Monthly Archives: January 2013

Your Dream Life

Let’s be honest. You are not really looking for your dream job. Well, that may be what you say you are looking for or even think you are looking for. But, in reality you think said dream job is an automatic path to your dream life.

Well, I hate to break this to you, but since we are being so truthful here… Nope. Not only do the two not come together in a big value pack of happiness, but you might find that they are often at odds with each other. That, in order to build one you have to sacrifice and compromise the other — at least for a while and possibly forever. This is not to say that one can’t lead to the other or be built at the same time. This is to say that such cases are rare and you should be prepared to make the tough choices when they come.

For example, you may decide to take that very comfortable job driving someone else’s dump truck. You enjoy it quite a bit and it is something you always wanted to do. You are paid well enough to do it too. You get paid vacations and time off, good benefits, nice retirement savings plan, etc. It may be really flexible time wise too. It may allow you to send your kids to a good school and buy the spouse nice things. You can afford a nice house. Basically, it is what you dream of when you dream your dream life. And this is OK. You have chosen to drive someone else’s dump truck because that allows you to live your dream life. Fair trade, right?

That is still someone else’s dump truck.

But, in order to build your dream and buy your own dump truck you will have to give up some of that dream life — at least for a while. You may have to take a steep pay cut, give up the idea of vacation or time off, pay for your own health insurance, maybe even downsize the house.

But, hey, you are at least driving your own dump truck.

My point is that these are all choices. Most of the time they are hard choices. Sometimes one has to choose between their dream job and their dream life. But they are choices all the same.

But, sometimes, with the hard work, the compromise, the sacrifice, and right choices, and a wee bit of luck, one can arrive at both. But that’s all on you too.

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Your Dream Job

Your dream job will only exist if you get out there and work your nethers off and build it. No one can give it to you. You can’t be hired for it. There is no interview process and it won’t magically appear one day. A dream that is your dream can’t be taken or provided. If you want your dream job the only one that can will that into existence is you.

You may be saying, “Hey, my dream job is to drive a dump truck. Surely, I can learn how to drive one and get hired doing that for the rest of my life.”

Sure. This is true. But if you are being hired to drive someone else’s truck dumping someone else’s loads for someone else’s dump truck business then it is not your dream job. You just happen to be doing the job of your dreams for someone else. Your dream simply fit well into someone else’s bigger dream.

That’s OK. There is nothing wrong with that if it makes you happy and pays you well for the rest of your life. But, that is not your dream job. That is a dream job that you were lucky enough to be hired for but a dream that can be snatched away from you at any time. And any dream that can be taken did not belong to you — was not yours — in the first place.

Want to turn it into your dream job? Work hard, save money, buy your own dump truck, build out a model for sustaining customers that need loads hauled and dumped, and charge a price that will allow you to live comfortably and save a little extra for the rainy days, and figure out how to do that for the rest of your life or until it no longer fulfills you and makes you happy. That is the only way to make a dream your dream.

Only you can dream your dream. Only you can make your dream reality. Only then can it never be taken away. It can fail. It can falter. It can remain fantasy for ever. Or it could be the most successful in human history. But that’s all on you.

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My Winter Running Gear Guide

yaktrax

Runners in warmer climates must think we are crazy here in the colder states. When the temperature drops well below freezing, many of us still go out and run. I’m no exception. In fact, I took up running in the middle of winter a couple of years ago.

I didn’t even really have the “right” gear. when I started. My first day out it was about 20 degrees (Fahrenheit) and had snowed a couple of days before. I threw on some cheap track pants I had gotten on clearance at Target a few years prior (that previously I had worn as around-the-house pants), a long sleeve t-shirt, a REI fleece jacket, and a knit beanie. I had just gotten some Newton Momentum running shoes on the recommendation of a friend and was eager to try them out. I think I ran for about a mile. I was drenched from head to toe in sweat and had slipped several times on patches of ice and slick snow. I was a mess, yet in no way deterred.

Eventually, I got wise and got better winter gear slowly along the way. In fact, I’m still learning a bit about the right clothing and layers based on temperature, speed, and distance. That said, having the right stuff really does make all the difference in the world when it comes to staying warm and feeling dry.

I’m pretty picky about my features and brands when it comes to this stuff as I now have had the experience to know what works for me. Also, a good portion of what I have is hand-me-downs from a friend who grew too skinny for them. He is equally picky, if not more.

If the temperature is below 25 degrees but above 5 degrees when I go out, as it is most days during the average winter here, I generally wear some long running tights, a long-sleeve base layer, a long-sleeve top layer, wool socks, and a beanie. Here is a rundown of the specifics in an easy to copy shopping list:

So, That takes care of things to a certain temp, but what when it is really cold and the temp drops below 5 degrees? Well, add more layers of course!

I switch up the tights and go with some pants instead. The right running pants will help keep a buffer of body-generated heat between you and the elements. Also, I throw on a jacket layer over the base and top, mainly to keep the wind from getting through. Also, a balaclava will help fully protect your head, face, and neck from the cold. So added to the above list is:

So, that covers the clothing but what about other gear? Well, there is one more thing I want to mention. I just got them and have only been out a couple of times using them so far but the seem like a winner. If you run where there are patches of rough ice and packed snow, you need these:

So, there you have it. Don’t let cold weather be an excuse for not getting in a good regular run. With the right gear not only is a doable but it can be just as fun.

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