Margin is defined as a spare amount created for contingencies or special situations.  In my mind, it is a safety or buffer zone between you and disaster.

If you live life too close to the edge, then you are bound to fall once in awhile.  You just can’t control every external factor.  When you lack margin, the slightest breeze can be enough to push you off the tightrope you’re walking.

On the other hand, when you’ve created margin, you have some room.  That’s why there is a shoulder alongside the highway.  It is there to give drivers some margin of error before they run off the road.

You need to create this same kind of margin in the various facets of your life to protect you from the unforeseen eventualities that always seem to pop up.

The Reason You Need Margin to Thrive

When structural engineers design a new building or bridge, they include a safety factor in all their calculations.  As Wikipedia says, “Many systems are purposefully built much stronger than needed for normal usage to allow for emergency situations, unexpected loads, misuse, or degradation.”

Creating margin in your life has the same value for you as the safety factor has for engineers.  It adds a layer of protection that reduces the chance of a complete failure.

When the risk or consequences of a failure are higher, then the safety factor or margin also needs to be greater.

For example, skydivers double their margin by using a main parachute and a reserve.  This way if the main chute fails, they have a complete backup to save them.  I doubt it took long in the early days of skydiving before someone figured out the value of having a second chute.  I know I’d certainly want this extra protection if I were to jump out of a perfectly good airplane thousands of feet above the ground.

Whether it is skydiving or designing bridges or just living life, smart people know to plan for the unexpected.  They know that things not only can, but will happen that are outside of the norm and oftentimes well beyond their initial assumptions.  Creating margin is definitely the intelligent way to go.

Two Key Areas in Life Where You Need Margin

I’ve seen several people in my life operate without any margin.  Time and again it has led to great difficulty and even disaster.  That’s why I’m writing about margin today.  I hope to make you think about it so you will add to your margin.  It could very well save you and your family from a lot of heartache.

From what I’ve seen, there are two key areas where you absolutely need margin.  They are:

1.  Your Finances

I could write a lot about the need for margin in finances.  I’ve seen the devastating effects of what happens when people live without any safety factor and I’ve experienced how much better things can turn out when you do have ample margin.

A lack of margin in your finances seriously limits your options.  You can’t invest in new opportunities without margin.  You can’t help a loved one in need without margin.  You can’t always make the best choices for your family without margin.

Here are some specific examples I’ve personally witnessed about how a lack of margin caused people in my life issues.  Due to a lack of margin and poor financial choices:

• I know a family that has no option, but to live in an iffy neighborhood that puts their family at greater risk.
• I know a retiree that depends on social security and Medicare.  She can’t afford the prescription she needs most to deal with a chronic illness.
• I know more than one family that has teetered on the edge of losing their home because the primary breadwinner lost their job.
• I know someone that lost their home in a tornado, but couldn’t afford insurance and had to depend on others for a home for far too long.

Having margin creates cushion in your finances.  It gives you a safe place to land when the unexpected happens.  It opens doors that would otherwise be closed to you.

How to Create Margin in Your Finances

So, how do you create margin in your personal finances?  You live below your means and put aside ample savings for things like an emergency fund and retirement.  If you want a specific plan for how to do this, then get a copy of The Super-Charged Guide to Financial Freedom.

2.  Your Health

We often take our health for granted.  We just assume that we’ll always be able to get up and live like what we want.  However, when you lack margin in your health, you are flirting with disaster.

You can’t keep making bad choices and expect good results.  Life just doesn’t work that way and this is especially true when it comes to your health.  You can get away with doing things that are bad for you for a long time, but eventually you will pay the piper.  The day of reckoning will come and it will hit you like a ton of bricks.  If you don’t have any margin in your health, then this could spell disaster for you.

You can easily do permanent damage to your health that cannot be undone.  Once you’ve dug this pit, there is no way out.

I’ll be the first to admit that eating healthy and exercising aren’t always first on my list.  I’d rather be chowing down on a double bacon cheeseburger while reclining on the couch.

However, I’ve seen the results of this.  I’ve seen the heartache it has caused families when a loved one passes away at an early age.  I’ve seen the struggles that families have faced due to overwhelming medical bills.

Now I recognize that health issues can’t always be avoided, but oftentimes we do significantly increase our risk by making terrible lifestyle choices.  You can seriously jeopardize your future by failing to create margin in your health.

