Musings: Quote Wednesdays….
I’m on a Bruce Lee kick this week – woo…..
Think of it as a well thought out quote “blast” – because you’re all so special.
Also if you’ve got the time – watch Ip Man and Ip Man 2. Seriously.
Stay awesome. 😉
– Rego
Tag Archives: Rego
Musings Episode 32: Because Really, Life’s Just One Big Playground…
So this morning I got up an hour early because of my wrist watch and completely forgot it’s daylight savings time.
Instead of going back to bed, I decide to head out to the den and watch a movie – sorting through the stack I come across both a childhood and present day favorite – Big (1988). Oh man. It’s been ages.
There’s one in particular scene towards the end of the film that really grabs my attention. Right when Josh is just getting accustomed to being an adult and Billy storms into his office:
Josh: Will you please leave? I got a deadline to meet. Gosh.
Billy: Who the fuck do you think you are ?
Josh: HEY!
Billy: You’re Josh Baskin, remember? You broke your arm on my roof! You hid in MY basement when Robert Dyson was about to rip your head off!
Josh: You don’t get it, do you? This is important!
Billy: I’m your best friend. What’s more important than that, huh?
[Turns to leave]
Billy: And I’m three months older than you are, ASSHOLE!
If any of you remember this scene, you can understand why Billy was angry. Not so much at Josh’s actions, but what he started to become. He lost touch – took his eye off the ball.
In becoming an adult, Josh was also losing sight of what life is really all about. Really, when you think about it – this happens to a lot of people as they get older.
There’s nothing wrong with responsibility – absolutely not…but with that responsibility, sometimes you can forget about the other part of life – the stress free, have a laugh part of life.
I remember when I used to work in the Forex industry doing currency exchange – the team I was on knew how to party, but at the same time they could be some real cut throat bastards – you really come to know a man when you get some alcohol in ’em.
Anyway – there was this one guy, who was practically like a brother from another mother – and pretty much the one person in the group who made the most sense when he talked, inebriated or not. If there was one piece of advice and wisdom he gave me that outweighed everything else he ever said, it was this:
Listen Rego – this business can make you crazy – the pressure, the timing, the politics, the stakes. This group, this team you’re on can make you crazy, too – they’re one group of shit talking bastards. But at the end of the day, for you and you only, you have to do one thing – the minute you step foot outside the office, the minute you make it home and close your front door:
This company, these guys, this market, doesn’t exist. The minute you’re home – the only thing that exists is the life you’re living, outside of this job – outside of making money. Don’t ever speak of work if you’re not in the building. Ever – separate work from home like it’s religion from politics.
This has stuck with me ever since I heard it more than 5 years ago, and it’s something I’ll never forget.
What happens is, people get so caught up in their job, in their work, and not in a good way. If you have a business that you love, sure, that’s positive. But the minute your work starts to consume your life, your time, in a negative way, to the point you lose sight of the meaning in your life – it’s time you stop yourself, and re-evaluate. If you haven’t already, go ahead and subscribe here now, or at the bottom of this page to my official site, for a free download on how to improve your lifestyle.
What is Rego’s Life all about? Success. Freedom. Lifestyle. Fun. Travel. Fun. Laser focus. FUN. Adjusting your thinking. Getting to know yourself. Getting to know your desires. Never losing sight. Never getting caught up in the rat race. Realizing, and acknowledging what matters. Making it count.
This is why Billy got pissed at Josh – he forgot about life – and who and what mattered.
Life’s just one big playground.
I’m a big kid at heart. If you met me in the street however – hell who knows what you’d think. Some people call me serious. Some people call me chill. I’ve even been called “suave” a handful of times (not to toot my own horn, of course). Then others call me funny – others borderline narcissistic…and you know that’s okay – I’m fine with that. But really, I’m just one big kid at heart.
If you ever visited my place, in one room you’d see office stuff, some free weights, etc, etc. Then in another you’d see video games, snowboards/skateboards, marshmallow guns, footballs (Man Utd for the win), board games, etc, etc.
Life’s just one big playground…and a lot of times, people forget that the minute they grow up.
In my opinion, growing up isn’t just about age – fuck that. Growing up is based on life experiences, and how you choose to mold yourself after encountering said experiences. Me? I’ve learned to be selectively mature – selectively grown up.
I’ll be completely serious and mature about business, money, relationships, and responsibilities – but catch me outside of that setting and you’ll discover a completely different person – from taking extravagant trips abroad, to playing frisbee in a park, loyalty to friends and being reasonable and opinionated – I’ve come to learn life is all about doing what makes you happy – what makes life worth living.
That’s how you make your stamp on the world. Remembering the things that matter. Really thinking about your actions. Laser like focus.
