You should never argue with a crazy,ma, ma, ma, ma man;You oughtta know by now.You can pay Uncle Sam with the overtimeIs that all you get for your money?And if thats what you have in mindyeah if thats what you're all about..Good luck moving up, cause I'm moving out.~ Billy Joel "Movin' Out"

As many of you may already know, I’m moving. Just across town. Tomorrow will be my last day of uninterrupted Internet service. I hope to be up and running by mid week. This is what I’ve been told anyway. We’ll see what AT&T has to say about that…

Anyway, since I’m moving I thought I’d pass along Budget’s very useful moving tips. Enjoy them.

“The search for the perfect venture can turn into procrastination. Your idea may or may not have merit. The key is to get started.” ~ Unknown

Procrastination and I have been partners in the past. Funny thing is, when we team up not a whole lot gets done. We always have the best of intentions. We usually have the grandest of dreams. Yet together, we never seem to accomplish a single one of our goals.

I used to joke about our occasional partnership, but the older I get the more I realize procrastination is no laughing matter. Unless you intend to never accomplish a thing in life.

Do you have big plans for the future? Is there a job or talent you’ve been meaning to pursue? I am sure we can all think of something. Yet almost as quickly as we think of those things we long to accomplish, we think of reasons we can’t. That often invites procrastination. Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to be realistic with our goals. But is that just an excuse you’re making when you say you can’t, or will never?

Set short short term, realistic goals, but always have one long term goal you’re working toward (and ultimately going to accomplish). Otherwise, you will begin to use your realism as an excuse to allow procrastination to partner up with you.

“Nothing separates the generations more than music. By the time a child is eight or nine, he has developed a passion for his own music that is even stronger than his passions for procrastination and weird clothes.” ~ Billy Cosby

Meg & the Volkswagen
Originally uploaded by drewmaniac

“Life at any time can become difficult: life at any time can become easy. It all depends upon how one adjusts oneself to life.” ~ Morarji Ranchhodji Desai

Some days are more challenging than others. When a particularly challenging day faces us, it can be easy to lose sight of the big picture. At work today I just got up from my desk a couple of times. I walked around the room (I work in a very large room with lot’s of people in it) and conversed with people. I laughed a little, asked a few people how they were doing, and didn’t think about work for a moment. I eventually made my way back to my desk, but I felt better for it.

Some days may be more challenging than others, but that doesn’t mean we have to forget that really, it’s just a job. There are more important aspects of life out there. Enjoy them.

Admit it. You wish you would have thought of it.

An observation I’ve made over the years about people who scam, steal, or spam is how much effort and time they often spend to perform their dirty deeds. I used to work at Wal-Mart, and in my couple of years there I saw some pretty elaborate scams just to rip the man off of a couple bucks here or there. Is it really worth it? I’m not even going to factor in the possibility of going to jail.

Think about the hours spent dreaming up the perfect bank heist. What about the time spent typing up the perfect e-mail informing some unsuspecting reader that some prince in Africa wants to give them an inheritance. Only need them to front some money first!

How is it really worth all the risk?

wendy
Originally uploaded by kevin russ

This month: The Art of Leadership

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” ~ Peter F. Drucker

“You do not lead by hitting people over the head — that’s assault, not leadership.” ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

“The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.” ~ Theodore M. Hesburgh

“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.” ~ Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf

“One secret of leadership is that the mind of a leader never turns off. Leaders even when they are sightseers or spectators, are active; not passive observers.” ~ James Humes

I recently stumbled upon a gem. Richard Horne’s book 101 Things To Do Before You Die presents some very interesting questions, propositions, and simply things to do before your death. It’s an easy read, and if you get into it very much you’ll find yourself writing in it all over the place. Which is half the fun!

Before I bore you to sleep with a shabby attempt at a book review, let me move on to the whole point here. One of the questions in the book is “Have you ever milked a cow?” I read this question, had to pause for a moment, and then remembered. I had milked a cow before!

I was not very old. Probably only 10 or 11 years of age. It was at a farm of some friends from church that my parents were invited to. At some point the cows had to be milked (for dinner possibly? I cannot remember why). I remember I went out with the old farmer and he just started showing me how to milk a cow. Next thing I knew, there I was pulling and squeezing on a cow’s udder.

That is so country and out of character for me. Kind of like the time I rode a horse, and promptly fell off. I am a city boy, even if I have lived a majority of my life in the country and smaller towns.

So what is something you need to do before you die? I’m thinking I could make a list much longer than 101 items. I need to go to Mexico, come to think of it…

Sometimes there are no words to be said. This book cover says it all. I wish I knew how to play rock ‘n’ roll accordion, and I bet you do too.

Have a good weekend.