Bruce's Smorsasborg

I found this interesting article on the Google newsfeed. Most of the stuff on the newsfeed is clickbait, but once in a while I find an interesting and worthwhile article. The basic premise of the article is to tell men to quit being so damned macho. 1. Prioritize Your Health One of men’s most common regrets later in life is neglecting their physical and mental well-being. The demands of work, family, and social obligations can easily overshadow the importance of self-care. However, the consequences of poor health choices accumulate over time, leading to chronic illnesses, reduced quality of life, and even premature death. To avoid this fate, men must learn to prioritize their health early on. This means adopting a balanced diet, exercising regularly, managing stress, and seeking help. By investing in their health, men can enjoy increased energy, improved mood, and a greater capacity to tackle life’s challenges. 2. Invest In Meaningful Relationships In pursuing career success and materi...

By Bruce Shawkey In my book, "The Sweet Life on $15K a Year," I addressed the question of how to get out of the occasional funk. Everyone experiences periods of low energy and motivation, commonly referred to as being "in a funk." These funks can be caused by a variety of factors, such as stress, boredom, lack of physical activity, or even the weather. The good news is that there are several effective strategies to help you break free from this slump and regain your zest for life. Living the sweet life does not guarantee the occasional downturns. I listed several strategies. But I posed the question to ChatGPT, and it came up with several more strategies, which I have now combined with my own.  1. Acknowledge Your Feelings The first step in overcoming a funk is to acknowledge your feelings. Understand that it's normal to feel down sometimes and that these feelings are temporary. Avoid being too hard on yourself; instead, practice self-compassion. Recognizing tha...

By Bruce Shawkey "The Lost World" is a 1912 novel by Arthur Conan Doyle. Many movie adaptations have been made over the years. The one starring John Rhys-Davies has become a favorite that I've watched many times on my Amazon Kindle. I like it for several reasons. First, there is the cast, starting with Rhys-Davies, who would go on to play "Sallah" in the Indiana Jones franchise. Then there is Eric McCormack, who would go on to play "Will" in the TV series Will and Grace.  And then there is David Warner, who plays Professor Summerlee, who would go on to play Spicer Lovejoy, the sniveling Sergeant at Arms in the movie "Titanic."  But my favorite actor is Nathania Stanford, who plays Malu, a guide and interpreter in the movie. She is gorgeous. And as far as I can tell, this is the only movie role she has ever been in. They hired her from a modeling agency, and she does a very respectable job in the movie. Other cast members include Tamara Gorski...

By Bruce Shawkey Ran across this interesting booklet, 30 Rules to Live By, a freebie on Amazon, apparently by no one in particular. Probably generated by AI. Anyway, many of the "rules" dovetail nicely with my philosophies of the "Sweet Life" (title of one of my books), and here are some of them. My comments are in italics. Happiness, what it is and what it is not. Gotta be happy, or it's not a very sweet life. Pretty much everything flows from being happy. Wealth, how to understand it and change your relationship with it. Wealth is not necessarily about money or possessions.   Courage, how to find the strength to live a courageous life, not to be confused with confidence. Courage begets confidence, but not the other way around. Learn to think. Too many people don't. Dovetails nicely with my "10 percent" rule, i.e. that roughly only 10 percent of people walking the earth actually "get it," in that they possess at least some degree of comm...