Tag Archives: Rego’s Life Blog

Musings Episode 4: Dreams, Jobs, and Careers – Parallel yet Perpendicular

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Earlier on I mentioned to you guys about a new business venture I’ve delved into. Long story short it has very much to do with working with a CEO of a medium sized real estate company that solely focuses on vacation rentals and extended stays, with a few regular leases thrown in the mix.

Don’t forget the long island iced tea.

To put it simply the guy is a complete mess, and just by speaking to some of his managers I could immediately tell just how much of a mess he is. Yet he’s not the focus – no, because real estate was one of his dreams – so really, he’s a happy mess. It’s the employees, I felt compelled to write about. For legal purposes, I’m not going to disclose any names, and all names used, if any, will be ficticious.

My focus on this episodic musing is really more or less about how people have dreams, choose careers, and work jobs.

Usually the order in which those 3 things are executed are sometimes switched around, and very often, the dreams are lost by the jobs people take.

It’s been my observation, that the cycle goes a little like this:

Pre-K through 3rd grade – your teacher asks you what you want to be when you grow up. If you were like me, you had 2 answers – Spider-Man, or the CEO of an awesome, company. Usually, as all teachers do, you get giggled at and are told that’s “adorable”. Others in class, may say they want to be a fireman or police officer, ballet dancer or singer.

the-amazing-spider-man__span

….fear my wrath.

4th grade through 8th – Again, your teacher asks you the same question, though differently – this time, she asks what profession you’d like to take on. Again, if you’re like me, you come up with multiple answers – CEO of an awesome company, professional drifter, or Spider-Man. In respective descending order this time, mind you. Again, she chuckles slightly, and says that’s cute. Others in class may still say fireman, police officer…or professional skateboarder, world renowned painter.

Weeeee…..

9th grade through 12th – Once more, the same question is asked – though this time, it’s “now that you will be graduating soon, what career path is everyone considering? It is important to know this and hit the books, as it is critical to know what college is going to best aid you in your success”. Again, if you’re like me, you come up with again, multiple answers – awesome CEO of a company, professional drifter, CEO of an automatic business and world traveler. Again, your teacher laughs, saying that’s admirable, but it would be good to start considering an ACTUAL career path, such as doctor, teacher, lawyer, etc. Puzzled you look on fidgeting, slightly offended and annoyed, as the options you stated WERE serious answers.

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………

Fast forward to college, and you find that 50% of your friends and classmates are no longer stating the same answers they had when they were younger, but instead now find themselves developing a pattern of either two things: switching majors based on which pays the most MONEY, or sticking with their major and HATING IT, but sticking with it anyway, because society says it pays the most MONEY…or, simply switching their majors out of sheer boredom because they honestly can’t STAND any of the bullshit society has fed them about college and career paths in general.

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If you notice – as time progresses through the timelines I have just given example of, all of these boil down to 3-4 types of situations and people…no, actually, just 3. We have:

1. The people who have abandoned their DREAMS and genuine desires to invest labor into something they actually LIKE – and instead pursue what pays the most…or as I like to call it – the first signs of SLAVERY to a FIAT currency and CONSUMERISM. Though they may say they are career seekers…they are instead what I call the true JOB seekers…and years later those 50 something year old dudes who drive around in Corvettes with their secretaries they left their wife for 3 months ago…hardly a mid-life crisis, more a psychological break…or both.

mid-life-crisis-little-red-corvette1

2. The people who sort of stick to something that they find they like, a bit…just a bit, but have a tendency to switch up or feel indecisive in their decision because of the sheer fact none of what they’re really pursuing is something that they feel a BURNING PASSION for within them…the type of burning where it feels like the sun is at the top of your belly button (or solar-plexus , but not in a scorching way…more like a warm, fuzzy feeling type way. Or…as I like to call it, people who have over the years, or are now slowly developing a “blurred” vision of what their real dreams are, and have lost vision again, because of money. Sometimes, I like to call this “slurred,” as well, drunken by the pursuit of money. Dependent on circumstance, this shift could have arisen from true financial necessity or lack (i.e. where no one has had their back, so they fight to survive, learn to hustle, strategize, whatever you may call it). These people, have the potential, to pursue an alternative career TEMPORARILY, in order to work towards their real DREAMS, while sticking to taking ACTION that coincides with their dreams…and not lose focus.

mohom

And finally…

3. The people who are so bored with the bullshit they’ve been fed by society, they switch up from slight misdirection, or because they haven’t yet realized the reason for their actions in doing so is BECAUSE subconsciously, their very inner being is refusing to work with their psyche, and hold true to what they REALLY want out of life, and what they REALLY want to pursue doing, having, and experiencing. There are situations where, these people have the potential to ace whatever they put their mind to or study, and bored because of it…because they know that while they’re good at it, they still want to pursue their real dreams.

