Procrastination is not a habit.
It’s not laziness either.
It’s merely a way to put anxiety at rest.
Think of something special to do, figure out the worst-case scenario, and then just do it.
Facebook equals fear.
Category Archives: Life
Morning news
I’ve written a million articles on what NOT to do first thing in the morning.
Why?
Because I need to be reminded how much better days are when I avoid email, news, social media, etc. first thing in the morning.
Despite my own best advice, I still found myself indulging.
Finally, I found something that resonated.
One song.
One line.
One time, instead of falling into the information overload abyss.
Simon & Garfunkel.
“I get the news I need from the weather report.”
So now, I check the weather.
And I start the day:
- More relaxed.
- More focused.
- Less rushed.
Where do YOU get the news you need in the morning?
Your best banker
People talk about “investing in yourself.” The concept says to save some money now and you’ll have it when you’re retired.
But, what about the opposite?
Borrow from yourself today for the things you won’t need when you’re retired.
Bachelor / bachelorette parties, out-of-town weddings, family vacations, motorcycles are all good examples.
Easy to say you can’t afford these things today.
But chances are, your retired self will be happy to issue a loan for them so you can enjoy them in memory down the road.
Friendly reminder
Three things to remember today:
- Nobody ever laid on their death bed and said they wish they would have worked harder.
- We’re halfway through August, 2014.
- It’s Friday.
You’re welcome.
Pro tip
Pro tip: Don’t use the phrase “Pro tip.”
You may, in fact, be a pro at whatever you’re recommending.
But it also makes you a pro at sounding like a giant douche who puts him or herself above others without any real desire to help.
Something to consider.
Following Uncle Jake
There’s a legendary story about my late Uncle Jake.
He was clumsy, clueless and confidently matter-of-fact.
Plus he was legally blind.
His glasses only made him slightly less blind.
Yes, he was a character.
But here’s the story:
Uncle Jake went to a funeral service. Afterwards, Uncle Jake got in his car and joined the the funeral procession to the gravesite. He and his car were near the front of the procession.
Sometime along the way, Uncle Jake started following the wrong car.
Classic Uncle Jake.
But the cars behind continued to follow Uncle Jake.
All. Over. Town.
Moral of the story:
Just because everyone is going a certain direction or using a certain method or saying a certain thing, it’s not necessarily the right direction or method or message.
It might be Uncle Jake leading the procession.
Figuring it out
So you’re good at figuring stuff out.
That doesn’t mean your co-worker or student or spouse isn’t.
Of course, you’ll never know unless you let him or her try.
And chances are, they want to.
Ice Bucket Challenge: A new type of chain letter
Chain letters for a cause were common back in the day.
“Pass this to ten friends or else kids in Africa will be eaten alive by mosquitos.”
We all participated in the first one we received, right?
Here’s a new type of chain letter that’s going viral.
And it’s for a real cause: ALS.
For those of you who aren’t familiar, ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It’s one of the most fucked up bad beats you can get. And the prognosis hasn’t changed in nearly 100 years. Five years and you’re done.
It won’t be long before 100’s of copy-cats doing similar chain letter challenges for their cause.
Glad it was THIS cause, first. Because chances are, I ignore similar challenges like I ignored 99% of chain letters.
Alas, here’s my acceptance of the Ice Bucket Challenge.
Thank you for challenging me, Rachel and Elliott Califf.
I now challenge, Nick Fisher, Brad Rozran, Chris Tonkin, Mark Adams, James Bradley, Shalva Geffen, Mike Neiman, Danny Abrams, Leigh Waterman. You have 24 hours to accept or donate $100 to ALS research.
Human humans
Perfection, resilience, and underdoggedness runs its course.
After a certain point, perception of such successes turns.
So it’s okay to tell the world you made a come back. Or that you sell awesome apparel. Or that you have some good really good advice.
But once in a while, people love to see you be vulnerable, look ugly or fail again.
Humans like human humans (and businesses).
An investment idea
Investments usually cost money.
Stocks. Bonds. Mutual funds.
The return isn’t guaranteed, but it’s expected.
So could there be an investment that, instead, saves you money and has a guaranteed return?
Yup!
Fire your cable company.
You’ll get an extra $100 per month and yield incredible returns.