I understand completely this can vary from person to person, but the main thing here to understand is this – life isn’t about bills. It isn’t about climbing the corporate ladder. It’s not about getting that company car, or that corner office overlooking the lake. It’s about discovering yourself, discovering what makes you happy, and at the same time still holding onto and remembering that childhood optimism and fearlessness that is slowly extracted from us the more we conform to societal norms.
So here’s where I ask you the big three:
What is life about, to you?
What do you want out of life?
What makes life worth living?
Comment and share below…
…and of course, as always….
Stay Awesome.
– Rego
Musings Episode 32: Because Really, Life’s Just One Big Playground… is a post from Rego’s Life
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- Musings Episode 26: Go Big or Go Home…. (regoslife.com)
- Musings Episode 29: Lifestyle… (regoslife.com)
- Daylight Savings Time: The Weirdest Night Of The Year For Bartenders (refinery29.com)
- Musings Episode 28: Take The Leap… (regoslife.com)
Musings Episode 30: Success…
So this Episodic Musing is officially my 30th…
…and I’ve gotta say, I’m quite happy. I started this blog in the beginning of the year for fun and to share with people my thoughts and philosophies on lifestyle – and it’s gotten pretty big.
Ergo I thought the appropriate topic to touch on in this post would be Success. I know I’ve talked about it before, but I’ve never really made one concentrated article on it.
Now’s the time to do so.
Success is everything you want, an automatic request on your desire list, and something you push towards every single day of your natural life without even realizing it.
At times, many people may think that success is only measured by large accomplishment – when really, it can be as simple as a few small achievements a day. The question is – what is it that you consider an achievement?
Everyone has their own “scale” – this “scale” is something in which they measure themselves by. Some people build their scale off of other people’s scales, which can often be detrimental to their own success.
Comparing yourself against others will get you nowhere. I’d just like to tell you that now. You can have a figure or someone to look up to and admire their achievements – but never, EVER peg yourself against someone else’s own success scale.
I mentioned in a coaching session on my official site how the only person you should be in competition with is yourself – that’s the only person you should be up against, and the only person you should be comparing your milestones to.
There’s a free eBook I’m currently giving away that touches on this and other dramatic ways to improve your lifestyle – if you haven’t already go ahead and head over to my official site to subscribe and grab it.
By competing against yourself, it gives you a chance to create your own path and find goals you’d like to set for yourself – and no one else. Many people who wish they could have the same achievements some of their “idols” have accomplished hurt themselves by following the same path their idols take – this isn’t building YOUR success – this is living in someone’s shadow.
…and if you’re somebody and wanna be an even greater somebody, the last thing you want is to live in someone else’s shadow.
Einstein once said:
…and I wholeheartedly agree. This brings me to my next point – in doing the same thing, you’re gonna get same results.
Really, when you think about it – what’s a job?
Really. Think about it.
Unless it’s in a creative field, many jobs are going into a building or going to a place and doing the same thing, day in, day out.
You get the steady paycheck.
You get the steady time.
You meet the same people.
You do this over, and over, and over again.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
As my great uncle used to say –
“You live one day, in 70 years, or 70 years in one day.”
A job – living one day in 70 years.
That’s so fucking boring.
You trade hours for dollars.
I believe in trading ideas for millions.
I believe in living 70 years in a single day.
Which sounds better?
I’ll take the latter any day.
Ideas that are acted upon stimulate the brain, and force you to think creatively until it comes naturally to you.
That’s a mini milestone to success.
Action, action, action – innovation, innovation, innovation.
That’s success.
Reaching into your own head.
Grabbing your own ideas that truly make you happy.
Acting upon said ideas with no holding back.
This is when you really start being, doing, and achieving what you’re really meant to.
Wait a minute.
I’m not saying go out there and quit your job tomorrow – no, not at all. You’re not pinning me for saying that.
What I am saying is, while you’re at that job making that steady cash that takes care of the bills, stop bullshitting around with the rest of the money and buying new furniture when you just bought some 2 years ago.
Stop impulse buying shit that’s just gonna collect in your garage.
Stop being on autopilot.
I’m not saying stop spending and start budgeting – god no. I’m saying if you wanna spend, take the time out to think on what you really wanna spend on.
But don’t just do that either – start thinking of ways you can get off that hamster wheel you’ve been on for Christ knows how long, and start acting on ideas while you’re still at your job. Make time to do it.
I understand many of you want stability, that comfortable feeling of knowing your needs are met – but take it a step further and think about your needs being met and not having to worry about waiting for the special thing you wanna buy or having to buy it on credit because you don’t have the money at the moment.
Think about the feeling of choosing to buy shit on credit and knowing you have the money to pay for it tomorrow if you want.
Stop doing the same old day in, day out routine. If you can’t do that just yet – then do the same routine when it comes to your job or self run one-man-band business, and take the time to think up new ways to get yourself out of the current, hamster wheel, never ending cycle type autopilot and into a different kind of auto pilot.
