"I'M A MILLENNIAL, YOU'RE A MILLENNIAL AND THIS IS THE MILLENNIAL LIFE"
It's about this time of year that I usually pop a CD into my laptop and spend hours pouring through my music library in search of 15 songs (the optimal amount of songs for a well produced mix). These 15 songs will represent my summer attitude as the seasons change from winter to spring and on into glorious summer. There's something to be said about the changing of the seasons and our distict humanly shift in musical taste. I tend to change from my winter genre of Tracy Chapman and Damien Rice into Dave Matthews, Tom Petty and The Marshall Tucker Band for the long summer nights. Some songs and muscicians simply sound better with the windows down on a warm humid summer night.
Summer and music just tend to be synonomous. Summer concerts are usually an annual tradition for millennials. Hanging out with friends, grilling some burgers and drinking cold beer all seem to mix better with a well thought out summer song mix.
My mix for the Summer of '08 is still a work in progress. Every year it tends to take longer and longer until I am completely satisfied with it. Time passes quickly when you have to close your eyes, listen to a potential song and imagine it's the night of July 4th; Does the song fit in with the environment? Is it the kind of song that blends in with grilled hamburgers and cold beer? These are important questions to ask yourself when screening potential candidates.
Here are a couple of specific guidelines to keep in mind for selecting the right mix of songs:
1) Each song must sound better when played at a much louder volume.
2) The vocales must include a lot of "organized yelling". Allow me to elaborate....the end of great summer mix songs typically include a chorus that repeats and is also easily sung by every listener.
3) Try to include several songs that others will undoubtedly know. A summer mix should be shared with others and thereofore keeping in mind your audience is crucial.
4) The tempo must be upbeat. Look for songs that include a lively piano or addicting acoustic guitar solos. You can never go wrong there.
There you have it. The only thing left do is start mixing and have a great summer! Feel free to post your mix in the comments section.
5/27/08
5/23/08
Guest Post - How to Make Your Personality Work for You
"I'M A MILLENNIAL, YOU'RE A MILLENNIAL AND THIS IS THE MILLENNIAL LIFE"
Hello Millenials! Blog-Master BT’s girlfriend here… I have been graciously allowed to author a guest post on the Millenial Blog! I just finished my first year of grad school in psychology, and while reading the previous post about Joy vs. Happiness, I recalled several points related to this topic that I learned in a recent personality psychology class that I thought would be beneficial to share with you.
First of all, it is imperative that I express to you that BT is not normal. You, like me, may have found yourself reading the Joy vs. Happiness post thinking: what kind of 20-something guy is talking about saving money that could be spent on a sweet car or some great clothes on his future children’s college education? Well, luckily, I can offer some insight on what kind of person this guy is: a person with an extremely high level of conscientiousness.
A little background for the non-psychologists out there… studying personality is hard. Think of how many words for traits there are... brainless, weird, promiscuous, gregarious, funky, insane, vain, loquacious, etc. etc. etc.! There are literally thousands of trait words out there to describe people’s personalities. So psychologists used a statistical procedure to find the “most important” traits; they came up with 5 groups of trait words that are independent from one another. (Independent meaning that your level on one of these traits tells you nothing about your level on another.) These traits are called the “Big 5.” They are extroversion (outgoing, dominant), agreeableness (nice), conscientiousness (responsible, organized), neurotic (emotional, worrying), and openness to experience (creative, imaginative). Your level on each of these traits can predict your behavior over many situations over time.
BT is (from my observation) an extremely conscientious person. He is super organized, dependable, responsible, never procrastinates, etc. So, planning for his financial future by saving money now comes easy to him, or at least easier to him than to others. That’s just the personality he has developed from his genes and early life experiences. As an added bonus, highly conscientious people tend to perform better at their jobs and live longer. Lucky dog!
