You’re still here and the world still turns. So now it’s time to fix it.

Dec 22, 2012 by Ben

You survived the apocalypse, which means you can do anything.

The world keeps turning, and you are still here, so now its your turn to help make it a better place and improve your life at the same time.  I am creating a simple program to help you do just that, but I need your help.  I need to know how I can better help you. I’ve created this very short and easy questionnaire to help me know how I can help you more.

Its only 15 questions and will only take you a couple of minutes to finish. Please take a second and help me help you and let me know what you think.

This questionnaire is completely anonymous.  Be honest and have fun.

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What if the world doesn’t end in 16 days

Dec 5, 2012 by Ben

The countdown is on.  No, not until you can open presents on Christmas, that may not happen this year.

According to the ol’ Mayans and their calendar the world will end on December 21st, 2012 (not sure exactly what time).

But what if it doesn’t?

Now I don’t expect the world to end on December 21st as evident by all the Christmas presents I’ve already bought, but as life has no pauses or stopping points, it’s kind of nice to use events like this to think ahead.

Much like January 1st being the start of a new year with all its new year’s resolutions, we can pause for a second and think about what the world could look like if it doesn’t end.

What do you want from the future?

What changes would you like to see or make?

What plans and dreams can you bring to fruition?What simple ways could you make your life and the life of those around you a little bit better?

If you are interested in these questions and interested in some simple things that can make your life better I hope you will join me on this journey.

Starting around Christmas and going though the new year I will be posting one simple thing each week that you can do to make your life better.

Please sign up for the email newsletter and follow me on Twitter or like me on Facebook to stay connected with TrulySimple and receive each simple, but life changing, thing each week.

These will be simple little things that will be easy to accomplish and easy to see positive results from (hopefully!).

I hope the world doesn’t end on December 21st.  I have so many great things yet to do and I hope you’ll join me in making this world a better place.

Ben…

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TSA#52 – Make life a little better

Nov 13, 2012 by Ben

This TSA (Truly Simple Actions) project started one year ago and it is fitting that it ends where it started.

The goal of the this TSA project was simple.   To help make this world a better place and improve our lives, one simple action at a time.

Each week + one thing = life better.

Each week I suggested to you, a simple action you could do that will improve your life and that of those around you.  That was the plan and I hope you took the time to follow through on a few of these, hopefully more.  Some of these have been simple little things for yourself, and as it started some of these are about helping those around you.

52 weeks later, here we are.  I wanted to conclude this project just as it started, by helping out someone who needs it.

As we head into the holiday season there are some around us who are struggling more than we are.  My favorite TSA’s have been the ones where we get to help those around us.  There is no better feeling than helping someone who needs a little help.  So with that, your final TSA of 2011 is to make life a little better for someone around you.

Here are a couple of ways to do that.

The first way to help is to adopt a stocking via Friends and Helpers

Friends and Helpers is an amazing charity that helps women and children who are trying to escape from a horrible situation at home.  These families are escaping domestic abuse and are trying to start over and often times leave their current situations with only the clothing on their backs.  Please consider adopting a family or a stocking to get them the very basics of what they need to survive and maybe even a present for their children to open on Christmas.  100% of any money donated goes to the families.  Please consider helping them today.

The second way to help is the Rolling Jubilee project.

This is a very simple and brilliant idea that has come about in the post Wall Street financial problems that have caused a a great numbers of families to struggle financially.  The Rolling Jubilee  project:

buys debt for pennies on the dollar, but instead of collecting it, abolishes it. Together we can liberate debtors at random through a campaign of mutual support, good will, and collective refusal.

It is so simple and the math is astounding as far as return on investments go.  For example $25 abolishes an estimated $500 worth of debt.  Imagine a family struggling under a mountain of debt from an unplanned visit to the emergency room.  They don’t have the $500 dollars to pay off their debt and they are hounded by harassing phone calls and subjected to high interest rates and additional penalties and fees, but if you could donate $25, you could wipe out that debt, forever.  Now that family, free from that burden, can hopefully donate back to the project themselves and help free others from their debt and keep the cycle going.  Please consider helping change someone’s life forever and donate what you can.

Those are only 2 suggestions for how you can help someone this holiday season.  There are thousands of other worthy charities and other simple ways you can help your friends and neighbors.  Please take a minute right now and write down on a piece of paper either the name of one person or family or charity you can help this holiday season.  Put that piece of paper in your pocket and think about it until you have taken the simple action of helping.

Sometimes we all need a little help now and again.  Take a few minutes this holiday season and help out where you can.  Now to sing you off, here is Mumford and Son’s singing With a Little Help From My Friends live from the Hollywood Bowl last night.  Best. Concert. Ever.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and all of the other TSA’s (links to all of them below).   They have made an impact in my life and I plan on continuing this tradition starting the first week in January and I hope you will join with me again.

I’d love to hear from you if these have made a positive change in your life or if you have a good suggestion for a new TSA.  Let me know in the comments or you can send me an email and let me know how these worked out for you.

Ben…

TSA = Truly Simple Actions The goal of the TSA project is to improve your life and help make this world a better place, one simple action at a time.  Take time this week to do this one simple thing.

