous habitual effort. Eventually, it starts to pay off. And I don’t just mean in views, likes, or shares, for example. There are many reasons why this has started to pay off for me. I don’t focus on the metrics. Or at least I try not to. I get enjoyment out of writing whether 0 people read or hundreds. My schedule revolves around my writing because of the happiness it brings me. Whether that is stupid to most when it isn’t my “job” or provides me with money is beside the point to me. Happiness comes first for me. From that, I find the courage to continue to try new things, implement new ideas, and continue to build.
I struggle with comparing myself to others. I think most of us do. And it’s the origin of many of our stresses in life. I look around and see people on my degree courses go on to get jobs in London on social media. Earning the big bucks. But social media is just that. It’s a facade. You don’t see a real person. You compare yourself to an imaginary person. The person that the subject wants themselves to be when they compare themselves to everyone else on social media. It’s all a game of power and instant gratification. It’s a game of always considering what can I do to make myself happy in this moment. But this hunting for pleasure in the moment doesn’t provide long-term happiness.
Prolonged happiness is a consequence of delayed gratification. Sure, I compare myself to others in moments of struggle and weakness. But the joy, happiness, and motivation I feel while I write are some of the happiest times I spend. And what really is success? It's whatever we define it to be. I do this through habits and non-negotiable tasks I set out to do each day. You’re currently reading one of the non-negotiable tasks I set for myself. It happens to be a non-negotiable task I enjoy enormously. Doing this has been beyond my expectations and I know it will continue to be so for me personally.
I hope this is because I’m working on something that adds value. I really hope you gain something from it. I’m still learning. But it speaks volumes that I’ve learned more in this last year than either of my degrees.
I’ve learnt about myself, other people, life in general, and how the world works. This level of growth is one that resonates with me. I love to grow and develop. To be better than the version of me from yesterday. That’s why I do this.
In Pippa Malmgren’s piece, “Wishes, Love and Cosmopoiesis”, my favourite quote is “Think of what would happen to the economy if more people turned their avocation into their vocation”. The world would be full of more fun, exciting creativity. This is a world I’d like to be a part of, and here on Substack and through Geopolitics Explained, I find myself a part of such a thing.
Storytime
I’d like to tell two stories to finish.
The first one is about my Grandma. I’m lucky to have a supportive family. We sat at a family meal some months ago and my Grandma was in conversation with another at the table. They were discussing me. Now that’s ok even though I was sitting at the table. I’m not a great talker in group settings. Too many eyes. I much prefer starting a quiet conversation with a small group at the end of the table.
They were discussing how while I work in a supermarket, Geopolitics Explained is what I enjoy doing with my life. This is what I’m pursuing. This is the world I want to create for myself and everyone else who wants to join this community.
My Grandma made me sound so sure of myself. Like I’ve got all of this planned out. And that I know what’s just over the horizon.
I’m definitely not sure of myself. Some days I wake up and I don’t know what I’m doing. Some days my brain is foggy, and my writing won’t be up to scratch. Some days I’m tired and drained and I don’t want to do anything.
Nobody is sure of themselves. But the fact I have a family who supports me immensely through this while I walk a path makes me incredibly grateful. And it shows how much they care and how supportive they are.
My second story starts in a place where I spend some of my time, the pub. I’m lucky to have many good ones near where I live and I’m even luckier to have wonderful friends.
The last time I discussed Geopolitics Explained with them was last December, also in the pub. I had 12 readers. And one was me. I told them that this is what I wanted to build. It’s one of the only ways I’ve found that allows me to express myself in a way that I feel proud of. And they were, of course, supportive.
This is the thing about life, and as Pippa Malmgren discusses, creating a world for ourselves, motivated by passion and fun and love: You spend the majority of the time doing it alone. You have to motivate yourself and drive yourself forward. You have to come up with new ideas. You have to grind. You have to do the work.
I was discussing what I do here with my friends and told them I now have hundreds of readers. One of my friends was shocked and so happy for me. But it wasn’t the fact that he was shocked, surprised, or happy for me in what I’ve been doing.
It was the fact that when I saw his reaction, and that he was proud of me, I couldn’t stop smiling. As a way through which I can express myself, Geopolitics Explained is essentially an extension of myself. It helps me explain the world around me and the people in it. So when I see somebody likes what I do or is proud of me, it means a great deal.
The truth is, not in a bragging sense, but I know I’m going to succeed. The fact that I smile when I see those I love are proud of me. Or the fact that I’m usually rather quiet, but when I start talking about Geopolitics, you can’t shut me up. I’m lucky to be quite self-motivated. But the support network of those I love makes it not even a debate that I continue to pursue this.
