Jason

- - - | written by Jason on 8/27/2016 | - - -

Ron England, August 2016 Adultitis Fighter of the Month

An Adultitis Fighter is someone who rallies against rules that don't exist and engages in ruthless, senseless acts of silliness that undermine Adultitis and its unadventurous version of adulthood. Once a month, we shine a light upon the most remarkable among us, holding them up as a dazzling example of what we should strive for in this epic battle against a formidable enemy. When we approached Ron England about receiving this award, he was humble. He said, "I must say that I don't measure up to your past Adultitis Fighters of the month! Wow, I have much to learn from those folks!" But …

- - - | written by Jason on 8/21/2016 | - - -

For Those Who’ve Ever Complained That This Is Taking Too Long

One time Kim and I spent a couple hundred dollars on a two-day craft show. That was a big chunk of change for us at the time -- about two months worth of groceries. We were next to a booth where a guy was selling knockoff Garfield tchotchkes. Meanwhile, we moved a grand total of $7.92 worth of greeting cards. It was rough. Then we drowned our sorrows in sirlon steaks at Outback, which made our negative profit margin even worse. I have a lot of stories like that from the early days. Happy times. Sometimes I feel like this hippo. Barely off the ground, just trying to get some lift, with …

- - - | written by Jason on 8/14/2016 | - - -

Anyone Else Feel Like An Eight-Year-Old in An Adult Costume?

"I believe that everyone else my age is an adult whereas I am merely in disguise.” —Margaret Atwood I am forty years old but I still feel like I’m eight, trying to figure out why adults act so weird. They appear to have it all together, but don’t seem very happy at all. I think I know the secret, but wonder if I’m the fool. If you can relate to any of that, hear this: you are not alone. If you think life is too short to be so serious all the time, you are not alone. If you believe that experiences are more valuable than stuff, you are not alone. If you suspect there is more to …

- - - | written by Jason on 8/7/2016 | - - -

A Little Bit Crazy

Our family just completed a 17-day road trip that spanned 11 states and 3,800 miles. We traveled with three kids, aged 7, 5, and 2. And we did it in a Ford Edge that was packed with just two suitcases, one cooler, a diaper bag, two computer backpacks, two strollers, one tote filled with food and another filled with swimming paraphernalia and sunscreen. We did this because we are insane. Actually, that’s just a lie I repeated multiple times so people wouldn’t feel bad. It makes it easier for folks to justify why they could never do such a thing, especially if a deep-down part of them …

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- - - | written by Jason on 7/30/2016 | - - -

The Escape Adulthood Adventure Club is Here!

I am so excited to announce our newest initiative to take down Adultitis! We call it the Escape Adulthood Adventure Club. How does it work? Every month, we'll give you some fun ideas for fighting Adultitis (we call them Small Rebellions). If you do any of them -- by yourself, or with friends, family, or co-workers -- you can officially consider yourself in the Club! And if you are one of the first 100 people to share your exploits online, we'll send you a rad sticker (sort of like a modern-day merit badge) for free! The only question is, "Can you collect them all?" Join a community …

- - - | written by Jason on 7/24/2016 | - - -

How To Live a Comfortable Life

Pick one or more of the following: 10) Spend more time watching people on TV having adventures than you do experiencing your own. 9) Never travel anywhere new, especially outside your comfort zone. 8) Set up your life so that Friday is the day you’re most thankful for. 7) Accumulate so much stuff that you have to buy more space to store it. 6) Always order the same thing when you go out to eat. 5) Spend more money on things than experiences. 4) Surround yourself with people just like you. 3) Be more of a consumer than a creator. 2) Wait for permission. 1) Always …

- - - | written by Jason on 7/20/2016 | - - -

Kyle Scheele, July 2016 Adultitis Fighter of the Month

An Adultitis Fighter is someone who rallies against rules that don't exist and engages in ruthless, senseless acts of silliness that undermine Adultitis and its unadventurous version of adulthood. Once a month, we shine a light upon the most remarkable among us, holding them up as a dazzling example of what we should strive for in this epic battle against a formidable enemy. Kyle Scheele turned thirty in May. Instead of a birthday party, he held a Viking funeral for his 20s. This involved making a GIANT Viking ship out of cardboard, which eventually was burned to the ground. Kyle's friends …

- - - | written by Jason on 7/17/2016 | - - -

Do You Care What Your Batting Average Is?

Whether it’s batting average, marathon time, or annual income, we humans love using numbers to measure our success. But what if we're focused on the wrong numbers? Here’s a list I made recently, charting my progress so far in 2016: • Meals shared with family: 280 • Lego pieces sorted: 1,376 • Daddy Daughter business trips taken: 2 • Strawberries picked: 173 • Tinker Crates assembled: 3 (with 3 boxes unopened) • Piggyback rides given: 37 • Bedtime tuck-ins: 134 • Bedtime stories read: 9 (Needs work!) • Holes of mini golf played: 18 • Little House on the Prairie episodes …

- - - | written by Jason on 7/12/2016 | - - -

Pursuing Happiness on the Do Your Thing Podcast

I recently had a wonderful conversation with Ross Brown of the Do Your Thing podcast. We talked about the the idea of pursuing happiness by exercising liberty to "do your thing." I was able to share some of the past failures Kim and I experienced, how we got through our darkest hours, and what opportunity costs we gave up to get to where we are now. Meanwhile Ross, offered to double my income in exchange for giving up on "doing my thing" and even I was kind of surprised by how I answered. He also asked about my "must-read" books and what advice I have for people who are yet to break out of …

- - - | written by Jason on 7/10/2016 | - - -

Your Life: Roller Coaster or Runaway Train?

I think it’s safe to assume that physically, the first drop on a roller coaster feels a lot like riding a runaway train hurtling off a cliff. (Admittedly, I’ve never actually experienced the latter.) Even though our brains know the ultimate outcome of each, both experiences will cause us to scream like that thief in Home Alone who got the tarantula placed on his face. I’m an eternal optimist (I am a Cubs fan, after all) but also a bit of a worrier. When an unexpected expense comes up, or the bank account looks smaller than it should, or an abnormality on a medical test pops up, I’m only a …

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