Weezer vs. The Struts

I know basically nothing about The Struts, but Could Have Been Me is one of the great rock songs in the last 20+ years.

It seems others might agree with me. It has over 315 million streams on Spotify. Pretty solid.

To make matters weirder, I was introduced to the song in Sing 2. Fun little kid's movie, but by no means great.

Towards the end, the song makes its appearance. It's not even sung by The Struts here, but some other artist I've not heard of. Doesn't matter. The song has a vibe. Can't explain. Just does. Go see for yourself...

There is this phenomenon I've observed over the years. I'm sure the scientific community has a real name for it, but for our purposes, we can call it the "Stuck in the Middle Syndrome".

You've seen it, I promise. There is this one cat I go to church with. Great guy. Fun to be around. Professionally generous. But there is this oddity...

He wears pleated khaki shorts. And white crew socks.

He's not untrendy exactly. Just stuck. In the 90s. When he was in college.

Now before we get all uppity, reflect back on your early-20s self.

Now think about how you dress today. And what music you listen to. What books you read.

Are you basically the same person? Are you stuck in the middle?

I am. At least in music. I'm still a rabid Weezer fan. (But thank goodness... there are no pleats in my closet)

So The Struts surprised me that day. They're on my running playlist now.

But it's deeper than music.

What else are we just doing because we've always done it?

Money is the big one.

Most people's financial beliefs are pleated khaki shorts. Picked up in their twenties from a parent, a first boss, a magazine. Whatever was around. Never considered again. Just worn, year after year, because they've always been worn.

Stocks always go up.
Renting is throwing money away.
Debt is normal.
A house is an investment.
The dollar in your account is just money, doing what money does.

Most people will wear those their whole lives and never once ask if they still fit.

The world is so much bigger than the defaults we got handed.

That's true of music. It's especially true of money.

Maybe check the closet.

Best,

John

P.S. What's one money belief you've never actually questioned? Hit reply. I read every one.