Dream-Job

I’m excellent with numbers and organizing but I’m pretty sure I’d stab my own hand with a pen if I had to be an accountant for the rest of my life (to all you accountants out there, I appreciate and admire you…no offense intended).

So basically, we see that the usual routine of society goes like this:

When we’re young, we have dreams – big dreams – and no matter how crazy they seem to “adults,” i.e. being Superman, Spider-Man, Green Lantern, or owner of a multi-billion dollar lemonade stand company, we don’t care. We don’t care if adults laugh, because somehow, when we’re younger, we don’t know FEAR. We don’t know LIMITS. We don’t know DOUBT…and we don’t know FAILURE. ALLLLLL of these things are TAUGHT behavior. We were never born with any of them. Now you can finally explain to your mother about that one time you thought it was “totally safe to jump from the roof line,” and somehow, you still landed just fine.

stupendous

Then, as we progress through standard schooling, we’re taught mistakes are bad, limits and rules are mandatory, failure is getting the wrong answer or thinking the wrong way, which then develops doubt, and doubt develops fear, and fear develops adulthood…or as I like to call it – battered childhood…yet still, we still hold partially onto our dreams, and think that “okay, well, I’m not that great at this, but I’m still pretty good at this, so getting this type of job would be cool..I guess.”

Finally, we find ourselves even further subjected to the vicious cycle of “there is one answer, one solid way of finding that answer, mistakes are death, doubt yourself to avoid making mistakes, fear and get it right the first time to avoid doubt,” and so on and so forth. SO…what do we do? We then sway and spiral between dreams, career paths, and jobs.

Often, we freak out about jobs, because we want the right one, that will steer us on the right career path…and often, we’re so focused on the right career path, we lose focus of our dream…because really, in the first place, any “path” that we were to take…was supposed to lead us to our dreams. Society, however, through repetition  conditioning, and reinforcement, drilled into our head, that our dreams, are not what we think they are.

yikes

BUT….

With enough will power, some of us break this cycle, and KEEP OUR EYE ON THE BALL…and when we do, we avoid being hit in the metaphorical nuts. The pitcher we call life, can be paid to play dirty, after all. It’s whether or not we play by their rules…or our rules. Our rules, are simply keeping ourselves focused and knowing that the “normal system” of doing things, is far from perfect…because what is perfection anyway? It’s not perfection we need. But instead….

Discipline.
Will power.
Focus.
Drive.
Imagination.

These are the ingredients that make dreams come true.

These are the ingredients that make miracles happen.

Miracles do not happen by some haphazard drunken-universe chance.

Miracles happen when we stay FOCUSED on what we want, and can’t fathom it being any. Other. Fucking. Way.

This can range from the money you want to make.
To the things you want to experience.
To the girlfriend or boyfriend you want to have.
To the place you want to live.

It’s SETTLING for LESS, that fucks us over…and settling, expands far beyond the monetary sense.

So…we can have a job and a dream – as long as that job is a tool to work towards that dream…what I call parallel pairing.

We can have a career path, and a dream – as long as that career path is steered towards that dream…again, parallel pairing.

BUT….having a job, to steer us towards a career path…with no dream in the equation or at the finish line whatsoever? This is perpendicular thinking. It collides. You don’t get anywhere like that. It’s a bit like….well, it’s like riding the Yamanote line in Tokyo, and getting off at the last stop.

For those of you who have lived in Tokyo – you will know, that this is a cruel trick played on newcomers.

The Yamanote line is a neverending loop. There is no last stop. The last stop is the first stop. It is quite literally, a circle. So when someone says to you “just take the Yamanote line and get off at the last stop”…believe me…they are totally fucking with you.

Suckers…

The same way your boss fucks with you saying there’s great potential for you but shooting you down everytime you try to “climb that corporate ladder”…

Fuck the ladder.

Keep your eye on the ball, and take a goddamn helicopter.

Stay FOCUSED. The same way you stay focused at the gym. The same way way you stay focused when you try and aim for that 10-headshot streak trophy in C.O.D. Modern Warfare.

If you can do it there, you can do it in every aspect of life.

YOU have to believe in YOU.

Stay DISCIPLINED.

Even if you want to be built like Daniel Craig or look like Eva Mendes.

Stay DRIVEN.

Even if you want every person you date to be a 10.

