I went to Barnes & Noble tonight to pick up the latest Malcolm Gladwell book, Outliers, which I believe is about the factors that make some people more successful than others. I am not an outlier as the book was sold out already. I’d like to know what the secret to success is because hustling these past two weeks has HURT. I said DONE DOT COM would help with the hustle and I hope it has. For me, tonight writing is a bit cathartic at least.
My own work situation has proven more volatile on top of being incredible stressful of late with a number of client deadlines, incompetence in junior staff promoted too quickly and even more incompetent and incredibly indifferent senior executives. Smells like corporate America. Times like these call for a PLAN B. Plan B is like when I talked of reviewing goals. While I’m adverse to change, some philosophies say to be open to change as it means unlimited opportunities.
Creating tangible alternatives means thinking ahead. Sometimes thinking WAY ahead yet at the same time not getting AHEAD of yourself. That’s my problem. I’m a panic attack away from upgrading wine to Xanax. About a year ago I saw the movie Lions for Lambs. It got virtually no promotion because it had a little budget yet some big stars and big ideas in it. Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise, Robert Redford. After seeing the movie I snapped out of inertia and into social consciousness. I won’t spoil the film but there are many thought provoking story lines that can kick start different ways you could contributing to society on civic, professional and personal levels.
We all need a little help sometimes. In fact, I’m willing to admit I need a LOT of help to get to where I want to go next. I mentioned Outliers, well I also went to pick up a GMAT test prep book. Yes, I’m considering academia. That wouldn’t be until 2010. That’s some other big help I need. I’ve had to humble myself and ask my manfriend to tutor me in math (he who has never gotten a math problem wrong on a standardized test since he took the PSAT through the GRE) but I’m glad I have the help.
I recently saw a former direct report of mine who left the company to pursue her Masters in Social Work. She told me of some of the experiences she had so far as a white, female counselor in a predominantly black and Hispanic middle school in the Bronx. The one major thing that struck me was that in many classes she observed, it would take the teacher about three quarters of the teaching time just to settle the class down. She also said that on election day, Obama’s victory was their victory the way the kids celebrated. These kids KNOW they need change, too.
Social Workers and teachers have high burnout rates. An article a couple of years back, called “Can’t Get No Satisfaction” http://nymag.com/news/features/24757/ by Jennifer Senior in New York Magazine explored burnout. I admit, living in the city, being single for this long, having gotten passed up for promotions at different stages of my career with no cause, knowing my peers at my job who I outperform earn more than me, working with abusive people at times, not to mention my own personal dramas; I’m getting close to burnt out alright. (And yes, those were all First World Problems again.) DONE DOT COM can help us both keep our sanity.
Post marathon I’ve realized I must stay physical. I’ve noticed mysterious crankiness that occurs when I’ve gone two or more days without some sort of exercise. I recently bought the DVD from Madonna’s latest fitness guru Tracey Anderson. While I’d love the help of a trainer (there’s that h-word again) at least I have a new routine to follow http://tracyandersonmethod.com/. So beyond finding out how I might become and ‘outlier’ http://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0316017922 and how I can learn math properly or rather learn how to take a standardized test properly, to how I can stay fit without the threat of a 26.2 mile race ahead of me, the next challenge I’ve given myself is picking stocks. While I’d love a little bit of help from Warren Buffet, he did give the advice of buying American stocks, epitomized by his $3 BILLION investment in GE. My guide so far on what stocks to buy has been dictated by what companies I like, what I’m very brand loyal to and, what I think has growth potential.
I will include a little list below of companies I like that I hope to research and confirm they are American companies. It’s interesting to know who owns what when you look up corporate info. My first discovery was that Power Bar (who makes the gels I used training and during the marathon) is actually a Nestle product, which is a French company. I dig Sarkozy but I’m actually going to try and stick to these shores for this experiment. The hard part is that I know 90% of this list will be chopped once I eliminate companies whose product isn’t MADE in America too. We’ve said the pledge of allegiance our entire childhood and don’t get me wrong, I love me some Italian shoes and French perfume but it’s time to try and put our money where our mouth is.
Wigwam socks
CW-X
Burt’s Bees
OPI
Starwood Hotels
Nike
Gap Inc.
JCrew
Loehmann’s
Bed Bath & Beyond
The Container Store
UPS
Google
Blackberry
JetBlue
Seventh Generation
Cancer
Health/diet foods 365 Organic, Hain, South Beach Living
Mitchum deodorant
Zip Car
Soft Sheen Carson
Wacoal
Smart Car
Whole Foods
Those coil light bulbs
Target/Walmart
At A Glance stationery
Colgate
Apple
Victoria’s Secret (The Limited)
Aveeno
Invisilign
Maybeline
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
First World Problems
Today I was in Washington, D.C. for business this same day our President Elect, Obama was scheduled to receive his first official tour of the White House and sit-down with President Bush. While I was hoping to have a serendipitous First Run In with our new First Man, what I got instead was a very gracious tour of some of the more recognizable monuments and Federal buildings by my cab driver. We drove by the National Treasury that I regarded with both anger and awe. The cabbie who I think may have been from Africa commented, “That’s where they print money.”
I’ve noticed that the media still alludes to the current recession like it’s not official, almost in an effort to keep the idea of an ensuing depression at bay. Well folks, I officially declare our country in a state of recession with a side order of economic depression.
This is the first time in my lifetime (other than post 9/11) when I’ve witnessed widespread unemployment. This is the first time that single friends were canceling vacation plans and snapping up invitations to dine in. These are not coupled friends looking to save money for a wedding or marrieds looking to build a down payment on a house (HA!) These are single friends who have (or had) prosperous jobs with big salaries and deep savings.
The cover story of New York Magazine’s November 10 issue boldly gave folks on The Rock permission to LIVE WELL, SPEND LESS! My heart leapt and wept as this is a major tenet of DONE DOT COM and they tried to pass it off as an original idea! Well my dear readers, YOU didn’t settle for sloppy seconds, did you?! You’ve been reading DONE DOT COM all along!
Newsweek’s November 10 issue actually acknowledged the recession on it’s cover in the subhead for its main story called, The Future of Affluence, saying ‘The Recession Will End, But Our Real Problems Are Just Beginning.’ Frankly, the article is a rehash of the doom and gloom forecast we’ve been hearing from all the other pundits about the energy, healthcare and economic crises BUT it does briefly discuss in one paragraph boom psychology and how ‘luxuries’ become ‘necessities.’ Cell phones are accused. Hmm? How about Ventes? Netflix. Cable. DVR. Cabs. General Tso’s Chicken and the polar opposite, designer liquid fasts. That list could go on.