I’m talking automated income.
I’m talking money you only dreamed of making in a year you can make in half that time – or even a month.
John Chow talks about this in his course on How to Live The Dot Com Lifestyle.
Stop doing the same old, same old because it’s comfortable, and start thinking – then act on that thinking.
That’s success.
Oh and last but not least….
As always…
Stay awesome. 😉
– Rego
Musings Episode 30: Success… is a post from and first appeared on Rego’s Life.
Related articles
- Musings Episode 29: Lifestyle… (regoslife.com)
- Musings Episode 26: Go Big or Go Home…. (regoslife.com)
- Musings Episode 27: Learning To Let Go… (regoslife.com)
- A man, a plan, a human-sized hamster wheel (nydailynews.com)
Musings Episode 27: Learning To Let Go…
So I know a couple weeks ago I touched on hate for no reason….I had a hell of a good time on my birthday weekend, and I just wanted to do a follow up musing to elaborate further on how to eliminate people like that from your life…
Energy is what we’re made of. Everything we do, say, and hear is energy. Which is why negative words can cut, and positive ones can sooth. As humans our main goal in life is to take in as many positive experiences as humanly possible, and learn from/eliminate/avoid any negative ones.
Don’t like a movie? Walk out of the theatre. Don’t like the way someone’s talking to you? Say “STOP….no.” and walk off from them, hang up the phone. Don’t like the location you live in, the party you’re at, the sport you’re in, exercise your free will and change it. It’s all possible – we have free will, and a right to everything we desire on this planet….
I know some of you may say this is at times difficult to do – I understand. “But Rego, what if it’s like this in my job, what do I do now?” While it may be trickier in a job setting, learning to let go just takes a little bit of creative thinking.
I’ll give you an example. As you all know, there’s various things I do to make cash – most of it’s web and technology based. Now I’m a pretty chill person – but when I was a kid….I was a bit of a tyrant (side note: pretty sure if anyone I knew from childhood read that, they’d say “a bit” is an understatement…ignore them). I didn’t let anyone, talk to me in any way that was disrespectful – and I spoke my mind when needed. As I got older, I learned to be a bit more charismatic…and less shoot and fire if fired at.
I could’ve been this guy…but I like to party too much. *nods*
I developed…you know, charm.
…but in developing charm, there’s also something else I had to develop. I started reading Sun Tzu’s Art of War, and realized that sometimes, it’s best to pick and choose your battles – and if going into battle, there’s always more than one way to victory.
Hey I’m not perfect – I still slip up every now and then these days…but I’ve improved. Why…? Because I’ve learned to let some things go – learn to let some people go, and learn to let some methods of thinking go. It’s called the law of absolute abundance. Everyone’s born naturally with this, before we get thrown into the norms of society and taught there’s such a thing as lack.
A lack in money.
A lack in social options.
A lack in opportunities.
A lack in options in general, really.
As we become adults, we often try and battle this…though most just give in to it.
So really, lack is taught….not hardwired. When you get this, it clicks like a light bulb in your head – or a bullet in a barrel – whichever analogy you like best. 😉 Ergo if lack is taught, then abundance can either be re-taught, or destroyed. The goal here is to keep it from getting destroyed.
Abundance mentality can be destroyed in many ways – from failures to certain other negative life experiences or people, it can be shredded down to nothing if someone doesn’t constantly have a reminder that abundance was here first, and always has been. This is what I mean about eliminating negativity as much as possible. This is what I mean about staying away from negative people – and negative experiences. This is what I mean about letting go.
I’d say if there’s one bit I would change in the little snippet above, it’s spend time with genuine people – anyone can be nice. Genuine people are hard to come by.
Getting your mind to constantly think abundantly, is no easy feat. For one it’s like exercising for that killer bod – practice, practice, practice. Exercise, exercise, exercise. Train, train, train. You get the idea – you have to work practically, not just in theory. It’s about changing your self talk, and your mental imagery. I touch on both of these subjects on my official site, and a little bit about learning to inspire yourself as well – imagination is the first step to absolute abundance thinking.
Chase Amante has an article related to this as well – though it may just pertain to relationships and dating, you can take his examples and pointers, and easily apply many of them to other aspects in your life, financially and socially. It’s all about staying in the right crowd, and socializing with the right people – this is the easiest way to train yourself to think abundantly.
I’m sure some of you back in your grade school days – maybe even in university, used to have your own group of friends…they were people you shared the same thinking with, similar ambitions, and probably similar mentalities. Then somewhere along the line, things changed – I’ve known many people to start socializing with their co-workers, and eventually through doing that adapting their mental habits. This can be a very bad thing – I for one never believe in socializing with co-workers – it’s too close to the situation you’re in and can turn bad quickly.
