If you’re still breathing, there’s still story to be told.
Might as well make it a good one.
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If you’re still breathing, there’s still story to be told.
Might as well make it a good one.
When you make the amazingly courageous decision to improve yourself, to say yes to bigger and better things for your life, you WILL encounter haters. They may even be people you consider friends.
Consider it a sign that you’re on the right track.
Keep going.
Have you ever noticed that you can always tell whether a child’s drawing was actually drawn by a child or an adult? Advertisements, signage, or product packaging will sometimes convey a childlike quality by including some elements supposedly drawn by a child. Much of the time, the drawing is done by a grown-up mimicking a child’s drawing. And you can tell it’s a fake.
Why is that? Continue Reading →
When you buy something online, during the checkout process, there is almost always a checkbox with an invitation to receive promotional emails of some sort. Sometimes you have to check the box to get the emails. Other sites have pre-checked the box for you, automatically assuming that you want their stuff. If you don’t, you physically have to uncheck the box — or opt-out — yourself.
If you’re not paying attention, you could end up getting a bunch of stuff you didn’t really want.
Too many people live life with their checkboxes pre-checked. Continue Reading →
You know how they say you always receive more when you give? Well, I’ve seen this proven once again in my life and I feel über blessed. The first Escape Adulthood Summit has come and gone, and as I reflect on all of the preparation and the outcome, I cannot help but see two words rise above as my “lesson learned.”
Intentional. Magic. Continue Reading →
Does the more time you spend with your family lessen the impact you can have through your career?
Since becoming a father, that is a question I have struggled mightily with. Continue Reading →
One of Kim’s favorite words is “savor.” The dictionary defines the verb this way: “to have experience of, to taste or smell with pleasure, or to delight in.” Continue Reading →
Las Vegas is stunning in its grandiosity, clever in its marketing, and is awash in über talented people and beautiful design.
Las Vegas is also a loud, bold, and damning example of how far we’ve come from the childlike hallmark of delighting in the little things. Continue Reading →
I just returned from The Nerdpocolypse, aka Comic-Con, the world’s largest convention celebrating the popular arts. It is massive: 125,000 people completely take over San Diego, where it often takes you ten minutes to walk ten feet. Continue Reading →
Kim and I recently attended the World Domination Summit in Portland for the second year in a row. The brainchild of Chris Guillebeau (Remember him? We did a fun interview with him a short while back), WDS is a conference inspired by the question: How do you live a remarkable life in a conventional world? One thousand real-life answers to that question were in attendance. Continue Reading →
Some kids get more attention at school than they ever do at home. And not the positive kind. They spend more time watching television than they do talking to their parents, who feed them junk food, allow them to run wild, and don’t show up for parent/teacher conferences.
Other kids are sent to the best schools and feel pressure to score high marks. They participate in a dizzying array of extracurriculars, with the goal of gaining acceptance into a prestigious university in order to embark upon a lucrative career they’ll only marginally enjoy (if they’re lucky.)
Both seem pretty extreme to me. I’m aiming for the sweet spot of somewhere in between.
Does it exist anymore?
Do you often measure a day’s success by how many things you were able to check off your to-do list? Continue Reading →
I have a confession to make. I’m often more eager to head downstairs to work than I am to come back upstairs and rejoin the family.
I think it’s because when I’m spending time with my kids, I don’t feel as productive as I do as when I’m working. I still choose family over work more often than not, but sometimes I look at the money and accomplishments my peers are collecting, and I wonder if I’m making the best use of my time, especially when we’re just sitting around doing “nothing.”
I used to feel pretty guilty about feeling this way, until a book called How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christensen shed some light on things. Continue Reading →
A few months ago, Kim and I had the opportunity to be interviewed for a feature-leangth documentary about complacency, spearheaded by our friends Adam and Grant. Their small team criss-crossed the country collecting stories about life, the choices we all make, and the paths we ultimately decide to follow. We were honored to share our story and give our thoughts on why some people settle for less than amazing. From what we’ve seen, it’s sure to be a powerful film.
The interviews have been conducted and the video is in the can, but they launched a Kickstarter campaign to help raise funs to edit, produce, release and distribute the film. For as little as $5, you can get a digital high-definition download of the full documentary upon its release. Of course, the perks get sweeter the more you pledge. We invite you to watch the trailer to learn more about this awesome project.