I attended a yoga workshop this weekend where the instructor who is also trained in psychology introduced the concept that advanced poses are distinguished not only for being physically demanding but also more demanding on the ego. Apparently America has an ego that is directly tied to economic growth and the current situation is a hard blow to it with an uncertain prognosis for how it will recover.
One night this past summer, before the recession rock bottom, I was out for drinks with some friends when we were discussing that feeling of overeating to the point of gut busting gluttony but somehow are still able to think about, with eagerness, our next meal. One of my friends chimed in to say that was what she called a ‘First World Problem.’ Things we find ourselves complaining about or cause us a furrowed brow without a second humbling thought to...reality. While DONE DOT COM may seem like a First World aspiration, it actually, in its purest form, is the opposite. Qualifying challenges of daily life or ‘wants’ versus ‘needs’ as First World or ‘real’ is a great way of gaining and keeping perspective. Folks in relationships, this can be described as picking your battles: what really matters to you when it comes to your mate?
When I started DONE DOT COM, I also was taking it as a forum to chronicle my experience training for the New York Marathon. It’s now just over a week since I completed the race. I trained for over four months, which in retrospect, baffles me that I took it so seriously. I ran faster than I expected and I realized at mile 21 that if I ran just a little bit faster, I could’ve blown my own projections away. That perspective is definitely First World.
Screw that noise! I think I will go look at my medal again.
I’ve noticed that the media still alludes to the current recession like it’s not official, almost in an effort to keep the idea of an ensuing depression at bay. Well folks, I officially declare our country in a state of recession with a side order of economic depression.
This is the first time in my lifetime (other than post 9/11) when I’ve witnessed widespread unemployment. This is the first time that single friends were canceling vacation plans and snapping up invitations to dine in. These are not coupled friends looking to save money for a wedding or marrieds looking to build a down payment on a house (HA!) These are single friends who have (or had) prosperous jobs with big salaries and deep savings.
The cover story of New York Magazine’s November 10 issue boldly gave folks on The Rock permission to LIVE WELL, SPEND LESS! My heart leapt and wept as this is a major tenet of DONE DOT COM and they tried to pass it off as an original idea! Well my dear readers, YOU didn’t settle for sloppy seconds, did you?! You’ve been reading DONE DOT COM all along!
Newsweek’s November 10 issue actually acknowledged the recession on it’s cover in the subhead for its main story called, The Future of Affluence, saying ‘The Recession Will End, But Our Real Problems Are Just Beginning.’ Frankly, the article is a rehash of the doom and gloom forecast we’ve been hearing from all the other pundits about the energy, healthcare and economic crises BUT it does briefly discuss in one paragraph boom psychology and how ‘luxuries’ become ‘necessities.’ Cell phones are accused. Hmm? How about Ventes? Netflix. Cable. DVR. Cabs. General Tso’s Chicken and the polar opposite, designer liquid fasts. That list could go on.
I attended a yoga workshop this weekend where the instructor who is also trained in psychology introduced the concept that advanced poses are distinguished not only for being physically demanding but also more demanding on the ego. Apparently America has an ego that is directly tied to economic growth and the current situation is a hard blow to it with an uncertain prognosis for how it will recover.
One night this past summer, before the recession rock bottom, I was out for drinks with some friends when we were discussing that feeling of overeating to the point of gut busting gluttony but somehow are still able to think about, with eagerness, our next meal. One of my friends chimed in to say that was what she called a ‘First World Problem.’ Things we find ourselves complaining about or cause us a furrowed brow without a second humbling thought to...reality. While DONE DOT COM may seem like a First World aspiration, it actually, in its purest form, is the opposite. Qualifying challenges of daily life or ‘wants’ versus ‘needs’ as First World or ‘real’ is a great way of gaining and keeping perspective. Folks in relationships, this can be described as picking your battles: what really matters to you when it comes to your mate?
When I started DONE DOT COM, I also was taking it as a forum to chronicle my experience training for the New York Marathon. It’s now just over a week since I completed the race. I trained for over four months, which in retrospect, baffles me that I took it so seriously. I ran faster than I expected and I realized at mile 21 that if I ran just a little bit faster, I could’ve blown my own projections away. That perspective is definitely First World.
Screw that noise! I think I will go look at my medal again.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The Best Laid Plans
I vaguely remember in grammar school having a lesson dedicated to learning how to balance a checkbook. That's one lesson, for one hour, on one day, in one year of my entire elementary. Personal finance was treated as an extra curricular topic, not worthy of taking away class time from reading, writing and arithmetic. Perhaps the educational system figured learning math was enough. I don't even remember if Home Economics was offered at my high school and if it was, it was likely considered an optional course. I don't think I understood the term 401K before my first job or even had a concept of what personal investing was except the hint from the commericals about EF Hutton talking and people listening. The people who listened didn't seem like regular people! They seemed like important people, people who knew important things a Catholic school girl from Queens, NY who had a mom who spoke with an accent and a dad who worked with airplanes couldn't possibly know. The fundamental difference that lies between the DONE.COM generational demographics is the parents who listened to EF Hutton early on and the parents who didn't. Of all places, The Christian Science Monitor has a fascinating demographic split among 11 groups in the country that reflects voting issues. I've included the link here as it's a great way of understanding how the nation is split not only economically but politcally, too, http://www.csmonitor.com/patchworknation/.
Somehow my parents managed to send my sister and I to private schools from kindergarten through high school and we both attended an Ivy League University. While they believed that providing for our education was the best way they could help us get ahead, they sacrificed properly building their own retirement savings. With the stock market gone manic, even folks who did carefully plan for retirement took a beating. Yesterday I heard from an old friend who got laid off from her job. She worked in the financial industry. While just weeks before, I saw my work colleagues get laid off, somehow this news hit closer to home. I had just bumped inot her bike riding in the city over the summer! My company had gone through a merger earlier in the year and the final cost cutting measure to firm up the books was a (second) cut in headcount to offset aggressive projections and the soggy economy so to me the layoffs seemed...expected. My friend losing her job seemed unexpected and that made the economic crisis feel much more real to me. I have long since gave up my weekend shopping trips to my local consignment shop along with long and buttery, boozey dinners out. The irony is my friend and I used to be neighbors and back in '03 we were both unemployed for a spell and took our sweet time getting back into the workforce. Of course, my rent was half it is now and I drained my savings entirely during that period so I'm sure there is an increased urgency for anyone out of a job right now.