Even if you want to be a professional race car driver.

Even if that dream is still wanting to be Spider-Man.

They have a technology for that now, too.

Stay awesome.

Iron-Man-Sunglasses

It’s what we were born for.

– Rego

Musings Episode 4: Dreams, Jobs, and Careers – Parallel yet Perpendicular is a post from and appeared first on Rego’s Life

For The Weekenders: Cigars, Vintage Lounge Bars, Cinemas on Steroids

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So this week has been crazy with the launch of one of my new business ventures, which has left me thinking of every possible way to kick back and celebrate the fruits of my labor this weekend.

Hence, I thought I’d stay local, and introduce you guys (and girls) to my top 3 for go-to spots this weekend – whether you’re a resident or a visitor of SoFlo. Enjoy.

Cigars.

When you think cigars, what’s the first thing that pops into your head? Your brother-in-law becoming a dad? Old Cuban guys playing cards? Gordon Gecko from Wall Street (1985)? Well, it’s time to think outside that box, and check out Wynwood Cigars, rightfully making their way onto UD, this isn’t your average cigar shop. The place is massive, spanning 5000 sq. ft., decked out in graffiti, rolling tables, cozy couches and live music to compliment the already epic setting.

’nuff said.

The aesthetic perfection of lighting…the feel of the couches when you slip onto them after a long day…the ultra aromatic smell of tobacco permeating even the most judgmental nose…the unique sounds of carefully selected live music…and the unique taste of a carefully crafted smoke that rolls off your tounge have earned this place more than just the title of originality and creativeness, but downright class.

Wanna get away from your standard smoking lounge? Starting to think those Camel cigarettes are getting old? This is the place to go. They keep the warehouse open late every second Saturday, bringing in tango dancers and supplying cocktails, all for your entertainment. Gotta love ’em.

Vintage Lounge Bars.

When I think of a nice drinking spot, I envision lounge tables surrounded by ultra comfy seating, a bartender who always remembers my name and top 5 favorite drinks, carefully strategized ambiance  and walls painted and outfitted with decor that makes me forget I’m even in a public drinking facility.

Then I stop envisioning and walk right into The Flat – a bar designed not to feel like a bar, yet not a lounge either…but instead a getaway spot you’d stick right on the side of your house if it weren’t 32 stories above ground level.

I also think of my fellow weekenders who were forced to play piano when they were younger, now realizing that the once geeky talent has huge payoff present day, when you usher your date over to the couch and casually begin to talk about music and musical talent while eyeing the piano next to you both.

The drinks here are unique and the owner old fashioned, only closing his doors when the last customer is ready to leave. That’s what I call service. The one place that I can say this establishment has come close to replicating, is a place Cocktail Factory in England I used to frequent during my uni days…and that, my friend, is a tall order to meet. So kudos, The Flat…I’d say you’ve earned yourself a name worth keeping.

Cinemas on Steroids.

If you’re an avid cinema goer, you will appreciate and love what I like to call a cinema on steroids – iPic Theaters in Boca Raton. Imagine your usual movie theater…and then take everything usual out of it. Insert cocktails, leather recliners, an on-call waiter, and blankets to cozy up under when the plot gets good.

Well I thought about hitting up AMC…but then realized that would be a little too conventional for dinner and a movie, don’t you think…?

Feel less like a run of the mill movie goer, and more like a movie critic while sitting back sipping Kamikazes, commenting on what’s going to happen next with your fellow buddies while nibbling on sliders – or cozying up to your significant other when she flinches at the slightly frightening scene of a good thriller flick….and here she was thinking it was just going to be regular movie night…

Stay awesome. 😉

– Rego

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For The Weekenders: Cigars, Vintage Lounge Bars, Cinemas on Steroids is a post from and appeared first on Rego’s Life

“No matter how …

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Musings: Quote Wednesdays…

“No matter how many goals you have achieved, you must set your sights on a higher one.” – Jessica Savitch

Sorry for posting this one up so late! I think it pretty much speaks for itself. 🙂

Just keep swimming…

Happy Wednesday.

– Rego

Musings Episode 3: Mobile vs. Immobile – The Joys of a Mobile Business

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Departing Manchester Airport aimed for Seoul, South Korea. Connecting flight in Zurich with a 3 hour layover. With lines plus security check, 30 minutes to an hour of net layover time. Met a nice old Korean couple and was offered Vitamin C while we wait. Perfect.

