On the menu today:

• Business update: Guide on how IKTYS site was made (you can do it too)

• Music discovery: Blurryface by Twenty One Pilots

• Book recommendation: The Psychology of Money

• Something to look forward to: King of Kings (new animated movie)

Business Update:

Guide on how IKTYS site was made (you can do it too)

I bet procrastination and time constraints hold many back from starting something new. As a parent with a full-time job, its what held me back for a long time (not to mention endless scrolling sessions). It took a 40th birthday, a mega milestone to really shake me out of the control everyday life had me chained into. I found the best way to get started was to see how far I could get in a day.

I created a super “light” version of the idea. The aim is to test the concept with real people before going all out.

And that’s why I am sharing this. By setting up IKTYS through dropshipping it showed me it’s totally doable—even for busy people like us. I’m working on a step by step video on how I did it, but here’s a short summary of what I did (and you can do it too):

✅ Find a ‘Fulfillment Partner’ – I chose Gelato because they offered 5-panel snapbacks, exactly what I wanted to sell.

✅ Set Up Your Webshop – I picked Squarespace since it integrates with Gelato and let me buy my domain in one place. Their AI guide practically does it all for you and I bought a domain right through their platform.

✅ Create Your Products – Designed the caps, uploaded my logo (made in Keynote!), and used ChatGPT to craft descriptions.

✅ Make It Look Professional – Gelato’s mockups were okay, but I used Flair to generate high-quality product images that look like they were shot semi professionally.

✅ Go Live & Accept Payments – Published the Squarespace store and set up Stripe for seamless payment processing.

That’s it! If you’re quick, you can do all this for free using trial periods. I think you get 14 days on most platforms, so if you fancy giving it a go, then let me know and we can do it together 🙂 - Just reply and we’ll find a time.

Want to see the process in action? I’ll be sharing a video soon—stay tuned!

Music Discovery

Blurryface by Twenty One Pilots

Apparently Blurryface was the first album in history where every single track went gold or platinum. Every. Single. One.

That kind of success doesn’t just happen—it means the album struck a nerve. And if you listen, it’s easy to see why. Blurryface isn’t just music; it’s a raw conversation about insecurity, doubt, and the battle between who we are and who we’re meant to be. It’s not labeled as "Christian music," but you might be surprised to know that both Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun follow Jesus.

All the songs are great, but the below line in “tear in my heart” made me laugh. If you’ve never given the album a real listen, now might be the time.

What do you think?
Let me know your thoughts and if you have ANY music recommendations from other followers I’d love to hear them!

Book Review

The Psychology of Money - The Hidden Link Between Wealth & Generosity"

Does Money Make Us More Selfish?

Money promises freedom, security, and opportunity. But according to research from Kathleen Vohs, simply thinking about money can make us less generous, less helpful, and more self-focused.

This idea hit me pretty hard when I read The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. It wasn’t just another lesson on saving or investing—it was about how money shapes our hearts. 

If you are interested in self-help books, or human behaviours in general then this is definitely a great option. It’s easy to read (or listen to, I listened to the audiobook to and from work) and has a very delicate and human approach to the subject.

The book is mainly about taking the longterm view on things, but its peppered with wonderful real life examples that make you stop and think.

🔬 The Science: How Money Can Make Us Selfish

Kathleen Vohs and her team at the University of Minnesota ran a series of experiments to see how money affects human behavior.

• In one test, people were exposed to subtle money-related cues (like seeing images of cash or reading money-related words).

• Those participants then faced situations where they could help someone—like picking up spilled items or assisting a struggling stranger.

• The result? People who were primed to think about money were far less likely to help.

The study suggested that even thinking about money can trigger self-sufficiency and reduce generosity.

But another really interesting part raised in the book: According to Morgan Housel Vohs struggled to secure funding to explore this further. The idea that money might make people more selfish wasn’t something business or economic institutions wanted to back.

She has later made it very clear that there are other positive traits that come from money as well (like motivation) and that the positives have often been overlooked by the media. It seems like it was more interesting to talk about the dangers of money than the positives.

💡 Why does this happen?

• Money gives us a sense of control, making us less dependent on others.

• It triggers individualism—the belief that we need to look out for ourselves first.

• It subtly shifts our focus from community and giving to status and accumulation.

💡 How is money shaping you?: How to Keep Money From Owning You

Personally I always worry about money. I feel stuck in the place of needing short term gratification over long term gains. I guess this is why this book was so good, it really tries to help you see and ‘feel’ the benefit to longer term views. It also serves as a wake up call, to stop up - put the thought in front of you and look at it analytical for a moment. That makes it easier to acknowledge and counteract.

What about you? How do you think money shapes you?

Something to look forward to

Do you like Pixar or Disney style films? Did you ever see Price of Egypt? Either way this is a film I am excited to see with Phineas and something I am really looking forward to seeing.

Hey! You made it to the bottom, thanks 🙂