After a Short Hiatus....

Lots going on here in Joe Land. I have been crazy busy trying to keep up with the schedule I have set myself, as well as working on some of the many dreams floating around in my head. Oh yes, and I shaved my head. If all of this sounds like a mental breakdown, fear not. It is rather the delightful sound of life buzzing on down the track. Of special interest to you, dear reader, is the happy fact that I have been accepted as a contributor at http://www.culturefeast.com ! In fact, My first article, entitled has formal education become passe is on the front page today. So support my work, and my new friends over at culturefeast, and check it out!

5 Steps to Enjoying Each Day

“Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going to fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.”

~Eddie Cantor~

Anyone who's been watching the field of tech knows that the future is mobile. We all want our computers a little lighter, a little smaller, with more battery life and internet capabilities. Why, you may ask? Well so that we can get more done of course. So we can now take work with us wherever we go. As I was pondering this, it struck me as how we are all really missing the point. The original purpose of the computer was to free up more time, not take up more time. It’s the same with most of our technology. I didn’t have to bring in wood this morning, yet I'm warm, and breakfast is cooking. I didn’t have to draw and heat water over a fire when I took my shower, etcetera. We have all of this technology in place to save us time, and so it has. It is what we have done with our time that is the problem. Instead of using our free time to enjoy each day, we've used it to do more each day. Instead of allowing us to slow the pace of life a bit, it has allowed us to speed it up. Today we leverage the time saving aspects of technology so that we can maintain a quick, almost frantic lifestyle. Our lives have become so fast that even our leisure time is stressful and expensive. What would happen I wonder, if instead of filling our new found time to the bursting point we filled it with just a reasonable number of good things? What if we used our time to just stop and enjoy our day? Here are five steps that I have found help me make the most out of my day, instead of just doing the most:

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1) Get up early- I have consistently found that my best days are those in which I get up early. There’s something about not being rushed during those sacred morning rituals that really helps start the day off right.

2) Turn it off- We all love our gadgets, myself very much included. But if you can just turn it all off for even half an hour, you will be well on your way to really being able to enjoy the day. Our computers and phones speed us up far more than I think we often realize.

3) Don’t try to do it all- this applies to work and leisure. Take your day, pick only those things that absolutely must be done today, then do them. Then pick only a few things that you want to do, and really enjoy them. If you want to go to a movie, go to a movie. Don’t go shoppingthentothearcadethentotheputtputtcoursethenamovie. Just pick one thing, and really enjoy it.

4) Get outside- Walking to your car doesn’t count. Actually step out of the door and enjoy the day, it won’t hurt you. Literally take time to smell the roses, or whatever flower happens to be nearby.

5) Learn to say no- This is perhaps one of the most valuable skills that you’ll need to acquire if you want to enjoy every day. You may have succeeded in slowing your life down, but it’s all a moot point if you allow everyone else to speed you up again. Its hard to say no to coworkers and friends, but if you want to be able to slow down and really enjoy life, instead of just blitzing through it, that’s a skill you’ll need to master.

Culture Trends in America: a series

I'm definitely biting off more than I can chew. but thats how we grow as people right? James Russell Lowell said that it is not failure, but low aim, that is the true crime. So it is with those sentiments in mind that I am beginning a series on the culture trends at work in shaping the future of America. As a student of culture, I am fascinated by not only the scope of these changes, but also by the furious pace at which these trends are changing the social landscape. I will be breaking down this rather expansive topic into manageable chunks, each dealing with a different culture trend and its ramifications as to how we think, socialize, relax, etcetera. so get ready, the first installment will be up here later tonight with some luck!