I've got a need. A need to exceed.
I need to exceed this year. Here and now in good old 2018.
What do I need to exceed? Great question, but it would probably be easier for me to name things that I do not need to exceed at.
Things that come to mind: I need to exceed the number of times that I am romantic and initiate intimacy with my wife, for one. Although I have always been a supportive and loving parent since our son was born in July of 1998, I want to exceed the support and guidance that I have been providing for the past few years, as I have grown exceedingly tired, anxious and stressed out about money and have not always given my children the level of support that I would like to.
Speaking of money, I must exceed the income that I have earned every year to date in my nearly quarter century of being a mostly productive member of the workforce. After all, as a mensch who reads, thinks and writes about money, what good is it if I cannot raise a few shekels with those with whom I share my ideas?
I want to exceed the number of times that I have visited and helped my widowed mother this year, which should be easy, considering that the number was zero the past few years.
I need to exceed how many eBooks I have floating out there in cyberspace, which has stood at one for over ten years. I very much want to exceed the number of vacation days that I take, as well as traveling to more interesting locales than Illinois and Wisconsin. I want to exceed the number of accomplishments at work, even though I have had a pretty good year business-wise despite my many critics.
I want to exceed the grit and creativity that I possess today as I write this, while becoming better organized and reducing my clutter.
I could go on, but you get the drift. I need to exceed my current way of doing most things. It would be better and more compelling reading for you if a regular middle aged Money Mensch living in the Midwest like me could do it. If I can do it, then you certainly can too.
I do not harbor illusions of completely achieving my unlived dream life by the end of this year, or even by the year after that. My wished-for life would be one of a happier, more confident, better capitalized, more easy-going family man who takes ample vacation time and spends a higher amount of quality time with my family.
Sometimes my fantasy life overtakes my real one, typically over weekends when the stress of surviving and thriving a workweek in the pressure cooker where I work fades a bit. I do spend a lot of time on home-related and family-related things over most weekends, and as I read, think and write about self-improvement, I fancy myself a well-read self-publisher of such books.
While my fantasy life offers near-complete satisfaction, I am working toward turning these daydreams into action items. I continue working toward merging this unlived fantasy life with the real thing but, for now, it is as if I lead a double life: the one that I wish for and the one that I drag myself through day after day.
Exceed My Writing Power
Mostly I receive messages from spammers through my first blog, but I have had a few that were real.
They tell me not to be so boring.
Looking at a few posts, I realize that they would mostly come across as boring for readers less introspective than I am and for those who do not have such a high responsibility for others, suffer from anxiety or want to achieve something greater than what they currently are.
I realize that there is a vast difference between me writing something that you can relate to versus something that you find compelling. There is a difference between writing something well and intelligible, versus provoking an actual change in your thinking and behavior. There is a difference between your empathizing with my challenges versus writing something captivating to you.
The linguistics and writing skills that have been drilled into me since I learned to speak are on full display on post after post and eBooks-to-be, but I would rather that you read something that helps you cope and overcome your own issues, whether it be lethargy, anxiety or consuming too much while creating little to nothing.
As the Money Mensch, I need to exceed my own levels of financial success so you can too. If I can change my way of thinking, improve myself and become wealthier healthier and happier, surely you can too.
Need to Exceed My Badassery
There is a certain level of idealism and heroism associated with writing one’s own rules. People love a badass. You would rather read about how I told my new boss to go fuck himself, then went on a trip to southeast Asia, where I was going to make a million bucks per year by documenting my travels, blogging and self-publishing top-selling eBooks and eventually get published in print.
Fewer folks find the anxiety and stresses of a middle aged, middle class Mensch with a wife, two kids, dog, master’s degree and twenty-four years of government work experience compelling.
Besides being involved in one of the more interesting aspects of local government work, economic development, I would not find it interesting either.
People like to read about guys like Steve Jobs, Sergey Brin, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson and Steve Balmer. People who flaunt the rules, turn them on their heads, and make their own. Not sheeple who dutifully worked their way through various colleges and graduate schools or who toiled for decades in old-fashioned rule-heavy bureaucracies that were too cumbersome and difficult to ever change. These guys change the way that they do things, and thus the way we do, as a way of life.
There is a certain level of triumphalism, of beating the system and sticking it to “The Man.” The old adage that the end justifies the means proves correct and signifies a new version of heroism. Heroes are not people like me who have played by rules set by others for forty-seven years. Nosireebob.
Rules are meant to be challenged and changed, possibly even ignored, if they suck.
The current POTUS only wants winners, and winners do not emerge from those who avoid risks at all costs and follow the rules the best. Not that I plan on breaking every rule. For instance, I still intend to keep my true identity unaffiliated with this for the time being. As much as I want to exceed my badassery, share my wealth of knowledge and tell it like it is, I still recognize the importance of maintaining my solid reputation with my employer and those whom I conduct business with.
But that does not mean that there is anything stopping me from publishing a dozen successful eBooks on a wide range of topics under different made up pseudonyms that interest me and help others.
Perhaps my blog or eBook titles should shift to “Middle Class Badass.” People like that word.
Not only do I have a need to exceed. I have a need to exceed my badassery. I would bet that if my next blog handle is Middle Class Badass, the readership would increase dramatically. Although I do like "the Money Mensch" handle.
I have some more humble titles in mind for my forthcoming books, so for now, put that one on the back burner.
