In my book, I have little “Action Plans” you can do if you want concrete steps on how to retire. The first Action Plan is to picture what you want your life post-retirement to look like. You have to understand why you want this because it has to matter to you on a deeper level.… Read More: Get stronger, not thinner »
I’m working on life bucket list items #18 and #19 — Operation something, something health and fitness. The goal is to make daily exercise into a routine, long-term habit that, eventually, I spend minimal mental energy on. Here are my notes from The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg in case you skip my book review posts. Your… Read More: Consider your possible excuses »
A dear friend gushed about how a book, Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find—and Keep—Love, by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller, helped her stop picking the wrong guy. She explained it like this — when you’re on a date, stop thinking “does this guy like me?” and start… Read More: Find Someone With Whom You Can Build an Empire »
If you retire first, everything else you try becomes easier. Not easy. Just easier. In retirement, you have enough mental energy and time to structure big projects to minimize the possibility of failure. What works for you personally and specifically? How can you make it easy for yourself to succeed? Do it first and hope it spills… Read More: Think big and thorough »
I was watching Judge Judy the other day and she said something that stuck with me enough that I’m now telling you. She was talking to a man who was very obviously losing his case. He had taken a dog from his ex-girlfriend who, he acknowledges, had paid him $500 for it. He had no… Read More: Say thanks and hope the rest of the day goes… »
Do you remember me telling you about my friend, Leif?* I knew him when I lived in Chicago. He carries one of the best souls I’ve ever encountered. Kind and loyal and good, we saw each other almost daily for years and I counted him among my favorite people. He was also, unfortunately, a super… Read More: Guinea Pig Update: Leif! »
Ever since finishing my book, I’ve felt adrift and wrong. This happens to me at the end of every big project — after graduating law school, after paying off my loans, after officially retiring — defeat takes over. I always expect to feel a sense of pride that never comes. It doesn’t help that there’s a… Read More: Book Reviews – October 2017 Part II »
Reading is everything. Wild by Cheryl Strayed After reading the magnificent book Tiny Beautiful Things, I’ve fallen in love with Cheryl Strayed. Wild is the book she wrote after the death of her mother and the end of her marriage. She walks the Pacific Coast Trail and tries to heal. Her voice is so achingly lovely and… Read More: Book Reviews – October 2017 »
I wrote a book! Holy crap, you guys, I wrote a book! I’m just as stunned as you are. Probably more giddy though. Or maybe you’re not stunned because I’ve been yammering on about it for a while now. Regardless, I’m officially crossing off Life Bucket List Item #6. Yeah, baby! Give me a second… Read More: Bucket List Item Complete! – Write a book »
In the days leading up to my 35th birthday, I spent more time than I’m proud to admit feeling mopey and old, bitter and overly emotional. Life isn’t a race. Logically, I know it’s not a race. I reminded myself repeatedly that it’s not a race. I still felt like I was behind and losing… Read More: How to stop feeling old »