Blog

Typing this up as I watch a gem of a movie Fried Green Tomatoes. Years ago I was a member of a popular blogging site called Livejournal. The years were more formidable to say the least, as a 16 year old trying to figure his way about the world starting from a $5.15/hr job at a supermarket in a small Long Island town. I probably overshared aspects of my life and went in what others would perceive as circles.

…That was 1999 and ended in the late 2000s. Close to 15 years ago. Some of my thoughts at 41 as I reflect on my present experience.

1. Compounding is a beautiful thing, both in terms of finances and effort. I’ve seen a 4500% net worth increase in 7 years. I can bench 145 pounds and that number keeps climbing.
2. No one cares about your goals or setbacks as much as you do. They have their own stuff going on and that gets priority.
3. Protect your time and energy like a hawk. Some will take advantage of both.
4. It’s easy to get a the pattern of finding comfort in things going south. Break the cycle and focus on solutions not the what ifs on how things can get even messier.
5. Victim olympics. Skip that, use that energy to change your personal situation.
6. Age isn’t the end-all be all. You may have to adapt with certain things but there are way older or way younger people who started from zero too and are thriving. You can be one of them.
7. Grifters and self-help books. Avoid. Focus on a couple principles, that’s all you need. Your situation is not the same as a guy with $10M who gets paid selling courses.
8. Only compare yourself to yourself in the past. You can admire what other people have sure but don’t use it as a way to say that your life is miserable.
9. Everyday you’re upright is a good day. I’ve lost a lot of friends, acquaintances, and family members over the years. The best way to honor the dead is by making the most of your life.
10. Set a fucking timer. It helps you stay on track.
11. Be thankful for what you have. It’s easy to lose track of that in this fast-paced world where people have a 15 second attention span if that.
12. Purge old crap once in a while. It’s liberating.

There’s probably more but I this is a post for me and I have shit to do. 😀

It’s been a long time since making any type of update to this domain. Posted a few things here and there, but not nearly as much as I used to.

How the times have changed

• I registered therealmac.net back in 2003. I was 20 at the time, today I am 33.
• I was living with my folks in a small bedroom located in the suburbs of Long Island’s North Shore. Today I have an apartment of my own in Dallas. I also used to own a house with someone else. It made me realize homes can be a huge headache.
• The computer I had at the time was an iBook G3 purchased from a programmer who was upgrading to something more powerful. Today I have a 15″ MacBook Pro Touch Bar that is probably 100 times more powerful.
• At the time I worked as a cashier in a grocery store and was pursuing a degree in Liberal Arts – General Studies. Today I have a great career in Marketing along with 3 degrees earned many moons ago. Learning is still part of my everyday routine though. Especially with the new year here.
• Car – I drove a 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera at the time. Today I have a 2016 Nissan Maxima. Twice the horsepower, and superior in almost every way aside from costs. :
• Dad – Lost but not forgotten.
• Not giving a shit – Don’t get me wrong I still care about people but I’ve grown a tougher skin and have learned to grow up. I’ve learned time is a precious resource. Either they like you or they don’t. If they don’t, it’s fine. Move ahead with life and don’t look back.
• Student Loans – At the time I was starting my 3rd year of college. Unsure what I wanted to really major in or do with the rest of my life. After lots of life I paid off the student loans in Fall of 2016. I never plan to go into debt again for any type of education for the rest of my life. The payoff is not guaranteed and the piece of paper only takes you so far.