Quick Hits: Ask about their story. Destruction can be creative. Small kayak, big fish.

• Even on our worst days, we’ll probably meet and briefly interact with somebody new. In most cases, they’ll be there for just a few moments, a few words and maybe a smile will be exchanged, and then they’ll be gone and forgotten. That’s normal, but it’s also a shame. Right now, sitting in this restaurant with my headphones on, I can see five people who I don’t know. Two of them I’ve spoken to. One took my order, the other handed me my food. I only know one of their names, because I read the tag on their chest (Vivian). But each one of them has a story to tell about their life, and I’ll probably never hear it, unless I ask. Why don’t I ask? Do you? What’s your story?

• There is a concept in economics called Creative Destruction. Broadly speaking, when a something is destroyed, its resources are free to create something new or make something better. Maybe even several things. For example, when Borders went bankrupt a couple years back, their books, furniture, fixtures and equipment were all sold to other people who put them to use. Their employees all temporarily lost their income, but they had the opportunity to seek other, maybe better, employment. It goes deeper than just business, too. Seth Godin says that a revolution destroys the perfect to enable the impossible. Cory Doctorow says that every act of making begins as an act of unmaking. Think about the areas in the world around you that are showing their wear. The institutions and traditions that aren’t quite hacking it anymore. Think about your personal life. The failures and pain that haunt you and you pray would just go away. What could arise from the ashes of these things if we just. let. them. die?

• This one thing is certain: I would have peed all over myself and that kayak. Of course, I would never have been out on a kayak in the middle of the Monterey Bay looking for sea monsters in the first place. Seriously.

Quick Hits: Measuring what matters. Keep your budget simple. Tic-tac spice boxes.

• What we measure is what is going to matter to us. When you’re struggling to improve and grow, you need to know what it looks like when you’re winning, and track your progress towards your goal.  We measure things (whether it’s losing weight, paying off debt, growing a business, or whatever) to let us know when we’re going in the right direction. It keeps us motivated and encouraged. Now, there’s a risk in there, because it works both ways. If you start measuring the wrong thing, that’s what will matter to you. The thing you measure is the thing you will improve, so measure the right thing.

• If you’ve spent any time reading here at all, you know that I’m a fan of every home creating a budget for their money every month. If you want to win with money, you have to plan where it’s going to go and how it’s going to grow. Having said that, I’m not a fan of it requiring an overwhelming amount of effort every month to complete. Once you understand the basics, your budget shouldn’t take more than an hour a month to nail down, and you should take advantage of almost every opportunity to simplify how your money comes and goes, as long as you are still in control of it. I love spending cash out of an envelope, for example, because it makes you feel money and alters your spending habits. Automated payments, though, can bite you in the butt if your job status suddenly changes, so be careful.

• When I last went camping with the guys, I got to take care of the food. Juggling all of the little containers of spices for dinner would have been a whole lot more simple, if I had seen this first.

Quick Hits: Credit scores are dumb. Listen more, talk less. Orange rolls on an open fire.

• We’ve been coordinating another session of FPU this Summer. Our next lesson will be Dave Ramsey’s famous Dumping Debt lesson, which includes a thorough explanation of what “Gazelle Intensity” means, what a debt snowball looks like, and the busting of several debt myths. One of my favorite debt myths to bust is the need for a good credit score. Your credit score has nothing to do with how financially successful you are. It’s only about your relationship with your debts. And debt is a product being sold, it’s not something anyone needs.

• I’ve had the opportunity recently to work with someone who has the particularly nasty habit of talking over his coworkers. It’s lead those who have to regularly deal with him to communicate around him, and not to him. They only tolerate him. And when his back is turned, eyes roll and actual plans are made. He thinks everything is fine, because he’s mistaking silent acquiescence for agreement. They’re not the same thing, and confusing them will be your undoing. Whether we’re at work, out with friends, or at home with our families, we need to be listening more than we speak, and promoting communication.

• I love three things about this blog post.  1) It’s a camp out cooking recipe. Everything tastes better when prepared over an open flame. II) The finished product looks really yummy and unique. C) He allowed his niece to have the experience of using a sharp knife to cut the oranges in half. That is excellent. Giving a child the opportunity to take responsibility and understand the risks involved while being properly supervised is a great way for them to have the chance to grow up to be adults who take responsibility and manage risks well.

Do the Next Ten

Lately, when it comes to writing, my brain has gotten a bit…muddy.

I’m actually having trouble putting myself in front of the keyboard to write. Some external factors in my life have drastically changed recently, and adjusting has been difficult. I’m not reading as much as I usually do. When I consider writing, nothing I think about writing really inspires me enough to get off my butt and do it. And I’d rather not write something that I’m not going to take at least a little bit of effort to do well, right?

Yeah, it’s all a load of horse crap, and I know it.

No one ever gets talker’s block. No one wakes up in the morning, discovers he has nothing to say, and sits quietly, for days or weeks, until the muse hits, until the moment is right, until all the craziness in his life has died down.

– Seth Godin, The Icarus Deception

It’s easy to make excuses when you’re struggling, but that’s a trap. Everything you want to be will take a regular dose of hustle, even when you don’t think you have it in you. Focus on making the next ten phone calls, knocking on the next ten doors, or writing the next ten words. And then do the next ten. And again. Until you’re done.