What if you're like me and still want to be DONE.COM? Or you are miserable at your current job and need CHANGE? Is aspiring to a different situation still possible now? YES WE CAN. Remember early on I talked about that country house? Well, it will likely be impossible for me to get a mortgage anytime soon so I'm glad I have my little nest egg (little as, in quail egg) to fall back on. I'm certain my friend will land on her feet and has some breathing room to find a new job (she still lives in that cheap apartment building I left). Remember also when we talked about goals? Yup, this is the time when you review and adjust those. And if you don't have specific goals, this is sure when you should start. In times of crisis, if you're in relationship, it's good to know BEFOREHAND the goals and values you and your partner share as crisis can strike at any time (I'm learning this the hard way).
Did I mention the marathon is 11 days away? I can't wait for it to be over though true to my personality, I already have separation anxiety about it. (Can one actually have separation anxiety for a goal?) I did the work, and though I thoroughly am enjoying my taper (probably too much which means I likely cut my mileage too generously) I still feel like I will have a good race. Of course if the weather is off or my knee gives out or I just have a bad day, things could change. But things could CHANGE for the better, too. (PS. VOTE FOR OBAMA.)
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Sober October
This post is a bit overdue as the country’s economic situation has slid from bad to worse in a matter of weeks causing a trickle down affect that hit home as staff cuts were made at the office of yours truly. Three people in my office have been laid off with two other people required to reduce their hours and status to part-time employees. The challenge of establishing a lifestyle calculator still remains however I was able to find online the site, http://www.lifestylecalculator.com/. The formula is very basic and there is a disclaimer that results are an approximation (translation: unrealistic).
Warren Buffet did a last minute interview with Charlie Rose as the impending Congressional vote on the $700 billion bailout of the economy loomed. Buffet quoted a surprising statistic. He said that 20% of the U.S. population has a household income about 20 thousand dollars a year. Talk about an unrealistic lifestyle. Buffet also summed up the housing bubble well by saying it was caused by three I’s; Innovators, Imitators and Idiots. Mr. Jones saw an opportunity to make a profit in residential housing considering the low interest rates and easy loans. He may have even made some money in the market but then all of Mr. Jones’ neighbors wanted to keepup with him and get in on the action. The idiots are the ones who bought houses they couldn’t afford and then couldn’t sell. Make something idiot proof, be sure, they will make a better idiot.
While the Waltons, Keatons and Huxtables were broad demographic profiles from my last post, it helps narrow down psychographics, an important consideration of DONE DOT COM. How much is enough? What are your values? What are your priorities? What are your future goals and plans? The link below is a timely Q&A with my girl, Suze Orman that appeared in The New York Times Freakonomics column this September. Check out comment #30 in the reader responses. Yes, it’s ME!!
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/suze-orman-answers-your-money-questions/
Being DONE DOT COM and staying done means being prepared for hard times. I’m really hoping my colleagues will land on their feet soon. Buffet cautioned that unemployment will continue to go up before it goes down and that even with the bailout things may take anywhere from six months to five years to improve. Almost Done is about volunteering and remaining engaged in civic or charitable causes. If you read Obama’s speech or have been following his campaign, AmeriCorps plays a big role. There’s an expression that in your 20s you take, in your 30s you begin to give back. Why not get a head start? Also, anyone facing unemployment in a slow job market-volunteering can be gratifying on many levels and is also a great way to network. People looking to give back in the NYC area should check out www.nycares.org which offers incredible flexibility and a variety of options for retirees, job hunters with extra time, full-time workers, anyone really who wants to give back.
Incidentally, Sober October isn’t just a commentary on the economy; it’s literal for me as well. This is the fourth year in a row where I go dry for the month of October. That means no booze for 30 days. It will actually be 32 days as I plan on holding out until after the marathon on November 2. I ran an 18-mile race on Sunday. It was unseasonably warm and the current stress at my job made it a HARD three hours and twenty-four minutes. I want to thank the guy who told me to keep going when I stopped running to squat down and stretch my weary back and knees at mile 16. I’m eager to get my life back; I’m looking forward to a week(s) with no running. I’m looking forward to spending more time with my manfriend who continues to amaze me with his random acts of sweetness. The past four months have been some of the most physically challenging of my life. I compare it only to when I complete a four-month long yoga teacher training course in 2001 (yes, I’m a certified teacher). I am probably in the best shape since I completed that course almost 8 years ago. I realize my experience teaching yoga profoundly affected who am I today. I think this marathon will have a lasting impact as well. And I’m also thinking my manfriend is a keeper, too.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Love Story (Part 2)
My last post left off with the task of developing a Lifestyle Calculator in order to begin the DONE DOT COM planning process. Lifestyle is the operative word of the calculator so there are some various quality of life aspects to consider before we begin. For simplicity, I’ve narrowed down lifestyles into three TV families. I will begin developing a profile for each of these families to include or exclude various quality of life aspects. These profiles will be a work in progress and I welcome feedback on what aspects I may have missed.
The Waltons:
FAMILY
You are from a lower middle class family, possibly the child of an immigrant. You may be the first or second generation to have attended college. You have no inheritance and you will likely be financially responsible for at least one or both your parents into their retirement.
JOB/HABITS
You make a decent salary, close to six figures alone or combined with a spouse (if you’re married). You have some debt; you have some sort of retirement account though not much contributed. You live fairly frugally though splurge on occasion (more often than you should). A vacation impacts your finances significantly. You already are financially assisting your parent(s).
ASPIRE
You would like to own a home. Changing your demographic would be through a job change with significant jump in salary or marriage. You are not label conscious but would be willing to prioritize your spending to maintain one or two ‘small luxuries’ as part of your quality of life. You appreciate stability.
The Keatons
FAMILY
You are from a middle class family. One or both your parents went to college and possible have graduate degrees. You stand to inherit a sum that will add a small amount to your current modest nest egg; or your inheritance will significantly increase your financial security so you are very worried about the future. You currently own a home or have enough in savings to pursue investing in real estate but have waited for better timing.