I need to exceed this year. Here and now in good old 2018.
What do I need to exceed? Great question, but it would probably be easier for me to name things that I do not need to exceed at.
Things that come to mind: I need to exceed the number of times that I am romantic and initiate intimacy with my wife, for one. Although I have always been a supportive and loving parent since our son was born in July of 1998, I want to exceed the support and guidance that I have been providing for the past few years, as I have grown exceedingly tired, anxious and stressed out about money and have not always given my children the level of support that I would like to.
Speaking of money, I must exceed the income that I have earned every year to date in my nearly quarter century of being a mostly productive member of the workforce. After all, as a mensch who reads, thinks and writes about money, what good is it if I cannot raise a few shekels with those with whom I share my ideas?
I want to exceed the number of times that I have visited and helped my widowed mother this year, which should be easy, considering that the number was zero the past few years.
I need to exceed how many eBooks I have floating out there in cyberspace, which has stood at one for over ten years. I very much want to exceed the number of vacation days that I take, as well as traveling to more interesting locales than Illinois and Wisconsin. I want to exceed the number of accomplishments at work, even though I have had a pretty good year business-wise despite my many critics.
I want to exceed the grit and creativity that I possess today as I write this, while becoming better organized and reducing my clutter.
I could go on, but you get the drift. I need to exceed my current way of doing most things. It would be better and more compelling reading for you if a regular middle aged Money Mensch living in the Midwest like me could do it. If I can do it, then you certainly can too.
I do not harbor illusions of completely achieving my unlived dream life by the end of this year, or even by the year after that. My wished-for life would be one of a happier, more confident, better capitalized, more easy-going family man who takes ample vacation time and spends a higher amount of quality time with my family.
Sometimes my fantasy life overtakes my real one, typically over weekends when the stress of surviving and thriving a workweek in the pressure cooker where I work fades a bit. I do spend a lot of time on home-related and family-related things over most weekends, and as I read, think and write about self-improvement, I fancy myself a well-read self-publisher of such books.
While my fantasy life offers near-complete satisfaction, I am working toward turning these daydreams into action items. I continue working toward merging this unlived fantasy life with the real thing but, for now, it is as if I lead a double life: the one that I wish for and the one that I drag myself through day after day.
Exceed My Writing Power
Mostly I receive messages from spammers through my first blog, but I have had a few that were real.
They tell me not to be so boring.
Looking at a few posts, I realize that they would mostly come across as boring for readers less introspective than I am and for those who do not have such a high responsibility for others, suffer from anxiety or want to achieve something greater than what they currently are.
I realize that there is a vast difference between me writing something that you can relate to versus something that you find compelling. There is a difference between writing something well and intelligible, versus provoking an actual change in your thinking and behavior. There is a difference between your empathizing with my challenges versus writing something captivating to you.
The linguistics and writing skills that have been drilled into me since I learned to speak are on full display on post after post and eBooks-to-be, but I would rather that you read something that helps you cope and overcome your own issues, whether it be lethargy, anxiety or consuming too much while creating little to nothing.
As the Money Mensch, I need to exceed my own levels of financial success so you can too. If I can change my way of thinking, improve myself and become wealthier healthier and happier, surely you can too.
Need to Exceed My Badassery
There is a certain level of idealism and heroism associated with writing one’s own rules. People love a badass. You would rather read about how I told my new boss to go fuck himself, then went on a trip to southeast Asia, where I was going to make a million bucks per year by documenting my travels, blogging and self-publishing top-selling eBooks and eventually get published in print.
Fewer folks find the anxiety and stresses of a middle aged, middle class Mensch with a wife, two kids, dog, master’s degree and twenty-four years of government work experience compelling.
Besides being involved in one of the more interesting aspects of local government work, economic development, I would not find it interesting either.
People like to read about guys like Steve Jobs, Sergey Brin, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson and Steve Balmer. People who flaunt the rules, turn them on their heads, and make their own. Not sheeple who dutifully worked their way through various colleges and graduate schools or who toiled for decades in old-fashioned rule-heavy bureaucracies that were too cumbersome and difficult to ever change. These guys change the way that they do things, and thus the way we do, as a way of life.
There is a certain level of triumphalism, of beating the system and sticking it to “The Man.” The old adage that the end justifies the means proves correct and signifies a new version of heroism. Heroes are not people like me who have played by rules set by others for forty-seven years. Nosireebob.
Rules are meant to be challenged and changed, possibly even ignored, if they suck.
The current POTUS only wants winners, and winners do not emerge from those who avoid risks at all costs and follow the rules the best. Not that I plan on breaking every rule. For instance, I still intend to keep my true identity unaffiliated with this for the time being. As much as I want to exceed my badassery, share my wealth of knowledge and tell it like it is, I still recognize the importance of maintaining my solid reputation with my employer and those whom I conduct business with.
But that does not mean that there is anything stopping me from publishing a dozen successful eBooks on a wide range of topics under different made up pseudonyms that interest me and help others.
Perhaps my blog or eBook titles should shift to “Middle Class Badass.” People like that word.
Not only do I have a need to exceed. I have a need to exceed my badassery. I would bet that if my next blog handle is Middle Class Badass, the readership would increase dramatically. Although I do like "the Money Mensch" handle.
I have some more humble titles in mind for my forthcoming books, so for now, put that one on the back burner.
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