Charlotte, NC to Porto, Portugal, connecting flight in New Jersey. On the way to Jersey pilot announces over P.A. he’s been flying around in the sky for 3 hours, due to weather conditions trying to route a temporary landing strip, and we’re now running on fumes – “but don’t worry folks; I’ve been doing this for 16 years and will get us landed safely.” Thinking I should head to the cockpit and give pilot my business card for classes on “tactful speech.”
Two hour layover from Jersey to Porto – minus 3 hours of flying on fumes – flight missed. 16 hour stay in airport until morning flight and fuming argument with bag check guy. Horrible.

Miami International Airport to Nagoya Airport Japan, 24 hour flight with 2 connecting flights, first one in London, second one at Charles de Gaulle. 3 hour and 5 hour layover times respectively. Long but reasonable. From Charles de Gaulle to Nagoya, met an interesting business man from Hitachi Corporate on his way back from a business pitch in Europe. Exchanged business cards and went our seperate ways. Business opening – perfect.

In cleaning out one of my suitcases and re-sorting travel documents, I take a brief moment to skim through my passport book pages. Each one is filled with a memory. Some funny, some frustrating, some quirky….but every single stamp worth it.

Until recently, this has been my average work year. Now, it’s 90% leisure. What are the joys of a mobile business, really? Well…for one, it’s constantly an adventure, and an education. It’s still work – just on a different level.

A buddy of mine works in stocks and we were having this discussion over the weekend. He was explaining to me how he’d love to have a business where he doesn’t have to get up and sport the typical suit and tie look, and would sometimes even be content with a t-shirt, shorts, and sandals.

Then he goes onto say how he’d also like to not go to work the same time, same place, same road everyday. He likes what he does; hates the routine. He goes on to vent for another 15-20 minutes while we polish off a bottle of Fris vodka.

So I ask him, “well, what is it you really want to do?”

Pausing for a while, he responds. “Just…something where it’s not so predictable and I have freedom to sleep in if I want or, if I feel like getting up and going I can.”

I push further – “that’s telling me how you want your days to go, not what you want to do. What’s something you want to do?”

Again, he responds, “I don’t know, I like finance, and I like what I do now, but I just want to do it differently.”

“So you want to do what you’re doing now but without being told when to do it?”

“Yeah,” he responds, as if a light bulb slowly lit in his little head.

*Ding*

*Ding*

“So you want it to be mobile?”

“Yeah exactly,” he again responds now starting to really think on what he’s been saying.

“Then do it.”

“Do it?” he asks inquisitively.

“Yes…start doing it.”

“But, how…?” He asks again.

We then go about picking apart his thoughts and getting to the key points of what he really wants, utilizing “backwards goal setting,” as found in the book “The New Psycho-Cybernetics“. You can check out the audio version on youtube:

Backwards goal-setting pretty much works like this:

You mentally prepare a list of things you do not want to do at all, and call it the “I Never Want to do These Things Again” List. This could range from not wanting to wear a tie, to not wanting to drive more than 5 minutes to work; not wanting to deal with stressful customers, not wanting to have a supervisor.
You then begin to use your imagination (yes, if a 5 year old can do it you can too), to shop around for ideas about other businesses or careers you may have a liking for, but would NEVER require you to do the things you don’t want to on your previously mentioned list.

A lot of people don’t realize there are ways to make immobile business or careers mobile – or, “time-freeing,” especially in today’s technological day and age.

There’s so much time wasted in an office setting where most “look busy” just in order to please their supervisor.

This guy I know is good at what he does, smart, quick thinker on his feet, an innovator, mathematician, and forward thinker. Often he finishes his work and work projects well before deadline, then has to busy himself with other things so his boss doesn’t ridicule him for “just sitting around”…and it drives him mad.

Maybe if I break this pencil, it’ll turn into a make-shift dagger…and then stab someone with it.

Let me repeat that: he gets all of his work done, in 50% of the time his average co-worker does. Meaning his value is 50% more. In an ideal world, he could make 50% more than what he’s making, just by his work efficiency.

This is what he wants – he wants his work efficiency to be valued. He knows he’s good at what he does, and wants to condense his hours worked to enjoy life while being good at what he does – compared to wasting away 4 extra hours a day twiddling his thumbs and listening to people talk about their monotonous home lives.

 

Mention your kids again Tracy…I dare you…

 

He wants to turn his 40 hour work week into a 20 hour one – maybe even a 15 hour one…and you know what? He can do it. Easily – there are many ways to work remotely, in the finance industry’s subsector of stocks and commodities. Just as there are many ways to work your business the same way.

What is it I like about mobile businesses? If I had to sum it up in 3 main points, I could easily say:

Freedom of time.
Freedom of money.
Freedom of hybrid thinking and doing.

