I’m notorious for always finding things I want. I’m not a shopaholic by any means, but I see new electronics or big ticket items I want all the time. But as I get older I find it easier to realize that want vs need is very different. Even though I always find new things to want, I have to remind myself that I have much more than I need.
It doesn’t take much to enjoy life and find happiness. In fact, you can do it with very little money if need be. You have to pay your bills and be over that stressful hump. But after that, the simplicities of life can be extremely cheap and greatly pleasing.
Every so often I take a weekend and make myself see how little I can spend. I find myself enjoying making breakfast at home (instead of going to the local coffee shop), going hiking (for free), grabbing a good book or magazine and relaxing at the community pool (for free), or having drinks with good friends at home with the game on (pretty cheap once we all contribute to the menu). Point being, some of life’s most relaxing moments cost very little and provide a great return.
So the next time you stress and wonder if you can afford some item or get envious at your what someone else has, ask yourself if you really need it or if you just want it. Instead, take a walk down a snowy road, enjoy the park and hearing the breeze blow through the trees, or digging your feet in the sand while you relax to the sound of the waves.
“Never let all the things you want make you forget about all the things you have.”
– everydaylifelessons.com
Words to live by in any situation. Your preparation will determine your outcome.
Ok you’ve had one week to get settled and make, practice, and hopefully not yet break your New Years resolutions. So what did you come up with this year? Let’s take it a step further: we are all going to try to get in better shape and save more money. So let’s throw those two down as constants. For the rest of your life you will practice those two and not need to include them in your New Years plans. Instead you can use January 1st as your check in date and see what progress you’ve made I’m 365 days. So write down your starting numbers.
Now, what unique goals have you set for yourself in 2014? Here are mine…
1) I want to utilize the “silence” and “do not disturb” function on my smart phone more. I think cell phones are great tools and they do amazing things. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you my infatuation with my mobile devices. But I don’t need to check every alert the moment it comes in. I want to check them in the morning or evening or when I have free time for them. But not 6 times during a movie, twice during dinner, and every time I hear a beep or feel a buzz from my phone.
2) From seeing the local museums, to picking up tourist pamphlets at the local hotels, I always come up with ideas of things that I would like to try. I have tons and tons of digital notes on cool ideas. This year I just want to go. I want to drive downtown, head out in a given direction, and just go do it. There are free things and there are pay things, but what there isn’t is a reason not to do something. I want to explore my world !
3) I want to build this blog. It took my a while to even start it. I have plenty of ideas for it. And I want to continue to improve it for you and for me.
4) I’m pretty fortunate that I have been successful in a lot of my life’s attempts. And even with the ones I have failed at, I have learned from. If I have done this well so far, what if I pushed the envelope? I want to challenge myself this year, both in my personal and professional life.
What do you want to do in 2014? I’d love it if you’d post one or some of your thoughts in the comments section.
Cheers!
“The expert in anything was once a beginner”
Oh how we forget this… We look at people and admire them for their skills and knowledge in certain areas. We allow that admiration to morph into intimidation. We start to question our own abilities and tell ourselves we are good enough to match those experts. We sell ourselves short.
We end up not applying for that job, not going out for the team, not bothering to delve deeper into our hobbies.
What if all the “experts” of their fields would have thought like that? It sure would have been a waste of unknown talent…
Altruism
n
1. The principle or practice of unselfish concern for the welfare of others.
2. (Philosophy) the philosophical doctrine that right action is that which produces the greatest benefit to others.
Altruist (n)
Altruistic (adj)
Altruistically (adv)
I see people overlook simple actions that are potential good deeds in the making. And sadly these deeds can often occur at no cost and very little effort. Small random acts of kindness can restore our outlook in the world we live in. Here is my recent random experience:
I have wanted a king size bed for the longest time. I wanted it for no other reason that wanting more space. But I kept putting it off because of the cost and lack of necessity. After all, my queen size bed was really more than enough space. But I broke down and got the king anyway.
Ahhhhh paradise .. The bed was delivered and I began to sleep in diagonal bliss! My old queen mattress went to the spare room and my nearly never used bed from the spare room stood against a wall in my office for a week.
I intended to donate it to Goodwill if none of my Facebook friends could find anyone who wanted it. That was the extent of my research. But come to find out, Goodwill no longer accepts beds and I got like minded responses from friends: junk it, no one will want it, put it in the alley… Etc Etc…
But an old friend from college recommended a website called freecycle.com. I had never heard of it and had no idea what it was. Long story short, it’s basically a Craigslist but you post items you have or want all for free . Everything is free. You give it away and get things for free.
“Yea yea yea not that novel of an idea” is what I thought. But as I read the posts for items wanted, there were some people that were really in need of some help. There were single moms looking for baby items, people down on their luck needing furniture, all kinda of people just looking for help.
Within an hour I had an overwhelming number of responses. After a few text messages my “trash” quickly became someone else’s “treasure”. After the item changed hands I continued received messages from the family I donated to saying how thankful they were. That made me feel great! I told my college buddy this story and he simple replied “that site has helped me through some rough times…”
This story is not told to “toot my own horn” in anyway. I tell it to illustrate how easy it is to offer a random act of kindness. I am so happy I didn’t toss that bed in dumpster or alley as so many friends advised me to.
With just a small bit of research and the power of the internet a token of goodwill occurred.
What small complimentary thing can you do to make the world a better place?
What kind of person do you want to be? Have you ever thought about it? I bet you have and never even realized it.
Everyone has had days and run-ins with people that get under their skin. When we get cut off in traffic we scream and cuss and try figure what that’s guys problem is. We stand in line and wonder why the person in front of us takes so long. We hear directives from our bosses and wonder how in the world they come up with some of their ideas. Some people treat their significant others worse than they treat their pets.
We look at people and judge their actions and decisions.
We don’t miss a beat when we find a critical flaw in someone else’s personality, but do you ever stop and criticize your own? What impression do you leave on the people you encounter everyday? What would you do if your daughter, sister, or mother was dating someone just like you? Would you approve?
You are a man. Be a good one. Begin today.
GrowingUpGuy 