JOB/HABITS
You make over six figures alone or combined with a spouse though you may be in graduate school, so you may have little or no income at the moment. You have little or no debt, you have some sort of retirement account though still below average for your age but you have some savings. You like nice things but buy them on sale; you find the best value so you can enjoy little luxuries more frequently (massages, dining out, electronics). If you are a student, you watch spending but splurge every so often and will make larger purchases when necessary (a new car). A vacation impacts how much you are able to save for a month or two.
ASPIRE
You would like to own a first/bigger home, a vacation home or upgrade your current vacations (better hotels/resorts, more exotic destinations). Changing your demographic might mean you sold your company or experienced a career windfall, you have equity that has vested or you got married. You may or may not have children. You are somewhat label conscious but selective but still like good value. You appreciate adventure.
The Huxtables
FAMILY
You are from an upper middle class family. Both your parents went to college and one or both have graduate degrees. Your inheritance will go towards your children (if you have them) or charity. You currently own a home. If you don’t it’s by choice or you may move soon to another city or country.
JOB/HABITS
You make well into six figures or close/over seven figures alone or combined with a spouse (though you may have a single income and are married). You have no debt; your retirement account is well invested and can currently carry you through your retirement independent of your substantial savings. You often buy label items but will purchase a value item if you perceive it is good quality. You spare no expense on vacations though sometimes find luxury travel costs exorbitant. Splurging means purchasing fine jewelry or a luxury car.
ASPIRE
You would like to own a bigger home, a vacation home or travel more frequently. Changing your demographic might mean your investments have performed extremely well. You appreciate the best.
So there you have it. I fully recognize that like in astrology, folks may fall on the cusps of these profiles. The next step is establishing line items for these aspects and starting to budget for them over an extended period of time. Also, now that we have established profiles, I look forward to offering you some recommendations on these different lifestyle aspects, for example, Keatons and Huxtables might appreciate the website www.tablethotels.com that lists some fabulous boutique and luxury lodging ideas around the world. A few months ago I was looking into traveling to Puerto Rico and one property they feature is this unique eco-boutique hotel that I’m dying to go to (I ended up booking a staycation this summer instead.)
We’ll also soon explore the concept of being Almost Done. Some homework for you is to read Obama’s convention speech for starters http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/28/barack-obama-democratic-c_n_122224.html (you don’t have choose sides, just read the speech if you didn’t hear it yet.) As for my tender toes, wearing better socks, getting a pedicure and taking it easy for a few days seemed to do the trick. I forgot to mention in my last post that the saying ‘Love means never having to say you’re sorry,’ comes from the movie Love Story (or rather, the book).
I’ll still take a big apology from Wall Street after this week.
The Waltons:
FAMILY
You are from a lower middle class family, possibly the child of an immigrant. You may be the first or second generation to have attended college. You have no inheritance and you will likely be financially responsible for at least one or both your parents into their retirement.
JOB/HABITS
You make a decent salary, close to six figures alone or combined with a spouse (if you’re married). You have some debt; you have some sort of retirement account though not much contributed. You live fairly frugally though splurge on occasion (more often than you should). A vacation impacts your finances significantly. You already are financially assisting your parent(s).
ASPIRE
You would like to own a home. Changing your demographic would be through a job change with significant jump in salary or marriage. You are not label conscious but would be willing to prioritize your spending to maintain one or two ‘small luxuries’ as part of your quality of life. You appreciate stability.
The Keatons
FAMILY
You are from a middle class family. One or both your parents went to college and possible have graduate degrees. You stand to inherit a sum that will add a small amount to your current modest nest egg; or your inheritance will significantly increase your financial security so you are very worried about the future. You currently own a home or have enough in savings to pursue investing in real estate but have waited for better timing.
JOB/HABITS
You make over six figures alone or combined with a spouse though you may be in graduate school, so you may have little or no income at the moment. You have little or no debt, you have some sort of retirement account though still below average for your age but you have some savings. You like nice things but buy them on sale; you find the best value so you can enjoy little luxuries more frequently (massages, dining out, electronics). If you are a student, you watch spending but splurge every so often and will make larger purchases when necessary (a new car). A vacation impacts how much you are able to save for a month or two.
ASPIRE
You would like to own a first/bigger home, a vacation home or upgrade your current vacations (better hotels/resorts, more exotic destinations). Changing your demographic might mean you sold your company or experienced a career windfall, you have equity that has vested or you got married. You may or may not have children. You are somewhat label conscious but selective but still like good value. You appreciate adventure.
The Huxtables
FAMILY
You are from an upper middle class family. Both your parents went to college and one or both have graduate degrees. Your inheritance will go towards your children (if you have them) or charity. You currently own a home. If you don’t it’s by choice or you may move soon to another city or country.
JOB/HABITS
You make well into six figures or close/over seven figures alone or combined with a spouse (though you may have a single income and are married). You have no debt; your retirement account is well invested and can currently carry you through your retirement independent of your substantial savings. You often buy label items but will purchase a value item if you perceive it is good quality. You spare no expense on vacations though sometimes find luxury travel costs exorbitant. Splurging means purchasing fine jewelry or a luxury car.
ASPIRE
You would like to own a bigger home, a vacation home or travel more frequently. Changing your demographic might mean your investments have performed extremely well. You appreciate the best.
So there you have it. I fully recognize that like in astrology, folks may fall on the cusps of these profiles. The next step is establishing line items for these aspects and starting to budget for them over an extended period of time. Also, now that we have established profiles, I look forward to offering you some recommendations on these different lifestyle aspects, for example, Keatons and Huxtables might appreciate the website www.tablethotels.com that lists some fabulous boutique and luxury lodging ideas around the world. A few months ago I was looking into traveling to Puerto Rico and one property they feature is this unique eco-boutique hotel that I’m dying to go to (I ended up booking a staycation this summer instead.)
We’ll also soon explore the concept of being Almost Done. Some homework for you is to read Obama’s convention speech for starters http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/28/barack-obama-democratic-c_n_122224.html (you don’t have choose sides, just read the speech if you didn’t hear it yet.) As for my tender toes, wearing better socks, getting a pedicure and taking it easy for a few days seemed to do the trick. I forgot to mention in my last post that the saying ‘Love means never having to say you’re sorry,’ comes from the movie Love Story (or rather, the book).
