Category Archives: Life Lessons

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

March 30, 2016 ThatHelpfulDad 1 Comment

Life Lesson #11: Do Not Be Hasty and Miss The Way

Today’s life lesson was inspired by Tony Robbins (author and motivational speaker) who once said, “If your life is worth living, it is worth recording.”

Remember Your Nursery Rhythms…

I’m sure you’ve heard the nursery tale about the race between the “Tortoise and the Hare,” right? You know the one where the rabbit races off as fast as his legs will carry him, while the turtle just plods along as slow as a snail. What happens? The rabbit gets tired and has to rest in the middle of the race, while the turtle keeps going at his own pace and eventually passes the rabbit and wins. This is the epitome of our lesson – slow and steady wins the race – and it applies to all areas of your life.

Ideas for YOU to Use This Wisdom…

Want to invest your money in stocks? Sure you can choose to put it all in risky stocks that may give you the highest returns, but odds are that you will only end up losing it all. You’d be better off finding investments with less risk – even those these might not offer the highest return potential, over the long run, you’ll likely end up with more money.
Going to Vegas to gamble? Well if you must, at least choose the games that give you some decent odds. Vegas is built on all the losers at high-risk, low-return games like Keno, Slots, and The Wheel of Fortune. Instead educate yourself a bit and play games like Blackjack, Craps, and Roulette – certain methods of playing these games will at least give you a fighting chance.
Have to complete a term paper? Don’t do a rush job at the last minute or do some half-baked paper as soon as you get the assignment. Instead, spend a little time in research, get a plan, and do it little by little over time.

In all of these cases, slow and steady is the best method. Can you think of other examples?

But Wait, There’s More…

That quote from Tony Robbins requires a bit of follow-up. If you’ve read any of his books you’ll know that Tony often recommends you keep a journal to record your life. I’d definitely encourage you to do that. After all, you’ve heard the old adage “if we don’t learn from the past, we are doomed to repeat it.” If you keep a journal you’ll be able to learn from your mistakes and also take advantage of your successes. So do yourself a favor and keep a journal. Some ideas for things you might write:

Ask yourself – Did I do my best today?
The top 3 things you enjoyed/learned/are thankful for/etc. about the day
Your hopes, dreams, and goals
Little things that you noticed that made you smile
What you learned from the day
What you plan to do tomorrow/next week/month/etc.
Whatever makes you happy!

It doesn’t really matter what you write as far as someone else is concerned, it only matters that you write what YOU care about. It’s doesn’t necessarily have to be a “dear diary” situation (although that’s ok too), instead it’s more of a journal of learning – so that you can discover what’s causing you to miss your goals (so you can stop doing it) and also what’s going well (so you can keep doing it). That’s how you live your best life possible via the slow and steady wins the race method. So good luck and start writing!

Did You Know…

Today’s lesson was adapted from a book Jax and I wrote called Diary of a Minecraft Dad

Life Lessons

Use the Right Tool for the Job

March 30, 2016 ThatHelpfulDad Leave a comment

Life Lesson #10: The Right Tool Makes All The Difference

Today’s life lesson was inspired by President Abraham Lincoln who once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

Don’t Make the Same Mistakes I Did…

Using the right tool was a lesson that took me a while to learn. As I was growing up I tended to be one of those ‘just jump in and see what happens’ type of guys. So if I had something to build, I’d rarely read the directions and I tended to just use whatever tool was in my hand to see how it went. Most of the time it didn’t go very well and I got frustrated and gave up. Thankfully, as I got older and wiser, I learned the value of having the right tool – sure you can prune a tree with a hand saw, but a chainsaw (used safely) does the job much easier. Have to spray for weeds? A hand sprayer will do the trick, but your hands will be like claws by the time you’re done from squeezing that pumper so much so try an automatic sprayer instead. Need to put together a piece of furniture from IKEA – good luck using that alan wrench they give you or a simple screwdriver – I’ll take my electric screwdriver instead. I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. Don’t be like I was before I knew better – instead read the directions and use the right tools.

