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[…]

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 🎢[…]

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!

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 ______________[…]

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[…]

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›[…]

Bring the “weekend you” to work today…

Here’s a little secret to having a good Monday… You see, most people think they have to change who they are at work. Monday feels like when the β€œweekend you” needs to morph back into the rigid β€œweekday you”. But the secret to having a good Monday —> is to never stop being the weekend Read more about Bring the “weekend you” to work today…[…]

stars don't shine they burn

Stars don’t shine. They burn.

This was my favorite line from the movie Encanto… Stars don’t shine. They burn. When I first heard it I was like, “aaah, what the heck does that mean?” Then I started thinking… Most people look at stars and see perfect, beautiful, unreachable diamonds that twinkle in the sky. But in reality, stars are raging Read more about Stars don’t shine. They burn.[…]

Bad news and good news…

Hello and happy Friday!!! Sorry I’ve been MIA the past couple days… got some bad news — I tested positive for covid on Wednesday so I’ve been sleeping in and resting a lot. But the good news is: my symptoms are light, my fridge is full, I work from home, my neighbors/friends/family are all supportive, Read more about Bad news and good news…[…]

Your niceness, stretching 2x as far…

Got this email yesterday from my brother… “I was recently reading this article about how during Covid people have been going ape-shit at front-line workers. Long story short, people are insanely rude in public these days. Sad. But the silver lining is, now it’s even easier to totally make someone’s day. Customer service workers report Read more about Your niceness, stretching 2x as far…[…]

Let it be known…

Good morning everybody! I have an announcement to make… “It is very possible, that I will achieve greatness in my lifetime” How do I know that I will possibly achieve greatness? Firstly, because this fortune cookie told me so πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡ And secondly… Because I wake up every day, look in the mirror and tell myself Read more about Let it be known…[…]

You’ll be ready –> when you are ready

There’s a lot of pressure these days to do things NOW, achieve things ASAP, to 10X your goals, retire “early”, refashion yourself overnight, etc. Well today’s message is the opposite. Sometimes you’re ready, whenever you are ready. It’s OK to grow at your own pace. And grow you will. When you are ready. It’s only Read more about You’ll be ready –> when you are ready[…]

Doing your best — varies day to day

Came across this awesome graphic yesterday… courtesy of @lizandmollie It got me thinking about how progress comes and goes in waves. Sometimes progress is fast. Sometimes it’s slow. Sometimes it’s backwards πŸ™ But, there are always more good days than bad ones, more forward days than backwards days, and more satisfaction than regrets. Progress is Read more about Doing your best — varies day to day[…]

Finding quietude 🀫

quiΒ·eΒ·tude (noun) a state of stillness, calmness, and quiet in a person or place. “it highlights her quietude and wise passivity” ***** Happy Sunday my friends! Today: Find your quietude. Silence isn’t empty. It’s actually full of answers. Have a good one, Joel New Years Day sunrise on the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA. Read more about Finding quietude 🀫[…]

This year, light 1000 candles πŸ•―

Did you know that… One single candle πŸ”₯Β  can light 1000 other candles, without shortening its own life? Well, it’s the same with sharing happiness… One single happy person 😁  can light up the lives of 1000 other people, without decreasing their own happiness supply. So this is my challenge for you in 2022: Share Read more about This year, light 1000 candles πŸ•―[…]

Another “outrageously generous” story…

Mornin’ mornin’!! Remember my “outrageously generous” friend, Steve? Well he just sent me another cool story I wanted to share with you guys… “After our family church zoom call I got to thinking about how Mary and Joseph probably felt not being able to find shelter. So I called up a few extended stay motels Read more about Another “outrageously generous” story…[…]

How heavy is a glass of water? πŸ₯›

One day, a professor holds up a glass of water in front of the class. He asks everyone, “how heavy is this glass of water?” A few students throw out guesses “8oz, 12oz, etc”… The professor continues… “The absolute weight of the glass doesn’t matter, it depends on how long I hold onto it. If Read more about How heavy is a glass of water? πŸ₯›[…]

Time to unplug… πŸ”Œ

I love this quote… Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including YOU.” – Anne Lamott   I’m not sure who Anne Lamott is, but I’m following her advice regardless πŸ™‚ To do this weekend: Unplug. Disconnect. REST. Go offline… Everything will work again when you reboot next week. Read more about Time to unplug… πŸ”Œ[…]

Book Recommendations: For You, From You!

Happy Friday y’all! I received about a billion book recommendations yesterday! And after a lot of cutting and pasting and linking, here they all are in one big list! (It’s more like ~50, not a billion 😊) These links are all Amazon links, but if you are interested in reading any books I definitely recommend Read more about Book Recommendations: For You, From You![…]

A frugal and effective happiness trick…

Mornin’ happy people! Today I’m sharing a snippet from a post over at The Frugal Girl. (h/t to J.Money for sharing with me!) πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡ “Another tip that’s both frugal and effective in boosting happiness: a decade ago I started a project where I took two empty jars, and put β€œgood moments” in one jar, and Read more about A frugal and effective happiness trick…[…]

Proud to be an “imposter”.