How to Create Margin in Your Health

How do you create margin in your health?  You get on a plan that takes less than 30 minutes per day that will make you fit and strong.  The one I recommend is the Thrive90 Fitness Program.  It will teach you what to eat and how to exercise to create margin in your health.

Create Margin to Lower Your Risk and Thrive

I’m a firm believer in creating margin in your life.  It lowers your risk by increasing the likelihood that you will live a long and prosperous life.  It is just the smartest way to live.  There is no other way to put it.

Where do you lack margin?  What are you going to do about it?

Photo: Copyright PhotoXpress.com

I am giving away a brand new, 5th Generation, 8 GB Apple iPod nano (a $149 value) to one lucky person that reads this article.  I’ll even let you pick the color!

How do you enter to win?  I have made it incredibly simple and easy to win, but I’ll ask you to read this article first and then I’ll tell you how.  Deal?  Okay, let’s get down to business for a moment.

Why I’m Giving Away a Free iPod nano

I’m giving away a free iPod nano so I can have the chance to ask you to make a $2.50 donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

One of the key characteristics of Super-Charged Living is being committed to a cause.  So, I am stepping out here where the rubber meets the road and practicing what I preach.

Together, we can make a big difference in the life of a child!  I hope you’ll join me in supporting this great cause!

Help the Make-A-Wish Foundation Grant Wishes to Children

The Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted the wishes of more than 185,000 children with life-threatening medical conditions nationwide.

These wishes give hope, strength and joy to children that are fighting for their lives.

Typically children’s wishes fall into four categories:

• To Be  – a zookeeper, a firefighter, a baker, etc.
• To Meet  – a favorite celebrity or athlete
• To Have  – a computer, a playhouse, a puppy, etc.
• To Go  – to a theme park, Hawaii, a major sporting event, etc.

The most common wish granted is to go to a theme park such as DisneyWorld.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes!  In fiscal year 2009, they granted 13,465 wishes!

Here is a great video from YouTube that documents the incredible impact that Make-A-Wish has in the lives of children.  I hope you’ll take a few minutes to listen to these stories.

Will You Give Just $2.50 to Help Make-A-Wish for a Child?

It is less than the cost of a tall latte at Starbucks!  However, if everyone of my 3,000 subscribers will make this tiny donation, then we can pay for one child’s wish!  Isn’t that incredible!  Together we can make a difference.

According to Make-A-Wish, the average cost of a wish is $7,362.  It is an audacious goal, but I believe we can raise enough for one wish.  Will you help?

I personally guarantee and will prove that 100% of all the money I collect will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  I will post a copy of my receipt to this blog as proof.

Click Donate to Contribute Your $2.50 to This Fantastic Cause!

Here is where you can help make a difference in the life of a child with a life-threatening medical condition.  This is a completely safe and secure way to give via PayPal!

By the way, you can increase the amount of your donation, if you would like, simply by changing it in the box above before you click the donate button.

How to Win the Free iPod nano and Thank You for Your Support!

Okay, I’ve made this ridiculously easy so I hope you will tell everyone.  All you have to do to enter to win the free iPod nano is leave a comment on this post.  Comments on other posts do not count.  Here are the rest of the rules:

• You must be a U.S. resident and 18 years old to enter.
• You must provide a valid e-mail address so I can contact you.
• Only one entry per person.
• No donation is necessary to win, but greatly appreciated!
• You must share this post with everyone you know (just kidding!)
• Entry into the giveaway will be closed on November 25, 2009.

I will randomly select one winner from all the entries and notify the winner immediately upon closing the giveaway.  I will then ship the winner their brand new 8GB iPod nano in the color of their choice.

Be Sure to Follow Our Progress Over the Next Few Weeks

You can check back here on this page anytime to see how much money has been raised for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Also, please be sure to subscribe to receive my articles absolutely free.  I will be posting at least one update per week until this giveaway and fundraiser is complete.

Click the green Retweet button below to let your friends on Twitter know about this opportunity!

Thanks again for your support!

Photo by iTopic

Smart living is the path for living life to the fullest.  It will accelerate your quest to experience the best life possible.

Of course, we can’t just read the rules.  We have to apply them to actually realize all that they truly offer.  What have you done to apply the rules for smart living? 

