RISE EARLY. RETIRE EARLY.

Just an average guy, living an above-average life!

Sunday Family Time

Happy Sunday, y’all! My parents arrived from Australia yesterday! From left to right, this is my wife, my brother, Mum, Dad and me πŸ™‚ πŸ‘‡ I’m gonna shut the laptop now and give them my full attention. πŸ™‚ Wishing you all a lovely Sunday filled with sunshine and laughter. Life is good! Love, Joel

Good vibes coming your way

Happy Saturday!!! Wishing you lots of happiness, good vibes, positivity, smiles, hugs and kisses, special moments, delicious foods, relaxing naps, unexpected presents, random signs from the universe, free money, inner peace, uncontrollable laughter, celebrations, play time with friends, raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens… Did I miss anything? Basically whatever stuff you love in Read more about Good vibes coming your way[…]

A happy Friday checklist… πŸ“

It’s Friday! Woohoo πŸ₯³ Here are your missions today, should you choose to accept them… βœ… Laugh at least 10 times today βœ… Celebrate a milestone or small win that happened this past week βœ… Celebrate *someone else’s* small win from this past week βœ… Dish out 5 compliments to other people today. (While you’re Read more about A happy Friday checklist… πŸ“[…]

Compose yourself πŸ§˜β€β™€οΈ

comΒ·poΒ·sure (noun) the state or feeling of being calm and in control of oneself. “she retained composure through thick and thin” ***** Good morning, all! Here are a few mid-week reminders: You are in control of your feelings, and your response to situations around you. 🧘 You are a positive thinker! And positivity (+ kindness) Read more about Compose yourself πŸ§˜β€β™€οΈ[…]

Small minds vs. great minds

Small minds discuss other people. Average minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas. – Eleanor Roosevelt Good morning and happy Monday! Wishing you all a great week ahead, sharing and implementing your ideas πŸ˜‰πŸ’‘ Make it a good one, – Joel From the beach this weekend 😍

Pay yourself first β€” Variations

You’ve probably heard of β€œpay yourself first” when it comes to money management… Well, a lesser known (but equally effective) tactic is to pay yourself first when it comes to other stuff in life, too… Pay yourself first in encouragement. If you don’t believe in yourself it’s hard for others to also. Pay yourself first Read more about Pay yourself first β€” Variations[…]

Cloudy days make the best sunsets 🌦

Received this cool note from Camilla last week… πŸ‘‡ “I realized something – most of the pictures I have aren’t of the sun itself, but of the beauty the sun creates. Looking at the sun itself is painful and it isn’t always pretty, but when the sun is part of something else, it is inevitably Read more about Cloudy days make the best sunsets 🌦[…]

Comparison syndrome πŸ™…β€β™‚οΈ

If you’re going to compare yourself to anyone, compare yourself to yourself. Good questions to ask: 2 years ago, were you providing the same value as you are today? What are 5 things you are really good at, that most people around you aren’t? Would you really trade your awesome life for someone else’s (knowing Read more about Comparison syndrome πŸ™…β€β™‚οΈ[…]

Moving forward, with composure πŸ§˜β€β™€οΈ

The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done, we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change so that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger, but in wisdom, understanding and love.” – Jennifer Edwards ***** Good morning dudes!! This is your Friday morning Read more about Moving forward, with composure πŸ§˜β€β™€οΈ[…]

Here comes the sun, do do do do 🎢

Dear everyone: It’s been brought to my attention that some of you have been taking photos of beautiful sunsets, and *not sharing* them with me! 😭 This hurts my feelings. Just kidding. Actually I’m stoked to be getting the photos I do from you guys. It’s fun seeing where you’re from and a what it Read more about Here comes the sun, do do do do 🎢[…]

A quick route to happiness today 😁

Dear everyone, Good news! I just found a secret fountain of unlimited happiness. ⛲️ …and I’m going to package up this happiness into tiny little bottles and ship it to everyone on this email list. Would you like a little bottle of happiness? Here is how you get one… All you need to do, is Read more about A quick route to happiness today 😁[…]

There are angels, you know… πŸ˜‡

“There are angels. They don’t have wings and live in clouds. They wear nurses uniforms and work hard to pay the rent on their houses. Some work for charities because they can’t look the other way. Some have 4 legs and bark. Whatever they look like, they save lives. Sometimes you bump into them. Sometimes Read more about There are angels, you know… πŸ˜‡[…]

Life has good days and bad days

About three years ago, after surfing one day I got home and realized I accidentally left my surfboard leash in the beach parking lot. 😒 And every time I’ve returned to the beach since then I park there and think to myself, β€œthis is the parking lot where I lost my favorite surfboard leash”. Well…. Read more about Life has good days and bad days[…]

Welcome to Bio-Dome. Welcome to the future!