Ideas for YOU to Use This Wisdom…

I’m sure you’ve already realized that this lesson goes beyond just simple construction examples; the truth is that this wisdom can help you in pretty much all areas of your life. Consider these examples…

>Have to give a presentation at school or work? Equip yourself with notecards and arm yourself with confidence by practicing in front of a mirror and with friends.

>Trying to master a new trick on your skateboard? Get advice from your friends, watch how the pros do it, and again practice, practice, practice.

>Going to a job interview? Find out what the interviewer’s hobbies are and show up with a small gift related to it – you’ll set yourself apart – and when you combine that with intense preparation, good body language, and confident speech filled with well-thought out answers, you’re sure to get the job.

The bottom line here is that whatever the situation, if you can choose the right tool, you’re going to be much better off. Understand this early in life and you’ll be setting yourself up for success.

Did You Know…

Today’s lesson was adapted from a book Jax and I wrote called Diary of a Minecraft Dad

Life Lessons

Don’t Be In Such a Rush to Leave Home

March 30, 2016 ThatHelpfulDad Leave a comment

Life Lesson #9: Think Before You Move Away From Home

Today’s life lesson was inspired by John Ed Pearce (a Pulitzer prize winning journalist and author) who said, “Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to.”

Think About This…

The more our world becomes a global society the more opportunities you will have to travel and even live elsewhere. I would encourage you to see the world as much as possible, especially when you are younger and don’t have the ‘responsibilities’ of life (family, job, bills, etc). The world is an amazing place and there are adventures of all kinds just waiting for you. That said, I would also encourage you to think before you make a permanent move — whether that be with a job transfer, going off to a distant college, or moving away with a friend or girlfriend. All of those things sound great at first (more money, new friends, making a way on your own, etc), and in fact they can be great in the long run for you too. But just keep in mind what I’ve already told you many times before — with every decision comes consequences.

Everything Has a Price…

I grew up as part of a large, close-knit Italian family back in Pennsylvania. My entire childhood was spent around grandparents, cousins, aunt & uncles, etc, etc. Every holiday we celebrated together. It was a fun, happy childhood. I thought everybody had that. And I just assumed my family would be there forever. But soon enough I went off to college and allowed the trails of life to take me away to Florida after school. I never did move back home and I ended up missing out on the lives of all my relatives back in PA. Although I made a great life for myself in Florida, my biggest regret in life is losing touch with my family back home — sure I spoke to them often and visited many times, but I was never part of their lives again once I moved away. It was never the same. And now many of them are gone until the next life.

Did I make the right decision by moving away? Well, I am incredibly happy with my life now (wonderful wife and kids, great job, nice house, etc, etc) so in that sense things have worked out good for me. But it was at the expense of my family ties back home. And even though things did work out for me, the process of making the decision of leaving home is what I want to focus on here. The fact is that I did not really think about it before I left — I just assumed that’s what everybody does – go off to college and then move away. Obviously that is not correct.

What This Means for YOU…

What I hope you take away from today’s life lesson is this — moving away from home may be good for some people, but it’s not for everybody. I hope you think before you move. Understand what you’re giving up when you leave. Have a plan if things don’t work out. Have an idea of whether your move is temporary or permanent. Tons of people take job transfers when they are young because they want to climb the company ladder — only to move from city to city and never put down roots — they chase after money, but lose their family ties, friendships made along the way, and more. Before you give your best years to a company that requires you to keep moving, know what you’re leaving behind — and know the risks: for example the risk of being laid off by that company which suddenly leaves you in a place you may not want to stay but without the money to move again on your own. Same goes for moving away with friends or significant others – it’s great when it works, but what happens if things don’t work out, then what? I’m all for you traveling and exploring the world. I think there’s also something to be said for studying abroad or even working overseas for a year or two. But we already talked about Frost’s “Road Not Taken” poem and how “way leads on to way” — just understand that when you move you may never come back. Understand that you too may lose your family ties. Understand what you are giving up. I can tell you 100% that I did not think of these things before I moved away. I didn’t know what I gave up before it was gone. I don’t want you to make the same mistake I did. Think before you make a permanent move and know if that this truly is the right decision for you.