First and foremost – freedom of time. I’m not a morning person – I work better in the wee hours of the night, often cranking out my best work with Bossanova and crickets singing to me sweetly in perfect harmony with that one old tree frog and the sound of water right outside my window.

Because it really is easy being green.

Second – freedom of money. You probably think I’m talking about income, right? Well, try again…I’m talking about what you can do with the income not allocated towards (non)reimbursed business expenses (non- if you’re working a J.O.B.).

Think about it – let’s just say you commute 15 miles to work everyday, and take a toll road. That’s 30 miles round trip, 5 days a week. That’s 150 miles a week, roughly 600 miles a month, 7800 miles a year. Just for work. Throw in about half of that per annum and you’ve got 11,700 miles a year, 975 a month, roughly 245 a week.

Holy shit snacks.

What’s that, a tank of gas? $50, $60, $70? If you drive that Lincoln Navigator, keep adding. At $70 a week, we’re talking $3640 a year of non-reimbursed gas expenses – across the board, because let’s not forget – you can’t get a tax return on traveling to and from a JOB.

Well Timmy, it was good knowing you son.

Then let’s factor in oil changes, tires, air filters, etc, etc. All accelerated replacements because of that 30 mile round trip commute. Switch to making your career or business mobile and you can easily cut all that down by 50-75%.

Third – Freedom of hybrid thinking and doing. Your 8 hour day, is not an 8 hour day. Let’s take that commute example a step further – let’s say you go by car…or cab…or subway. Let’s think about traffic, people traffic, car traffic, coffee line traffic. You get the idea – traffic.

That 20 minute commute now becomes 40, maybe even 50 minutes. Add that to your 8 hour day – at 50 minutes extra, you’re really working an almost 10 hour day. Change that to a remote or mobile business, and commute time can be cut to 50 seconds – a walk from your kitchen to your in-home office.

Or your den’s couch.

Using my buddy as an example again, this is exactly what he wanted. He wanted to take every non-reimbursed career expense ever spent and put it into something he wanted to do or experience.

He wanted to analyze his trades when his brain was fully turned on, tuned in, and locked on…allowing what he considered the easy stuff to mentally be on auto-pilot during the best times he deemed fit.

He wanted to take the almost $4000 he was spending a year in gas alone and travel to Singapore – for a little business and pleasure.

He wanted to cut his 9-11 hour day into a 4-5 hour day, taking the rest of the time to hit the gym more, and finally map out and set off for that mini road trip to St. Augustine.

Mobile or remote businesses and careers aren’t about just being mobile, they’re about taking the dictation from another human being out of the equation and utilizing a more flexible, efficient path. Making the stress less, so you can focus and innovate more.

In my early days of being mobile, where my income if I wanted to travel relied heavily on photography and internet marketing, – I loved every moment of it. I would explore in the early afternoons and evenings, and do all my editing at night. It was effortless. Aside from the jet lag, check-in and check-out times, new locations, new languages, new maps, orienting and re-orienting myself with areas, I loved every minute of it. I was the ruler of my own time, my own money, and my own pace…I could learn more in months what anyone with a PhD learned in years….and I loved it.

There is a rapid shift that is occurring and has been occurring for many years now, and it’s one of many exciting things I have the opportunity to witness.
It’s my belief that eventually, the standard run-of-the-mill office setting will become obsolete. The reign of left-brained cubicle thinking will – and is – disappearing.

Mankind needs it, and Generation Y is beginning to realize it. We’ve had so many technological advances the mass majority has been put on auto-pilot themselves. Yet this is the perfect day and age to keep creating. Innovative people know this, and they’re seizing the opportunities.

It’s what Tim Ferriss calls “The New Rich.”

Mobile and remote businesses and careers are the way to go – to eliminate stress, improve productivity, and alter lifestyles.

– Rego

Musings Episode 3: Mobile vs. Immobile – The Joys of a Mobile Business is a post from and appeared first on Rego’s Life

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For The Weekenders: Bonfire Fridays, Sugar Rush Saturdays, Kite Flying Sundays

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It’s Thursday again…meaning the weekend is right around the corner.

Due to my disdain for being predictable, I thought I’d switch things up a bit, and give you a  different kind of top 3 list to fill your weekend with. So we’re hitting it low key, meaning you guys get to see some things I prefer to do whenever I feel like keeping my wallet nice and fat.

So here’s 3 things to do that are all under $100. Enjoy.

Bonfire Fridays – Okay, so how many of you like the beach? Alright…how about beer? S’mores? Great. Now that I’ve got your attention – Bonfires are a great way to kick off the weekend – and the best part is – they’re a (relatively) free activity.