So should the rest of us just give up hope of achieving joy, succeeding at our jobs, and having long lives? Heck no! The good news is: everyone’s level of conscientiousness increases during the ages of 20-30 (it may have something to do with increased responsibilities of jobs, marriage, kids, etc. that tend to occur during this time period). Additionally, you can gradually, over time increase your level of conscientiousness with a little bit of work. You just have to be conscious of how you tend to act in situations where you have the decision whether or not to act conscientious. Look back on examples of times where you may not have acted this way, for example, when you splurged on that $500 Iphone… and think through what the more conscientious way to act would have been. This will help you later notice similar situations and consciously think through your decision. The more consistently conscientious you act, the more conscientious you will become over time. This technique can also work for any other trait in the Big 5. For example, people who are more extroverted tend to be happier over time, so trying to act more outgoing would also be an advisable thing to do.
Important note: changing your personality is very hard to do! You have a very solid view of who you are and well-formed habits of behavior that you’ve developed over the years you’ve been alive. But the more you think through your actions instead of functioning on autopilot the better off you will be. Also, you need to act fast! Your personality is most malleable before age 30, after that it tends to be very hard to change.
In conclusion, BT is abnormally conscientious, so don’t feel bad if saving for your future children’s college education doesn’t come naturally to you like it does for some lucky wierdos. Even though BT got lucky with his conscientiousness, you can become more conscientious yourself by consciously deciding to act in a conscientious way more often. Making your personality work for you can enable you to reap the benefits of joy, job success, and a longer life.
4/30/08
Joy & Happiness
"I'M A MILLENNIAL, YOU'RE A MILLENNIAL AND THIS IS THE MILLENNIAL LIFE"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is a difference between Joy and Happiness, and many people - I think - don't recognize this difference. Happiness is often achieved at the expense of Joy. The perils of Joy, however, tend to hide in the shadows of instant gratification that leads to happiness.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is a difference between Joy and Happiness, and many people - I think - don't recognize this difference. Happiness is often achieved at the expense of Joy. The perils of Joy, however, tend to hide in the shadows of instant gratification that leads to happiness.
I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "happiness is fleeting". This is the essence of being happy - it comes, it feels good, but is gone as quickly as it came. Impulse purchases of material items is a good example of an action that produces a short-lived burst of happiness. Purchasing that new piece of clothing or electronic gizmo usually makes you feel happy - you can now look stylish and have the cool new item that everyone else has. Congratualtions, you feel happy...and now it's gone because you've gotten used to the purchased item. Marketers are very good at making you feel as if you must buy an item in order to feel as happy as the people you see in ads.
Happiness to me is synonymous with actions that produce instant gratification. Instant gratification is truly the act of indulging in something that will make you feel happy (or in some cases, less sad) in this very moment. Everyday actions like eating fast food to instantly gratify our appetite or sleeping in to avoid feeling the early morning tend to be short-sighted in nature. Over time, fast food will wreck your health and sleeping in means less time spent with family and friends and on accomplishing the day's tasks.
As a disclaimer, I'm not saying all bouts of instant gratification are a bad thing. Celebrations and the need to just relax and splurge a bit are things we all enjoy and need from time to time.
Joy has a more long-term, sustained time frame. For example, instead of indulging in material items to feel happy, you can save that money to help put your kids through college or leave money to charity. These actions produce a sense of joy when you see your kids graduate or you realize the positive effects that the charity has in your community. Joy is harder to accomplish because it takes discipline to restrain yourself from feeding your instant gratification appetite. The tension between joy and happiness can be found in many areas of life; whether it's money management, diet, or exercise.
Truly feeling pure joy is something a lot of people don't get to experience in their lives. Again, it takes discipline to accomplish, but it takes a certain person to put aside our cultural motives and take the road less traveled. Instead of working or studying long hours, spend more time with family and friends. The joy you get from them now and in the future, as relationships develop, will be well worth the fleeting happiness from a good performance review or test score. Have discipline in your diet so that the accumulation of eating poorly to satisfy immediate pleasures doesn't keep you from leading a long and healthy life. Be responsible with your money and don't succumb to material items of no value.
Understand the difference between Joy and Happiness. Live your life with this in mind and you'll surely be filled with joy. Here is poem titled Slow Dance by David Weatherford that I think catches the essence of understanding this difference:
Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short,
The music won't last.
Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask "How are you?"