Happy Friday, and happy Earth Day! 🌎 Here are some cool facts and stories about our earth and things within it… – From Sam M: “My favorite nature fact is about trees. They serve an incredibly important function called β€œcarbon sequestration”. Trees literally pull carbon out of the air and bury it in their roots. Read more about Welcome to Bio-Dome. Welcome to the future![…]

A rare and beautiful cactus 🌡

Got this cool note from my friend, Mr. Accidentally Retired… πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡ “Every year around April 1st, almost to the day, the cacti around us start blooming. The most amazing of all is the Argentinian Cactus, which blooms the big, beautiful, white flowers. (pic below!) The Argentinian in particular is interesting, because it starts blooming at Read more about A rare and beautiful cactus 🌡[…]

You are smarter than you think…

Try reading this… Eevn tgouhh tehse wrods rea wirettn unisg jembuld lerttes, uyo cna sitll porbblay udnresnatd waht m’i syanig… T’is baucsee uoy rea sartmre tahn uoy tnihk oyu rea! Today: Trust your gut feelings, your natural intuition, and listen to your spidey-senses… Your ability to figure things out quickly is better than you think. Read more about You are smarter than you think…[…]

Perfect is the enemy – 90% is good enough

This came in from Paul in San Diego… πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡ “I struggle with composing responses to work emails. I want to make sure that when I respond to someone, I have all the information that may pertain to their request, neatly formatted the way I believe they want, along with other ‘helpful info’ too. But what Read more about Perfect is the enemy – 90% is good enough[…]

Build the cause –> live the effect.

Cause = why it happens πŸ’§ Effect = what happens 🌻 Without cause, there is no effect. Today, you are living the effect of yesterday’s cause. Past events and actions have led you to where you are now. But also today, you are building the cause for tomorrow’s effect. Your future hasn’t been written yet, Read more about Build the cause –> live the effect.[…]

I’m pickin’ up good vibrations

Did you know?…Β  Water can absorb and store sound effects!? πŸ”ˆ If you play classical music to water as it freezes, the microscopic crystals it forms are beautiful and smooth. If you play death metal or heavy rock music, water forms ugly and chaotic crystals. Same with positive and negative word affirmations… If you play Read more about I’m pickin’ up good vibrations[…]

Living a truly rich life…

“Some people are so poor, all they have is money” Money is important… But life’s true riches lie elsewhere: Relationships. Experiences. Memories. Love. Time. Peace. Wishing you a happy weekend, filled with the good stuff that money can’t buy. Love, Joel My homemade walnut bread turned out awesome!

Show up and do your best

Today’s note comes from Jesse from The Best Interest blog! πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡ ***** “My college squash coach is the former world #4 player. A tremendous athlete and a cool dude. I always think about something he said… Getting to the top 10 in the world isn’t about playing amazingly and beating other Top 10 players. It’s Read more about Show up and do your best[…]

Zigging and zagging β†˜οΈ ↗️

“Failure is a bend in the road, not the end of the road” – Roy T. Bennett Reminder for this week ahead: Life rarely goes in a straight line. Projects at work, relationships, finding balance at home, etc… They’re more like twisty, windy adventures. You gotta zig ↗️  and zag β†˜οΈΒ  accordingly. Happy Monday, happy Read more about Zigging and zagging β†˜οΈ ↗️[…]

Fun happenings in the community…

Here are some celebrations and things some of y’all shared… – Ben H turned 38 this week! He’s celebrating “having good friends and a sunny spring weekend to camp on the Oregon coast”. Woohoo! πŸ₯³ – Kathy from Oklohoma said: “7 years ago today, I signed my acceptance letter and paid my deposit for law Read more about Fun happenings in the community…[…]

And the haters gonna hate…

A “hater” is someone who discredits, devalues or downplays your accomplishments. Unfortunately, everyone experiences haters from time to time. It’s sad, and it hurts. But you can’t let haters get you down or stop you from doing what you do. When a hater attacks you can: a) Spend your time worrying about it, and guessing Read more about And the haters gonna hate…[…]

Look on the bright side

“Look at that poor little tug boat, slaving away pulling the big lazy ship behind” ”Huh? I see an awesome little tug boat!… It’s out there inspiring and leading all the bigger ships!” β€œIt’s sad those boats have to work on such a beautiful dayβ€œ ”What? They have the best work environment ever, doing what Read more about Look on the bright side[…]

Another awesome day to ______________

“While you were waking up this morning, someone else out there was breathing their last breath.” Sorry for the morbid-ish quote so early in the morning… Actually this message isn’t about death… It’s about LIFE!! And how each day you wake up breathing is a blessing. And how we should take advantage of another opportunity Read more about Another awesome day to ______________[…]

persistence

365 participation awards πŸ…

perΒ·sistΒ·ence noun firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. “You can depend on Janice to always get the job completed because she has patience and persistence” ***** In yesterday’s email I wrote “persistence is your advantage”. It’s one of my favorite reminders that an average skilled person Read more about 365 participation awards πŸ…[…]

A great way to start Monday

What are 3 awesome things that happened this past weekend? 1. ___________ 2. ___________ 3. ___________ And what are 3 awesome things that are happening this week? 1. ___________ 2. ___________ 3. ___________ Lastly, what are 3 reasons WHY these awesome things are happening in your life? 1. ___________ 2. ___________ 3. ___________ Counting your Read more about A great way to start Monday[…]

