5 Pleasant Truths – 1

backlit beach clouds dusk
Seek the Good, You’ll Find It

1. When you seek the good, you will find it.

2. A woman shouldn’t be the center of your life, but a great woman can help make your life fantastic.

3. Those screeching, harpy feminists? They are the minority. Most women out there are just as confused as we men are. Give them a break. Give them a chance.

4. While technology can be “bad” when overused, it can make life amazing. Look at how easy it is today, you can connect with amazing people across the world with a swipe, click, or a keystroke. How does it get better than that?

5. Helpers are everywhere. You just need to open your eyes to see them. Look around you. You’ll see.

 

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Going “Galt.”

pink teal yellow multi color please leave nothing but your feet road signage
An Apt Description

What does it mean when you hear, “He’s going Galt?”

Here’s the urban dictionary definition of “Going Galt”:

The conservative version of “I’m movin’ to Canada!” Referring to John Galt from Ayn Rand’s novel “Atlas Shrugged”, Going Galt means leaving what you see as a society crumbling in on itself and going somewhere else to watch it all burn to the ground.

I like that definition.

This last weekend, on Saturday specifically, the girlfriend and I had a yard sale. We got up early on Saturday morning, (well, I got up early. She slept for a couple more hours, but that’s besides the point) and we loaded our two cars up with a bunch of shit stuff that we didn’t need anymore, and took it to ye olde busy street corner to let the gawkers gawk and the haggling begin.

We started our “sale” about 7 am and got done with it by about 11 am. We made a whopping $30 between us. That’s it. Yes I know, unspectacular. I agree.

The whole point of this little show though was to “lighten our load,” or as I like to say, “Let’s get rid of some shit.”

After the yard sale, the remaining shit stuff went to the library and to good will. I’m done packing that shit up and taking it home to store it in the garage, only to drag it back out, take it to the corner yet again, only to not sell much, if anything, than we did the last time we did a yard sale.

Get to the fucking point, Rob.

Alright, fine. It’s this:

Like in the movie Fight Club: “The shit you own ends up owning you.” Or something along those lines.

When you buy stuff, you end up paying for it at least three times.

  1. When you purchased it
  2. When you store it
  3. When you move it

Think of all the money you could save if you didn’t buy that latest whatever the hell it is that is on your television, your e-mail, on Twitter, FB, you name it. Think about the debt you could stay out of if you didn’t buy a bunch of shit.

Think of how much money you could save if you didn’t have to store that shit. I’m not just talking about having a storage unit or something equivalent. I’m talking about the four walls that you reside in and currently call home. The more stuff, the more space you will need to store said stuff. The more space you need, the more expensive that space is going to be.

Think about how much money you would save if you didn’t have to move that stuff around. The more stuff you have, the bigger the vehicle you will need to move that stuff, and the more expensive that vehicle will be.

Think about this one as well:

The more moves you make with all your stuff, the more expense you will incur with each move. Gotta get that truck again. Not to mention the physical cost of picking that stuff up and putting it down each time you move it. (Notice how when you need to move, nobody is able to help, they all have “plans.”)

Getting rid of stuff means less to move, less space to store it, and usually, a smaller space that is less expensive.

And you didn’t even have to get a second job or ask for a raise. Or take out a loan. Or apply for a line of credit. You’re welcome.

Having less means you can live on less. Having less means you don’t “need” to make a bunch of money. Having less money means less taxes. Less taxes means less people are able to live off of you. Less people living off of you (other than those you want to live off of you: spouse, kids, etc.) equals a happier you. At least it does for me anyways.

Do yourself and your family a favor and have a yard sale. Get rid of a bunch of shit stuff that you don’t need and aren’t using anymore.

Pair down. People are always talking about getting lean. While you are working on getting your body lean, why don’t you get your home and stuff lean too?

Less need for money = more freedom.

If you don’t have to work, you can walk from a job that sucks. Financially you’ll be fine.

Pair down on your stuff and find out what you can really live on. You might surprise yourself.

 

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5 More Unpleasant Truths – 10

man person people emotions

  1. Those ideas, those inspirations you get wherever you are at? Write that shit down, make a note, record it on your phone. Do whatever you have to do to get it and preserve it! “Oh I’ll remember that one for later.” No you WON’T. I’m still falling prey to this one. How many times….
  2. 95% “perfect” and “out there” beats 100% “perfect” and “not out there.” Every time. No exceptions. Execution is king.
  3. 1/3 of the world will love you no matter what. 1/3 will be indifferent to you no matter what. 1/3 will hate you no matter what. Figure out who is in the love category and focus on them exclusively. Not everybody is going to like you. Do you like or love everyone you meet? Didn’t think so.
  4. Finding your voice is difficult, one of the hardest things to do. Worth it when you find it. Using your voice once you found it is even more difficult, and it’s because you care what other people think. You care about their opinions of you. Until you deal with that and stop caring what other people think, you’ll never use your voice to its full potential, if at all.
  5. Your’s is to lead. At least yourself. If you don’t, if you wait for someone else to take the lead, to take the reins, you’ll end up somewhere you didn’t want to go. And you know what? That will be your fault. Make a choice, step up. Decide. Then execute. Choosing not to choose is a choice.

 

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