Previous TSA’s:

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Transitions

Oct 6, 2012 by Ben

As summer turns into fall and the leaves are changing we find ourselves in transition yet again.  Now being in Southern California, we don’t get the nice leaves changing colors like other areas in country and the fact that it was over 100 degrees a couple days ago, the change is a little less drastic, but its in the air nonetheless.

How do you handle transition in your life?

In addition to the changing of the seasons I am in the middle of some big transitions in my life.  As is inherent in the life of a tech start up, I currently find myself without a job and looking for my next adventure.  At the same time I am in the process of moving my mom down to California to enjoy a little sunshine with us.

I am very fortunate as I view change as a new opportunity or the next great challenge to take on, but not everyone is like me.  Sometimes change is hard.  Sometimes change is frightening as we may not know what comes next.

I don’t know is an acceptable answer

When we don’t know or can’t see our future clearly we can tend to freak out.  Sometimes we freak ourselves out.  We want assurances, we want a plan, we want safety, and we want answers to all our questions, but sometimes the answer is “I don’t know”.   And that is a fine answer.

People hate “I don’t know” as an answer.  You can see them squirm in their uneasiness when they hear it.  As we move into a post modern world we transition from a worldview that said everything can and should be defined and understood.  We are just now beginning to understand that sometimes we don’t have all the answers.  There is a journey filled with experiences we must travel through to find the truth.

I am comfortable with “I don’t know” because I know its not the final answer.  Its not the end.  It’s the point at which you find yourself on your journey to finding the truth.  Be OK with “I don’t know”, but don’t give up seeking the answers and don’t give up the journey.

Very few decisions are permanent or can’t be fixed

Sometimes we find ourselves paralyzed by the choices before us.   What if I choose X over Y?  What if its the wrong choice?  What if I hate it?  What if…what if…what if?

We freeze up thinking of all the things that could go wrong, but don’t continue thinking through those decisions to understand that very few if any of those decisions are permanent.  You can fix most anything if you have to.

A friend of mine is contemplating canceling their cable TV subscription, which I recommended after hearing they were paying over 200 dollars a month.  I followed up asked them if they had done it yet and they said they didn’t because they were scared.

Now in this scenario, whats the worst case that could happen?   If you really needed cable again could you just call them back and sign up again.  They would probably even give you a huge discount for doing so!  Almost nothing is permanent and most everything can be fixed.  Don’t let fear stop you from trying something new.  If you hate it you almost certainly can revert back to the way things were before.

Don’t cry because its over, smile because it happened

I love this quote from Dr. Seuss.  Often we hate change or transition because we don’t want the fun to end.  We don’t want to start school, but rather chase that endless summer.  Take that quote to heart and don’t be sad because the season is at an end, but look back at all the fun you had and cherish those memories.  I will miss the great people I worked with at my last job, but I am so thankful I got to work with them.  I now have new friendships and great memories and will keep in contact with them moving forward.

Plan for fun

As you move forward with the change in your life plan out what fun you will have.  As fall approaches I am ready for ski season to be here.   And its hard to be excited season when its 108 degrees out, but I try.  Plan some fun things you will do during and after this transition in your life.  Are you moving?  Plan some fun things for you and your family in the new city you are moving to.  Take the sting and fear away from change and transition and replace it with challenges and new opportunities to have fun in different ways.

Ben…

And for those of you lucky enough to be where the seasons are changing and the cool air is moving in, here is a great and very simple 4 bean chili recipe for you.  Enjoy

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4 Bean Chili

Oct 2, 2012 by Ben

So my mom is in town for a visit, which means I get to cook with her or she gets to cook for me.  Either way I’m happy.  She got a chili recipe from a friend of hers so we set out to make it.

It doesn’t get much easier than this for a chili recipe.  It only takes one pan, and one crock pot and can be prepared in a few minutes.

Doesn’t that look awesome?  And perfect time for fall, even though its still a billion degrees in southern California.  Here’s how you make it.

Brown some ground turkey

chop up a few stalks of celery and throw it in

chop up 1/2 an onion and throw it in

let that all cook for a few minutes until turkey is brown

Now get your beans.  You will need:

• A can of garbanzo beans
• A can of black beans
• A can of pork and beans
• And a large can of kidney bean

Drain all of the beans except for the pork and beans and throw it all into a crock pot

Next throw in a small can of tomato sauce and a large can of tomato soup

When the turkey is done it will look like this.  Add it into the crock pot and stir it all up.

Add a couple teaspoons of chili powder and a teaspoon of cumin.  Add more chili powder if you want it spicier.

Put the lid on the crock pot and let it cook for a few hours.

When you come back your house will smell amazing the the chili will look like this.

Also made some cornbread to go with the chili.

Now that your chili is done, here is how you eat it.  First grab a bowl and put a nice layer of Fritos at the bottom.

Pour chili over the Fritos and enjoy.

That is it.  Seriously one of the most simple chili recipes you could ever make and it tastes great.

Now if California would only cool off a bit, that would be great.

Ben…

 

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