The Secret To Spending Less And Having More

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familyI was walking the dogs this evening, thinking about my wife, Liz, and my son, Tyson, both of whom are visiting my mother-in-law for the weekend.  As I walked I was picturing Tyson, who is just a hair over 4 months of age, wearing his blue pajamas, hat and slippers.  This was the outfit I saw him in this morning, just before heading to the office.  He looked so cute, baby pimples and all.  He gave me a big smile and made both Liz and I smile with a joy that never seems to lose its luster, no matter how many times he cracks the same silly grin.

So I’m walking my dogs, picturing my cute little son, my beautiful wife and the tangible happiness that they bring to my life.  I guess you could say that I had found a moment of true appreciation for what I’d been blessed with.  Yet the funny thing is that in those moments (and I’m sure you can relate to this) I had not a single thought of a purchased item.  Not my Macbook Pro or iPhone, not my car or house or my TV or bike or…you get the point.  OK, maybe I thought about my Macbook, but only for a second and then it was back to my wife and son. :-D Read more »

Business, Blogging And Becoming A Dad

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tyson_hamm

The last few weeks have been a little less than insane as I’ve been bombarded with all kinds of different life experiences and seeming to only have 23 hours a day to do it all.  I’ve enjoyed the steady flow of traffic from zenhabits as I’ve been promoting my different online ventures with Leo’s awesome blog.  I’ve been trying to maintain a level of quality with my blog posts that has kept me from just taking a quick break and tapping out an average message.  This has kept my post count quite low, but I think it’s worth it to keep my homepage packed with, as Leo calls them, ‘High Impact Posts’.  And finally, Liz birthed us a little baby boy on Tuesday, the 19th of this month.  That event shook things up well beyond normal and just past insane! Read more »

When You Speak, Do People Listen?: Acquiring Audible Authority In A Noise Polluted Society

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do_people_hear_youWho do you listen to?  I don’t mean who do you hear noise from, as we often can’t help but take in audible chatter, but I want you to think about who you actually hear.  Are there people in your life, whether it be family, friends or even those in the media, that when they open their mouth, you make sure that your ears are pealed and your mind is focused on their delivery?  What is it about these individuals that command your attention?  How is it that amongst the white noise of our over zealous society,  you are drawn to their words? Read more »

"Motivate Thyself" 2.0 | Now Clear Your Cache

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futuristicImage courtesy of Rene Ehrhardt

OK, so I decided to give “Motivate Thyself” what I feel is an up to date look.  I think it looks a bit more current and also allows me to feature more specific content rather than just have the latest appear on the top front page.  I’ll be tidying up here and there over the next week or so, but for the most part, it’s close to finished.

So first and foremost, clear you browsers cache just to make sure you’re viewing everything properly.  There’s a chance you may be seeing bits of the old theme if you don’t.

Secondly, what do you think?  I’d love to get your feedback so feel free to hand me your 2 cents.

That’s all for now, but I hope it’s a positive move and a way to encourage continued growth here at “Motivate Thyself”.  See you in the comments…

Eric

A Simple Valentine

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I thought about what to write for my Valentine’s Day post.  Should it be a passionate poem to my wife or maybe some POWERFUL journal entry that tells of my wonderful marriage and the little one on the way?  But I really don’t have that in me right now.  Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a depressed post or anything.  It’s just that Liz and I are keeping it super simple this year and our day will be filled with work on the nursery and maybe a Netflix flick by days end.  There’s not much to write about, and my energy is focused on practical things right now.  My passion isn’t boiling over, but instead it’s simmering on the back burner.

I love my wife very much.  We’re best friends, there’s no doubt about that.  I have no more fun with a soul alive than I do with Liz.  We laugh A LOT and sometimes cry as well.  Our little dogs make us equally crazy and equally joyful.  We share many of the same passions and the ones we don’t, we appreciate for the sake of the other.

Liz is the most beautiful person I know.  There’s a certain innocence about her that can’t be matched.  There’s a child inside her that has yet to taste the sour of our society.  An untarnished soul that is pure and lite.

Yet she HAS felt pain, and much of it.  Brokenness has entered her life a few too many times and she’s created her OWN pain in the past.  But we’ve shared in this unsettled history and come through it stronger and closer than ever.  We’ve felt each others pain and created some of our own.  Our imperfect affection reminds us of the reality that is our relationship.  We accept the other for who they are and yet never stop pushing ever closer to perfection.

I simply love my wife and she simply loves me.  We equally complete this one body and have never questioned our place as partner to the other.  So on this Valentine’s Day I will simply smile as I work toward baby accommodations, side by side, with my beautiful wife.  No magic, no rhymes, no amplified emotions.  Just love, that is equally embraced and a fire that can only burn with these two entangled elements of humanity.

Happy Valentines! I hope your day is wonderful and your time spent with someone special.

Eric