- @Elle_CM Natalie's raid looked like it was filmed with a strobe light. Lame CGI in reply to Elle_CM #
- I want to get a toto portable bidet and a roomba. Combine them and I'll have outsourced some of the least tasteful parts of my day. #
- RT @freefrombroke: RT @moneybeagle: New Blog Post: Money Hacks Carnival #115 http://goo.gl/fb/AqhWf #
- TED.com: The neurons that shaped civilization. http://su.pr/2Qv4Ay #
- Last night, fell in the driveway: twisted ankle and skinned knee. Today, fell down the stairs: bruise makes sitting hurt. Bad morning. #
- RT @FrugalDad: And to moms, please be more selective about the creeps you let around your child. Takes a special guy to be a dad to another' #
- First Rule of Blogging: Don't let real life get in the way. Epic fail 2 Fridays in a row. But the garage sale is going well. #
Getting Out of Bed
Why do you get out of bed in the morning? Is it so you can exercise the privilege of spending 8 hours in a cubicle?
I didn’t think so.
In Okinawa, it’s call the ikigai. In Costa Rica, it’s the plan de vida. It’s your sense of purpose–the reason you get out of bed in the morning. In these cultures, having a strong ikigai can be directly correlated to a statistically extreme lifespan*. All around the world, the plan de vida is the single factor most likely to cause someone to feel they have lived a fulfilled life.
Do you know your ikigai?
For some people, their plan de vida is to successfully raise their children, then their grandchildren. For others, it is charity. Some folks are serial entrepreneurs, always looking for the next deal, the next business. For still others, it is a collection or an urge to travel. There are even some whose sole reason for getting out of bed(other than potty breaks) is work.
The last category is most common with teachers, soldiers, and police. The problem with wrapping so much of your identity up in your profession is retirement. What do you do when your ikigai–your reason to wake up–goes away? In Okinawa, teachers and police tend to have very short retirements because they lose their reason to for living.
What is your plan de vida, your passion? What drives you to keep going? Do you live to write, or to raise your children? Do you <shudder> live solely for someone else’s happiness? When you find it, it will resonate as “this is you”. Finding it is a deep soul-searching, not a light-hearted explanation or a new fad.
Your reasons can, and should, change over time. You can’t live for raising your children years after they have grown up and moved away. Finding this one factor in your life can be the thing that leaves you on your deathbed looking back with a smile instead of regret.
What is your plan de vida?
* From The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest
Saturday Roundup
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Holiday weeks are supposed to be short, aren’t they?
I’m 11 days into my 30 Day “Compact”. So far, it has gone well. Unfortunately, there have been a couple of books launched that I’d love to own, and a friend keeps showing me new gadgets that I’d love to get. Not shopping at all is harder than it sounds.
The Best Posts of the Week:
Brian Wood, without a doubt, understood the responsibility he took on as a father. The story makes me get all misty.
On Wise Bread, they asked if you are saving too much. Don’t save as an excuse to stop living your life.
Free Money Finance will help you save money on travel.
Parent Hacks has a great use for a Google Voice number. I have a spare, so I think I’ll start using it.
I’m a big fan of selling on Craigslist. I’ve never sold a car there, so this was informative.
Finally, a list of the carnivals I’ve participated in:
5 Reasons to Quit Saving and Start Living was included in the Carnival of Personal Finance.
Bonding Relationships was in the Carnival of Wealth.
Hippy Month was the Editor’s Pick in the Festival of Frugality!
If I missed a carnival, please let me know. Thanks to those who have included me!
Saturday Roundup – Welcome to Halloween
This weekend marks the beginning of Halloween at Casa del Myhouse. We’ll start setting up our yard display tomorrow. If we’re lucky, we’ll be featured on TV again.
Don’t miss a thing! Please take a moment to subscribe to Live Real, Now by email.
The Best Posts of the Week:
Bill and Ted is coming back for another sequel! I don’t know how they can top Bad Robot Ted or the Grim Reaper playing Battleship, but I’m looking forward to it.
Here’s a summary of the first stage of the new, overpriced, under-understood health care plan.
I keep thinking about signing up for a CSA. Here’s some details on how they work.
Frugal Dad talks about “my money“.
Finally, a list of the carnivals I’ve participated in:
Cheap Vacations was included in the Festival of Frugality. Thanks!
If I missed anyone, please let me know.
Questions from a reader
Today, I’m going to post some questions I’ve been asked, either by email or elsewhere. I’m not going to post my answers, because I would really like to know what you think. Please help me answer these questions.
Q1. My DVD player broke recently, just after the warranty expired. I want to go buy a new one and then put the broken one in the box to return. Do you think that’s wrong?
Q2. My wife and I fight about money constantly. She doesn’t see the point in saving, when she can use the money to be happy right now. I want to retire early. How can I show her she’s wrong?
Q3. I know I should start bringing lunch to work, but I need to network with my coworkers and supervisors to advance my career. How can I balance that?
Like I said, I’m not going to answer these questions until you, my readers, have had a chance to weigh in. I know what my knee-jerk response is, and I know that none of these questions are as simple as they first appear. What’s your take?
Everyone who gives a real answer to all three questions will be entered into a drawing for a $20 Amazon gift card. Just leave a comment with all three answers and you’ll be entered. How’s that for a bribe? I’ll draw a name on Wednesday. That way, you can use the money to either celebrate or mourn the election results.
Edit: I used random.org to do the drawing and the winner is….mbhunter! Congrats, email is sent.
Money-Saving Tip: Put Your Groceries Away
Last night, we went grocery shopping. I found a beautiful pork roast, just begging to come home with me. It could spend all day Sunday in the smoker. Rub some brown sugar and garlic on the outside, maybe use a mix of maple and cherry wood chips to turn my pork butt into breakfast food. Picture this: a beautiful chunk of slow-cooked pork butt, covered in a candied crust, falling apart at the lightest touch, and tasting faintly of maple syrup.
It was love.
This morning, I woke up, walked into the kitchen to make some breakfast, and saw that beautiful butt sitting on the counter. Room temperature meat, ruined by my negligence. $15 in the trash.
We got back late last night, and apparently set this wonderful piece of future-food down with the non-refrigerated items were were planning to put away later. We said good-bye to the sitter, chased the kids to bed, picked up the house a bit, and forgot about my new love.
I’m sad.
Here’s my advice: When you get home from grocery shopping, immediately put all of the groceries away. Let the kids juggle knives for a bit, if you have to, but get the food put away. If that’s not going to work, at least take it all out of the shopping bags so you can check your work.
There are starving kids in Iowa. Don’t let potential candied pork roast go to waste.