I’ll still take a big apology from Wall Street after this week.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Love Story (Part 1)
Tonight I finally watched the movie Love Story. Yes, with Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw. I'm not quite sure what compelled me to see it; probably because it's considered a 'classic' and, to see if it really qualifies as a true 'Tearjerker' (the category under which the movie falls on Netflix). Despite the script being a bit campy in the beginning, I was thoroughly convinced by Oliver and Jenny's romance and even got a little misty toward the end. I doubt anyone will mind the spoiler that I'm revealing about the plot (concerned parties can skip to the next paragraph) but it was surprising that Oliver chose to be cut off from his wealthy parents in order to marry Jenny which meant SHE would have to support HIM through Law School. The movie came out in 1970 so that was still an interesting role reversal for the time.
I recently had a friend announce her engagement. We hadn't been in touch for several months so as soon as I heard the good news I made plans to meet her for dinner to celebrate. The last I'd seen her, she hadn't even met her fiance yet so we had a lot of catching up to do. She told me how she came to know him, what he was like, about the different milestones in their relationship, which culminated with him proposing and the two of them moving in together. He sounds like a great guy and my friend is very happy which piqued my curiousity. I like case studies and hearing about the successful union of a contemporary, I asked her to elaborate on some of the various stages of her relationship because the wedding blitz of my generation passed (and passed me by) so I was interested to see how late bloomer relationships were unfolding these day for other folks (like myself).
My stance with very personal questions is that most people will give you honest answers, so if you really want to know something, just ask. It's rare that people won't respond. Related to this is the fact people reveal only what they want you to know about them, this often goes for relationships so asking questions, and being direct about them is key (and can often save a lot of heartache). My questions ranged from, 'How long did it take before you slept together?' and 'Who said I love you first?' to 'Does he/you know your/his salary?' and 'How did you figure out he wanted to get married/want to have kids?' Bold questions yes, but my friend is one of the most soft spoken, yet at the same time, most direct people I know. And I also knew she'd been in a long term relationship before that didn't work out but had the awareness to recognize its limitations so I'm confident she picked a good egg by asking the right questions and revealing important things about herself. One thing, she brought up was that when she and her fiance decided to move in together and they approached the topic of personal fianances, she had to admit that she had credit card debt and needed help with a making a budget for herself. I admired her honesty for being transparent with her fiance about her financial situation and for her humility in asking him for help. I also admired her for admitting this to me as well. While I would not characterize myself (ever) as soft spoken, I can be obtuse at times with icky topics (like money and in relationships).
I have another friend that's on the path to getting engaged where she and her fiance have already started Pre-Cana sessions. The misconception with Pre-Cana is that it's religiously focused when actually many practical topics are covered to prepare couples for the realities of marriage and what it means. I'd like to re-introduce a website I mentioned in an earlier post that I liken to the pre-Cana for being DONE.COM. If you haven't signed up yet, go to www.mint.com and register for an account. This is the first step EXCELLENT (and free) step in getting on top of personal finances.
Then, go to http://personal.fidelity.com/planning/retirement/retirement_planning.shtml.cvsr?bar=c and do the Fidelitly myPlanSM Retirement Quick Check. This is an easy retirement calculator that may or may not cause you to panic so have a cocktail before doing it. While the website says it takes 30 minutes to do the calculator, it takes more like three minutes. This will give you a picture of what your retirement savings need to be (one part of the equation) for when you ideally would like to be DONE.COM.
The missing part of this equation is the lifestyle calculator which I'll be hard at work developing (while I'm also hard at work at increasing my mileage for the marathon). By the way, I ran 16 miles this past Saturday. I realize all this training is actually paying off with me being able run longer distances. The bad news is that the second toenail on my right foot is tender, just like this economy.
In Love Story Part 2, I hope to report the efficacy of the TLC I deliver to my toe and to you (T-he L-ifestyle C-alculator).
I recently had a friend announce her engagement. We hadn't been in touch for several months so as soon as I heard the good news I made plans to meet her for dinner to celebrate. The last I'd seen her, she hadn't even met her fiance yet so we had a lot of catching up to do. She told me how she came to know him, what he was like, about the different milestones in their relationship, which culminated with him proposing and the two of them moving in together. He sounds like a great guy and my friend is very happy which piqued my curiousity. I like case studies and hearing about the successful union of a contemporary, I asked her to elaborate on some of the various stages of her relationship because the wedding blitz of my generation passed (and passed me by) so I was interested to see how late bloomer relationships were unfolding these day for other folks (like myself).
My stance with very personal questions is that most people will give you honest answers, so if you really want to know something, just ask. It's rare that people won't respond. Related to this is the fact people reveal only what they want you to know about them, this often goes for relationships so asking questions, and being direct about them is key (and can often save a lot of heartache). My questions ranged from, 'How long did it take before you slept together?' and 'Who said I love you first?' to 'Does he/you know your/his salary?' and 'How did you figure out he wanted to get married/want to have kids?' Bold questions yes, but my friend is one of the most soft spoken, yet at the same time, most direct people I know. And I also knew she'd been in a long term relationship before that didn't work out but had the awareness to recognize its limitations so I'm confident she picked a good egg by asking the right questions and revealing important things about herself. One thing, she brought up was that when she and her fiance decided to move in together and they approached the topic of personal fianances, she had to admit that she had credit card debt and needed help with a making a budget for herself. I admired her honesty for being transparent with her fiance about her financial situation and for her humility in asking him for help. I also admired her for admitting this to me as well. While I would not characterize myself (ever) as soft spoken, I can be obtuse at times with icky topics (like money and in relationships).
I have another friend that's on the path to getting engaged where she and her fiance have already started Pre-Cana sessions. The misconception with Pre-Cana is that it's religiously focused when actually many practical topics are covered to prepare couples for the realities of marriage and what it means. I'd like to re-introduce a website I mentioned in an earlier post that I liken to the pre-Cana for being DONE.COM. If you haven't signed up yet, go to www.mint.com and register for an account. This is the first step EXCELLENT (and free) step in getting on top of personal finances.
Then, go to http://personal.fidelity.com/planning/retirement/retirement_planning.shtml.cvsr?bar=c and do the Fidelitly myPlanSM Retirement Quick Check. This is an easy retirement calculator that may or may not cause you to panic so have a cocktail before doing it. While the website says it takes 30 minutes to do the calculator, it takes more like three minutes. This will give you a picture of what your retirement savings need to be (one part of the equation) for when you ideally would like to be DONE.COM.