Some people can initially start out as nice, wanting to get to know you. Then turn negative, abrasive, and opposing – these are what I mentioned in my last post, as psychic vampires. People who suck the happiness and good thoughts out of you – after all, misery always wants company…and that, in absolutely no way helps you.
This is where I mean pick your battles. This is what I mean when I say do a little creative thinking. The easiest way? Zone out. Husbands do it all the time (sorry married brethren) – if they don’t feel like listening to something their wife is saying – they miraculously gain the ability to go into a vegetative state in relation to listening.
If you’re not listening, or remotely paying attention – there’s nothing to take in…and if there’s nothing to take in – there’s nothing to let go of….and then it’s problem solved. Like I said – this is not at all easy at first. It takes persistence, dedication, and commitment to your own self talk. When you learn to take care of yourself – you learn to take care of others – and in turn learn to let go. You can’t control other people’s mouths – nor their actions, or thoughts…but you can control your thoughts, your mouth, and your actions.
This isn’t the Gandhi approach at all – so don’t think I’m going there….when it’s time to stand up for yourself, you stand up for yourself and stand 10 feet tall…but sometimes, it’s better to let go of and mentally discard things. Get mad about it, kick, scream, punch, do whatever you need to do – and then find a solution. Letting go is the first part of the solution, and the first action – moving on and creating an answer to the solution are steps two and three.
Once you’ve got this down pact – you’ll know exactly what I mean about letting go. Check out my Make It Mondays posts on my official site, and subscribe for a free eBook that’ll blow your mind. Take the posts plus the book, study them, and then apply the reasoning and exercises. You’ve gotta do this for at least a month – Every. Single. Day. Come hell or high water – every day. No exceptions. It’s gonna be like crafting that insane body – but the work is worth the pay off…and don’t beat yourself up if you slip up.
The race isn’t over until the last lap. The track is meant to be conquered – not feared.
Stay awesome. 😉
– Rego
Musings Episode 27: Learning To Let Go… is a post from and appeared first on Rego’s Life
Musings Episode 26: Go Big or Go Home….
Often, I set certain milestones in my life. One in particular is something I’ve done since I was a child. I’ve always had the philosophy of if you’re gonna do something, you might as well do it right, and do it big – and I still stick with that method of thinking today.
So for this musing, let’s really get down to the nitty gritty of that.
Life is meant to be lived. We’re meant to play hard – and work easy. The new rich know this – and they along with every new generation that’s popping up will soon master this skill to near perfection.
Life is about making an impression on the world – no matter how big or how small – as long as that impression matters to you.
I’m not saying you have to get out there and start a peace movement, become the next Gandhi, or even Genghis Khan….you don’t even have to be famous. Making an impression on the world doesn’t even have to include being known by a lot of people.
There are tons of people who make large differences every day who will never be known by the mass majority – but they still live life large. Let me elaborate on this just to make it crystal clear:
Making an impression, is about living your life the way you want to – and doing it in as big a fashion as possible. It’s not about anyone else. Period.
When we’re teenagers, we all at some point have this “unstoppable” fearlessness in us – there’s no reason why we have to grow out of it. Growing up can sometimes be detrimental – to our imagination, our confidence, and our “can do” attitude.
You’re probably wondering – if I’m saying it’s not about being internationally known – then how on earth do you go big exactly…?
Well it’s fairly simple –
You do all the things you want to do.
…without hesitation, and without worry. Dream as big as you can possibly fathom – then dream bigger. Perform as best as you think you can – then perform better. Be as best as you can – then be better.
It’s all very simple…and should be kept simple.
You don’t let anyone hold you back – mentally or literally.
You don’t let anyone tear down your thoughts/ideas – that includes about yourself.
You don’t let anyone tell you what level YOU should be at (i.e. you’re still a baby, you’re not supposed to be this young and have this, how is it possible you got this, how about just doing this/being this way).
When I dream – I dream BIG.
When I get stuff done – I make the end result BIG.
When I make my own style – I make the BEST.
When I set goals for myself – I don’t stop until I reach them.
This is what I mean when I say go big – Either give it your all, or give nothing at all. There is no in between – and if there is – if you are stuck in that grey area – sometimes it’s best to ask yourself:
Do I wanna be a race track success? Or an on the fence loser?
Ask yourself this, and I guarantee I know which one you’ll pick.
Stay awesome.
😉
– Rego
Musings Episode 26: Go Big or Go Home…. is a post from and appeared first on Rego’s Life
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For The Weekenders: Surfboard DIY, Bombay Bliss, Ninja Lessons
This summer’s been hot.
Too hot.
It’s the kind of weather where all you want to do is stay out of the heat, go swimming, and avoid the beach during high noon at all times for the sheer fact the sand will burn your skin off…so you wait until evening instead.
