Something keeping you up at night?

More than one thing?

Write ’em down.

Now you won’t forget ’em.

Now they’re in the plan.

Now you can sleep.

And if, of course, there’s nothing you can do about the things, even better. There’s nothing you can do.

Now, sleep.

Buy your things.

But then insure them. And fix them. And clean them. And store them.

Or, buy your experiences. Your knowledge. Your memories. And never worry about them breaking or getting dirty or needing a place .

Up to you.

That people will judge?

That you might fail?

That you might succeed?

That you might regret?

That you might become an outsider?

Maybe.

But what about looking back and never having tried?

Isn’t that scary?

You know that thing that, to you, seems ordinary? Elementary, even?

To someone who doesn’t know about that thing (or method or trick), learning that thing is magical.

Never forget that.

It’s the stuff you care about. That you’re interested in.

The stuff you’re EXCITED about.

That’s the stuff people want.

If you lose the passion, move on. You can always come back to it.

I’m a minimalist.

To me, things are things.

I like spending my money on experiences and, once in a while, a thing that significantly improves the quality of my life over time (investments).

I recommend taking the same approach.

Of the recent purchases aI’ve made, here’s what I don’t regret (and do).

Purchases I do not regret

• Vitamix Pro 750: Use it daily for much more than smoothies. Has also become a decent source of revenue and terrific partnership (that you can get, too, if you want.). (See current price)
• MacBook Pro: Got mine like new from a guy on eBay. Came with a bunch of extras and three years of Apple Care. I presume it was from a college kid who realized he could sell it for $2,500, buy a PC for $700, and have $1,800 leftover for beer. Understandable. If you ever considered getting a mac, check eBay during the beginning of the semester.
• This water bottle: Literally the perfect water bottle. It never leaves my side. (See current price)
• My condo: Not to say you should buy instead of rent. But overall, no regrets.
• My scooter: Few things bring me (and my fiancé) more joy in the warm-weather months. If only it had a sidecar for my dog.
• Electric toothbrush: Total game changer. Enough said.
• Plane tickets: The streak continues. No regrets on any trip I’ve made. Minimoons, bachelor parties, family visits, weddings, etc. It doesn’t matter.
• New web hosting: In the last year I moved to a new web host for a few of my websites (lifeisnoyoke, to name one. Pretty fast, huh?).  I will tell you who I moved to, if you ask. But to avoid overcrowding (like that at my last web host), I’m not gonna just leave a link for the world. How elitist of me. But really, if you want the best, fastest managed webhost, email me and I’ll get you a referral link.
• Motorcycle school: Certification and testing behind the wheel of a motorcycle (not scooter). Fun experience.
• Engagement ring: Duh. Good experience buying online and getting a free in-store preview (AKA assurance from a jeweler that I made a good pick). (See the Ritani site)
• Huge monitor: Got a 27 inch monitor for the home office. Helps keep posture and avoid squinting. (This one)
• Power drill: I’ve been gifting Dewalt drills for weddings for a while. Finally got one for myself. Incredible feeling to be able to fix / assemble a million things by yourself. (This Dewalt)

Pretty good list, eh?

Let’s get negative and discuss the stuff I regret.

Purchases I regret

• A crappy router: This was the second router for the house, so I didn’t think it needed to be as nice as the first one. Boy was I wrong. Never buy a slow, crappy, old technology-laden router. Ever.
• Cable TV: I’ve cut cable in the past. All I had was Netflix, MLB.tv, and an over-the-air HD antenna for broadcast TV. It was one of the most productive years of my life. But in the last year, I resubscribed to Comcast for a few reasons. Live sports. Award shows (for the newly anointed fiancé / roommate). Baby sitters and guests (gotta have easy-to-use TV for them). But the results have been quite disappointing. Live sports unavailable for view (outages). More TV time (instead of other more engaging activities). An extra $80 per month. It really sucked to not have reliable TV during football season. But maybe billion dollar NFL will figure out a way to get me their product a la cart via Apple TV like the rest of progressive networks.
• Too much Chinese food: There’s a lot of leftovers. Now I will either eat it to avoid wasting it. Or, I will throw it away and be upset about wasting food and money. Next time I’ll opt for the Small size instead of Large on all available options.

Things I did not purchase (because they’re free) and certainly am glad they’re in my life

• Next Draft: The news curated by a witty dude. Daily. (See the site)
• Focus Booster: 15 minutes on, 5 minutes off. Game changer. (Free)
• Positivity: Yup.
• Gratitude: Thank you.
• Honesty: Welcome.

That’s it. I’m going to stare at my Chinese leftovers and mull over a tough decision.

If it’s glorious outside, take advantage.

If you’re at the lake, take advantage.

If you’re on the mountain, take advantage.

You might think you SHOULD be doing something else. Perhaps you’d get more done or be more comfortable or be more rested if you just didn’t.

But soon it’s gonna be miserable outside and the lake will freeze and the snow will melt.

And you’ll need to access those glorious moments. The ones you did in excess and put into reserve.

Take advantage.

You’re gonna need the reserves.

I should be careful what I say. You might write about it.

It’s true.

I might write about something you said. Or did.

But given I’m (rightfully and thankfully) not invited into your bedroom or bathroom, why should there be any problem?

Shouldn’t all your words and actions be ones by which you stand?

Ones you’re proud of?

Ones you wouldn’t mind if they were published for the world to see?

Certainly things may be said in confidence, off-the-record, etc.

But for the most part, you should act as-if.

As if everybody is watching, listening, and will read about it.

[Inspired by numerous conversations and this dipshit who killed Cecil the Lion.]

What people say about you when you’re not around?

Maybe they don’t say anything at all.

But don’t you think it’s better that they did?

Better yet, shouldn’t you know exactly what they’re saying?