Stop working for somebody else punching a time clock. The freedom offered by being self employed is awesome. I was able to make it to every one of the kids functions, games, etc. Needed time off for me, no problem. Red Sox playing a day game, great, I'm cutting out early. The only downfall is weekends tend to be like every other day. Work, don't work, whatever. I don't look forward to weekends or dread Mondays like I use to.
By travel, I mean actually go live and work in another country for at least a year. Long enough to develop a relationship with the local fauna.
Stop talking about it and do it.
Teach kindness to your children by example.
Swim in the ocean.
Siamese Cat.
Sailboat.
Fire a machine gun.
Play an instrument.
Get your hands dirty.
Take notes.
Always try to out give your wife. (advice from my Dad on my wedding day)
NOHOME said:By travel, I mean actually go live and work in another country for at least a year. Long enough to develop a relationship with the local fauna.
This is something I really want to do. We have offices in Brno, Barcelona, and Montevideo that I would be interested in. Would likely need 2 years of planning and getting things in order to make it happen.
Nick Comstock said:Having a hard time thinking of things I'd recommend someone else do. I have thought of several things I'd certainly recommend not doing.
How about ride a motorcycle?
We're on page 3 and nobody has said, "Enter and compete in the GRM $20XX Challenge"?
If you are up for a longer effort, learn a second language.
Drive a stock car. A real live decommissioned Nascar race car. Go to Bristol, or Charlotte under the lights. Really doesn't matter where, just do it. Don't be scared, either. Open that baby up and let it ride. You will never forget the experience. It doesn't cost that much either. You can spend a few hundred bucks or as much as you want.
ncjay said:Drive a stock car. A real live decommissioned Nascar race car. Go to Bristol, or Charlotte under the lights. Really doesn't matter where, just do it. Don't be scared, either. Open that bay up and let it ride. You will never forget the experience. It doesn't cost that much either. You can spend a few hundred bucks or as much as you want.
Along the same lines, I bought a $2000 dodge neon mini stock race car. Racing at the local circle track is the most adrenaline filled experience I’ve ever had.
Drove a short track modified in an actual race.
Managed to qualify for the feature due to attrition.
Told to pull out after a couple laps.
Made fifty bucks.
Gary said:Divest yourselves of "going nowhere" projects. Also, get rid of lesser projects. Simplify your lives. I know this goes against the macho-project philosophy here, but in the overall scheme of life, focus your efforts on the important things. So, what do you really like/want? What really makes you happy? Believe me, less is more.
You need more upvotes for this advice. I also heartily endorse this. I have my truck and an 81 Goldwing as "projects". I have decided the truck is complete as is without the long list of other things I could still add/change. Same with the bike. I will get it running reliably and safely, then I will ride it. The weather induced patina is pretty cool actually.
This conclusion came out of simplifying my back yard. The garage has been demolished and removed, and the silly little patio in the middle of the yard (?) has been dismantled and used to replace the front walk. I'm very pleased with how removing those things has really opened up the yard and made it better with less.
In reply to akamcfly :
I've been trying to agressively cut down on projects that aren't actual projects. If it's cool but just sits, or is neat just to have, I'm working on sending them down the road. Projects should be engaging and make my life more interesting, not just sit and be a store of wealth. This is the big thing that keeps me from building a pole barn. If I do that I'll just fill it with things that sit.
Travel. Everywhere.
New Orleans
Kalispell, MT
NYC
LA
San Francisco
Costa Rica's Pacific coast is brilliant. Take a backpack and a hammock
Take a flying lesson and fly a plane
Go to a music festival and stay there all week with dirty hippies
Do more drugs. Not the bad kind, the "safe" kind.
exercise more
learn a musical instrument
act in a play/musical
see a therapist
simplify. Get rid of possessions and streamline life. I have exactly two bills that I have to actively pay; a sewer bill (because my municipality thinks checks are "modern enough") and car registrations. The rest is all auto billpay from the bank. I have purged possessions down to just what I need in the house. The garage is a different story. I almost never get mail. I obviously get the Harbor Freight coupons and a shopper's guide, but the rest of the junk mail I successfully called them and got them to quit. It is so liberating.
I would say live by Theodore Roosevelt’s example , the strenuous life
Speed week on the salt flats, as part of a team.
alfadriver said:Speed week on the salt flats, as part of a team.
Oooo, this one is on my bucket list. It floats up near the top every couple of years, then I try to read the rulebook. It may as well be written in Chinese.
ProDarwin said:alfadriver said:Speed week on the salt flats, as part of a team.
Oooo, this one is on my bucket list. It floats up near the top every couple of years, then I try to read the rulebook. It may as well be written in Chinese.
You don't need to worry about the alphabet soup, the other guys on the team will have already figured that out.
mazdeuce - Seth said:This is the big thing that keeps me from building a pole barn. If I do that I'll just fill it with things that sit.
I feel the same about replacing the garage any time soon.
I love this thread. I’m going to refer to it when planning future activities.
- drive in a rallycross, do a stage rally if you get the bug
- teach... anything. Could be driving instruction for rallycross newbies, could be tutoring more junior people at work, could be whatever sport you are into. There is a lot satisfaction in seeing your pupils improve
- learn a bunch of new sports. The most fun part is the steep part of the learning curve at the beginning when you go from complete novice to understanding what’s going on. Specific recommendations: rock climbing, surfing, stand up paddle boarding, wind surfing, kayaking, whitewater rafting, snowboarding/skiing, mountain biking
- cheap inflatable hot tub. Love it.
- on the travel front: Great Barrier Reef, Japan, China, Angkor Wat, Death Valley and Joshua Tree in California.
Produce your own food. Grow some vegetables. Take some fish or wild game all the way from its natural habitat to your belly, completely on your own, and do it in the same day. Bonus points if you cook it over a fire.
Silver state classic or any other open road race. Triple digits are a thrill for a minute or 2. Now do it for an hour....
The events aren't as expensive as you would think for the lower speed classes. (120 and under). Plus they are in small towns that really love the events.
In reply to Gearheadotaku :
Build your home! Don’t just write a check and have someone do it for you. Use your own two hands Start with a cabin in the woods if you’re the type of person who doesn’t have a lot of confidence. 4 walls a door and maybe a window. Then maybe get a little bolder and replace the outhouse with a bathroom with plumbing. Solar panels with a few basic items like lights.
Worst that will happen is you’ll sell it as an improved lot.
Or if you want build an actual family home.
Visit Las Vegas and Death Valley.
In that order.
Vegas at night will provide you witha representation of humanity in all it's raw, carnal forms.
Then Death Valley will make Vegas pale in comparison to the raw power and beauty of nature.
(the Grand Canyon would work too, but the Vegas to Death Valley trip can easily be done in a weekend from L.A.)
I've done a lot of these. I would say follow your dreams irregardless. And if you don't have any dreams, keep trying new stuff until one sticks.
My favorites are working Lemans. Stand on the back stretch Of COTA as an F1 car flies by less than 50 FT away at almost 200 MPH. Stand on the wall and be the corner marshal at the top of the Corkscrew. Go it Rennsport. Go to Goodwood. Lap the Ring. Sail a boat in the north Atlantic. Save a life. Help a Vet/Elder. Help a kid coming up. Be a mentor.
Most of all....Live life. Memories are rarely made on the sofa.
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