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores running
through your head?
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow?"
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time to call and say "Hi?"
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift…
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before your song is over.
4/19/08
The D.F.E.L., aka Livin' the Dream
"I'M A MILLENNIAL, YOU'RE A MILLENNIAL AND THIS IS THE MILLENNIAL LIFE"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The DFEL - Delayed Fixed Expense Lifestyle - is a way of living for (some) Millennials today. I practice this lifestyle on a daily basis and I would encourage everyone who can to take advatage of it.
Well, what is the DFEL exactly, and how can you adapt it?
The DFEL is a way of looking at saving money - but not the typical savings you hear about concerning 401(k)'s, IRA's, CD's, etc. It's about retaining as much of your income, on a consistent basis, as possible - not necessarily putting that money away never to be touched for decades. More specifically it's about cutting any and all fixed (monthly) expenses. Examples include cable bills, rent, student loans, magazines subscriptions, cell phone bills and the like. If you truly examine your monthly fixed expenses, you'd be pleasantly surprised what you can cut out - and how much money you can retain. There are ways around every fixed expense - yes, even rent, insurance, and cell phone bills.
There are a few outlets to look at to eliminate these expenses: Your employer, your family, your friends (and extended friend network) and finally the trash can. Let me expand.
Your Employer. You'd be amazed what your employer will pay for if you just ask or do some research. Obviously most employers will pick-up your health insurance, but look for other perks of the job. Sometimes they will offer a tax-deferred account for public transportation, pay the lease on your car, match your 401(k) contributions, pay for or subsidize your cell phone bill, cover your gym membership or even pay for your airfare to see family/friends. Ask your HR department what is offered at your company and take advantage of it.
Your Family. Live off your family (parents) as long as you possiby can. Live with them, have them buy you things to get going in life, keep any insurance policies you have under their name, etc. Don't be ashamed, just do it. Don't ask for anything explicity, but if they offer, accept it! As in my last post, I'm proud to say I live with family and I'm happy to say I'm retaining a ton of money.
Your Friends. Do you have rich friends? Live off them. If you don't have rich friends, find ways to take advantage of what your friends do for a living. Everyone can find a connection to a lawyer, doctor, financial guy, real estate agent, insurance agent, etc. All these friends and friends of friends are out there trying to make a living, trying to get clients, and are willing to offer goods and services to someone they know. You can also swap goods and services. Maybe you sell a product or posses expert advice that you can swap for other products or services your friends can provide - but make sure it's legal! Make your network work for you!
The Trash. When it comes down to it, there's a ton of sh*t that people pay for on a fixed basis that they truly don't need - most commonly credit card debt. Find them and get rid of them. Magazine subscriptions. Gone. Excessive gym memberships. Gone. College credit card debt. Pay it off!
Live below your means and you'll thank me later. Take the money you'll save from not paying these fixed expenses and buy experiences you can only take advantge of at a young age. Travel. Visit friends on the weekend or give money to charity, whatever creates joy for you. Trust me, you'll eventually have to succumb to a fixed expense lifestyle down the road, but put it off for now and live the dream!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The DFEL - Delayed Fixed Expense Lifestyle - is a way of living for (some) Millennials today. I practice this lifestyle on a daily basis and I would encourage everyone who can to take advatage of it.
Well, what is the DFEL exactly, and how can you adapt it?
The DFEL is a way of looking at saving money - but not the typical savings you hear about concerning 401(k)'s, IRA's, CD's, etc. It's about retaining as much of your income, on a consistent basis, as possible - not necessarily putting that money away never to be touched for decades. More specifically it's about cutting any and all fixed (monthly) expenses. Examples include cable bills, rent, student loans, magazines subscriptions, cell phone bills and the like. If you truly examine your monthly fixed expenses, you'd be pleasantly surprised what you can cut out - and how much money you can retain. There are ways around every fixed expense - yes, even rent, insurance, and cell phone bills.
There are a few outlets to look at to eliminate these expenses: Your employer, your family, your friends (and extended friend network) and finally the trash can. Let me expand.