Did You Know?

Today’s lesson came from a book Jax and I wrote called Diary of a Minecraft Dad

Life Lessons

Fail Your Way to Success

March 29, 2016 ThatHelpfulDad 1 Comment

Life Lesson #7: Do Not Be Afraid to Fail

This life lesson was inspired by Thomas Edison, who said, “I failed my way to success.”

What this means to YOU…

There may not be a more important life lesson than this one. Accept that fact that you will fail in life – many, many times — but so long as you do not let failure stop you from continuing to try to achieve your goal, then failure does not have to be something you fear. In fact, if you change your perspective (another tip we’ll talk about soon), you might realize that failure can actually be a good thing. Huh? It’s true – failure can indeed be a good thing IF you recognize the fact that failure can bring you one step closer to your goal.

Let’s look at some examples…

I’m guessing you’ve heard of people like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Ben Franklin, and Donald Trump. And I’m pretty sure if you paid any attention in school that your teachers have told you that these famous people and many other likes them have one thing in common — they all failed — many times over — before they achieved their goals. It’s said that Thomas Edison failed over 1,000 time before he invented the light bulb. Henry Ford and Donald Trump (some of the richest men in the world) both went bankrupt numerous times – yet still continued to build their wealth. Ben Franklin had one of the best perspectives about failure when he said, “I didn’t fail the test, I just found 100 ways to NOT do it right.” And there are more examples of famous people who failed again and again than I could ever list for you.

But there is one thing you need to understand — none of them achieved their goals on the first try. For most it took many, many attempts to realize their dreams. Luckily for them (and the world), these people did not let a fear of failure stop them. Instead they learned from their failures and kept trying. And that’s what you should do too. Never let fear of failure stop you from trying. But don’t take my word for it, consider the words of a few other over-achievers…

More Quotes…

There are just too many good quotes to overlook here and they tell the story much better than I ever could. Consider the following..

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Wayne Gretzy

“It’s hard to fail, but it worse never to have tried.” Teddy Roosevelt

“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, it is rising every time we fall.” Confucius

“Take risks – if you win you will be happy, if you lose you will be wise.” Anonymous

“Never let fear of striking out get in your way.” Babe Ruth

There’s probably a million more great quotes you can find about this subject, but hopefully you get the idea. If you are an athlete, take note of the following:

1. Babe Ruth is a home run king — but he is also a strike out king too. Failure didn’t stop him. And the fact is that in baseball, if you only hit the ball 30% of the time and you consistently averaged that 70% failure rate, you’d still likely end of in the Hall of Fame as one of the game’s best hitters ever.

2. Everyone knows Michael Jordon is famous for being Mr. Clutch because he loved to take the last second shot to win the game. But MJ himself will tell you that he’s missed more game winning shots than he’s ever made. Even still, fear of missing didn’t stop him from continuing to try to win. Same goes for LeBron, Kobe, Reggie Miller, Byrd, Magic, and the other great ones.

3. Deion Sanders is perhaps the greatest cornerback in NFL history – but he didn’t stop every pass thrown his way. He just had a poor memory of his failures and instead focused on his successes. Same for the QB who throws a bad interception or the linebacker who misses the tackle and gives up a touchdown. You learn from it and move on.

And that’s what you should do too. Never let fear of failure stop you. Accept the fact that you will fail and vow to learn from it. If you do that consistently in life you will achieve your dreams!

Don’t Wait, Use This Wisdom Today…

Ask yourself – what is one thing that I am letting Fear of Failure stop me from doing today? Once you realize what it is, then understand that you’ll NEVER accomplish that goal unless you try again so stop reading and TAKE ACTION on your goal NOW.

Did You Know?