Sitting on the edge of Madison’s big lake with my husband and two kiddos.
Heavenly breeze.
Eating ice cream and giggling like school girls.
Savoring the magnificent display of colors reflecting everywhere.
Sounds of joy surrounding.
Happy kids.
Happy parents.
The enchantment of magic hour all around us.
It dawned on me…if I were given 24 hours to live, THIS is how I would like to spend my time.
But this isn’t my last 24 hours.
It’s nice to live your last day again…and again…and again.
What would your favorite last day be?
You are in possession of something powerful. Something with the innate possibility to change the world. You walk around with it every day, but sadly, you’re likely oblivious to its paradigm-shifting potential. Don’t feel bad, however, for even the most advanced airport security scanners are completely unable to detect its presence. Continue Reading →
A few years ago, Chris Guillebeau made it his goal to visit every country in the world before his 35th birthday. He’s already visited over 175 of them, and is on pace to complete the quest next year.
He is also a writer, entrepreneur, purveyor of the blog The Art of Non-Conformity, and author of the excellent book by the same name. His mission is to help people live unconventional lives, make their own choices, and change the world.
We had a chance to chat with Chris recently, and covered a wide range of topics. We asked him about his world travels, how his adventure has changed him, and what has rendered him awestruck along the way. Chris also shares his opinion on the most Adultitis-free culture in the world, his unconventional thoughts on life balance, and some tidbits from his childhood, including his favorite toy and the surprising thing he wanted to be when he grew up.
In this short but thought-provoking interview, you’ll learn a super tip on how to save money while traveling and hear some things that may inspire you reinvent the way you look at life.
Bronnie Ware worked in palliative care for many years. Her patients were those who had gone home to die. She wrote a fascinating post detailing the top 5 regrets of the dying. Here they are: Continue Reading →
Many people I talk to have an inkling of some kind of dream business they’d love to start. A cute yarn store. An interior design consultancy. A little coffee shop. It’s often deep in the back of their mind, buried by things like fear and doubt. Something’s holding them back: Lack of funds. Uncertainty about what steps to take. Or the comfort of a job that already pays the bills and provides benefits, even if it’s one they dislike so much that they’d rather punch kittens for a living. Continue Reading →
A few months ago, I wrote about the idea of making a list of things you want to do this summer. A summer bucket list, if you will. This is mine.
Time flies, whether you’re having fun or not.
Creating a great life story requires living with intention. As the old saying goes, if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there. But if you want to create a life filled with great scenes and happy memories, you need to do your part.
You need to invite those scenes and memories into your story.
One way to do that is with a bucket list. Write it out. Draw it, like I did. Or make a collage with pictures from the internet or magazines. Fill it with big things and little things. Maybe team up with your spouse or family to create one together. Then — and this is the important part — keep it somewhere you’ll see it often. This bad boy is going on my fridge.
Summers get busy and are gone before you know it. Let this become your ever-present reminder to fill it with adventure.
P.S. I’d LOVE to see your lists. Feel free to post them to our Facebook page or email me at jason@kimandjason.com
Too often, we judge the value or success of our day by the number of things we were able to cross off our to-do list. That’s sad, because life is more than crossing things off lists.
But I suppose that’s a short-sighted view. After all, it doesn’t take into account what’s actually ON said list.
This is the sort of list I can get behind.
I think we could all benefit from scheduling in a lot more singing and a bit more dizzy.
Kim and I have visited many awesome places, but so far, nothing has changed the fact that we love where we live.
Wisconsin has a lot of good things going for it, including the seasons. We love ‘em. All four of ‘em. The fresh optimism of spring that’s made even more magical by a cold winter. The summer that gets hot, but not so hot that you have to stay in air conditioned cocoons for four months. The crisp fall with a color explosion of leafy goodness that serves as the perfect backdrop for pumpkin pie and hot apple cider. And even the cold, white, quiet of winter has its high points, what with white Christmases and sledding and snowball fights. We love it all.
Except for February. Continue Reading →
We in Madison have had a mild winter with roughly half the snow that dumped on us last year. But even though my back appreciates the limited amount of shoveling it had to endure, and even though the sub-zero days were few and far between, I still can’t wait for winter to be OVER. Continue Reading →