True story.

Beaches often facilitate bonfires by providing fire pits. Just keep in mind, these are usually on a first come first serve basis, but if you do get a chance to stake claim to one, you’re in for a fun night with many of your closest friends and acquaintances alike.
Don’t live near a beach? Well, you could always build your own backyard fire pit, and do it for damn cheap too. I’m talking $28, with minimal shopping around. This is probably your better option, because really, when it comes to safety standards and regulations, all you really have to concern yourself with is making sure you don’t build it near anything that can catch fire.

Like…trees, for instance.

Meaning you can focus on the more important things….like where you’re gonna put those 5 kegs you ordered and if you have enough mixers and liquor stocked in the mini bar. Which makes me think of another benefit – no drunk driving. Safety first, kids.

Sugar Rush Saturdays – It was Saturday afternoon. Not being able to see each other all week due to our busy schedules, my (ex)girlfriend drove up to my place to spend the day. “I’ve got a surprise for you.” I say to her over the phone. “A surprise? What is it? Tell me!” she replies back, I can hear the curiosity in her voice now. “Negative, no can do. You’re gonna have to wait until you get here. All I can say is this – take cover.” I respond, eyeing the two items I purchased sitting in the corner of my living room. “Take cover?” she asks, “Yes…take cover“.

This one is for the kid in all of us. So you had the bonfire on Friday night, now besides empty liquor bottles and snacks cleaned out from your pantry, you’re wondering what to do with the 3 extra bags of marshmallows you have leftover from making S’mores.
Well, you are in for a treat my friend. Whenever I find myself in this position, a slow, sly grin spreads across my face with one eyebrow raised. I can feel my inner 10 year old self welling up with excitement and adrenaline at the mere thought of it…and “it” is not Rice Krispie treats.
I’m talking about taking those white puffs of sugar, and stuffing them into an air pressure fueled blaster. To put it simply, Call of Duty and Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory‘s illegitimate love child.

Pretty sure the 10 year old version of Tony Montana would’ve been jealous of this.

These things can shoot mini marshmallows over a good 30 feet into the air, and hold up to or over 20 rounds of “ammo.” The coolest thing about it? It’s something that can be done indoors or out. So you can say “Take that” to days when it’s overcast and rainy and you don’t feel like going anywhere. The best part about the whole activity? The reload time. Try it out for yourself and you’ll know exactly what I mean.

It’s Sunday? Go Fly a Kite – and no, I’m not telling you to bugger off. When you’ve got breezy Sundays and perfect weather, this novelty activity is the perfect thing to add to an already great day. Though it may take some skill, once you’re up and running kite flying can be quite fun.
I remember my days of living in Bermuda, Good Friday was probably the most interesting and entertaining holiday I’d ever encountered at the time…and honestly? I still fly kites today.


There are actually businesses that run off this classic past-time, like the popular Skyward Kites in Bal Harbor. They have their business located and set up where you can buy and fly your kites all at one time, meaning no waiting around to start the fun.
The great thing about this activity is it’s reasonably priced, and a pretty flexible past time where you can bring friends, family, a date (to show your more relaxed, simple, fun loving side), or just yourself and spend a Sunday morning in a zen like state.

And there you have it. When you feel like keeping some cash in the bank or just want to get back to enjoying the simpler things in life, all of these activities can get you going in the right direction.

Have a great weekend. 😉

– Rego

Related articles

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“Effort only fully…

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Musings: Quote Wednesdays….

“Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.” – Napoleon Hill

I find this pretty much speaks for itself. No matter what it is you go after, no matter how many times you’ve tried, and no matter how long you’ve been pursuing it…if it’s in your very gut that you still desire it and quitting seems “O.K.” but not “right,” and you feel you should keep pushing forward – do it. Eliminate every “what-if” you can fathom.

You never know how deep the water is unless you keep wading into it.

– Rego

Musings: Episode 2 Lifestyles, Desires, and Passions

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So this Friday night I went out with friends for drinks and good music at Breathe, a lounge I like to frequent when I feel like a change from the Miami scene.

The night started out casually with food, drinks, and music…then mellowed out with hookah and deep conversation.

Most of it centered around lifestyles and desires, passions and bucket lists, all the good stuff everyone of us as humans secretly discuss with ourselves throughout the day, and get into fervent conversation with when the opportunity arises with friends and even newly met acquaintances.

This prompted me to blog, wanting to know other’s opinions and dreams or leisure goals. I figured I’d kick it off here and see if I could get some feedback from you guys, as it’s always good to hear from readers and bounce opinions and ideas off of people.