Your Employer. You'd be amazed what your employer will pay for if you just ask or do some research. Obviously most employers will pick-up your health insurance, but look for other perks of the job. Sometimes they will offer a tax-deferred account for public transportation, pay the lease on your car, match your 401(k) contributions, pay for or subsidize your cell phone bill, cover your gym membership or even pay for your airfare to see family/friends. Ask your HR department what is offered at your company and take advantage of it.
Your Family. Live off your family (parents) as long as you possiby can. Live with them, have them buy you things to get going in life, keep any insurance policies you have under their name, etc. Don't be ashamed, just do it. Don't ask for anything explicity, but if they offer, accept it! As in my last post, I'm proud to say I live with family and I'm happy to say I'm retaining a ton of money.
Your Friends. Do you have rich friends? Live off them. If you don't have rich friends, find ways to take advantage of what your friends do for a living. Everyone can find a connection to a lawyer, doctor, financial guy, real estate agent, insurance agent, etc. All these friends and friends of friends are out there trying to make a living, trying to get clients, and are willing to offer goods and services to someone they know. You can also swap goods and services. Maybe you sell a product or posses expert advice that you can swap for other products or services your friends can provide - but make sure it's legal! Make your network work for you!
The Trash. When it comes down to it, there's a ton of sh*t that people pay for on a fixed basis that they truly don't need - most commonly credit card debt. Find them and get rid of them. Magazine subscriptions. Gone. Excessive gym memberships. Gone. College credit card debt. Pay it off!
Live below your means and you'll thank me later. Take the money you'll save from not paying these fixed expenses and buy experiences you can only take advantge of at a young age. Travel. Visit friends on the weekend or give money to charity, whatever creates joy for you. Trust me, you'll eventually have to succumb to a fixed expense lifestyle down the road, but put it off for now and live the dream!
4/16/08
Livin' with The Fam'
"I'M A MILLENNIAL, YOU'RE A MILLENNIAL AND THIS IS THE MILLENNIAL LIFE"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm not ashamed. In fact, I'm proud to say that I'm 23 and live with my family.
I live with my grandparents - in their basement - just outside of Denver. I moved in when I took my first real job. It was a no-brainer at first. I planned on living with them for a few weeks to help ease the adjustment of starting my new job and moving to a new area. To make a long story short, after 3 months I'm still here and plan to stay for a quite a while.
Why? I'm saving an enormous amount of money and I get to spend time playing golf with my grandfather.
“Family Dorming” - as I like to call it - seems to be a growing trend for many Millennials. Most end up living with their parents, while I have taken it to an extreme by securing my grandparent's basement. Here I'd like to offer my thoughts on why this trend is emerging and provide tips on how to make it work for you.
Why on earth would any rational college student, with their freedom fully realized, want to revert back to "high school" mode and shack-up with their parents? It's the economy, stupid. In other words, it makes economic sense. First of all, most of us Millennials have debt (credit cards and student loans), and we certainly don't have the assets to purchase a house. Renting becomes the only option if we decide living with family is not for us. Whenever you think about renting a place to live equate it with flushing money down the toilet - because essentially you are. Renting is just what it sounds like - you're paying money to use someone's possession and therefore, you realize none of the benefit of actually owning the possession. Instead, use the money you'll save on rent by living with family and pay down your debt and begin to save for a house.
The popularity of Family Dorming also relates to the changing attitudes in the workplace. Millennials want to work where, when, and how we want. In other words we want flexibility. What better way to have flexibility then to not be tied down to an apartment or home? Take me for example: I travel four days a week, make frequent weekend get-away trips, and work from home most other days. I'm in my grandparent's basement about 5-6 days out of any given month.
Also, like I mentioned above, this gives you an opportunity to spend time with your family. This may be a negative for a lot of people, but for me I truly enjoy playing golf with my grandfather and watching baseball with my grandmother and vice versa. Someday you won't have this opportunity anymore. Other family members may appreciate your caretaking presence as well – it puts their mind at ease that someone is there most of the time to help in an emergency.
Okay, now for tips. This is what you need to do to make sure no one goes insane during Family Dorming.
