Hey little man. I came across an article the other day and it made me think about you and your future. The article was about which college degrees are associated with individuals in the top 1% of income earners.

Now I’m not suggesting that you need to major in any of the areas listed in this article, nor am I suggesting that being ultra-wealthy should be your No. 1 goal in life. After all, as my childhood friend Jason Ellis used to say, “the best things in life aren’t things” (e.g. the best in life don’t necessarily cost money).

That said, unless the world shifts away from a monetary economic system (highly unlikely in my personal opinion) earning money is important, because it can help lower your general stress levels (ex: making ends meet week to week sucks) and because it can free up one of the most important commodities you have; your time.

The best scenario, from my experience, is to do something that you really love for a living (there are a lot of cliche’s regarding this approach). So for example, if you love playing the guitar, figure out a way to make some ongoing income from that particular activity.

Another good approach I’ve seen folks use is to focus on a profession that is known for earning lots of money (like the ones listed in the article I referenced at the beginning of this post) and working your butt off in that profession for a period of time (e.g. years). Then, once you’re satisfied with your level of financial security, you can walk away from that industry and focus on something you truly love (like perhaps opening your business or non-profit organization, focused on something you actually enjoy doing regardless of money).

Granted, there’s a risk that you’ll develop a lust for money and power, but I’ve met a fair share of people that went this route and did not succumb to money hunger.

When I was young, your grandfather once mentioned something along the lines of “you’ll be an adult much longer than you’ll be a kid.” I took that to mean that you should start preparing for adulthood while you’re still very young. Your mother did that, investing in real estate as a teenager. And it paid off for her in a huge way (she was more or less financially secure in her mid-twenties or so). Mind you, this doesn’t mean that you should be in a hurry to grow up. On the contrary, you should cherish your youthful spirit and fight hard to retain it in even in adulthood.

But just make sure to think ahead and sacrifice a little now to reap the rewards later in life. And learn to work hard at whatever you’re doing from the get go. That’s something your grandmother help instill in me and something that I hope that your mother and I can instill in you.

P.S. Don’t waste your time pursuing dead ends like “street cred”, “party like a rockstar”, or “chasing the dragon”. Your dad did a little of each and can personally vouch for just how unintelligent those pursuits can be.

Hello my boy. Late last night, it occurred to me that I should give you a short list of books that had a permanent impact on me as I was growing up. So I did what I always do when an idea strikes me late at night; I emailed myself a reminder to write down that list for you and post it here on this blog.

Some of these will be tough reads, so if you struggle with reading and understanding them, don’t worry. Just put them down and come back to them when you’re a little older. And don’t hesitate to read them more than once.

Rather then give you my thoughts and opinions on why these books are important, I’d rather leave you with tabula rasa of sorts and let you fill in the canvas of perspective on your own. Just please make sure to read each of them cover to cover. It would mean a lot to your old man.

A Wrinkle in Time

Huckleberry Finn

Animal Farm

Fahrenheit 451

Anthem

Brave New World

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest

Storming Heaven

And finally…

Choose Your Own Adventure

P.S. Always choose your own adventure, son.

This week, we moved out of our home in Coconut Grove (fortunately, we bought in an extremely rent-friendly neighborhood, which is always a smart move when you buy, but that’s a story for another day…).

Anyway, one of the guys that worked for the moving company that was helping us with the move was a really good guy. He was a very positive person and you could tell that he was committed to living a good life and teaching his family how to live a good life. Though a bit physically imposing, since he was a mountain of a man (he told me at one point that he used to play basketball competitively, while growing up in Brooklyn, NY) his attitude and energy quickly made me and your mother feel comfortable around him.

He was a converted Muslim, and had an unusual name that he said meant “David.”

Anyway, we had some interesting conversations about how to live and what’s important in life. It was also clear that he was delighted to know that I had a son (he mentioned that he had some little ones as well). Even though he is clearly devoutly religious (I saw him kneeling in prayer at one point) and I am not, something inside me told me that he was someone worth staying in contact with and possibly becoming a friend with, regardless of our psychological/spiritual differences.

But I let the downer in me surface, convincing me that it would be “weird” to ask for his contact info. And as a result, I missed out on a potential opportunity to meet someone that could have provided me with stimulating conversation and a very different point of view on life; both of these being things that we should all strive for. Never mind the fact that he was just a good person.

I’d like to believe that the next time around, when presented with an opportunity like this, I will not let the downer in me manifest. I will also try my best to raise you in a manner that doesn’t allow this downer trait surface at all.

Don’t be afraid to be good and to expand your horizons by meeting and getting to know good people with diverse backgrounds and points of view.

Love you little man.

Hey young Sebi. I just wanted to follow up yesterday’s post about uncle Pancho.

Unlike many people (including many friends and family) I do not subscribe to religion nor do I believe in what most people refer to as god. I do believe in the wonder and mystery of life, I do believe in consciousness (and that it expands well beyond my own puny consciousness) and I definitely believe that this thing we call reality can never truly be understood or even experienced by a mortal human being, which means that there are many things that I will likely never know in this human lifetime.

But back to my main point. There are three things that I feel are key to understanding and accepting an aethiest point of view:

1. You must be prepared for the prospect of being wrong, and whatever comes with that
2. You must remember that living a righteous life should not be dependent on getting some sort of reward (eternal life/heaven/etc) or avoiding some sort of punishment (eternal damnation, etc.)
3. You must embrace the here an now and live life. This life. Your life. Right now.