Well, while waiting until that time – why not be productive, not to mention creative….? Can’t think of any ideas…? I can.
Three words.
Surf.
Sand.
Sun.
Grain Surboards can help you out.
In my most recent musing, I talked a bit about DIY – well, this is the perfect chance to exercise that side of yourself. You can thank the guys at Grain Surfboards for this. Formerly wooden boat builders, these guys thought it’d be a great idea to take the concept and put their time and effort into something smaller, more transportable, and, well, fun. Not that boating isn’t at all fun…but honestly – which one do you think your date would be up for more?
Hey I know, we should build a BOAT!
Or….
Hey I know, let’s make our own surfboards (then head for the water so we both have excuses to see if both of us look good with less of our regular clothing on)!
The answer is obvious.
So it’s pretty straight forward – you google their website and head over to their online store – pick a board that’s to your liking (and body composition) and go from there. Wait a while for the mail to arrive (plan the order early on in the week to get it at a suitable time before the weekend), then sign for the package – receive it calmly until your door closes then proceed to tear it open to shreds like a 5 year old at Christmas.
Get in your zen moment, and call up that special someone you’ve been trying to get out and about – finally, you’ll have something interesting to suggest doing other than the same old lounge bar/restaurant deal. Head to your garage and push aside that floor jack and Snap-On tool set – from here up until the next few days your garage is now your “wood work shop.” Put on some nice music to work to, and create speak easy conversation while crafting your masterpiece and showing him/her the satisfaction of creating something so unique.
If that’s too much for you or you just really dig classes – sign up for one of their numerous classes now, and meet some new acquaintances.
Days later hit the beach up and enjoy your finished project.
You haven’t tried surfing until it’s on your own hand made board….
Then again if you haven’t tried surfing – you might want to learn first. Just a thought.
Speaking of hot, if you’re into hot and healthy foods it’d be a good idea to hit up a decent restaurant….not just decent but unique, original…inviting.
I’ve always been a fan of lamb…and with Bombay Bliss, there’s more than one way to have it. Now hang on – don’t let the drab website fool you – their site is nothing compared to their food. With so many options, it’s not wonder its a hidden gem. Forget Chicken Tandoori – so typical – let’s go for the works and start with Mumbai Pav Bhaji, a mixture of flavors and ingredients, my favorite two being mushrooms and bell peppers – win.
That was just to tease the pallet. Continue with either soup or salad, and have your fill and more with Spinach & Mushroom soup, or Asian corn with Edamame. Sit back and enjoy all this and take in your surroundings while waiting for the main “event” – I’d recommend sharing.
Nobody likes to feel like they’re gonna burst. Plus…there’s always desert to follow. What – you didn’t think it was gonna be some boring chip shop menu did you? Think again.
Hands down the main event for me is Lamb Boti Masala….tender, succulent tandoori lamb cubes surrounded and embraced by a hot & spicy sauce. Now I’m not usually one for spicy – unless it’s Kimchi and a few others – but this….this place – and this dish, quickly changes my mind when I think of all the great (and aromatic) options they give to fuel your stomach.
This is the perfect spot for friends, family, or even a date. The setting is neutral but welcoming, with a touch of class….I don’t go many places that lack class. So it’s a given you’re always being steered in the right direction 😉 If you’re vegetarian, they have plenty of options for you too. So go ahead, sit back, relax, eat to your heart’s content, and if you can manage grab some dessert after. Or before…I’ve always liked my dessert before dinner. *nods*
But let’s say after all the chill, calm zen moments you’ve had, you wanna take that inner peace and discipline and turn it into something cool…like being a ninja for a day. Or 3….or 5. You get the idea – ninjas = cool – and for a good long while they were the experts on espionage.
Well now you can take classes at Bujinkan New York Dojo, and be on your happy way to being one step closer to cooler…it also teaches serious discipline and self-awareness – not to mention a bunch of useful self-defense moves and the spiritual aspect of combat. With lessons every Tuesday and Thursday – it’s a chance you don’t wanna miss.
Right now they’ve got a trial month going on – $79. Keep in mind – this isn’t a place you can just drop into and check out – they want their students to focus fully on their training with no distractions – so walk-ins where people watch aren’t really allowed. They also have special workshops the first Saturday of every month – a different item on the menu every time. When you sign up – you’re signing up for a commitment – not a casual night out.
What makes their classes so unique? Check out an excerpt from their site:
Any good martial art can teach you to kick, grapple or use a weapon. The Bujinkan arts differ in that we pursue the essence of the martial arts: living and training with the proper spirit. This can lead to a just and prosperous life… devoid of this spirit, one can be lead to ruin.