Today’s lesson came from a book Jax and I wrote called Diary of a Minecraft Dad

Life Lessons, Money, Career, and Finances

Price Does Not Equal Value

March 28, 2016 ThatHelpfulDad Leave a comment

Life Lesson #6: The Most Expensive is NOT always The Best

Today’s life lesson was partially inspired by Albert Einstein who said “Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.”

What This Means to YOU…

Unless you are made of money, then you’re monetary supply is limited so it’s important to understand that just because something costs a lot does not always mean it’s the best product. The same goes for your time – unless you are immortal, then your time on earth is limited, therefore you should find a way to use your time wisely by making the world a better place for yourself and others – when you do that, you’ll create real value for your life.

Let’s Look at an Example…

Let’s say you’re thinking about buying a new computer, or a new car, or whatever else you desire. Do you believe the most expensive option is guaranteed to be the best? I’d wager that it might be, but then again it might not. Think about it — the items with the biggest price tag are usually the ones that you see advertised the most. Somebody has to pay for all those ads — that somebody is you — when you buy a name-brand item, you’re not only paying the company for having made the product, but you’re also paying them back for all the ads they placed to find you. And you’re also paying their corporate salaries, their investors’ dividends, etc. etc. All those extra expenses are bundled into the price of the item. That’s part of why it’s so expensive.

Does that mean that you should just buy the least expensive product then? No. That would be a mistake too. Buying the least expensive item is generally even worse. The old saying ‘you get what you pay for’ is not always true when it comes to expensive items (sometimes they are good, sometimes not), but I have found that saying to be true more often than not when it comes to low cost items — unfortunately. These no name, off-brand items that cost the least are generally of such poor quality that in the end they don’t last very long and you end up having to go back and buy something else to replace it that costs more.

In the end, your best bet is to do a little research about the product you are interested in. Talk to friends and family to get their opinion. Research the product online. Try out a few different ones of various prices in the story before you buy if possible. Make sure that the product you are considering has a good reputation for quality. And make sure that it will meet your needs. Don’t fall for specials that include a bunch of things you don’t need (a laptop preloaded with tons of extra software you will never use, a TV with outdated ‘smart technology’ that costs twice as much as the same TV without that unnecessary add-on, a pair of sneakers that feature a logo from a player before you were born, etc). Unless you’re uber-rich, your money supply is limited. And if that is the case then it’s up to you to spend it wisely. So remember the most expensive is not always the best.

This concept applies to you own life as well – don’t fall victim to thinking that you ‘have to’ go to the most expensive college, wear the most expensive close, or allow yourself to be defined by someone else’s measure of success. At the end of the road, when you look back at your life, you’ll realize that none of those things really mattered. BUT I don’t want you to wait till the end of your life to understand this, I want you to see this truth NOW – once you do, you’ll understand that YOU have much more power of your life than you might imagine and as a result, you’ll be able to use your life to do good now. When you invest in yourself in this way, that will create REAL value.

Don’t Wait, Use this Wisdom Today…

Wanna buy a new stereo system? Buy the one that will meet your needs, not just the most expensive.

Wanna decide what to do with your life? First answer the question “How can I add value to others?”

Did You Know?

Today’s lesson came from a book Jax and I wrote called Diary of a Minecraft Dad

Life Lessons, Money, Career, and Finances

Nothing in Life is Free

March 28, 2016 ThatHelpfulDad Leave a comment

Life Lesson #5: Know the true cost of something BEFORE you buy.

Today’s lesson is inspired by Robert Heinlein (author of Stranger in a Strange Land) who said, “Nothing of value is free. Even the breath of life is purchased at birth only through gasping effort and pain.”

What does this mean to you?

All too often consumers (myself included) get duped into thinking we’re getting something for nothing when in fact this is rarely, if ever, true. Don’t let this happen to you. Instead understand what something is going to cost you before you buy it, eat it, drink it, or do it, because everything, and I mean everything, in life has a price. Don’t believe me – look closely at this pic – and if you can’t see the problem ask a fan of the movie Alien. 🙂

Let’s Look at an Example:

This sounds like a simple lesson, but the sooner you learn this is life the better. Consider the following…you’re playing on your iPad and you see a new game which looks really cool. Best of all, it’s advertised as ‘Free.’