For that matter, what have you done to apply anything you’ve read lately?  If what you are reading doesn’t move you to action, then why are you reading it?  It does no good!

The Two Key Reasons that I Wrote the Rules for Smart Living

I recently completed my series on the 12 Rules for Smart Living.  I began the series by offering a couple of quotes that have served as the foundation for my quest to live life to its fullest.

I’d like to take a moment to reflect  and expand upon “the why” behind the rules.

Here are the two specific reasons the rules are so important to me personally.  I hope these will help you see the value of applying the rules in your own life.

1.  I do not want to go to the grave without ever really living.

I originally offered this quote as the basis for my passion for trying to live life to its fullest:

Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.
~ Henry David Thoreau

As I stated before, I want to do everything possible to avoid going to the grave with the song still in me.  In my mind, this would be one of the greatest tragedies that could occur.

Let’s unpack this a little.  What does it mean to go to the grave with the song still in you? 

In my mind, it means failing to find your true passion and purpose in life.  It means never discovering your potential and pushing your limits.  It means that your dreams die when you do.

What is the point in living life if this is how it is going to wind up?  I just can’t let that happen!

I want more for myself, my family and for all of you.  This is why I write this blog.  It is the purpose that keeps me writing and writing and writing.  It is truly a labor of love!

I believe each and every one of us has a unique and perfect song in our hearts that is just waiting for us to express.  Sound corny and idealistic?  Well, maybe it is a little, but shouldn’t we strive for an ideal life?  Why aim low?

I want to squeeze every drop of satisfaction and significance out of life as I possibly can.  If you want the same, then I hope you’ll revisit my Rules for Smart Living, apply them to your life!  Do not go to the grave with the song still in you!

2.  I believe living deliberately is the only way to a full life.

This is my second reason for writing the rules.  Again, Thoreau offers my inspiration:

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
~ Henry David Thoreau

The Rules for Smart Living are a framework for a deliberate life.  Following the rules will produce very specific results.  They are a well-worn and deliberate path to living life to the fullest.

The rules are some of the essential facts leading to a good life.  Of course, acknowledging this is not enough.  You have to live it deliberately.  Ponder this:

We’ve all heard that the unexamined life is not worth living, but consider too that the unlived life is not worth examining.
~ Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way

At some point, you have to do more than just read, examine and reflect.  You have to actually start living and applying the wisdom you collect.  Otherwise, it is all pointless!

Failing to apply what you learn means you aren’t really living and growing.  This is a journey that builds upon itself.  It is a quest to unearth the real and authentic you. 

Here’s a picture of how it should go:

“Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby.  But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
~ Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit

I want to be all used up at the end of my life!  I want to know that I drank deeply.  I milked every ounce of goodness from life that I could.

To a degree, it is a path of trial and error because we are all unique, but there is also some ageless wisdom that we can embrace to help us along the way.

I didn’t invent or dream up what I offer in the Rules for Smart Living.  I don’t even want to imply that.  This is stuff that’s been around for a long time.  I just packaged it for easy consumption and application.

Live the rules deliberately!

Will you go to the grave with the song still in you?

I enjoyed writing this series.  I hope you benefited from it.  It will remain here on the site for a long time.  Please use it in your own life and share it with others.

Now it all comes full circle.  The Rules for Smart Living are a choice you make.  We all make.  What will you do?  Browse on to the next article or stop and dig deep into life?

Will you go to the grave with the song still in you?

Leave me a comment and let me know your choice!

Photo by Per Ola Wiberg (Powi)

You must focus your effort like a laser to accomplish great things.  A determined mind is hard to stop.  Those that commit themselves to a particular goal and then pursue it with persistence and perseverance are the ones that realize their dreams!

A mind and a life that is cluttered and scattered rarely completes anything.  The effort is too diluted to make real progress toward goals.

Smart living requires one to focus your thoughts and actions.  You must determine your priorities, make a firm commitment and pursue single-minded action to win!

Smart living is about determining the right priorities

What really matters to you?  What one thing would make the most difference in your life if you finished it?  What is the next step you need to take toward your most significant goal?  These are a few of the questions you need to start thinking about to determine your priorities.

You have to narrow things down so you can focus your effort.  Concentrating on what is most important in your life is the fastest way to move ahead.

