Colin Ortstadt
Bio
Love. Service. Gratitude. Humility. Success. In that order.
Stories (9/0)
A Child's Mid-Pandemic Guide To Belief
Joey would wake up any minute, and Sarah had done everything outside of pawning her mother’s pearl necklace in an attempt to raise the funds required to restore their power and reclaim a bit of the dignity lost during this year of desperation.
By Colin Ortstadt3 years ago in Futurism
The Job Search Series #3
I spend my days meeting with clients throughout the county where I live, helping them prepare memorable resumes, creative cover letters, and training them to destroy the interview process. Many of my clients suffer from depression, are disabled, or have had substance abuse problems in the past. This makes my job even harder sometimes, as many of my clients have not worked in years. I carry a caseload of around 30 clients, and meet with them weekly to hone their practical and creative skills in order to put their best foot forward and resume a productive, fulfilling occupation that adds dimension and clarity to their life.
By Colin Ortstadt3 years ago in Journal
The Job Search Series #1
Over the years, the job search has devolved into a relatively impersonal practice of uploading one’s resume online and awaiting a response. All we require nowadays is a computer to blast our credentials into the laps of hiring managers and recruiters who pore over the same regurgitated keywords in search of a diamond in the rough. The more applications we submit, the better our odds. That’s the philosophy nowadays. It’s a concept that aligns well with our thirsty culture of excess. It’s logical to think the more noses that get a whiff of our sterling qualifications the better our odds.
By Colin Ortstadt3 years ago in Journal
Invest Like A Multi-Millionaire
Most people would do just about anything for a million dollars. Sure, a cool million isn’t what it used to be, but it is still a life changing sum of money that, if invested wisely, could reap a significant chunk of passive annual income spanning generations. The problem is, that human beings are impulsive creatures, and in this fast-paced world of cool consumerism, money has become an incredibly difficult thing for people to hold onto. In a culture where 70% of lottery winners end up going broke within 3 years, it’s apparent that many Americans struggle to cultivate a healthy relationship with money. Even if the average American was able to hold onto a significant portion of their salary, and modified their spending habits to consistently save money year after year, simply saving that money in a personal savings account would fall well short of the steps needed to ensure one’s needs were met throughout their retirement. A 2018 study found that 29% of baby boomers aged 65 to 72 were still working. According to a recent Transamerica survey, the median savings balance among baby boomers is a mere $144,000. It goes without saying, that even with an anticipated monthly Social Security payout of $1,300, $144,000 falls well short of providing any semblance of a comfortable retirement, given that the standard rule of thumb for determining a conservative retirement nest egg is to withdraw 4% annually over an estimated 20-year timeframe. I’m too lazy to do the math, but 4% of $144,000 might secure you four sold walls at a self-storage facility in Palm Springs. On a side note, I have seriously considered living in a storage locker for a brief period of time in my mid-twenties. I don’t understand why storage companies will not even consider the idea given this country’s current housing crisis.
By Colin Ortstadt4 years ago in Trader
Don't Let Fear Rule Your Life
It’s hard to talk about fear. At any given point in time, there may be a handful of different forms of fear running through us. Perhaps aspects of our life are a direct result of the fear that has come to define the dynamics of our relationships. Perhaps you’re overworked, but afraid of voicing your complaint for fear of being seen as inadequate, or not a team player. Fears of inadequacy and rejection run deep, and can be paralyzing. Fear of failure. Fear of abandonment. Fear of vulnerability. Fear of the past. Fear of the future. Fear of the unknown.
By Colin Ortstadt4 years ago in Motivation
The Importance Of Making Lists
My mother is a huge list maker. Over the years, I have found countless used Post-It notes stuck on all manner of surfaces containing lists of grocery items, gift ideas, recipe ingredients, “things to do”, “things to research”, “people to call”, “stuff to bring”, “things to pack”, daily goals, weekly goals, yearly goals, lifetime goals, work goals, financial goals, retirement goals, and so on and so forth ad infinitum. Whenever I talk to my mom, which includes dinner at her house every other week, we typically talk about the things in that moment which are causing us the most stress. I’ll talk about how overworked I am, and how I have so much to do that I don’t even know where to start. My mother will inquire about the specifics, and then calmly tell me to start by making a list of every single task that needs to be done in descending order of importance. It’s funny how writing something down, at times, can instantly remove the feelings of anxiety associated with it. Needless to say, over the years I’ve become somewhat of a list maker myself.
By Colin Ortstadt4 years ago in Motivation
On The Road
I spend 2 hours a day commuting back and forth from work. In a given month, that’s 40 hours of nonstop driving. In a given year, that’s close to 500 hours spent with arms stretched, shoulders tense, eyes glazed and strained on the road ahead. At 60 miles-per-hour, that’s 30,000 miles a year, or greater than the entire circumference of the earth (24,901 miles).
By Colin Ortstadt4 years ago in Motivation
Don't Settle For Content
What does it mean to be content? My own contentment, I realized, was a luxury of human evolution and a mechanized mastery of survival. My contentment was a poor consolation for the abandoned dreams of my youth. Don’t settle for contentment. As George Eliot once said, “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”
By Colin Ortstadt4 years ago in Motivation