What would you do?

Check out the reviews and details on the game to see if there are any in-app purchases that you’ll need to make in order to play the game.
Jump on that deal because you don’t want to miss out.
Download the trial version and see if you like it.
Do something else

Rarely will you find an iPad game nowadays that is truly free. Many of the popular games are billed as ‘free downloads’ but once you start playing you’ll soon discover that to play the game past a few levels you’ll need to buy the full app or else you’ll need to spend money on in-app purchases in order to get much-needed items to complete specific tasks. Even many of the games that do let you play for free, you’ll discover aren’t really free because they bombard you with unwanted pop-up ads that steal your time and try to trick you into visiting other websites. But that’s how it goes nowadays – nothing in life is free.

Same goes for many of the great deals you see on TV – in most cases you’ll be offered something ‘for free’ in addition to your product. How about a second gizmo just like the first, totally free? Or another great whatchamacallit that you don’t really want or need, but hey it’s free, right? Wrong! You have to read the fine print my friends – oh, apparently you overlooked that you need to pay separate ‘processing and handling’ for that second gizmo. What is ‘processing and handling’ anyway? It’s how they get you to end up paying more for things you don’t need or want, that’s what it is. And that whatchamacallit – besides the fact that it wasn’t that good to begin with, that too will cost you an arm and a leg. In the end, you’ll find that you’re paying $50 for what you thought was only $19.99. Ouch. But as we both know, nothing in life is free.

Does this mean you can’t ever get something for nothing? No. There are occasions (rare) in which you can get something for free. Perhaps it’s from a trusted friend or family member. Or maybe somebody from your church or volunteer group will help you out. There are actually good people in the world who will do you a favor and ask nothing in return. But these the exception, not the rule. And even in those cases you could make the argument that if someone does something nice for you, then you should do something nice for them too. And if that is the case, then you’ll have to spend your time or money to help them too. And while I think it’s great to pay back kindness with kindness and that you should totally do that, it only further proves my point — because once more you see – nothing in life is free.

Don’t Wait, Use This Wisdom Today

The next time you consider doing something, be sure you know the cost of it first.

Did You Know?

Today’s lesson came from a book Jax and I wrote called Diary of a Minecraft Dad

Life Lessons, Productivity and Planning

The Power of Planning

March 27, 2016 ThatHelpfulDad 4 Comments

Lesson 4: If you don’t have a plan, you are planning to fail.

Today’s lesson was inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (author of a great book called The Little Prince): “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

What This Means to You
This is one of my favorite topics and I’ve given countless presentations on it over the years. I truly believe the old adage that ‘if something is worth doing it’s worth doing right” and if you believe that too then I’m sure you will agree that the first step towards doing something right is to come up with a plan. When you take the time to develop a well thought out plan not only are you giving yourself options but you’re also setting yourself up for success. Without a plan you are likely just winging it and increasing your odds of making mistakes or failing all together. You are too good for that. Take the time to make a plan and start turning your dreams into realities.

Let’s Look at an Example…
Consider this light-hearted scenario: let’s say you and your friends play flag football and you’re signing up for another tournament. You know your team is good because you’ve one some championships in the past so you’re pumped about having a chance to compete again and perhaps bring home some more hardware. However there are a few wrinkles this time — for starters there are a couple new guys on your team and you’re not sure if everybody knows all the plays. Plus when you went to the signup, you saw some new teams on the charts that you didn’t recognize before and that always makes you a bit nervous.

The tourney is still a couple weeks away, what do you do?
A. Don’t panic — you’re confident you have the best team so just show up and play
B. Meet with your new guys the night before and go over the plays
C. Schedule multiple practices, make wristband play cards, and go early to the tourney to scout the other teams
D. Withdraw from the tourney and play golf instead because your wife said ‘you’re too old for football!’

