Month: October 2012

Been Too Long Since Your Last Adventure?

Garth Beyer

It’s been awhile since I have updated you on my progress with A Manual For Daily Adventure.

7. Dance.

I had completely forgot that this was on the list. I happened to start dancing in my apartment the other night … yes, I was alone, that didn’t make it any less fun!

20. Try a new restaurant

Always.

72. Write on a napkin.

Two girls, one napkin with my number on it. Still waiting for the second girl to txt me, she was prettttttty.

22. Walk home from work a different way.

I did this and had to walk by a guy who walked behind trees in front of a church and began urinating …

25. Set aside fifteen minutes to write. About anything.

“15 minutes start now, Fear travels through your entire body. Pretty girls need that light, very subtle laugh, it is so adorable. Style has changed so much, and I mean gangnam style is almost becoming the norm. Personally I love mid-high fashion. Writing articles for my employer got really old pretty quickly. I didn’t see how it benefited me anymore. Note to self, don’t get a cappuccino, it doesn’t taste very good. There are about five men that come in the [coffee] shop every single day. I often wonder what they talk about and how they know each other. It isn’t like the five men who all play chess or anything like that. It’s an interesting group, almost as if they don’t want to go home. I’m writing so fast I’m making the water shake in the cup, it reminds me of Jurassic Park It so bad that writing doesn’t warm you up. The real reason for my shakes and fast writing is because I am freezing. How do you hit on girls in a coffee shop? Muffins are delicious … none are better than the ones from middle school but they were so unhealthy. The girl isn’t putting her jacket on for quite possibly the same reason as me. We look good 😀 makes me laugh. I think back to that damn spider. I’m sort of happy its cold again because it prevents the bugs and spiders from creeping on my window. Writing nonstop makes me think back to the writing test, and how you had to write fast. I always wondered why I never did as good with my essays as I thought. Boots are gorgeous on women. I wonder what other companies are like Johnny Cupcakes. John had written about how he knew its a good idea if he writes it down. Does a good idea ever arise from writing like I am now? Overcharging is crazy, it makes me want to bake my own food and pastries to bring with. Hey you might as well do the same with coffee. One girl out of 20+ at a coffee shop. [Unreadable writing] is exciting to make fun of other people. Where will I study abroad? I wonder about making an article in the Madison newspaper called the girl in a Cafe and it will be a creative piece talking about one girl in a cafe obviously. I can write about these girls all the time, when will I ever see them again though. Time runs out so what do you do? Well this exceeds my 15 min writing session. The only question left is will I talk to her before I leave? B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!”

Yes, I wrote all of that in pen. Writing is still my passion but I was too limited within the writing job I had. A second reason to not get a cappuccino is that it packs more of a kick than any other caffeinated drink I’ve had. I free wrote early that morning about a spider that I let survive on the edge of my ceiling above my bed, and then it disappeared when I woke up. I did in fact talk to her, she was one of the girls I gave the napkin with my number on it to.

27. Ask a friend for a book recommendation.

Girl with dragon tattoo.

40. Support a local business owner.

Farmers market and I no longer go to Starbucks, I go to local coffee shop!

41. Take your workout outside.

Run + pullups at the park.

42. Don’t send an email. Walk over to your colleague’s desk.

Easy enough. Exercise is hard to come by in a cubicle.

45. Look up. See the sky.

It was better than art. It was real abstract.

50. Consider the book you’d write.

A book on writing. I am going to use Seth Godin’s Ship It journal to do it!

53. Initiate conversation at the coffee shop.

Would you be surprised that I talk with the Baristas and pretty girls?

56. Sing loudly in the shower/your car/your backyard.

Happened to combine singing loudly with dancing.

57. Doodle.

It was terribly bad doodling, but doodles nevertheless.

59. Allow yourself 5 minutes of nothing.

60. Set out to scare yourself.

-sigh- I’m going to haunted houses …

71. For one day, don’t make any plans.

I’ve done this too many times, unintentionally. Why is it so hard to be booked up?

75. Clean. Throw out junk. Organize

On the phone the other night, a friend of mine said how cool it would be to go through absolutely everything you have and get rid of everything that you don’t vitally need. I laughed and said that is what I have already done.

Jumping at opportunities to check adventures off the list has created one great ongoing experience. It’s a hot conversation starter and motivator for others to do the same. 43 more adventures to have until I complete the list!

 

Stay Positive & Cheers To Adventures

Garth E. Beyer

The Only Math I Will Ever Love

Garth Beyer

Is the multiplication of our failure rates.

Simply because it’s the quickest way to success. And as my Uncle Chuck has said, it also means you will have tried two, three, four times as hard. That’s an honorable trait to say you have.

 

Stay Positive & Never Give Up, Never Never Give Up

Garth E. Beyer

I Want To Help, But Me First

Garth Beyer

A group of people were asked what they would do if they no longer had any financial restrictions.