Imposter syndrome… It happens everywhere, at every level of life. Trying something new?… Imposter syndrome. Leveling up or getting a promotion?… Imposter syndrome. Networking, making new friends, visiting new place’s?… Imposter syndrome. Everyone feels it. So…. Instead of feeling weird, running from it, or letting it hold me back, from this day forward, I’m going Read more about Proud to be an “imposter”.[…]

Happiness is a direction, not a place.

Most people wander around life, trying to find “happiness”. They think it’s a thing, a place, a person, a promotion… they travel far and wide to find it. But the truth is, happiness is already inside them. It’s a direction, not a place. To unlock happiness you just gotta be present, and pay attention to Read more about Happiness is a direction, not a place.[…]

Happy Spanksgiving! 🍁

Woohoo! Happy Thanksgiving everybody! This is my 13th year celebrating Thanksgiving in the USA. Growing up in Australia, we didn’t have Thanksgiving and there’s actually no holiday like it down there. When I moved to the US, it quickly became my favorite holiday! Everyone sitting around, family and friends, sharing delicious food, giving thanks for Read more about Happy Spanksgiving! 🍁[…]

What if…?

What if IΜΆ ΜΆfΜΆaΜΆiΜΆlΜΆ I succeed? What if IΜΆ ΜΆlΜΆoΜΆsΜΆeΜΆ I win? What if IΜΆ ΜΆsΜΆuΜΆcΜΆkΜΆ I crush it? What if people dΜΆoΜΆnΜΆ’ΜΆtΜΆ ΜΆlΜΆiΜΆkΜΆeΜΆ love me? What if I’m tΜΆoΜΆoΜΆ ΜΆlΜΆaΜΆtΜΆeΜΆ perfectly on time? Today: Make sure your “what ifs” have the right ending. CONFIDENCE! πŸ’ͺπŸ‘Š You got this! – Joel Absolute killer sunset last Read more about What if…?[…]

Happiness is pretty simple

Happy Friday, beautiful souls! Just a quick reminder for today… Happiness is not about having everything you want in life. It’s about wanting everything you already have. 🏑 πŸ” πŸš— πŸ‘¨β€πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘§β€πŸ‘¦ ❀️ β˜€οΈ = πŸ˜€ Wishing you a great day out there, appreciating your awesome stuff in life. Cheers! – Joel **Update: A reader sent Read more about Happiness is pretty simple[…]

A different perspective 🚲

Last week I got my wife’s bike serviced… and while I was there, the shop attendants weren’t very nice to me… I know nothing about bikes, so they joked/laughed in Spanish under their breath, overcharged me (is $110 too much to pay for a bike service? πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ), and on top of all that they didn’t Read more about A different perspective 🚲[…]

A thin veil between this world –> and the next.

Happy Sunday! And happy Halloween! πŸ’€ Today begins DΓ­a de los Muertos, a beautiful celebration of life and death. When you’re out tonight trick-or-treating and going to parties, take a quick moment to remember your lost loved ones. One day someone will be remembering you the way you are remembering them.   β€œThere is no Read more about A thin veil between this world –> and the next.[…]

Ramming speed!

Today, I’m activating “Ramming Speed!” I’ll be attacking my to-do list head on, bashing through obstacles and challenges. Problem at work? Ramming speed! Angry client? Ramming speed! Bad traffic on the freeway? Ramming speed! (on second thoughts, maybe no ramming while driving is better) Wishing you all a STRONG day ahead. You are an unstoppable Read more about Ramming speed![…]

Friday Celebrations πŸŽ‰πŸ₯³πŸΎπŸ™Œ

3 things I’m celebrating this week: First off, my wife finished her first grad school class and got a score of… 100%!!! Yep, she’s awesome like that. πŸ† One of our real estate partnerships paid a huge dividend this month! Thank you bonkers real estate market! πŸ€‘ Lastly, I found a new jacket. It was Read more about Friday Celebrations πŸŽ‰πŸ₯³πŸΎπŸ™Œ[…]

Please excuse the bad language 🀭

unfuckwithable unΒ·fuckΒ·withΒ·aΒ·ble (adjective) When you are truly at peace and in touch with yourself, and nothing anyone says or does bothers you, and no negativity or drama can touch you. “Today, I’m feeling great and nobody will deter me from accomplishing my goals. I’m unfuckwithable.” ***** Sorry for the bad language!… But what a powerful Read more about Please excuse the bad language 🀭[…]

Be someone’s rainbow this weekend 🌩🌈

Good morning and happy Saturday!! How ya’ll feeling out there? I read a really cool quote the other day — “be the rainbow in someone else’s cloud” Got me thinking… We all have the awesome ability to make a difference in someone else’s life. Most rainbows pop up unexpectedly, and instantly cheer people up. And Read more about Be someone’s rainbow this weekend 🌩🌈[…]