The fact is that your team could be the best athletes on the field but if you don’t practice and play as a cohesive unit, you’re asking to lose. This scenario comes from my own life — I’ve often played on teams in which neither I nor anyone else on my team was the best athlete, but we regularly beat teams that had more talent and took home way more championships than we ever had a right to win. In fact, we actually won the 2003-2004 National Championship in the Let It Fly Flag Football League (admittedly it was in the ‘Recreational’ division, but hey a title is a title, right? Check out this pic…)

lif-natl-championship

So how did a bunch of old, short, white guys who didn’t even play high school football consistently beat bigger, taller frankly much more athletic and usually much younger teams? We followed Plan “C” – we practiced more than most other teams, we scouted the competition to know what they would do, we all knew the plays inside and out, and we always had a plan on how to attack/defend each team we played because we took the time to know our opponents. It wasn’t complicated. And it worked again and again and again — in fact during a 5 year stretch we won the championship in 75% of the tournaments we entered! Now you might say, “Mike, who cares, it was flag football?” To which I would simply say, “If you’re gonna do something, do it to the best of your abilities or don’t do it at all – whether it’s flag football, a big sales presentation, or even asking someone to marry you – go all out!”

The fact is that Plan C will get you to your goal more often than any other. In our example, if you are the best athletes you could probably just roll the dice and show up (Path A), but aren’t you just short-changing yourselves if you do that? How many times have you seen a NFL team which all the talent but doesn’t use their weapons properly and just seem totally inept? It’s often because of poor planning. Don’t be like that. Put in the time, have a plan, and make the most of your talent.

As for Plan B, that plus your talent is certainly better than Path A but clearly not as good as Plan C. That said, at least B gives you a chance to come up with a better plan and that plan could very well give you the little extra you need to win it all. Any plan is better than no plan, right? Then again, you could always just choose D – give up on the football and go play golf instead. However if your golf game is like mine, this could be the scariest choice of all!

The point here is really a simple one – if you don’t have a plan, you’re asking to fail. But if you take just a little bit of time and come up with a plan AND you follow-through with your plan, then you will more often than not find success. So give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Don’t Wait, Use This Wisdom Today
What’s on your agenda for today? If it’s important, take the time to make a plan and do it right. Even a simple plan is better than no plan at all.

Did You Know?
Today’s lesson came from a book Jax and I wrote called Diary of a Minecraft Dad

Life Lessons

How to Modify Adobe Reader PDFs on MAC using Preview Application

Video March 2, 2015 ThatHelpfulDad Leave a comment

If you are frustrated by the Adobe Reader application because it won’t let you save only SPECIFIC pdf pages, or delete pages, or rearrange them, then this video is for you.

I will show you how to use the PREVIEW application on your MAC to do what Adobe Reader cannot do. Hope it helps

Life Lessons, Recommended Fitness Products

1MR Pre-Workout Boost – It’s AWESOME, But…

Video June 9, 2012 ThatHelpfulDad Leave a comment

40+ Fitness Editor Mike talks about 1 M.R. – a popular pre-workout supplement. This review is on the OLD version of 1MR which is hard to find. The old version of 1MR is NOT the “Original 1MR” – that name refers to the NEW version of 1MR.

The reason 1MR was changed has to do with the ingredient called DMAA. This ingredient received an FDA warning in April 2012. According to the FDA, DMAA, also known as 1,3-dimethylamylamine, methylhexanamine, or geranium extract, is an ingredient used in so-called “workout boosters” that is often touted as a “natural” stimulant. DMAA is known to narrow the blood vessels and arteries, which can elevate blood pressure and may lead to cardiovascular events ranging from shortness of breath and tightening in the chest to heart attack, the agency said. According to the FDA, it has received 42 adverse event reports on products containing DMAA. Some of the reports involved cardiac disorders, nervous system disorders, psychiatric disorders and death.

Health and Fitness, Life Lessons

CrossFit vs P90X – Which is right for YOU?

Video May 24, 2012 ThatHelpfulDad Leave a comment

40+ Fitness Editor Mike talks about the sport of CrossFit vs the P90X Workout Routine. What’s the difference? Which is right for you?

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