In being part of Generation Y, combined with being the type of person who’s always valued and enjoyed every millisecond of free time I’ve had since childhood, I’m constantly looking for new, fun, memorable experiences…

….and really, when you think about it, that’s what life is about.

Experiences.

That’s all we really ever pursue. From the girlfriend/boyfriend, to the surfing at Teahupoo, the epic snowboard trips to Hokkaido, and the unforgettable moments with friends that begin with, “Remember that one time when we,” and end with a dozen or so photos with proof showing you actually did make it to the top of the giant horse outside of P.F. Chang’s, posing as a Genghis Khan Warrior with your umbrella outstretched in one hand and the stolen pint glass in the other.

Though at a more innocent level in our childhood youth, the desire for experiences stays with us until we’re adults…the main thing being keeping our eye on the ball, making sure we don’t lose focus and getting caught up in the daily “adult responsibilities” we take on as we progress through life.
I’m not talking about something complex here, or maybe I am as well, but starting with responsibilities that boil down to the basics like rent or a mortgage, basic utilities and the monthly amount we pay to keep our absolutely mandatory access to technology up and running.

Sometimes, we do lose focus and get caught up in consumerism, through the media mostly and advertising, because let’s be honest, that one little secret skate gap in T.H.U.G. (for the less avid gamers, that’s short for Tony Hawk’s Underground) named “Control the Media, Control the Minds” is indeed true and it’s done everyday.

By increasing our consumer habits it’s my belief we lose out on investing in in-the-moment experiences, trading them off instead for mentally planted desires for materialistic instant gratification, an inception so to speak with enough influence…

…but then, we have the people who aren’t entirely distracted, or not distracted at all by mass media advertising for mere materialistic things, but instead hunt after experiences…and this is where it gets fun.

Woohoo!

With enough experiences, you reach a point where less is more, meaning you desire less materialistic things, i.e. the big house, the 17 car garage filled with various collector’s versions of makes such as Lamborghini, Ferrari, or a million dollar Bugatti, or the 9 hole golf course in your back yard. Maybe you do still desire that, it’s up to you, but the point I’m trying to make is this:

If you had to choose between a $410,000 Lambo Aventador which costs anywhere from $60 for a pint of oil in maintenance alone –

Tempting?

or $41,000 to travel around the world, exploring each country and every city you could think of for 2 weeks to a month each – with plenty of spending money to spare – which would you pick? How many experiences do you think you could recall with either one, from memory, a year from now…and still smile about…bringing up the same feelings as if you were doing it all over again?

The choice is up to you, but you get the general idea.

If I had to list of some things I would like to experience again and new things to try out, most of what would roll off my tongue right now would involve epic stories to tell after.

Visiting Brazil, skipping the hotels and luxury resorts, befriending locals and leaving with them embracing you as if you were born there.

A weekend in Key West with a rented luxury car from Lou Lav Vie – hit the town and make nights that are told about 5 years later.

GTR?

or R8? Decisions, decisions…

A month in Thailand checking out street vendor food, club nights in Hatyai, encounters with an overly-friendly-and-slightly-grabby elephant and skipping across to Malaysia for amazing prices on unique liquor.

A full week rental of an 82′ Sunseeker Predator Yacht for an intimate and exclusive party.

Or even better, a weekend of the oh so sultry 28′ Fearless Porsche powerboat, styled by Porsche, only 22 made in the world and powered by a 550 horsepower V10 taken from a Dodge Viper –

Just leave the keys on the dash, cap’n.

Who wouldn’t want a weekend with that puppy?

Nights in South Korea trying out your horribly pronounced Hangul but at least making the effort and meeting locals that become great friends for years to come.

Helicopter rides over the city at night making for fucking amazing photographic moments.

Ahh, London.

The thing about all these examples is you don’t need to own a single materialistic thing, yet the experience stays with you forever.

Soon you begin to realize that less really is more, and simplistic living doesn’t mean a shack and an umbrella for shelter, but that maybe a 10 bedroom house isn’t really where it’s at, and that 3 couches 4 flat screens and 2 pool tables in the den is a little excessive…Then soon you start discovering the philosophy of “cluttered house cluttered mind; empty house empty mind” rings more true than the stuff up in the attic.

We come into this world with nothing materialistic, bare naked and untainted, and we leave this world being unable to take any physical thing with us – only memories.

This – this is why experiences in the end really prevail.
Memories are what make us, and the only way to gain memories are through experiences.