1. Be upfront. If you want something, tell your family exactly what you want. Don't be overzealous about actually getting everything you want, but at least make sure your wants are clearly communicated. Open communication is very important - for this as well as any relationship for that matter!
2. Be ready to make some adjustments. You're not living in a dorm anymore. No more late-night binges or spontaneous parties. Don't expect to host parties or to return intoxicated making a loud ruckus at 5 AM. Have your fun when you visit friends on the weekend, but the college lifestyle needs to be checked at your family's front door. If you can’t give up the college life then Family Dorming probably isn’t for you.
3. Make some offerings. If they won't accept some form of monetary reimbursement, then try something else. Take them to a game, out to dinner, to play golf, offer to clean, cook, or house-sit. Be creative, but make sure your family at least feels like you're trying and are paying your dues. Tell them what you're doing with the money you’re saving i.e., saving for a house or for retirement.
Just remember, don't be ashamed, be proud because you're doing something good for your and your family- and you're not alone!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm not ashamed. In fact, I'm proud to say that I'm 23 and live with my family.
I live with my grandparents - in their basement - just outside of Denver. I moved in when I took my first real job. It was a no-brainer at first. I planned on living with them for a few weeks to help ease the adjustment of starting my new job and moving to a new area. To make a long story short, after 3 months I'm still here and plan to stay for a quite a while.
Why? I'm saving an enormous amount of money and I get to spend time playing golf with my grandfather.
“Family Dorming” - as I like to call it - seems to be a growing trend for many Millennials. Most end up living with their parents, while I have taken it to an extreme by securing my grandparent's basement. Here I'd like to offer my thoughts on why this trend is emerging and provide tips on how to make it work for you.
Why on earth would any rational college student, with their freedom fully realized, want to revert back to "high school" mode and shack-up with their parents? It's the economy, stupid. In other words, it makes economic sense. First of all, most of us Millennials have debt (credit cards and student loans), and we certainly don't have the assets to purchase a house. Renting becomes the only option if we decide living with family is not for us. Whenever you think about renting a place to live equate it with flushing money down the toilet - because essentially you are. Renting is just what it sounds like - you're paying money to use someone's possession and therefore, you realize none of the benefit of actually owning the possession. Instead, use the money you'll save on rent by living with family and pay down your debt and begin to save for a house.
The popularity of Family Dorming also relates to the changing attitudes in the workplace. Millennials want to work where, when, and how we want. In other words we want flexibility. What better way to have flexibility then to not be tied down to an apartment or home? Take me for example: I travel four days a week, make frequent weekend get-away trips, and work from home most other days. I'm in my grandparent's basement about 5-6 days out of any given month.
Also, like I mentioned above, this gives you an opportunity to spend time with your family. This may be a negative for a lot of people, but for me I truly enjoy playing golf with my grandfather and watching baseball with my grandmother and vice versa. Someday you won't have this opportunity anymore. Other family members may appreciate your caretaking presence as well – it puts their mind at ease that someone is there most of the time to help in an emergency.
Okay, now for tips. This is what you need to do to make sure no one goes insane during Family Dorming.
1. Be upfront. If you want something, tell your family exactly what you want. Don't be overzealous about actually getting everything you want, but at least make sure your wants are clearly communicated. Open communication is very important - for this as well as any relationship for that matter!
2. Be ready to make some adjustments. You're not living in a dorm anymore. No more late-night binges or spontaneous parties. Don't expect to host parties or to return intoxicated making a loud ruckus at 5 AM. Have your fun when you visit friends on the weekend, but the college lifestyle needs to be checked at your family's front door. If you can’t give up the college life then Family Dorming probably isn’t for you.
3. Make some offerings. If they won't accept some form of monetary reimbursement, then try something else. Take them to a game, out to dinner, to play golf, offer to clean, cook, or house-sit. Be creative, but make sure your family at least feels like you're trying and are paying your dues. Tell them what you're doing with the money you’re saving i.e., saving for a house or for retirement.
Just remember, don't be ashamed, be proud because you're doing something good for your and your family- and you're not alone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