The problem is that we usually fail to discriminate between our priorities.  We give taking out the trash the same attention that we give creating a personal finance budget. 

You may chuckle, but in reality we may actually give the trash higher priority.  Think about it.  Don’t we procrastinate and delay forever on setting up a budget?  However, I bet the trash gets to the curb every week!  Which one has a higher priority?

This is my point!  You have to make a choice and consciously select your priorities.  It is an essential step in smart living.

Make a firm commitment to start smart living

Once you decide on your one next most important thing to do, then you need to make a firm commitment to accomplish it.  Give yourself a deadline and share it with someone that will hold you accountable.  Your spouse is usually a great choice!

Back yourself into a corner!  Make it extremely difficult to weasel out of doing what you decided needed to be done.

In fact, I’d challenge you to set a very short deadline to accomplish your goal.  This will force you to really focus your attention and energy.  You will have to push all the little distractions aside in order to get this important thing done.  Perfect!

A mind and life focused on the right thing and determined to accomplish it is like a locomotive barreling down the track.  It takes a lot to stop it!

Pursue smart living with single-minded action

If it isn’t obvious, I do NOT think multitasking works!  I believe to maximize your effectiveness, which is a part of smart living, that you have to pursue single-minded action!

The effectiveness of multitasking is a myth that will leave you exhausted and weary from such slow progress toward your goals!  You need the clarity and single-mindedness that comes from concentrated effort on the one priority you identified above.

Focused action will deliver results quickly.  This is why I’m a big believer in focused action and why I include it as a part of smart living.

Move everything else aside at least for a period of time each day and you’ll be amazed at how fast your life moves toward your dream!

Assignment: Focus your thoughts and actions for smart living

As you probably know by now, I am handing out assignments as we progress through the rules for smart living. 

So, here’s what I suggest for getting focused:

1.  Understand that I’m not the only one that encourages focus

I’m not a productivity guru.  I use several techniques in my life to be more effective, but I don’t really write much about it.  Therefore, I’m suggesting you read some articles by a couple of other guys that I respect and that I think have this topic nailed.

Here are three articles on gaining focus that I highly recommend:

• Big Rocks First: Double Your Productivity This Week
• Using Applied Focus Sessions to Boost Productivity
• 10 Ways to Use Laser Sharp Focus to Get More Done

See, I’m not the only one that believes getting focused really works!

2.  Set your priorities, make a commitment and take action

Okay, now it is time to really apply what we’ve talked about.  This is where the rubber meets the road.  Use these steps to get going!

1. Pick a priority – Make a list of all that you have going on in your life.  List things from work and home.  Dump as much as possible onto the paper to clear it our of your head.  Now read back through the list and circle the ones that are most important.  Okay, pick one.  Yes, just one.  This is your top priority.
2. Make a commitment – Resolve to accomplish your one priority.  Set a definite deadline for yourself.  Write it down.  Tell your spouse or someone else that will not be shy about holding you accountable.  Refer back to your written commitment often to keep you on track and don’t start avoiding your spouse!
3. Take action – Write down the one very next small task that you need to do to start making progress toward your priority.  It could be as simple as making a phone call.  Do it right now!  Don’t delay!  Procrastination will creep in if you do.  Get this first task out of the way so you can feel good about yourself and establish some momentum.  Now go back to your list and write down your next three tasks.  Keep going!

If you’ve completed these assignments, then you are well on your way to focused achievement!  Congratulations!  You will get more things done in a day than most people accomplish in a week!

Your focused thoughts and actions will lead you to smart living!

“Good is the enemy of great.”
~ Jim Collins, Author of Good to Great

Getting focused is so important in our busy, noisy world.  We have to get some of the good things off our plate in order to focus on the great things that we really want and need to do to live life to the fullest.  This is smart living!

Follow this link to discover all the rules for Smart Living.

Photo by helgabj

Becoming personally accountable and responsible for the outcomes in your life is the bedrock of smart living.

You can’t even begin to live life to the fullest until you’ve accepted that you are the one that makes the decisions for how your life turns out.

Many people get caught up in blaming others, but this is fruitless and a complete waste of time. 

You must accept full responsibility for your life if you ever want it to amount to anything.

Why personal responsibility is so important to smart living

The only way that we can live life to the fullest is by moving past the things that are holding us back.  The weird thing is that all the things holding us back are inside us.