The missing part of this equation is the lifestyle calculator which I'll be hard at work developing (while I'm also hard at work at increasing my mileage for the marathon). By the way, I ran 16 miles this past Saturday. I realize all this training is actually paying off with me being able run longer distances. The bad news is that the second toenail on my right foot is tender, just like this economy.
In Love Story Part 2, I hope to report the efficacy of the TLC I deliver to my toe and to you (T-he L-ifestyle C-alculator).
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Mona Vie
I've always been fascinated by motivational leaders and preachers. Tony Robbins and Joel Osteen are two in particular. I think Tom Cruise's finest acting moment was playing the character of self-help guru (be it misogynist) Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia. I find it amazing how regular people can become utterly captivated by the passion and catch phrases of a dynamic public speaker. A theory to the magnetism goes back to Maslow and his hiearchy of needs. The need to belong, is smack in the middle of the triangle, just above the basics of physiological and safety needs. Only after we succeed in feeling accepted can we move on to realizing esteem and self-actualization. Finding the right "group" is something we seem to be eternally searching for in big cities. Sounds like high school all over again.
Recently, I was invited to a 'tasting party' by a friend for a new product called Mona Vie. It's a super charged form of acai juice. Acai is now a household name since the Brazilian berry outpaced pomegranate as the new wonder fruit. In my marathon training mode, I've been open to anything remotely natural that might make me healthier hence, run a little bit faster so I decided to check it out. The tasting party actually was a selling party or rather a buying party, that is buying into the idea that Mona Vie was a surefire way for people to start a successful home business as a distributor of the brand. Anyone who has run a marathon will tell you that your life turns into Forrest Gump and you do nothing else it seems except run. There was no home business in my near future but I was genuinely curious about tasting it so I stuck around. The leader of the evening was a trained coach in motivational selling. He had a number of tactics to rally the other attendees into engaging with each other and he enticed with the idea of earning ten million dollars in three years.
Interestingly, the coach didn't dwell on the figures but rather on the WHY. Why did people want to earn ten million dollars in three years? (Does this sound familiar? hint: my post about the movie Office Space.) Apparently, when people focused on the why, that's where the motivation for the business came from. Interestingly, folks were fairly candid about their why; to travel more, spend more time with loved ones, help out family financially. Sure enough, the coach had his own catch phrase, "I CREATE WEALTH AND ABUNDANCE!" which people recited to their neighbor and punctuated with enthusiastic high-fives. The moral of the story: the WHY is also important to being DONE.COM.
So let's do a quick review:
1- DONE.COM isn't just about not working BUT, working everyday especially in America with two weeks vacation until retirement at 65 is definitely not for everyone.
2- DONE.COM may require a plan that takes into consideration aging parents for some.*
3- DONE.COM is about being realistic about quality of life in the future.
4- DONE.COM is about having an EXCELLENT grasp on personal finances and financial matters.
5- DONE.COM is about having smart or no debt (smart debt is debt that is paid off regularly at a low interest rate).
6- DONE.COM is about having goals and staying on top of the WHY.
7- DONE.COM is about realizing the need to belong.
The next phase of DONE.COM will involve doing some math and setting a timeline. Cooincidentally, I've started to track my running progress and have taken my training up a notch. This means I've started a combination of running and working out 7 days a week. I've come to terms with the fact I will have mostly bad hair days for the next two and a half months. I can only imagine what it will be like after the marathon, when I have all that time back, when I am DONE.COM with training. I also know that training will have to come before many things, even occasionally spending time with my manfriend. So far he's been extremely supportive. There's an expression something to the effect of, "If you want a challenge run a race, if you want a life changing experience, run a marathon." I'm ready for life changing experiences and I think he's starting to get that idea about me, too.
*I highly recommend the book, In the Checklist of Life for anyone anxious or unsure about how to handle personal affairs or the affairs of a spouse/parent in the event of sickness or death. http://aaippublishing.com/Books.html
Recently, I was invited to a 'tasting party' by a friend for a new product called Mona Vie. It's a super charged form of acai juice. Acai is now a household name since the Brazilian berry outpaced pomegranate as the new wonder fruit. In my marathon training mode, I've been open to anything remotely natural that might make me healthier hence, run a little bit faster so I decided to check it out. The tasting party actually was a selling party or rather a buying party, that is buying into the idea that Mona Vie was a surefire way for people to start a successful home business as a distributor of the brand. Anyone who has run a marathon will tell you that your life turns into Forrest Gump and you do nothing else it seems except run. There was no home business in my near future but I was genuinely curious about tasting it so I stuck around. The leader of the evening was a trained coach in motivational selling. He had a number of tactics to rally the other attendees into engaging with each other and he enticed with the idea of earning ten million dollars in three years.
Interestingly, the coach didn't dwell on the figures but rather on the WHY. Why did people want to earn ten million dollars in three years? (Does this sound familiar? hint: my post about the movie Office Space.) Apparently, when people focused on the why, that's where the motivation for the business came from. Interestingly, folks were fairly candid about their why; to travel more, spend more time with loved ones, help out family financially. Sure enough, the coach had his own catch phrase, "I CREATE WEALTH AND ABUNDANCE!" which people recited to their neighbor and punctuated with enthusiastic high-fives. The moral of the story: the WHY is also important to being DONE.COM.
So let's do a quick review:
1- DONE.COM isn't just about not working BUT, working everyday especially in America with two weeks vacation until retirement at 65 is definitely not for everyone.
2- DONE.COM may require a plan that takes into consideration aging parents for some.*
3- DONE.COM is about being realistic about quality of life in the future.
4- DONE.COM is about having an EXCELLENT grasp on personal finances and financial matters.
5- DONE.COM is about having smart or no debt (smart debt is debt that is paid off regularly at a low interest rate).
6- DONE.COM is about having goals and staying on top of the WHY.
7- DONE.COM is about realizing the need to belong.
The next phase of DONE.COM will involve doing some math and setting a timeline. Cooincidentally, I've started to track my running progress and have taken my training up a notch. This means I've started a combination of running and working out 7 days a week. I've come to terms with the fact I will have mostly bad hair days for the next two and a half months. I can only imagine what it will be like after the marathon, when I have all that time back, when I am DONE.COM with training. I also know that training will have to come before many things, even occasionally spending time with my manfriend. So far he's been extremely supportive. There's an expression something to the effect of, "If you want a challenge run a race, if you want a life changing experience, run a marathon." I'm ready for life changing experiences and I think he's starting to get that idea about me, too.