The Bujinkan arts emphasize the development of character. The qualities we strive for are honesty, desire to learn and perseverance. A warrior is always calm and never surprised by any situation. In this way, we neutralize an opponent’s ability through an effective economy of movement.
If you really wanna learn the art of ninjutsu – this is it.
Stay awesome 😉
– Rego
For The Weekenders: Surfboard DIY, Bombay Bliss, Ninja Lessons is a post from and appeared first on Rego’s Life
Musings Episode 24: Do it Yourself….
Growing up I was taught independence.
Initiative.
Self sustaining habits.
The works, really.
There was a period where I was home schooled, for a short time – it helped me skip two grades and graduate grade school early. This taught self-discipline and time management, which helps me a lot today.
I know – I’ve been late in posting my musings the past two weeks – but only because I’ve been working on a BIG project that’s going to provide valuable and EPIC content for all my readers.
Those are the only two hints I can give right now – anything else and I’d spoil the surprise.
Now I’m not at all a micro-manager – no way. I believe in telling someone to get something done, then sitting back and watching them execute it. Only if they’re steering off the path in a major way do I intervene.
I like to give people flexibility to try different methods, new things, and alternate solutions. If a person finds a better, more efficient way of carrying out things – I look at that as time leverage.
As long as things are done properly, and in a timely matter, I’m not bothered much by the exact means in which the result was obtained – because there’s always more than one way to an answer or a destination.
What I don’t like is someone taking forever to decide on something then waiting until the last minute to drop the hammer.
This shows indecisiveness, and inability to make a snap decision independently.
There’s two character traits I mostly live my life by – independence, being the stronger of the two – and interdependence – something that I’ve learnt over the years through relationships, both platonic and romantic.
Since I was a kid I really had no problem doing things on my own, speaking out, or learning things on my own. Because of this, I also had no problem getting into the odd scuffle every now and again – if it was warranted.
There are huge benefits in doing things yourself – in certain circumstances. Other times it’s good to allocate things to other people if it pans out to be more time consuming or impractical than it’s really worth. To put it simply, it’s better to “outsource,” when the need calls.
A quick and easy example of this could be getting your car oil changed at a mechanic or doing it yourself.
The pros and cons?
Take it to the mechanic:
Pros – You don’t have to deal with doing it yourself and could be doing other things while your car is geting serviced.
Cons – They can throw any kind of cheap oil filter in there they choose to and they may not use the ideal oil type for the engine…thus inadvertently shortening your vehicle’s engine life. If you don’t have a second car you could be stuck sitting at the mech shop waiting for your vehicle anyway.
Doing it yourself:
Pros – You know what components are going into your car and can choose quality, for practically the same price. You learn a simple service enabling you to choose whether or not you want to outsource the task.
Cons – If you don’t have the tools (ratchet, washers, oil pan) you have to eat the initial investment. It’s a learning curve – whether or not you choose to conquer it is up to you.
Pros and cons of being a Do-it-yourselfer can be spread across any and all spectrums. The thing I like about doing things myself sometimes is the education – you can learn a lot if you just take the initiative and learn the basic structure of how things work.
Learning this could even mean just interacting with people from all aspects of life who specialize in various things – from mechanics to the art of conversation, a simple one-on-one conversation and genuine interest in someone’s talent can teach a person a lot.
Once you gain the insight though, don’t become a dick.
A lot of people extract information, apply it practically, and then forget exactly how they learned it in the first place. Every do-it-yourselfer is really just someone who’s studied their interests and gained insight from multiple sources.
However, the real and final learning process lies in execution, and executing well.
I’m not saying try and do everything yourself – not in the slightest…but every once in a while it’s good to have a go at something and see if you can conquer it.
Make it your business to learn or do something new at least once a week, and you’ll find you’ll develop more skills, gain more knowledge, and have more to talk about when interacting with other people.
I do, and it’s probably the best thing I’ve kept up in my life for a while. 😉
Stay awesome.
– Rego
Musings Episode 24: Do it Yourself…. is a post from and appeared first on Rego’s Life
Related articles
- Musings Episode 23: Hesitation… (regoslife.com)
- Musings – before time takes over (lilongweliving.wordpress.com)
Musings Episode 21: Get Organized…
Last week was crazy….and it doesn’t stop there, no, it continues onto this week. Long story short, I have a business associate I’m working with on trying to finish up a brand new, completely revamped commercial property, who is all over the board – no sense of organization or time allocation whatsoever…and it’s just about damn near driving me up the wall.
The project we’re both working on together, has been like molasses once it gets out of the bottle – initially, it trickles down slowly, reaching the spout – but once it does….it all comes out as if a landslide. Stopping it takes a bit of skill and you’ve gotta be quick enough to catch it all without spillage.