We are our own worst enemies, but we either fail to see it or won’t admit it.  Instead, we let fear, excuses and bad behavior get in the way of our best life.

We are exactly where we are in life because to one degree or another we have failed to accept responsibility and have therefore chosen to continue to be victims.  You are not a lifelong victim!

Now some of you are saying or thinking something like this:

“Stop right there!  So and so did such and such to me and I did not chose to have that happen.  What they did damaged me and therefore, I am a victim!  I had no control over the situation and if it had never happened then I would be a better person without so many problems.”

I acknowledge that bad things happen to good people.  I’ll also admit that these bad things create huge obstacles in our lives.  In addition, I’ll concede the point that we often don’t have any control over these happenings.

HOWEVER, and this is a big however, we choose our reaction to what happens to us. 

In the moment when something bad happens to you, you are a victim, but that is over as soon as the event is over.  Let it go and make the best of the rest of your life!

Being a victim becomes a crutch that is so very easy to lean on.

I can safely say that being a victim becomes a crutch because I’ve been there.  My parents divorced when I was about 12 or 13 years old.  It was the “big event” in a small series of painful occurrences.

I won’t go into the whole story because I’ve told it before.  However, I will say that for a long time I accepted that I was a victim of my parents’ divorce.

I used it as an excuse for how I acted well into adulthood.  If my relationships didn’t go well, I blamed it on the divorce.  If I was too introverted, mentally I excused myself because of the divorce.  If I lacked self-confidence, I told myself it was because the divorce wounded me.

I was quick to pull out this crutch anytime I needed it.  It was easy and very convenient.  It gave me an excuse for not having to face my own faults and weaknesses.

Whipping out this crutch in my mind became a deeply embedded habit.  I still struggle with it.  However, my deep desire to live a richer and more fulfilling life forces me to put the crutch away and accept responsibility for my life.

Accepting responsibility is acknowledging we are empowered to change

You have the power to change your life for the better or for the worse.  The power is in every decision you make.   Every single one!

If you acknowledge this, then you can start to improve your life.  Here are some examples:

• You can decide to get up an hour earlier every morning to read positive, empowering books that will change your outlook on life.
• You can decide to work harder to exceed your employer’s expectations so you’ll get noticed and get a raise or promotion.
• You can decide you are smart enough and disciplined enough to leave the job that you hate and start your own business.
• You can decide to stop spending money frivolously that piles up debt and start a budget to get control of your finances.

This list could go on and on.  We make tons of decisions every single day.  The point is that when you accept responsibility for your life, you can start making the right choices for a better life.

Assignment: Start making positive changes to improve your life!

Usually, getting started with something new is the hardest part.  That’s why with every smart living rule I’m going to give you some assignments to help you get started. 

Yes, I’m handing out homework, but this is the kind that will really make a significant difference in your life.

Here are the smart living assignments for this rule:

1.  Explore the whole idea of personal responsibility a little further

Take some time to mull this over in your mind a little more.  It takes awhile for it to really sink in.  If you are a bit intrigued, then don’t let that slip away.  Read the following articles to stimulate further thinking on the subject of taking personal responsibility for your life.

• 7 Ways to Take Personal Responsibility and Live a Better Life
• Accepting Personal Responsibility for Our Fulfillment in Life
• Taking Responsibility – There Is Always a Choice

Once you’ve read the articles, then come back and start the next assignment.

2.  Pick a specific area of your life that you want to change

In order to avoid becoming overwhelmed, it is usually best to focus your efforts in one area of your life in the beginning.  After you gain some strength and confidence at accepting responsibility for your circumstances, then you can branch out.

If you asked me, “Where do I start?”  I would say, “Where you are least happy, but start small.”

I would suggest where you are least happy because that’s where the biggest payoff is at and I would suggest starting small so you can experience some success early on.

For example, if you said your personal finances cause you the biggest heartache, then I would suggest that you start by building a small emergency fund.

Once you’ve identified the area of your life that you want to improve, follow this three-step process:

1. Educate yourself on the topic – For example, find a well-respected book on the subject and read it to learn correct behavior.
2. Set some goals – Write down 2 or 3 statements describing exactly what you want to accomplish by accepting responsibility and changing your behavior.
3. Make yourself accountable – Tell someone else what you want to improve and ask them to follow up with you to make sure you are doing it.

