A week from today, most of us will be gathered with family, friends and loved ones, enjoying whatever our respective traditional Thanksgiving feast looks like. Whether that’s turkey, ham, spaghetti (yes, some folks go rogue) or vegan lentil loaf, the day will probably include a bit of indulgence. And that’s okay. Most experts seem to agree that occasional indulgence is a good thing, and can help keep you on track with your healthy eating in the long run.
Have you ever watched the TV show Mad Men? Do you remember the episode where Don and his colleagues are discussing what they want in life? They all answer with something that has to do with their careers. Don gets to thinking, and later in the episode, he asks his daughter what she wants to do in life. She replies that she isn’t quite sure. Don then tells her that if she’s lucky enough to think about it, she’d better write it down so she doesn’t forget when she’s older.
Life is full of decisions. From deciding what to wear when we get dressed every day to what time to set the alarm for when we we go to bed, every day is full of choices. Some decisions are small with little bearing on life as a whole, and some are large with lasting effects. Sometimes, these decisions can haunt you for months or even years. You may wreck yourself on what is the right decision, the what ifs, and then worry in hindsight about what could have been. Finally, you picked a restaurant to eat at, and now you’re wondering if sushi really would have been better than burgers.
We all know those people on social media who look like they have perfect lives and families where everyone always smiles and no one ever feels any stress. The truth, of course, is that in reality, well, those folks probably don’t look or feel so perfect. But even if we know that social media is one big mask disguising the craziness of daily life, seeing all those perfect, smiling images can make even the most confident among us feel a little inferior.
A couple of years ago when my older son, Carter, was about 5, we went to Sesame Street Live! with a couple of other families. Carter had saved some money in his piggy bank and wanted to take some with him for candy. So, we got out some change and exchanged it for paper money. At the show, Carter was sitting with two girls about his same age when he spotted cotton candy vendor. My son flagged him down, and when the vendor got there, Carter announced, “Don’t worry girls, I got this!” At which point he paid $16 for about 4 cents worth of sugar and air.
Recently, I helped my neighbors move as they set out across the country for a new job and a new adventure. They are a young couple who had moved in with each other about a year and a half ago, and like most people, found that even in that amount of time, they had accumulated more stuff than they’d realized. Although they got along for the most part, they argued a bit during the packing process over what to keep and what to pitch, or something one finds hideous that the other thought was awesome.
There really has been no significant change as it seems to bounce around every day. Keep in mind these 100-point moves we’ve seen are the result of more and more electronic trades, and trades seem to be based off every headline whether it’s Trump Tweets, US trade with China or GE being replaced by Walgreens in the Dow.
Everyone feels envious from time to time. It’s human nature, especially in this day and age of 24/7 media bombardment and celebrities who are famous for simply being famous. Everywhere we look, there’s someone who has more, bigger, better, stronger, nicer. While I would never advocate for “keeping up with the Joneses,” and despite the fact that envy is one of the seven deadly sins, I do believe that a certain amount of envy can be a good thing.
Here we are at the time of year when school is almost out and kids are gearing up for an active summer. I know with my two boys, it seems like each year their energy levels just go up and up and my wife and I put them in more and more sports and activities to keep everyone busy.
I had a conversation recently that reiterated what I have finally come to accept after 20 years in this business: try as you might, you simply can’t be all things to all people. When I first started my career, I literally locked myself in a windowless room with a phone book, and cold-called about 200 people a day, with hopes of talking to 25-to-40 of them, and that those three-to-five minute conversations would lead to me sending some information and following up with that person.
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