Negating Thyself, The Party of Me, The End of Hedonism, Bone-Chilling Cold

"What labels me negates me."
— Søren Kierkegaard

Happy Friday, did you have a banner week? I had a decent week; I got stuck in Florida, came home, and had a fantastic day working from home; I had some great meetings, engaged a new vendor, and I'm moving in the right direction, according to my Oura ring. 

Today I'll leave the house at 7:45, drive north to Carmel, Indiana, to be on a podcast; I've then got my first Reset and Reboot call of the year with thought leaders all over the country. After that, I've got an interview, then get my blood work done, then another interview, and then coffee with someone intrigued about our Air B and B experience. 

I'll come home, meet the most beautiful woman in the world and we will stash our items in our locked closet and get the house ready for our National Championship renters. The cleaning company is here at noon; we will slip out and stay with friends, returning to our home on Tuesday.

I went to be early last night, 8:00 p.m. but didn't fall asleep until 9:30; I just laid in bed and thought about various things. One of those things was our penchant for labels these days. Everything has to have a label. You are a Democrat or a Republican,  a liberal or conservative, maybe a conservative-liberal or liberal-conservative. But what do those terms mean?

What if a person supports the idea that the filibuster should be removed but also believes it is NOT okay to kill babies? What if a person supports lower taxes for all but wants to do away with the second amendment. How would you "label" these folks. So from this moment forward, I'm going to identify as the party of Me. If you asked me a list of questions about my stance on various issues, sometimes I lean right, sometimes left, and sometimes I'm a Libertarian, I suspect you do too. So let's agree to dispense with these archaic terms and begin using the Party of Me; this is what I believe.

It might lead to healthier discussions about fiscal policy, social policy, and what we can collectively do to move society forward. For example, my friend Bill, a sagacious fellow, shared recently that you could determine everything about a woman by these two statements. Woman one: "I believe in the right of a woman to make their own choice about their body." Woman two: "I believe in the sanctity of all human life and that life begins at conception." Don't be so quick to judge based on one little fact or comment; we are all varied in our opinions about all topics.

It's 5:30 a.m., I'm finding myself getting up earlier these days, part of my return to my better self. I ended the year a little hedonistic, it was a season, but I'm going to live a little cleaner. My wife agreed; it's time to take our foot off the gas of fun and focus on being a little healthier. My son, a personal trainer, worked up a 30-day program for us; we start that on Monday, and then we should have our bodies in shape for our February Mexico getaway. We joked in Florida last week that we were working on our before-body photos. To have an after photo, you must first create the before! I've got 11 pounds to lose; I know how to do it; it's my vanity that drives this decision. Now, if I could figure out how to manage my humility with vanity?

I've made an executive decision to modify my $20.00 daily giveaway. Two days ago, I was in an airport all day; there were no homeless to help. Yesterday I worked from home, and although I took PVHT for a walk, I didn't see one homeless person. So I now have $60.00 to give away; my exception is continuing rolling money but expanding my giving to local non-profits. I don't feel the need to seek out the homeless, only to positively impact society; if I find an individual in need, that is, choice one, 501 C 3's are choice two.

I just got my second request for my Air B and B manager. People caught the segment on the news and are now opening their minds to monetizing their assets. Next week I'm going to start the process of monetizing another asset to the tune of $12K a year, a little work, and Bam, $12K. So how can you best leverage your assets? What do you own that could make you money without selling the "thing." Or maybe if you bought at a good time, now is the time to rake some cash off the table to have a chest of treasure when the bubble bursts.

I took PVHT for two walks yesterday, and I will say it is cold here in East Central Indiana. People always assume that it's harder at our Denver home, but as of this moment, it's 6 degrees F in Indy with a high of 19 degrees F, Denver is 27 degrees with a high of 49, and it's sunny out west. My Denver friends don't' like me sharing our secret; it's pleasant year around.

A little bit of substance today; I hope your week was fantastic. I hope your first week of the new year was a success; I hope you started moving toward your best self and have a plan that will keep you on track. I share a goal planning worksheet for free; if you want a guide on impacting the seven critical areas of life, send me a note, and I will promise to get you the road map. So please do me a favor and make one person smile today. 

"What labels me negates me."
— Søren Kierkegaard