These three steps will ensure that you follow-through and improve your life!

Smart living starts with accepting personal responsibility!

If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last.  (Luke 6:48, The Message)

The choice is yours.  You can move on and ignore these words or you can make them the bedrock on which you build a better life.  What will it be?

Are you willing to accept personal responsibility and start smart living?

Follow this link to discover all the rules for Smart Living.

Photo by orvalrochefort

Living life to the fullest is all about smart living.  It is about making the wisest choices possible to constantly move forward and not backwards in life.

Of course, I believe the seven key characteristics of super-charged living define the areas where the best in life can be found, but can we dig even deeper to learn more about experiencing every good thing that life has to offer?  I think so!

Do you want to dive in with me and discover the Smart Living Rules that will take us higher and further in life than we’ve ever been?  That’s exactly where I’m going and I invite you to come along!

12 Smart Living Rules: An In-depth Series of Powerful Articles

I’m launching an in-depth series of articles to cover smart living.  Over the next several weeks, I will publish what I consider to be the essential rules for living life to the fullest.

I borrowed the idea for this series from Trent at The Simple Dollar.  I recently ran across his 14 Money Rules and it inspired me to define my own Smart Living Rules.  I hope Trent doesn’t mind, but I just couldn’t pass on such a fantastic idea!

I feel strongly that these articles will provide powerful guidance on the essentials for truly getting the most from life.  They will help us to focus like a laser on the incredible quest for for a full and rewarding life.

Here is an overview of the 12 Smart Living Rules:

• Smart Living Rule 1 – Take Full Responsibility For Your Life
• Smart Living Rule 2 – Strive For Excellence But Not Perfection
• Smart Living Rule 3 – Be Positive, Optimistic and Enthusiastic
• Smart Living Rule 4 – Focus Your Thoughts and Actions
• Smart Living Rule 5 – Make Your Life Count for Something
• Smart Living Rule 6 – Get the Most Out of Your Money
• Smart Living Rule 7 – Pursue Good Opportunities Fearlessly
• Smart Living Rule 8 – Never Stop Learning and Growing
• Smart Living Rule 9 – Be a Role Model Like It or Not
• Smart Living Rule 10 – Make Healthy Living a Priority
• Smart Living Rule 11 – Travel, Explore and Try New Things
• Smart Living Rule 12 – Love Others and Let Yourself Be Loved

I am super excited about this series!  I think it will be some of the most significant writing that I have done to date on this site.

Why the Smart Living Rules are so important to me

One of the driving forces for me personally in seeking to live life to its fullest is this well-used quote from the book Walden.

Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.
~ Henry David Thoreau

I want to do everything possible to avoid going to the grave with the song still in me and to lead as many people as possible in the same positive direction.

I truly believe that these Smart Living Rules have the power to drastically change our lives for the better.

They zero in on the essence of great living.  Making these 12 Rules a priority in your life will lift you out of the doldrums.  They will help you define a unique and personal course to success and happiness.

In Walden, Thoreau stated the following about his purposes for taking time to examine life more deeply.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
~ Henry David Thoreau

This is the same reason that I’m writing this series on the Smart Living Rules.  I do not want to get to the end of my life and discover that I have not lived!  How about you?

You are cordially invited to join me as I venture into the woods!

No, I won’t literally be going into the woods to learn the essential facts of life, but I can assure you that my quest is no less passionate.  Also, my journey here will have at least one other thing in common with Thoreau.  I will use words to share what I learn along the way with you.

I hope you will join me over the next several weeks as I go headlong into this adventure.

There are several ways that you can keep up with this powerful series.  Here are a few ways that I’d like to invite you to accompany me:

• Subscribe via RSS to get regular updates for free or use the form directly below this article to receive the Rules as they are published right in your Inbox!
• Bookmark this article or add it to your browser favorites so you can check back regularly.  I will update the list of Smart Living Rules above making them links as I publish the articles.
• Post this page to your choice of FaceBook, del.icio.us, Digg or Reddit so you can remember to check back weekly.

Also, please share the news about this great series with others so they too can benefit from it and add their thoughts to the conversation.

I’d love to hear your reaction to my announcement of the Smart Living Rules.  Leave me a comment and let me know how this strikes you.  Thanks!

Photo by moonsheep