*I highly recommend the book, In the Checklist of Life for anyone anxious or unsure about how to handle personal affairs or the affairs of a spouse/parent in the event of sickness or death. http://aaippublishing.com/Books.html
Monday, July 21, 2008
Go For the Goals
This past weekend I made my annual pilgrimage to the very east end of Long Island. My longtime friend's parents have had a house in Montauk, a stone's throw from the beach way before the Hamptons became a playground for idiots.
Every summer we'd sit on the beach at Ditch Plains and talk about the past and future. We've known each other now for 30 years so we could spend hours discussing silly things that happened in grade school to our intimate hopes and fears when it came to relationships and who were dating at the time.
We both would have our journals in tow and between gawking at tan surfers and watching with envy the carefree teenagers off from school, our minds would spin with thoughts about who we once were and who we wanted to be and we'd record them in our books carefully with greasy, sand covered pens.
Some time in the last five or six years, those hours on the beach became like New Year's Eve for us, where we'd make resolutions for ourselves to check in with each other throughout the year. One summmer I happened to read the book The Seven Spiritual Laws to Success by Deepak Chopra which I recommend to anyone looking to simplify just about everything. http://store.chopra.com/productinfo.asp?item=55&deptcode1=512
We called these sessions "Goals" to mask their inherit significance. Plus it was easier then saying, "Let's make those lists that keep us from becoming slackers satisfied with personal and professional mediocrity." They started out with three types of goals in sets of three; what we wanted to complete in the next week, what we wanted to do by the end of the year and what we wanted to acheieve by the time we were 30. The benchmarks proved to be a challenge because some goals like, 'Own real estate,' didn't really budge for a few years so we decided to change them to what we wanted to do in a week, by the end of the month and before our next birthday.
The process of goals, having them, concrete goals, checking in on them, becoming active about acheiving them, my guess, is probably a key attribute of success for people who are DONE.COM. If you're starting to get the idea of what DONE.COM means then I think you understand goals. It's not just about cashing out. It's also about simplifying life while at the same time living with intention.
An interesting side note: my friend and I did NOT get to do goals this weekend. The plan was we'd go for a run (she ran the marathon two years ago incidentally) and then sit on the beach and do our goals but the weather and my significant had another plan. I'm hoping to get my friend on the phone later tonight so we can do our goals because this change of plan was an interesting metaphor and influence on my goals. How do relationships affect a DONE.COM plan? The possibilties are altogether thrilling and icky.
Every summer we'd sit on the beach at Ditch Plains and talk about the past and future. We've known each other now for 30 years so we could spend hours discussing silly things that happened in grade school to our intimate hopes and fears when it came to relationships and who were dating at the time.
We both would have our journals in tow and between gawking at tan surfers and watching with envy the carefree teenagers off from school, our minds would spin with thoughts about who we once were and who we wanted to be and we'd record them in our books carefully with greasy, sand covered pens.
Some time in the last five or six years, those hours on the beach became like New Year's Eve for us, where we'd make resolutions for ourselves to check in with each other throughout the year. One summmer I happened to read the book The Seven Spiritual Laws to Success by Deepak Chopra which I recommend to anyone looking to simplify just about everything. http://store.chopra.com/productinfo.asp?item=55&deptcode1=512
We called these sessions "Goals" to mask their inherit significance. Plus it was easier then saying, "Let's make those lists that keep us from becoming slackers satisfied with personal and professional mediocrity." They started out with three types of goals in sets of three; what we wanted to complete in the next week, what we wanted to do by the end of the year and what we wanted to acheieve by the time we were 30. The benchmarks proved to be a challenge because some goals like, 'Own real estate,' didn't really budge for a few years so we decided to change them to what we wanted to do in a week, by the end of the month and before our next birthday.
The process of goals, having them, concrete goals, checking in on them, becoming active about acheiving them, my guess, is probably a key attribute of success for people who are DONE.COM. If you're starting to get the idea of what DONE.COM means then I think you understand goals. It's not just about cashing out. It's also about simplifying life while at the same time living with intention.
An interesting side note: my friend and I did NOT get to do goals this weekend. The plan was we'd go for a run (she ran the marathon two years ago incidentally) and then sit on the beach and do our goals but the weather and my significant had another plan. I'm hoping to get my friend on the phone later tonight so we can do our goals because this change of plan was an interesting metaphor and influence on my goals. How do relationships affect a DONE.COM plan? The possibilties are altogether thrilling and icky.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Scored Racing
Runners will recognize the term scored racing. If you finish certain distances under certain times for nine or more races, you can earn yourself a spot in the NY marathon. But then sometimes the marathon has pity on you and if you've tried the lottery four years in a row, you get automatic entry that fourth time. I fall into the persistent vs consistent category. This goes for so many things in my life.
I don't remember when I learned about credit scores. You hear of bad credit but the part about scores was a mystery to me. Remember my Fannie Mae cluelessness? Well, I was even more clueless when it came to my credit report, that I even had one!! You mean someone was keeping tabs on my tabs?? Whoever thought it was a good idea to give college students credit cards without mandatory parental approval or some sort of stringent personal finance education and approval process should drown in debt. Not only did I live on credit cards in college, I lived beyond my means on credit.
Cut to post-college with no job and a hefty (Ivy League) student loan to carry as well, I found myself with five figures worth of debt and a degree in English. Then somewhere between dodging collection calls and putting my loans on deferment, I read Suze Orman's book, The 9 Steps To Financial Freedom ( www.suzeorman.com). It was a long, painful process but I became credit card debt free and refuse to use anything except American Express. I still am paying off my students loans as admittedly that was the lion's share of my debt (one more year to go) but will be paying those off ahead of schedule. In this process I learned about credit reports and how late payments actually DO matter.
I live in NYC, the worst city to try and accumulate personal wealth, where as my friend from LA observed that fast cash from the ATM comes in increments of $100 instead of $20 as it does over there, it's hard not to think that everyone is loaded here. What I fail to remember is that many people still live on credit so I feel fortunate to have learned that lesson in my twenties. Now as I'm in the race for real estate, I am relieved that my credit score is good and I am able to prequalify for a mortgage.