Peptalk Hotline Number

Motivational Hotline —> Call (707) 873-7862

Feeling lethargic? Need a pep talk? Call this motivational hotline… Some students over at West Side Elementary School in Healdsburg, California started a project called PepToc. It’s a bunch of pre-recorded motivational messages to help encourage you, pull you out of a slump, or give little bits of life advice. Try it!! Just call (707) Read more about Motivational Hotline —> Call (707) 873-7862[…]

Quick Refocus Questions πŸ™‡β€β™‚οΈ

What do you want? How far along are you? What is in the way? Who is in the way? How do you feel? What is your very next *small* step? Can you take that small step today, or start this week? ***** Good morning and happy Wednesday! This question stack above has helped me refocus Read more about Quick Refocus Questions πŸ™‡β€β™‚οΈ[…]

Stresslaxing | A Few Things That Might Help

I heard a new word floating around recently… Stresslaxing. It means: “when relaxing activities make you even more stressed, because you’re not out working on whatever is making you stressed in the first place” Have you ever felt this? Like sometimes stressful work or problems in life start to invade your personal time and you Read more about Stresslaxing | A Few Things That Might Help[…]

Time-out isn’t even that bad…

Working with toddlers the past few weeks, I’ve come to know the power of the words β€œtime-out”… When they’re misbehaving, we say, β€œDo you want to go to time-out?” or β€œDo it now or we’re going to time-out. 3… 2… 1” The funny is, we’ve never actually put kids in time-out. I don’t even know Read more about Time-out isn’t even that bad…[…]

Your Monday affirmations… πŸ’ͺ

Happy Monday, peeps! What an awesome day to be alive πŸ™‚ Fill in the blanks for your personal Monday affirmations… πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡ Today I’m feeling ____(positive feeling)___! My superpower is ___(skill)___, and I’m going to use it today to kick ass doing ____(hard task you’re trying to avoid)___. I won’t stress over ___(thing you can’t control)___ Read more about Your Monday affirmations… πŸ’ͺ[…]

Everything you do (and don’t do) matters πŸ¦‹

In 1963 a scientist named Edward Lorenz proposed a hypothesis. It was that… A butterfly could flap it’s wings and set molecules in motion, which could move other air molecules, which move even more molecules, and the ripple could grow and grow to eventually form a huge hurricane on the other side of the planet. Read more about Everything you do (and don’t do) matters πŸ¦‹[…]

Wow them twice. ✌🏼

Most people think it’s best to underpromise ⬇️ and overdeliver ⬆️ And while yes I agree thats a good practice ​(it’s definitely better than promising too much and not delivering), I recommended you try this out once in a while… Overpromise ⬆️ AND overdeliver ⬆️ This way you β€œWow them twice!” (and you might even Read more about Wow them twice. ✌🏼[…]

Looking for problems (to solve)

One day, a friend of a friend went on Amazon and searched for “pet supplies”. He sorted all the listings by popularity to find the absolute best selling products. Then he clicked into these top products, and went down to the customer reviews section. But, he wasn’t searching for good reviews, he was only interested Read more about Looking for problems (to solve)[…]

Happy V Day! πŸ’• I love you.

I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you. – Paulo Coelho Today (and every day) the universe is on your side, conspiring to place amazing people in your life. Let’s all celebrate love today. It’s what makes life worth living πŸ’• Happy Valentines Day, beautiful people! Love, Joel Pacific City, Read more about Happy V Day! πŸ’• I love you.[…]

Look for the –> bare necessities πŸœπŸ›

“Look for the bare necessities The simple bare necessities Forget about your worries and your strife. I mean the bare necessities That’s why a bear can rest at ease With just the bare necessities of life” – Baloo, Jungle Book Hey y’all, it’s the weekend! And I’m thinking we should give away all our worldly Read more about Look for the –> bare necessities πŸœπŸ›[…]

Friday celebrations πŸ₯³

Happy Friday, dudes! There’s so much to celebrate! Here are some good things going on in my world… We sold another rental property! This was a bumpy sale with many twists and turns, but it’s finally all over. Woohoo! 🏑 We received an unexpected $131 check in the mail from a class action settlement. (Funny Read more about Friday celebrations πŸ₯³[…]

Your friend: Brevity

brevΒ·iΒ·ty (noun) concise and exact use of words in writing or speech. “She edits her emails with great brevity” ***** Happy Thursday, peeps! Brevity means getting straight to the point. It’s using 1 word instead of 2. It’s crafting short emails, speaking in clear, direct sentences, and removing any possibility of misunderstanding. Brevity is the Read more about Your friend: Brevity[…]

Using weighted matrix

Weighted Decision Matrix Example – (And How To Make Your Own)

Have you ever heard of or used a weighted decision matrix? It’s a pretty kick ass tool that helps you evaluate tough and complex choices in life. (or in business) Given that many of y’all readers are making big changes this year — switching jobs, buying homes, moving cities, etc — I thought maybe this Read more about Weighted Decision Matrix Example – (And How To Make Your Own)[…]