Tag Archives: Life

Twelve Benefits of a Christmas Birthday

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My birth date competes with the birth of a holy savior and the largest commercial holiday of the year. Many people hear that and cringe. Almost everyone asks about combined gifts, getting swept under the rug, or relocating the celebration to the summer solstice. While I wouldn’t mind being able to see friends on my birthday every once in a while, I absolutely love my birthday. My parents always worked hard to make sure I got my fair share of gifts and attention. I am lucky and blessed. Some of the other notable benefits:

1. I get to pick the menu.
2. Almost everyone has the day off.
3. I only need to write thank you notes once a year.
4. You get to spend the day with family, even members who live far away.
5. Old friends are in town, making it easier to connect and party around the date.
6. You’re not the only one opening gifts (it’s awkward otherwise).
7. Presents can be bigger and more expensive.
8. It’s better than being overshadowed by Christmas with a birthday just before or after.
9. Everyone is usually in good spirits.
10. The world decorates, plays music, and anticipates my birthday.
11. It’s impossible for me and close friends to forget.
12. It feels like a special date (rather than just another work day)

Savings: The Game

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The best financial advice I received upon graduating college: always have enough cash in savings to survive for at least six months without income. I took that advice with a vengeance. Savings not only provide you with a security blanket, they award you the confidence and flexibility to make major life changes. The risks of quitting a job, changing cities, moving into a new place, taking on a life partner, and having children are dampened by the relative stability of an earned allowance. I would not have felt comfortable quitting my job, leaving Hollywood, and moving to Denver without the cash buffer I built since graduating.

Yes, savings are difficult to accrue. It takes discipline, commitment, and a passion to see numbers grow. I treat my savings like a game: I want to get the high score. With online banking, it’s easier than ever to convince yourself  those numbers are points on a leader board. Have fun with it and take pleasure knowing your high score means something real.

If you are living paycheck to paycheck, you need to find a way to make more money or live cheaper. And who really wants to live cheaper? Negotiate a raise, yo! But we’ll save that conversation for another time.

Agree to Disagree

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Is it really worth the time to win every argument? Wars are expensive, untimely, and leave most people on both sides confused. Arguments are the same way. They arise when you least expect it. Sometimes stakes are involved. Most of the time, however, only your pride is on the table. What’s more valuable – your time or your pride? You don’t have to win every argument. Take pride in knowing you save yourself a few minutes of precious time.

Spread the Love

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You would be surprised by how much easier and richer your life gets when you spend every waking minute spreading the love to other people. Give your time, help people with problems, smile, listen, hug, support, and genuinely care about others. Lend a hand anytime you can, and always put yourself second. Sounds like a lot of work, but the rewards are priceless. And timeless.

Time Flies

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Pay attention to the moments in life where you lose track of time. Most signify passion, joy, or discovery. Take note of the people, activities, and environment; cherish and hold them close. The variables of these moments should be tracked, preserved, and repeated as often as possible. Only within moments so rich can you defy the power of time itself.

Appreciate

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Give thanks by living out your gifts. If you feel blessed with a great life, the greatest way to show appreciation is to pay it forward. Give back to those who gave to you by fulfilling your talents, maximizing the value of gifts, embracing relationships, and making a difference in the world. Make your life and all that you have been given count. The worst way to say thanks is to say “thanks” and do nothing. Enjoy your food coma today; earn it tomorrow. Go be the best that you can be.

Happy thanks and giving!

Get Out of There

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In a meeting you have no stake in? A social setting you cannot connect with? Around people you do not relate to? In a place that disagrees with your lifestyle? A job that fails to inspire you? Then get the hell out of there. Don’t waste time. Time is money (and more valuable than money). Walk out. Pack your bags. Just go. You have an important family obligation. Impending deadline. Death on the horizon. Get out. Move on. Be as polite as possible, but leave. Think of the things you could be doing instead – and go do them. The impact you can make on the world and your own life while doing those other things far outweighs the egos you rub sitting still. Looking back, those offended meeting attendees will understand and forgive you for it.

Change the Game

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I saw Moneyball with my father today and recommend it to anyone who appreciates numbers, entrepreneurship, the game of baseball, or sports photography (a lot of Wally Pfister’s camera work was superb). At the heart of the film, protagonist Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) needs to do a lot (build a championship team) with very little (one of the smallest budgets in the MLB) and change the game forever. Almost everyone questions, bashes, and rejects him along the way. Why try to change a game that’s been around for 150 years?

Everything changes. Politics change. Culture changes. People change. The ground beneath our feet changes. Empires rise and fall. Nothing is predictable. No one knows what the world will look like in years. But count on it being very different. You can fight it and fall behind. Or you can beat it and come out ahead. Why NOT change a game that’s been around for 150 years? It’s far more risky to preserve the game than change it. If you are not doing your part to stir things up and disrupt the world around you, you will most likely miss the train. Change the game.

Live in the Moment

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Why ruin a pleasant moment with ongoing woes or concerns beyond? Do not let the past or future overwhelm you. Easier said than done, but it’s all a matter of focus. Focus on the activity at hand, person in front of you, or space you occupy. Do not let your mind wander; give the present your full attention. Face stress only when you need to. It’s the healthier and happier way to live.

Rest Up

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It is important to rest up any chance you get, especially before facing large milestones or difficult stretches in your life. Sleep is not a bank – you cannot make deposits; you can only make withdrawals. You cannot hibernate and save for hard times, so get what you can when you can. Go to bed.