People Watch What You Do ... Not What You Say

Remember the old adage our parents would tell us:

"Do as I say, not as I do"

Seems to me that this is exactly backwards.When I look at all the "advice" dolled out by friends and neighbours, I clearly see that almost none of it is ever considered, much less enacted.

But if we look at children, who are just small adults (ie: their world is ruled by emotion and so is ours) they do a curious thing 100% of the time.

They will take the path of least resistance (the easiest road) to any objective regardless of what you say unless there is a consequence. And the consequence has to be real. Not the fake "wait till your father gets home" or "if you do that you'll be grounded for a week" nonsense. Kids know if you will really follow through. If there's a greater than 50 percent chance that you won't, they'll do the forbidden thing.

It's almost like they have a built-in odds-counter. And so do we. Why do you think people grow pot? Because the odds of being caught multiplied by the punishment that occurs if they get caught is far outweighed by the profit possible. Other factors, like being shot by your competitor or having a life expectancy of 25 years, seem not to enter the equation.

But every once in a while, you'll see someone who doesn't tell you what to do. They just do it.

Those are the people I pay attention to.

I have some examples of people that do what they say, but unnerving to me is that most of them are twenty years younger than me. I find very few examples of someone in middle age who hasn't been compromised by life:

Tynan
Colin Wright
Ramit Sethi
Gary Arndt

Cold Turkey

I wrote a post yesterday for my other blog, BuildBetterSleep, where I talked about what health really is, and how to attain it.

The crux of the argument is, barring something serious like cancer, good health can be achieved by following some very simple rules:

1. Make room in your schedule for sufficient sleep every night. 7-9 hours is what most of us need. 
2. Get some sunlight (not too much, but not too little) every day. Let your body manufacture the Vitamin D you need.
3. Eat well. Nothing out of a box. Best if it was living and breathing a short time ago, or it was pulled out of the ground or off a tree or bush.
4. Exercise every day. Take a bike ride. Take a long walk. Take the stairs.

I truly believe that's all there is to it.

I've been trying to "fix what's wrong" or "find a shortcut" to good health for over a decade. I now think the "secret" has been there all along. Rest, Get Outdoors, Eat Well, and Exercise.

As of today, I'm going to throw out all the vitamins and supplements I've been taking (with the exception of an 82mg aspirin every day).

No more Niacin. No more Fish Oil. No more Resveratrol. No more Vitamin D. Just food, sleep and exercise outdoors.

How We've Failed Our Grandchilden

We've basically screwed our grandchildren.

Unless you are part of a small minority, the legacy you are leaving your grandchildren is a standard of living far below that which you enjoy.

nAnd a standard of living below that of your children.

Here's my thinking.

My generation - the boomers - had parents that likely came from nothing. Through good fortune, good timing, and hard work for many of them they were able to give their children a leg-up in whatever they decided to do. For the most part, it was "hands off" parenting.

Boomers benefited from cheap education, easy opportunity and plentiful money. And we knew far better than our parents ever did how to raise our children. No "hands off" for us. They wanted for nothing, and many of us made the mistake of never saying no to our children. Our kids grew up as the most affluent generation that ever lived.

Now our kids are in their 20's and 30's, and many are having a tough time - for the first time in their lives. A tough time finding a job. A tough time establishing long term relationships. A tough time moving out of the house. Most are amazed at the stage of life their parents were at when they were the same age. When I was 27, I had two kids, a good job, a house, and a wife that stayed at home.

Our kids will be OK, because mom and dad are wealthy. The boomers will die, and leave lots of money, real-estate and expensive stuff for them. Some can help out before they die.

But if the economy continues along much as its predicted to (think Japan like stagflation), our grandkids will face the same lack of opportunity their parents did. Only this time, there won't be anything left because mom and dad (our kids) have had to use all of it to live on.

What do you think? Am I all wet on this one?