I can’t believe how quickly Christmas snuck up on us. Can you? We celebrated the season a little early when we made my daughter’s No. 1 present on her list of things she wanted for Christmas come true: She got a kitten! (Actually it’s for the whole family). You should have seen her face when she picked one out and we told her yes to actually taking it home. I don’t think there’s anything else out there that could have compared. So while the love of an adorable little kitten was enough to keep my kids busy, my wife and I were still faced with the endless “what do you want?” “I don’t know, what do you want?” “I don’t know, what do you want?” routine. Every other day the two of us would say things to each other like “make me a list” … [Read more...] about How the Things I Want for Christmas Are Different Now That I’m An Adult
Lifestyle
Make Sure You Know What You’re Getting Into Before Starting a New Career
Sometimes it happens. We think we know what we want to be when we grow up, and we make every honest effort to get there and fit that role. But then reality sets in. The job isn’t quite as glamorous as we thought it would be. The hours aren’t great. The pay or advancement opportunities aren’t really there. And all around everyone seems pretty miserable or complacent. Is this how you really want to spend the next 30 years of your life? Surviving? Fortunately starting a new career isn’t really as tough as some people think it is. In my career I’ve seen engineers leave to become doctors, project mangers become financial advisers, and some people make the move to the greatest profession of all – entrepreneur! But nonetheless … [Read more...] about Make Sure You Know What You’re Getting Into Before Starting a New Career
Great Recent Scary Movies to Watch This Halloween – 2013 Edition
It’s that time of year again to have some good, cheap fun and rent a whole bunch of great scary movies! In case you didn’t already know, I absolutely LOVE scary movies. I don’t know what it is about them, but I like watching ones that are well written or intriguing. So throughout the year I’ve collected the titles of a few of my favorite recent scary movies and thought I’d share them with you in time for Halloween. (Before you read on, make sure you check out Part 1 which was published last year. In that review, my scary movie picks were Trick ‘r Treat, Piranha, Drag Me to Hell, Silent Hill, The Ring, Saw I, House of a Thousand Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects, The Ninth Gate, and Donnie Darko.) My Favorite Recent Scary … [Read more...] about Great Recent Scary Movies to Watch This Halloween – 2013 Edition
How Being Successful Might Include Leaning Out From Work
What do you consider to be someone who’s “made it”? Does that phrase bring up images of young fit people in business suits smiling as they rush to the next meeting holding their cell phone to their ear and a Starbucks treat in the other hand? While this is often a popular stereotype seen on TV and the media, for those of us that actually make it there it can come with a lot of sacrifices that we might not even be sure (or even aware) that we’re willing to make. So ask yourself this: Why does being successful have to stem from only your job? Aren’t there other ways or other things you can participate in that would be just as rewarding or fulfilling? You may not realize it, but developing a healthy separation between work and … [Read more...] about How Being Successful Might Include Leaning Out From Work
Recognizing Opportunities to Build Multiple Streams of Income
I’ve often heard that great opportunities are not rare. It’s just that our ability to identify them is so undeveloped that we perceive them to be rare. Ever since I’ve started reading about how people find different ways to build multiple streams of income and then take full advantage of them, I find myself becoming more aware of them as I recognize them in even the tiniest things throughout my everyday life. I might see them in a billboard on the way work, in a tool or gadget I have to use, or even in this case while I’m on vacation. … [Read more...] about Recognizing Opportunities to Build Multiple Streams of Income
Motivation In the Workplace and My Thoughts on Mind Control
If we were men in some great battle, our pain would be physical. The greatest warrior would be our leader; our general. He would wield a sword and you would respect his command for two reasons: 1) Because he is great and 2) because you fear him. But these days the wrath of our general is delivered in a conference room rather than on the battlefield. The sword has been replaced by a Smartphone. Bows and arrows have been substituted by stern emails and carefully selected recipients in the CC and BCC fields (don’t you love it when someone CC’s your boss for no reason?) Our armor is who we know and how well they like us. Motivation in the workplace has gone from the desire to do your best into a simple will of survival. And worst of … [Read more...] about Motivation In the Workplace and My Thoughts on Mind Control
Have Your International Travel Checklist Ready to Go
Everyone looks forward to a little time away from work. Sometimes when work sends you to a meeting or conference, it can be fun to expand it out a bit and do a little exploring. If you travel for vacation, this is especially exciting because you set the agenda But whether you travel for business or pleasure, there are also a lot of things that could go wrong. The good news is that most of those risks could be mitigated. All you need is a good international travel checklist to help you plan ahead so that your life and your wealth don’t get put into jeopardy. Below are a few tips that I like to use whenever I travel anywhere. Your International Travel Checklist: Screen for warnings. Before you travel anywhere, … [Read more...] about Have Your International Travel Checklist Ready to Go
The Value of Time and Money
I’ve often made reference on My Money Design that time is the only true currency. Even when we think of money as a currency, really all we’re doing with it is buying the convenience of goods and services that we would otherwise have to use our time to obtain. And while as deep or philosophical as I think I’m being, I was pleasantly surprised to come across a movie a movie with a subtle plot that made me think about how our society looks at the value of time and money. … [Read more...] about The Value of Time and Money
