Organize the Details
If your house was on fire and you had time to grab one thing, what would it be? Mine would be my Mission Control binder. Inside the binder there is a tab for each family member, with original documents (birth certificates, social security cards, passports, marriage license) stored in sheet protectors, followed by copies of our debit and credit cards, insurance cards, and logins and passwords. I also keep a binder in a location outside my house with photocopies of these documents. That’s in case the house burns down when we aren’t home. One day I’ll get my fire-proof safe installed in my office, and I won’t need that duplicate binder anymore – and I can keep on pretending I’m an expert on flash-frying poultry.
Don’t Neglect Your Soul
Life isn’t just about money. It’s soul-filling (and fun!) to make a bucket list of all the things you want to do in your life. Put your man-cave daydreams down on paper. If you’re a baseball guy, plan a cross-country stadium tour. My wife and I travelled the world before we had kids, but there are lots of places in the US that we haven’t visited. Our bucket list includes Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, and local attractions that flew under our radar until now. It’s OK to want the whole package. You deserve it. More importantly, you’ve earned it. You are in charge of your life. Make it awesome.