So back to being Done.com, what does all of this have to do with it? Well, being Done.com is a goal of mine as is owning a home. My parting thought(s) will actually be some takeaways for you to read. Then we'll go more into goals and why working often sucks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/06/opinion/06debotton.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=workers+of+the+world%2C+relax&st=nyt&oref=slogin
http://nymag.com/news/features/24757/
I don't remember when I learned about credit scores. You hear of bad credit but the part about scores was a mystery to me. Remember my Fannie Mae cluelessness? Well, I was even more clueless when it came to my credit report, that I even had one!! You mean someone was keeping tabs on my tabs?? Whoever thought it was a good idea to give college students credit cards without mandatory parental approval or some sort of stringent personal finance education and approval process should drown in debt. Not only did I live on credit cards in college, I lived beyond my means on credit.
Cut to post-college with no job and a hefty (Ivy League) student loan to carry as well, I found myself with five figures worth of debt and a degree in English. Then somewhere between dodging collection calls and putting my loans on deferment, I read Suze Orman's book, The 9 Steps To Financial Freedom ( www.suzeorman.com). It was a long, painful process but I became credit card debt free and refuse to use anything except American Express. I still am paying off my students loans as admittedly that was the lion's share of my debt (one more year to go) but will be paying those off ahead of schedule. In this process I learned about credit reports and how late payments actually DO matter.
I live in NYC, the worst city to try and accumulate personal wealth, where as my friend from LA observed that fast cash from the ATM comes in increments of $100 instead of $20 as it does over there, it's hard not to think that everyone is loaded here. What I fail to remember is that many people still live on credit so I feel fortunate to have learned that lesson in my twenties. Now as I'm in the race for real estate, I am relieved that my credit score is good and I am able to prequalify for a mortgage.
So back to being Done.com, what does all of this have to do with it? Well, being Done.com is a goal of mine as is owning a home. My parting thought(s) will actually be some takeaways for you to read. Then we'll go more into goals and why working often sucks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/06/opinion/06debotton.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=workers+of+the+world%2C+relax&st=nyt&oref=slogin
http://nymag.com/news/features/24757/
Monday, June 16, 2008
Home Sweet Home
Sometime in early May, a friend of mine who recently moved out of state and left her country house behind told me she lowered her selling price. This was significant because one, I had encouraged her to buy that country house and two, I spent several weekends at that house. I loved that house. I knew her original asking price which was completely out of my range but this lowered price had me thinking of going the 'buy your second house first' route. Years ago I had ordered brochures from Fannie Mae on how to buy a home because I was clueless. I apparently am still clueless.
I've decided to weave the experience of my entry into the NY marathon into this blog because by Nov 2, I will have finished the marathon and become a homeowner. Or not.
Two frightening prospects as they represent significant life goals of mine to reach 'by the age of 35.' I will revisit goals as well soon. Did I mention all of this is being witnessed by a new significant other, yet another frightening prospect in my life. I suspect this will all be a lesson in humility.
Right now, I'm in an ironic detox mode to get into the mindset for the marathon. In the meantime, please visit www.mint.com. A very noble website on mastering personal finance.
I've decided to weave the experience of my entry into the NY marathon into this blog because by Nov 2, I will have finished the marathon and become a homeowner. Or not.
Two frightening prospects as they represent significant life goals of mine to reach 'by the age of 35.' I will revisit goals as well soon. Did I mention all of this is being witnessed by a new significant other, yet another frightening prospect in my life. I suspect this will all be a lesson in humility.
Right now, I'm in an ironic detox mode to get into the mindset for the marathon. In the meantime, please visit www.mint.com. A very noble website on mastering personal finance.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Hustle and Flow
I work in public relations. I wanted to be a writer though somehow ended up in PR. I like what I do. Sometimes. I figured out what I do well at my job (managing people, being creative) and have tried to pursue opportunities that let me use those aspects of my abilities. That's my sanity saving tactic. Otherwise I'd pull out my hair. Trust me though, I still do get wicked Sunday Blues.
There's the classic scene in the movie Office Space where Ron Livingston admits if money were no object he'd do nothing. The idea of doing nothing is definitely tempting. Though folks with inherited wealth don't always sit on their laurels. In fact, some of the privileged actually take bigger risks and work hard at starting a business or bringing an idea to life. The catch there is those folks have less to lose, at least from a material stand point. Most of us have to hustle when it comes to being an entrepreneur. And sometimes the hustle hurts. Part of the mission of Done.com is also to help with the hustle.
There's the classic scene in the movie Office Space where Ron Livingston admits if money were no object he'd do nothing. The idea of doing nothing is definitely tempting. Though folks with inherited wealth don't always sit on their laurels. In fact, some of the privileged actually take bigger risks and work hard at starting a business or bringing an idea to life. The catch there is those folks have less to lose, at least from a material stand point. Most of us have to hustle when it comes to being an entrepreneur. And sometimes the hustle hurts. Part of the mission of Done.com is also to help with the hustle.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
God Bless The Child
I apologize in advance for using the G-word as I'd like this blog to remain non-denomenational and the reference is purely to call upon the Billie Holiday song. I've just returned from having dinner with my mother who is in her early 60s. She's not working, but not yet retired, hence she's not DONE.COM.
I realize after tonight that my blog should definitely take into account aging parents in the formula of reaching the point of being DONE.
To elaborate on being DONE, I mean leaving behind THE MAN even if you're THE MAN, i.e. have your own business, and being able to maintain a lifestyle that is comfortable yet realistic and relevant to individual means.
How, you ask. Well, we've only just begun the discussion what wanting to be DONE is and what being DONE means. There's much more to come.
I realize after tonight that my blog should definitely take into account aging parents in the formula of reaching the point of being DONE.
To elaborate on being DONE, I mean leaving behind THE MAN even if you're THE MAN, i.e. have your own business, and being able to maintain a lifestyle that is comfortable yet realistic and relevant to individual means.
How, you ask. Well, we've only just begun the discussion what wanting to be DONE is and what being DONE means. There's much more to come.
Monday, April 21, 2008
It's A Hard Knock Life
I remember a few years after graduating from college when I was well into my first 'real' job thinking to myself, "Ok, I get it. I get what it means to work everyday."
This blog has been created for people of all ages, though mostly 22-50 years olds who want to be DONE.COM. This is also for the folks in this group who already are. More power to you.
This blog has been created for people of all ages, though mostly 22-50 years olds who want to be DONE.COM. This is also for the folks in this group who already are. More power to you.
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