I drew up a list of things for 2010 which I think are quite worthwhile. As with all lists, I guess you can’t really believe them and you have to take into account your lifestyle, but I think I put down some good points. It’s not my normal style of writing, but I think it’s a good one 
I was meaning to post it earlier in the year, but you can still make it work anytime. Some of the points you will already know from previous articles and I’ve in all likelihood read some in magazines, so excuse those if you think I’m repeating things. Here it is:
Get offline more – Recently, I’ve been offline more and more and it feels great. I still update my Facebook status as a laugh, but I’ve completely turned off my Facebook chat. I don’t go on Skype unless I need to. People chat on Facebook when they’re bored, and the conversation is pointless. It wastes time. Time you could use to relax, listen to some music, go for a walk in the mountain.
Has Twitter changed your life? People are posting every thought and every photo on Twitter, but does anyone really care that you’re eating at Beluga? Probably not. If something is not adding value or true entertainment and joy to your life – quit it. Keep your key websites that you read, but you don’t need to read it all. With Twitter, people just go on because of a fear of missing something. So they spend hours checking everyone’s updates and links. It’s all trivial stuff that you don’t need. Go on a low information diet.
Listen to great music – Local or international, there is great music around. I’m listening to Crowded House again and it’s great chilled music, it makes me happy. On that note, only listen to music if you can afford it. Don’t copy music. You wouldn’t want to work for free, and neither do musicians. Local musicians especially battle financially, and I hear people being so positive about SA music, but then I ask them where they got the songs from and it’s usually ‘From a friend” meaning they did not pay for it. Pay for good music. Pay for any music you’re listening to.
Get outside more – Stop being influenced by Men’s Health and build a functional body. Do you really need to be 100kg’s of muscle? Probably not. Does it serve a purpose other than to fuel your ego? If you enjoy running, go run. Don’t worry about it cutting muscle and making you skinny. If it puts a smile on your face while you’re doing it, carry on doing it. Cut down on the unnecessary supplements that claim to leave you looking like the hulk. You’ll save a lot of money, and cut down your carbon footprint.
Work stays at work – Stop worrying about work when you’re at home. There is nothing that worrying will fix. When you’re at work, focus on your work. When you’re at home, focus on the things at home. Relationships, friends, family. Do things around the home that make you happy. Watch movies, listen to music, cook. Don’t think about work at all, you’re wasting time…and life.
Stop worrying about what other people think – Don’t worry about what others think of your life. Don’t compare yourself to your rich friend. Do whatever makes you happy. If you’re passionate about music and play gigs around town that just make you enough money to pay rent and food, but you’re happy inside…then do that. The corporate world won’t make you happy.
Work less – If you can manage this, do it. Once you have the basics, stop working so hard just to acquire more ‘stuff’ You probably don’t need it and once you get into a cycle of getting more things, it’s hard to stop. You’ll spend the rest of your life buying things that won’t make you happy. The things that will really make you happy are good times with friends and family. A new car won’t replicate this feeling, nor will a pair of R10000 shoes. Well not for long anyway. No one spends the last days of their lives wishing they had worked more or had more things.
There is no such thing as wasting time – Sitting on the couch watching TV is not wasting time. Sitting on the beach is not wasting time. People assume that we need to be doing something all the time, in order to prove ourselves, in order to show people how well we are doing. We need to be at a desk from 9-5 to conform. Well I hate to break it to you, but we don’t.
Don’t make excuses – See your friends more often. Don’t make stupid excuses. You don’t need to organize expensive trips together, go see movies, go to the beach, walk in the mountains.
More love! – I really think people need to love each other more! Not to sound hippy, but sometimes we really do. So do it.
Get outdoors – Get out of the gym and run outside, exercise in nature. It’s much more fulfilling and you will get to see parts of your city that you will never see otherwise.
Buy good quality stuff – Don’t buy lots of clothes, but make sure you buy good quality. Keep key pieces of clothing, and don’t go for trends. For guys you can’t go wrong with :
Buy a good fragrance and wear it – Don’t keep fragrances for special occasions, wear them everyday. Test them on your skin first as they develop differently on people. I’m loving Gucci Pour Homme II as well as the new D&G ‘10’ unisex fragrance. On that note, don’t be afraid to blur the lines between male and female fragrances. If you like a fragrance and it suits you but it’s a female fragrance – buy it. Around 30% of people who wear Black Orchid by Tom Ford (A female fragrance) are men. It doesn’t mean you’re gay as your guy friends will tell you. We only believe that some fragrances are for men and some for women based on past experiences. Forget your ego and assumptions, and enjoy a fragrance for what it is. Try ck one as a unisex fragrance. Try the new D&G unisex fragrance. Experiment. You’ll be surprised when you take your belief in what is a female fragrance and break it apart. Some cool fragrances for guys:
Give tips – Petrol attendants, waitresses, bar staff – These people are often working to support families, pay for studies etc and their wages are really low. They live off of tips. Tip them well. Unless you want to place your order and collect drinks/ food at the restaurant kitchen.
That big idea will never work – unless you give it a chance. If you want to do something, then do it. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. And if it fails, just keep on going. Failures are lessons that help you, and some of the most successful entrepreneurs have had many failures. It is very rare that your first attempt at going it alone will work out and make you millions. Try loads of things, but only if you’re passionate about them. Don’t do something just because there is money in it. To help you along, read ‘Screw It Let’s Do It’ by Richard Branson.
Recycle – Landfills are filling up, recycling saves energy and prevents pollution. Just do it.
Keep a notebook – I’ve got a whole load of Moleskine notebooks that I used to use to sketch ideas, and just keep journals. Writing in notebooks is different to the computer, more time consuming, but it also sometimes allows you to think a bit more. Keep one in your pocket and use it, you never know when an idea is going to strike. You could write it in your phone, but a notebook gives a nostalgic feel , and reading notebooks years later, you never know what you will find that you forgot about. It’s also great for sketching pictures.
Watch all those old films you never got around to – Pop into DVD Nouveau and over the course of the year, watch all the classics. The collection at DVD Nouveau is huge and will keep you entertained for months. Grab Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction, The Shining…and some of the way older stuff.
Don’t stand on others – Often, business success involves standing on others to get a foot up, cutting corners and cutting others out for your financial success. Give everyone the respect, recognition and pay they deserve. It’ll be better like this in the end, good karma etc.
Listen to Billy Zane – Billy Zane is a cool guy.
Wear quality sunglasses – Cheap ones are only going to damage your eyes. I’m currently wearing Ray Bans, but shades from any of the top manufacturers at reputable dealers will offer 100% UV protection in a quality lense. This UV protection will be in the lense, not on the surface, so scratches won’t harm the UV protection.
I’m sure as time goes on the list will grow, but there are some pointers to steer you in the right direction. We’ll be covering more points in articles throughout the year, but we’ll always love lists!
Sue Northam @Twitter ID Website
February 05 2010 13:55 pm Sean Lloyd Website