Monthly Archives: March 2015

Look back

Look back at the last 12 months of your life.

What are you most proud of?

Almost always, it’s gonna be the important, non-urgent projects you finally started. (It could be work-related, or something more personal.)

For me, it was starting on a public speaking circuit. That, and beginning to create video content on Life is NOYOKE. Some starting over on the relationship-front, too.)

If your answer to the above question is “hard to say,” it’s time to reevaluate.

My guess is that “starting a new job” or “taking up a new hobby” or “new beginnings at home” will be easy answers next year when we look back.

The Weird Test for Social Media Contacts

Purging social media “friends” is tough.

For Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, use The Weird Test to clean up your feed.

Ask yourself these questions about individual “friends.”

  • Would it be weird I saw him / her in-person and knew something about their life via social media?
  • Would you hesitate to say hi to him / her if you saw them in public situation where not saying hello would be realistic and acceptable (a restaurant or bar)?
  • Would he / she be indifferent upon finding out you unfriended / unfollowed them?

If you answered “yes” to ANY of these, go ahead and say goodbye.

Sure, you might miss seeing updates from the hottie you knew in high school.

But, c’mon. Go spend time with your real friends.

What do I do with this?

You may overpay for a flight. Or your hotel.

You might have eaten overpriced food.

But when you spend your money on experiences, you never have to decide what to do with them during spring cleaning.

They’re in your memory forever.

How to Come up With Great Ideas

You ever hear people say they do their best thinking in the shower? Or maybe when they’re driving alone long-distance?

It’s those magical moments of clarity you weren’t trying for. The ones you hardly recall happening.

That’s the subconscious. The sole engine behind all creativity.

It only comes to you when you’re alone.

Just you and your thoughts. No other people or technology to distract you.

Those moments of absolute solitude rarely happen. So embrace them.

And let the great ideas flow.

That was weird

Weird stuff happens. Stuff that stops you in your tracks.

But usually you let it go.

Oh, that’s weird. Hmph.

Like when your cell phone abnormally vibrates when you plug it in to charge.

Or when you feel the wind through your pants in a place you don’t normally feel the breeze.

Or when someone shows up early despite being habitually, fashionably late.

Maybe it’s nothing.

Or maybe your cell phone isn’t charging and your fly is unzipped and your friend has some big news to share.

Could that weird moment be worth an extra second of thought?

Your office

Scattered office. Scattered brain. Scattered work.

Neat office. Neat brain. Neat work.

Your call.

PS. This post was supposed to be posted last Friday. I hit “Save Draft” instead of “Publish.” Clearly, my office is a mess at the moment.

Catch and Release Fishing

Art. Furniture. Clothing. Books. Music. Some personal electronics.

They’re all like fish.

Catch ’em and enjoy ’em for a brief moment. But before it’s too late, throw ’em back.

Craigslist (for sale by owner or free stuff), Salvation Army, Goodwill, second-use stores, etc., are your lake. Your ocean.

Let someone else enjoy.

The Round of 64

You can criticize sports all you want.

They’re boring. They’re meaningless. The athletes are overpaid.

But today?

Turn on some hoops and you won’t see any of that.

Today you’ll see drama.

Real stories, real tragedy, real triumph.

It’s a reality show that’s actually real.

Tune in.

And, enjoy the ride.

(Nobody is getting anything done today anyway.)

The Path

Stuck in the fog? Chasing the uncatchable? Trying to live someone else’s dream?

On a path on which you don’t know how you got yourself?

Ask yourself this one question:

“As an outsider, what advice would I give to myself?”

Suddenly, the path will become clear.

Follow it.

Emulate

If you want to be a baseball player, you have to watch a lot of baseball.

If you want to be a writer, you have to read a lot.

A chef, eat a lot.

Sure, you can get your training and just go from there.

But to be great, to some extent, you gotta emulate.