
Life Phases
1) Stuff - I need stuff. Stuff is cool when I get it. 2) More stuff - If some is good, more is better. 3) Different stuff - I want certain stuff I like. 4) Purpose, Philanthropy, Helping Others - stuff doesn't turn me on anymore. Now I want to…

You're in charge.
"When life gets tough, some of us feel that we've lost and life has won. But life isn't trying to defeat you. Life isn't even a participant - the game is yours." - Mo Gaudat The game is yours. You are in charge of your own life. Let's go.

Do you have ADD?
Many people have it. Their lives are not what they could be because of it. It's so sad. ADD. Adventure Deficit Disorder. When was the last time you went on an "adventure"? That doesn't mean traveling to the next state to sit by a pool. It means when you try…

Seize Opportunity
"Any man who has been successful has leapt at the opportunity chance provides." - Doris Kearns Goodwin Some people say they don't get opportunities. I think opportunity has come into sight to many people, but they just don't recognize it. The more you learn the more opportunity you see. You…

You must believe in this…
If you are going to believe in anything at all, you must believe in you.

Wisdom = K + E + R
Wisdom = Knowledge + Experience + Reflection Knowledge is a good starting point. Read the books. Listen to the audios. Watch the videos. But knowledge is just a start to real wisdom. Then you have to try things. Do it. Get in the game. Get your hands dirty. Use your…

Dog food?
A woman sees her child start to feed the dog a part of her donut. "NOOOOO!" she yells. "It's not good for him!" ... and then watches her child eat the donut. You wouldn't fill the dog bowl with soda would you? You should be treated better than the dog.…

Who do you say you are?
Your behaviors are usually a representation of your identity. It is impossible to behave contrary to who we believe we are. What and who do you say and believe you are? Can you think on it and make an updated decision on who you are?

To get better, start by acknowledging the truth.
"All progress starts by telling the truth." - AA founder. Of all people, the easiest one to deceive is ourselves. When the need for illusion is great, to save our ego, make an excuse, defend our actions, we tell lies that we believe. When we start to tell the truth…

Two kinds of freedoms
Freedom from, and freedom to. Having "freedom from" is great. Freedom from violence, oppression, disease, and injustice. "Freedom to" is next level. Freedom to do whatever you want when you want. Now that is freedom. Of course, it comes only with discipline, learning, and creating value for others.

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Two things I like to say about “stuff”
1. everything you own, owns you back.
2. freedom in life is inversely proportional to the amount of internal combustion engines you own. (note this is not original – a quote from an article in INC magazine about 25 years ago. Has stuck with me since)
At 57, I think I must be somewhere between Phases 3 & 4 – sometimes I feel like my life is ‘stuffed with stuff’ and I consider things that I’d like to eliminate to alleviate some of the ‘responsibility of possession’ and make time for things I’d like to DO rather than absorbing time concerned over things that I HAVE.
Great post, Larry! Very thought provoking for a Friday.
Have a Great Weekend 🙂
Happily in stage 4…though there still are times its nice to get something new and exciting.
GO SCOTT GO! Love from Knox Tn
Larry, your philosophy matches mine precisely. Stuff isn’t where it is for me. I like nice things but only if they benefit me or others and only if they are being utilized. Stuff sitting around and providing no utility is a waste. One exception is the “prettiness” that people decorate with but that also has utility even it isn’t “doing” something. People see it, enjoy it and it makes them happy.
Your level 4) is truly where it’s at. I was pondering this recently when thinking of those who feel that they are stalled out, that they can’t reach new heights fast enough, that they have too much baggage to be able to get ahead or they think they just aren’t a good person in general. My answer to this is to stop trying to help yourself and go help others. If we can’t seem to achieve the heights that we want then go find others who are trying to reach new heights and help them get there. We can find great satisfaction in helping others reach new heights and in so doing will ourselves have reach an all new height of a different sort.
Good morning Larry,
Im totally in stage 4 and Im glad to be there.
Mike
We need to move towards stage 4 as the antidote to meaningless consumerism. Social media propagates the “you could be happy if you just buy this” narrative.
Thanks for the recognition! Appreciate everything you do!