That’s pretty much the same thing I’m dealing with with the tasks at hand – it’s at the landslide part. Because of lack of organization in the beginning – everything, and I do mean everything is having to be done last minute. Now, if you were to hang out with me and get to know me on a week to week basis, over the years you would discover when it comes to business – or most things for that matter – one thing I absolutely despise is leaving things until the last minute.
It’s impractical. Leaves room for mistakes. Work gets sloppy, because things must be done in a rush and much faster. Things get forgotten, details overlooked, and in the end having to go back and correct/complete the overlooked/forgotten things actually just ends up creating more work, that takes more time.
Disorganization is not my friend.
Some people thrive in diving into a project where everyone’s flying by the seat of their pants. Others, like myself, don’t mind building a structured system to apply to a project that’s currently all over the board – but not often.
Getting organized really isn’t that hard. It just takes a few small simple steps on a day to day basis, until you can pretty much put everything on “auto pilot”. I’ve always liked the sound of that – maximizing time efficiency. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not at all a fan of things such as auto bill pay or cars that drive themselves.
I’m just one who appreciates shaving off a few minutes – even hours – here and there so I can enjoy the most of my day. It could be as simple as setting things out a certain way so I can breeze through my daily routine, or creating “systems” in my work to speed up the process of certain things. Even when I plan a great night out, I’ll have it laid out down to the minute detail – always of course, with room for flexibility. What I dislike, is when minds can’t be made up or large amounts of uncertainty.
Some things are made to where they seem more efficient but really end up being less so and take up more time. A good example of this is voice text – okay, so I get the basic concept and all, but honestly, has anyone really tried that shit out…? Even if you calibrate it to recognize the way you say certain words, it can still fuck up pretty bad. I’m a stickler for the smart phones with the Qwerty keyboards….like the LG Mach. At least if you make a mistake it’s purely your own grammatical error. Instead of…eh…I don’t know, implying you want someone’s grandpa dead.
….or implying you have a strange addiction to certain foods…
….or you know…just getting plain frustrated with the auto correct feature and not even being able to express said frustration.
Last one I swear.
The amount of time spent correcting mistakes made by the phone’s auto correct or voice recognition takes longer than banging out a simple text that just requires a bit of dexterity and finger work – today, I still have a Qwerty keypad phone for my personal use, and a regular “swype” keypad as one of my business phones.
But back to the main subject – being organized basically means putting a little bit of effort in day to day, so you don’t have one collective pile of stuff that’s been pushed aside coming back and slapping you in the face like an overwhelmed teen who just found out they’re pregnant.
The main thing here is to sort out the simplest things first, then work a structured plan and pace of action for the bigger fish you have to fry. Anything last minute has a bigger chance of going tits up…and and anything that’s “put aside” until later has a bigger chance of becoming unnecessarily overwhelming. If you try focusing on the biggest things first all the time, or worse, jumping from one project to the next simultaneously, you can potentially end up taxing your brain too much.
Wanna know how successful people really get things accomplished? They take more breaks. They stop multi-tasking….and the avoid bullshit time-consuming things, such as going back and forth with e-mails, instead of just picking up the goddamn phone.
There’s loads of ways that you can get organized. I may be elaborating on this in a later post. For now, this is more of a rant – I know, I’m usually not one to rant, but jesus christ disorganization is a pet peeve of mine…actually no – I don’t even want to call it a “pet.” It’s a pain in the bum.
Look out for this Thursday’s “For The Weekenders” post….I can guarantee I’ll be doing every single thing on the list…maybe even for a week…or three….thousand.
Stay cool.
– Rego
Musings Episode 21: Get Organized… is a post from and appeared first on Rego’s Life
Musings Episode 20: Early Retirement…
This past week I went out of town on business. The place I stayed in was great – beautiful beach front resort with all the bells and whistles – they pretty much won a Four Diamond award, if that’s not grounds to be impressed I don’t know what is. I’m talking about Costa d’ Este – if you haven’t been or are looking for a great place to holiday I highly recommend checking them out. Ask for an ocean view room, second floor.
So anyway, after a reluctant, late and drawn out night of “shooting the breeze” with business associates, I wake up incredibly hungover – pretty much facing up to the fact the gym will have to wait until the evening time. Yet besides the hangover, I feel great – and after grabbing a bottle of water, plop myself back into bed admiring the view.
Second floor view from my balcony.
I slowly start getting ready for the day, while listening to some chill sounds of bossa nova floating out of the in-room speakers they provide for your iPod…and when I finally am dressed, the pounding headache and insurmountable weakness from alcohol felt suddenly disappears – and the same feeling that’s always pushed me to do more and be better comes over me.