And you know what…? It’s a beautiful thing. It’s so simplistic – and at times if not careful…so easy to lose focus of.

But if we hold focus…and we hold true to our real desires…our real passions…and what really pulls at the very core of our being – the same feeling you get that’s the equivalent of when you’re with your lover, and you’re wrapped up in such a moment that you literally feel pulled, like a deep, gentle, gravitational pull to one another….

right in your core…painless, but full of desire and a sense of fulfillment…it’s then that we can really experience life for what it’s meant to be. It’s then that we can feel life for what it’s really meant to be…

…and that….that’s the greatest feeling of all.

Stay awesome.

– Rego

Musings: Episode 2 Lifestyles, Desires, and Passions is a post from and appeared first on Rego’s Life

For The Weekenders: Jet Set Dining, Izakayas, Let’s Sail Skipper

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It’s Thursday again…meaning fresh ideas for what to fill your weekend nights with.

So check out these 3 top spots I highly recommend that will leave you wanting more:

Daikaya Izakaya, D.C. – I remember my days of living in Tokyo, going to izakayas and lounge bars with friends and late night coffee after…often walking down the streets some hour in the A.M. taking in the less crowded sights of the Metropolis that nevers sleeps. When I found myself back in the states for a while, it took time to adjust and whenever the urge for hitting up a good izakaya or Japanese styled bar struck, I could never quite find one with that authentic feel. This, is where Daikaya Izakaya comes in.

乾杯！

The place is packed with authenticity, from the snacks and booze upstairs right along down to the ramen on the first floor. The sights and smells all pull you into a world that, if you never stepped outside the front door, maybe added a couple of forty-something Ojisans and change the menus to complete Japanese script, would actually make you feel like you’re (back) in J-Land. If you’re ever in the area I highly recommend popping in. Check out the gallery to see what I mean here, and the full article on the UD site.

Let’s Sail, Skipper… – Okay, okay, so I know I talked about things to do in San Francisco last week, but I’ll make it brief so hear me out: Sea salt filled air, sails, rum, and a four man crew (minus the dead man’s chest).
I’m talking about private excursions on an 84′ America’s Cup Race Yacht, or a more casual day trip around SanFran Bay, only to be topped off with checking out what other things Pier 39 has to offer.

Land ho.

The best part is you don’t need to know a thing about sailing, but if you want to get in on a bit of the action it’s certainly not discouraged. Check out their website if you’re up for unleashing that inner sailor in you.

If you’ve had experience in the dating world, or a relationship for that matter, after a while, dinner and a movie seems pretty drab…

Jet Set Dining is here to jazz that up for you.

Hailing from Miami, these guys really take it up a notch…and they do it a little like this:

You grab your date’s hand to lead her to the restaurant…dinner and conversation being something she’s done before, she’s curious to know how this time will be different but not exactly ecstatic.

But wait – what’s this…you’re not walking towards a restaurant, but what seems to be a private jet. In order to get to the restaurant, you must first go by plane, because – “well hun, the restaurant is kind of on a remote little island – I lied about it being a stone’s throw away…” you shrug saying as you non-chalantly run your hand over the back of your head trying to keep a cool, suave expression.

I also kind of lied about it being a quick drive…it is – but it’s just…in the air…with a plane…minus you know…pavement…But hey – did we or did we not skip traffic?

Surprised, you both board the plane where the usual safety precautions are taught while you pop open some bubbly and hand a glass to your pleasantly surprised date while trying your hardest to avoid a cheesy French accent and Cheshire Cat grin as you instruct them to “relax and enjoy the sights,” knowing you pretty much just owned the night with this one little hat trick.

I know where I’ll be dining next weekend.

– Rego

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For The Weekenders: Jet Set Dining, Izakayas, Let’s Sail Skipper is a post from and appeared first on Rego’s Life

For The Car Enthusiast.

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For The Car Enthusiast.

Great news – I’ve finally finished my e-book “So You Wanna Flip Cars??? The Dealers Rough Guide to Auto Auctions,” an e-book for people interested in making decent cash from buying and selling cars at auto auctions. We’re talking anywhere from $200 on the low end, to $1000+ on the high end – off one automobile. A niche market, but one for the taking.

I made this e-book to give you the “street smarts” of auction buying, including info from an inside view, meaning it covers things that you won’t be able to find out through your normal, formal training. You can check out a few sample pages by clicking here, or click on “Rego and E-Commerce,” at the upper left side of this page. I know you guys (and girls) will like it.

To the entrepreneur in all of us,

– Rego

For The Car Enthusiast. is a post from and appeared first on Rego’s Life