As I build this world, if you’d like to peek your head in to see what it's all about, I’d love to have you.
Concluding Remarks
I have eBooks I want to release. I want to continue to grow the Geopolitics Database. I want to release more podcast episodes. I want to use mathematical models to explore long-term investment and financial market trends. I have a new series called the Global Questions Series coming soon. I want to begin to put a dent in the biggest questions and challenges humanity faces. And I want others to build upon my work. Let’s solve the problems the world has coming together.
I’m not sure where this is going to go. I have ideas but who knows if they’ll be successful, whatever successful even really means. I do know, however, that if I’m driving somewhere without a destination in mind, I often just sit back and enjoy the journey.
Dylan.
The Thankyous:
I’m quite lucky that I found 1000 Awesome Things by Neil Pasricha. Every morning, I write about 1 awesome thing that has happened that day, or recently in my life. I have 170 awesome things on my list currently. It helps me be grateful for things, whether I’ve had a good day or a bad day. And it’s very quick and easy to do. It doesn’t need to be more than a sentence. Quite a large percentage of my awesome things are related to Geopolitics Explained. So finding out what and who to be thankful for is quite an easier task.
Some thankyous I’d like to give:
Substack – I feel so positive about the future of Substack. They care for their writers and want to see them succeed. Substack enabled me to the growth I’ve experienced in the last two months after the launch of Notes. Substack Investing also restacked my Geopolitics and Markets Review from this week! It’s obvious to me, unlike some platforms, that Substack is for the writers. They want everyone to succeed. The Substack Network is the most powerful connective force I’ve found on any of the platforms I’m active on. Also, I’m not good at marketing or advertising myself and what I write. So I’m grateful to Substack and especially the Substack Network for getting my work to people who can hopefully find value in what I write. I’ve been struggling recently with finding my place, in many aspects of life. I know I’m susceptible to comparing myself to others, which I think even the most disciplined can sometimes fall victim to. Substack and the people on it have helped me find a place where I feel accepted. A place where I feel I can add value. A place where I’m motivated to do better and grow. Sure, there’s quite a risk involved. But as I tell myself quite frequently, would I rather try and fail, or not try and wish I did? Substack is helping me choose the former.
My Family and Friends – A few facts about me personally. I have two degrees. My first was in Mathematics, and my second a master’s in finance. When you have two degrees, most people’s expectations of you are that you move to the big city, get yourself a swanky job, the nicest car, and the biggest house. I’m not particularly motivated by bigger and shinier things. I’ve always been personal development and growth-oriented. If I found myself in a job, under the whims of somebody else’s control, I would become frustrated. I enjoy waking up every single day with the freedom to write about whatever I feel like. It brings me an incredible amount of happiness. And my family have seen that reflected in me. It’s difficult to break your expectations of a person. But ultimately they aren’t responsible for fulfilling those expectations. They are who they are. My family recognised that. Even if initially they expected me to get the big job with all the swanky possessions, they saw how happy this makes me. That motivates me. And also holds me accountable to ensure I do exactly what I say I’m going to do. I believe in growing in private. So not many people in my personal life know about my writing. The few that do include my family, and their support makes this one of the easiest decisions to make in continuing to pursue this.
Anybody Who Reads – One of my Awesome Things, point 76 to be exact, is the following: “I’m actually doing Geopolitics Explained. I had the idea in 2020, and it turned into this. With actual people who read it!” For anybody who comments on, likes, or shares anything I produce, and shows enthusiasm for what I produce, an endless thank you.
Links To Anybody On Substack I Have To Thank:
Others Who Have Influenced Me and Are Definitely Worth Checking Out:
Ray Dalio
Warren Buffett
Charlie Munger
Howard Marks
Thanks for reading! If you want more like this then follow me on Twitter or Medium or subscribe on Substack for these posts directly to your email inbox. I write and research geopolitics and financial markets to organise my own thoughts and prepare myself for anything I can control. If any of this helps you to be more prepared and ease your mind, then that’s great. If you like what you read please share it with others.
Geopolitics Database: https://www.geopoliticsexplained.co.uk/geopoliticsdatabase-access
Geopolitics Explained Podcast: https://www.geopoliticsexplained.co.uk/geopol-podcast
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Thanks for mentioning us Dylan and well done in getting your blog out there. We live in a fascinating world and it’s terrific to be part of a community of writers who are willing to explore it.