Some said they would travel, some said they would purchase the newest Corvette prototype, some said they would read everything on their book list. These ideas of material or selfish items are the minority.

Most said they would give. Give their time to volunteer, give their personalities to build their communities, give their money through anonymous donations; basically, give their lives to benefit others.

The moment they no longer need to worry – more so financially speaking – about themselves, the more willing they are to help others. This brings about a few questions. Is civilization wrong to not promote initial selflessness (not needing to support yourself first)? Are we naturally selfish? Naturally selfless? Quite frankly, why don’t we do what we want, give? After all, nothing is stopping you from giving.

Unfortunately there is a part missing to this survey: the follow-through. What would these people actually do if they were relieved of their financial restrictions and burdens, finally able to help others the way they dream about?

I’m not entirely sure. What would you do though if economics suddenly turned in your favor?

 

Stay Positive & Give A Little? Give A Lot? It’s Still Giving

Garth E. Beyer

There Is No Stopping Naievety

Garth Beyer

1.  How much money in U.S. currency do you need a year to support yourself and anyone you currently support in a modest lifestyle?

2. Describe in some detail what type of project or projects you would pursue if you didn’t have to work or make other compromises to have money.

3. Discuss how this is different from your current circumstances.

 

I have recently read an article that the magic income number to have a relative and consistent happy lifestyle is annually $75,000. The article stated that even those who made $50,000 to $65,000 still felt financial stress and bound to always make careful decisions when it came to money. This idea of making about three-quarters of a hundred grand a year is what I would consider modest living. I currently make about $20,000 a year and find that this lifestyle works. I have a relatively nice apartment on the lake, I can get a couple of cups of coffee each week, and a short vacation each year. This lifestyle, though it may seem normal and modest, is not. The beauty of being human in this world is that we can make anything work and we can make anything look like it works well. People can be happy with $10,000 a year and people can be just as happy – that is, no happier or no less happy – than someone who is making $45,000 a year. For me though, with high expectations for the quality of life; for me, who believes that the current standards of living are far below what the standards should be, I believe that an annual income of $75,000 would be the right amount to support a modest lifestyle.

“He’s got some high expectations,” you might be saying. Yes. Yes I do and I often get a good chuckle or two when I tell people about my bucket list. This is also when I come in conflict with the prompt. There are no projects that I’m not pursuing solely because I have to work or I make other compromises or because of money. I don’t so much believe that the greatness of a bucket list is having checked off items, rather that you made it one hell of a ride to checking them off. See, my bucket list isn’t something I’m waiting until I’m 70 years old to take seriously. (Be ready to be surprised) Nor is it a list of some five to ten items. It’s a list of 200+. This list ranges from speaking at the White House, to pepper tasting in Chile, to fire walking, to experiencing zero gravity, to learning calligraphy, to owning Le Corbusier’s (famous architect) chair. To say I am crazy about goals would be an understatement. I read them over nearly every week or two and try my hardest to cross at least one item off the list each week.

It would be wrong for me to not include a certain five word quote to help you better understand my mindset. This quote sums up why, though I may not be in the perfect situation to do everything that I want to do at this single moment, I am working as hard as I possibly can toward it. Every moment of mine is put to use, exploited, taken advantage of; every moment is put towards pushing me forward, doing what I love, getting to where I want to go, and enjoying the journey of checking items off my bucket list. It really comes down to this, “I’m naïve, but I’m not stupid.” Think about it.

 

Stay Positive & Life Really Is What You Make It

Garth E. Beyer

Doing What Matters And Doing What Doesn’t (so much)

Garth Beyer

The problem a lot of people run into when they are finally having a full-time schedule of productivity is that they are so busy doing things that really matter, that they feel unable to make time for the things that still matter, but matter less.

This is one of the biggest fallout’s for people who feel on a roll. Just because you reach a new level of success and productivity, doesn’t mean that you can say goodbye to previous engagements and expectations.

Take the hierarchy of needs for example … you can work your way up, but being on the third level doesn’t mean that you stop building the first and second.What does this mean to you?

It means that yes, you still have to do the grunt work. Every so often you have to pick up the broom and sweep yourself, you have to make those phone calls and send the emails just to keep up the contact with people who still matter, you have to provide input for others instead of receiving the input, you have to find yourself grunting now and then.

 

My suggestion: They say Sunday’s are for rest. I say that one day a week of grunt work is all that you will ever need to do. Get in the habit of it now so that it never stops you from reaching the heights you work so hard for.

 

Stay Positive & Steve Jobs Used To Grunt Everyday (no wonder he was so successful)

Garth E. Beyer

It also does well to note that the more you find yourself grunting (doing the grunt work), the greater understanding you have of how success and progression works. Obvious, but easily forgettable.