A Little Change Is Good!

So many of you are thinking about how nice it would be to have a few extra coins banging around in your pockets, but what about another type of change? A change in your lifestyle? Granted, there are various extremes of change but let's just say I'm talking about something relatively minor. For example: Would you be willing to test the unknown and change your daily "life routine" and try something entirely different from what you're used to?





Or are you the type of person who eats the same food from the same restaurants, and takes the same route to work day after day and never upsets the wagon or tries anything new or different? You know the type..... You shop at the same places, talk to the same people, vacation at the same spot, hang out with the same group of friends, watch the same tired, corny, re-runs- year after year after year! Boring!

Well I'm not that guy! And a few weeks ago, I was offered a chance to change my routine a little bit. The offer involved a certain bit of risk and some uncertainty. I was offered a chance to change an element of the way I have operated for the past 10 plus years. Not a particularly big change but something that would probably impact me 4 - 6 times per month. It involved meeting and working with some new people. It involved a little bit of training and a very small financial investment. There were sure to be some positive benefits but there were several unknown factors as well. And the bottom line - It was completely optional. I could elect to change my routine or opt to keep things the same way with no identifiably penalty.

I carefully weighed the pros and cons of each option. I checked with a few colleagues who had already made the change and asked their opinions. The results were inconclusive. So ultimately, I had to rely on my gut feelings.

I decided to upset my apple cart! Move my own cheese. Change my routine!

Guess What?

I like it.... Sometimes a little change is Good!

What will you do when you're presented with the option to change something in your life?

Time and Money!

It's been three weeks since my last post. 21 Days! Wow, where does the time go? I'll have to check, but that may be my longest break in posting since I started this blogging business. 2010 started out in a hurry - didn't it? Well, at least it did for me. It's hard for me to believe that we are already 1/12 of the way through the year. If this pace is any indication of how the rest of the year will go.... then in 11 more blinks, the year will be over! Last weekend, Taylor Swift won Album of the Year for Fearless and Beyoncé Knowles won a record-setting six awards, including Song of the Year, at the 52nd Grammy Awards. I'm so far behind, I'm still watching the show on TIVO. I had to watch the performance by Pink twice! (smile)


Avatar, the American science fiction epic film written and directed by James Cameron and starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, has surpassed the 2 billion dollar mark in worldwide gross sales and continues to break other records; and I haven't seen it yet! (The truth is, I tried to see it one night but it was sold out. I saw The Tooth Fairy instead).

And get this: My Mother is even complaining that I don't call her enough!

Yep, the list of things that I've wanted to do but haven't gotten around to is long. Why? Partly because I've had my head buried in the sand working on several new projects but mostly because I'm simply not moving as fast as I used to. Yep... The truth hurts. As best as I can figure, I just don't seem to be moving as quickly in my forties as I did in my thirties and twenties. My goodness, what's gonna happen in my Fifties? Will I just come to a screeching halt? Should I pull out the cane and walker now? Fortunately, that's a few years out but maybe I should start getting mentally prepared.

Anyway, as you can see, I've been a bit reflective in the past few weeks. And during this time, I ran across a stash of cash from my travels. (photos below) Looks like a lot of money but really it's not. 1000 yen is about 10 bucks US these days if you're lucky. I generally just hold on to the excess money from my travels and spend it on my next trip back to the country. It's nice having the money when you land and not having to rush and convert money or hit the local ATM. It also seems to be a better alternative than paying the punitive exchange rates to convert back to the US dollar. They really try to get you in both directions... Going and Coming! Sometimes I end up holding on to money for a long time. In fact, there are a few countries that I have money from that no longer exist. That's holding on too long! Perhaps it would have been cheaper to pay the exchange fee in those cases. (At least now I have some pretty cool looking wrapping paper) But ultimately, I've always figured that if the Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Australians, or Canadians ever invade the United States, at least I could try to bribe them in their own currency.

Suffice to say, I still have some of the money left over from my travels. While the money is tangible - I can still use it now to trade for goods and services - The time I spent traveling has long passed. There's nothing left (really) but memories and some photos. I guess I've grown to appreciate the value of time a little more. It truly is precious! You can generally go out and make more money, even when you're older. But It's hard to go back and recreate time. I have no regrets!

My wish for all of you in 2010.... May you have ample Time and ample Money to do the things you desire!

Hold on.... It's gonna be a fast year!