It’s the feeling of wanting more, wanting to see more, wanting to do more. It made me think of my retirement plans and how I’ve been slowly but surely building up to the ideal lifestyle I’ve had in mind for years. In experiencing all this, I wanted to share my thoughts and some discussions I’ve had regarding retirement – when I say retirement, it’s not at all what the typical meaning of it is nowadays. I’m not at all talking about going someplace nice to die once someone’s reached past the age of 65…because really when you think about it, that’s the type of retirement that’s been pitched for decades…and it’s downright depressing.
The kind of retirement I’m talking about is enjoying life now, and coming up with a way of having a consistent stream of income with minimal effort – automated practically. A lot of people raised on the standard society model deem this impossible and foolish. Even back in my university days I once had a (friendly) debate with a mate of mine who was a real penny pincher, and believed that he should be a miser so all the money he saved could be enjoyed when he turned 65.
Whenever I hear this type of logic I have a tendency to ask someone – what if they saved all that money then died the next day after they finally go to cash out? What would they have to account for it….? What could they say they did that was extraordinary with their life? What would they say they missed out on that they wished they did…?
Too often people are concerned about saving money for retirement, instead of saving money or utilizing credit in a sound way to build a business (see my Musings Episode 19) to where it pays you. Little do they know by the time you save that money, inflation’s already devalued it and you end up having less by the time your skin turns wrinkly. I want everyone to learn and understand that waiting until you get older is a played out method of thinking of things, and enjoying life in general. There’s no joy in going to pick up that sports car you wanted 30 years ago only to drive it slow as all get out because you’re older now.
Retirement doesn’t have to mean being over the hill and waiting until the beginning of the month for your pension check or social security – retirement can be right now – from mini holidays to treating yourself to something you’d usually steer clear of because “it’s the responsible thing to do”. I’m not saying go out there and blow your life savings on a Ferrari – that’s beyond stupid.
What I am saying is instead of planning for decades ahead, shift your focus instead towards creating an actual bucket list and starting with the simplest things to accomplish right now. If you already have a bucket list go over the things you set out to do and have accomplished, and work with it the same way – at least if you get the simplest things out of the way the bigger goals may seem like less of a challenge.
Early retirement doesn’t have to mean having all the money in the world – it can simply mean taking small steps towards your goals bit by bit. It doesn’t mean stop working all together – it simply means finding ways to check off certain things from that mental list you’ve always had. It means turning that mental list, into an actual hardcopy list.
The first place to start is imagination. It sounds childish – but really the main song that was ever so popular in the original Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory movie never rang so true. As we age, we’re taught that imagination is for kids, and that it’s time to face the real world and focus on real responsibilities. Yet no one every told us that if we continued to use our imagination, we could potentially and almost certainly come up with even better ways to take care of those responsibilities – hell, possibly even easier ways, no doubt.
I know that this may sound like a sort of rant but really it’s just a collection of thoughts I’ve had jumping around in my head for a while, that resurfaced into actual structured paragraphs and sentences since Vero. I want everyone to experience the great parts of life now, not later. There’s so much more to it than getting up and doing the same mundane process over and over, week in week out.
In the words of William Faulkner,
“It’s a shame that the only thing a man can do for eight hours a day is work. He can’t eat for eight hours; he can’t drink for eight hours; he can’t make love for eight hours. The only thing a man can do for eight hours is work.” – William Faulkner
While I believe that there are some things that a person can do for more than 8 hours (such as lounging on a boat 😉 ) this quote really hits home – there was something I used to say when I was a kid to my parents….
Why is it, that adults can make money to pay the bills, and adults can make it on time to their place of employment to do someone else’s work….but it’s so hard to find time for other things?
Sometimes I wonder if as humans some people get into a sort of lazy pattern…the “Who moved my cheese?” syndrome. More than likely people do – you see it everyday…but I don’t wanna focus on that – the main thing is, with enough effort, and enough energy, and enough outside-the-box thinking – I believe as humans we can have whatever we want.
It just takes some creativity. So exercise your mind – exercise your body. Join a sport. Check something of your bucket list. Don’t zone out to the daily doldrums of television – actually it’s a lot easier to live without TV than you may think – just this past month I gave up TV all together and now I only pay for telephone and internet. A) I don’t have the time for it, and B) it’s not worth giving time.
Because when you get to a point in life, where you want to watch your life unfold into something great – instead of vegging out and watching others – you’ll begin to play a whole different ball game.
Stay sharp.
– Rego
Musings Episode 20: Early Retirement… is a post from and appeared first on Rego’s Life
“The least movement…
Musings: Quote Wednesdays…
“The least movement is of importance to all nature. The entire ocean is affected by a pebble.” – Blaise Pascal
Pretty much ties in with my most recent post, “Musings Episode 18: Appreciation“….everything, affects everything – so appreciate more and watch things change. Watch your thinking change. Watch yourself change. If we think like this, on a micro level – humans will begin to act a lot differently.
Stay thoughtful.
– Rego
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