There’s a lot more to all of this, and I’ll do my best to expand on it when the time is right. I love you little buddy.

Hey young Sebi. Today you lost your great uncle Pancho (his real name is Hector Caldiero). Sadly, you and your mother never had a chance to meet him.

He was a special man who lived an interesting life, and most importantly, he made my aunt Aida (I call her “Titi”) a happy lady and helped create and raise my two beautiful cousins, Hermes and Romina.

Pancho was born in a small town a few hours outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina but he worked really hard and rose through the ranks to become an internationally-known soccer announcer (that’s called a “locutor” in Spanish) who was best known for covering my favorite club team, Boca Juniors, and who’s biggest international claim to fame was coining the phrase “Batigol” (the nickname for Argentinan soccer great, Gabriel Batistuta). He was a celebrity in his home country of Argentina, and yet, one of the things I remember the most about him is how down-to-earth he was with me, our family, and even the folks he would meet out in the street.

I have so many great memories of him, some going back to my early years living in Mendoza, Argentina. Some of the ones that stand out the most are:

• Him asking a local restaurant to open (after they had already closed) because he knew my mom and I were hungry
• Him explaining what the tastiest part of a steak is (the part closest to the fat and bone)
• Him taking me to La Bombonera to watch a private practice (I was the only person in the stands)
• Watching Parnell Whitaker vs. Julio Ceasar Chavez in a hotel in downtown Miami with him, my father, and my brother
• His crazy driving in the streets of Buenos Aires
• His way of showing humor and affection with his wife, kids, and mom
• Seeing him trying to calm my dad after my dad and brother got into an altercation in my home
• Him taking us to a really old cafe in Buenos Aires and explaining its history
• Him taking the time to watch a 12-year-old kid’s little league soccer game and him telling that kid that he had some real potential (that kid was me)

Like everyone, Pancho had some rough spots in his life, but he found religion (literally) and that helped him find a purpose and a foundation for his life (and I respect that despite the fact that I’m an aetheist).

Though I have a ton of love for him, and the rest of my Argentinan family, I have to admit that I haven’t seen Pancho in years and have only spoken to him (and the rest of my Argentinan family) sparingly over the years. I’m not proud of that, Sebastian, and so I will try my best to change that so that I can serve as a good example for you. Stay in touch with your family and close friends. It’s really important.

Anyhow, tonight is not about father-to-son lecture. Instead, its about trying to share the spirit of a great man and a great life. I find myself leafing through Pancho’s old radio calls on YouTube. Here’s a good one that really communicates what a powerful voice and man he was.

I love you Pancho. Fare you well.

Hey there little man. On the eve of Thanksgiving, I wanted to take a moment to remind you not to wait until this holiday to be thankful.

Life is full of adversity and plain old suckiness, but don’t allow any of that stuff to take away your sense of gratefulness and positivity.

I’m personally going through some significant adversity right now, but I refuse to let it get me down. Why? Because I’m thankful for all of the great things going on in my life.

Especially you, little man.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tonight, your mother and I went to see a great local band called Suenalo. As I watched the various talented musicians do their thing, taking turns soloing and making the crowd move, I thought about how important it is to put in the hours needed to be really really good at something (e.g. a professional).

I encourage you to try many things in life and learn about anything and everything under sun. But I also want you to remember to find a few things that you truly love and could see yourself doing for a lifetime, and then commit yourself to mastering those things so that you can build a life around them.

There’s a great book on the topic of how many hours it takes to truly become a professional at something. It’s called Outliers. Read it when you have a chance, and remember to put in your 10,000 hours.

Hey there young man. If you look down in the lower right-hand corner of this photo, you will see yourself standing there.

You’re the one in the bright blue shoes. I’m the one in the black t-shirt corralling you. The guy in the black tank top is Mike.  The guy in the green UM t-shirt is Josh.

This is a photo of your first time hanging out at Barracuda. It’s a historic bar in our Coconut Grove neighborhood. You had an absolute blast as did my friends and I.

Now some folks might say that taking you to a bar is not good parenting behavior, but I would disagree, and here’s why:

1. Barracuda is technically a bar and restaurant, and you absolutely loved their chicken fingers!
2. The place was empty besides us, so you had the run of the place and were very safe
3. You got an opportunity to see people laughing, smiling, relaxing, and generally having some good clean fun (something I highly recommend you do as much as possible in your life)
4. I didn’t have a drop of alcohol the whole time, which shows that you don’t have to drink to have a good time (although you do need some in order to play the game Mike & Josh where playing)

Why am I like most dads (or at least my dad)? Because one of my main goals in life is to make life easier for you than it was for me.

This might not make sense to you for a long time (if ever) but one of the most stressful aspects of adult life is having to make “ends meet” (in other words, having enough money to feel financially secure and not worry about money ever again). I’ve been working for years to get to the point where your mother and I can reach that financial plateau, but I’m not quite there yet.

If I can have my way, you’ll never spend a day of your life focusing on something as trivial as money.

Hey there little man. Yesterday, we took you to Disney World’s Magic Kingdom for the first time. We all had an absolute blast! We road on the tea cups, It’s a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Buzz Lightyear.

You got scared on Pirates of the Caribbean (which is normal) but didn’t cry or freak out in any way. You just basically held on tight to me while peaking out at the pirates every once in a while.

No tantrums whatsoever even though it was really hot and a really long day. Props to you for showing a lot of heart.