You need to eat. Sometimes, that means you need a slapped-together peanut butter sandwich right now. Other times, that means saving your appetite for a really great meal you’re going to spend several hours preparing. The decision of whether to meet a need (or even a want) soon but with a lesser option versus “holding out” for a better option later can only be made by you, but you should make that decision with intention.

Our desires will often drive us toward the quicker option. That’s not always the wrong choice, but it’s definitely the wrong choice to default to. Instant gratification is a trap that can drain us of the mental resources we need to build a better life. Desire is fuel. It’s a resource that, when carefully cultivated, can turn into ambition and dedication, planning and prosperity.

When you need to eat immediately, do so. But as often as you can, for eating or anything else, plan and prosper.

I like vegetables. I’m not a vegetarian, but there are definitely multiple days each week where I don’t eat meat at all, simply because my overall diet choices prioritize a lot of veggies, beans, etc. I get a lot of my protein from things like cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, etc. (I mention this because encouraging “Meatless Mondays” is a great way to advocate for less meat consumption, as opposed to strict vegetarianism, if that’s your thing!)

While I don’t have any problem with going meatless, there’s one thing I strongly dislike: imitation meat. Not because I have a problem with the taste or whatever – some taste good and some don’t, just like any other food. I have a strong dislike of the concept.

If you don’t like something (like meat), you don’t have to imitate it to replace it! You don’t have to create a version of that thing that’s as close as you can make it. You can just not do that thing! You can just grill portobello mushrooms instead, or even create entirely different dishes. There are so many delicious things you can eat that aren’t meat! You don’t have to go through all the extra rigmarole just to imitate your adversaries.

Life is filled with “veggie burgers.” People’s attempts at duplicating a thing they don’t even like, just to appeal to people who do like it. But the people who like meat don’t want a thing that’s (in their eyes) almost like meat but worse. I’ve never seen a hardcore carnivore won over by a plant burger. But I’ve seen them absolutely demolish a pizza with peppers and onions on it, in a way that makes me feel strongly like they could live on just that for the rest of their lives.

The point is, if you think your different way is better, then stay different. Sell your ideas based on their own merits, not based on how closely they can come to the ideas you’re trying to defeat.

It’s so easy to put off a major task with smaller, more achievable ones. To some extent, that’s okay – getting anything done is at least forward progress. But remember, you will never run out of small, productive accomplishments within your reach, so it’s very easy to fall into the trap of never making progress on the major thing. Don’t let it loom too long.

When you mix some of yourself into raw materials, you get something more than the finished product you’ve built. There is a difference between buying a chair and building one, an intangible connection that the mind makes to the resulting object. In a technical sense, buying a chair with money you worked for is still “making a chair,” but it’s too many steps removed for the subconscious mind to see in that way. When you really sweat something into existence, your mind also invests value in that thing, value which radiates back outward each time you use it.

So when you build something together with someone else, you get that same intangible investment, only now it’s an inseparable connection between two or more people as well. The car you build with your friend, the house you build with your partner, or the Lego set you build with your son will always carry something a little extra within the confines of its physical space. It will always be a vessel for some of the bond you’ve made. That is a valuable experience.

What works for me won’t always work for everyone, but I find that my “days off” are FAR more relaxing if I actually set some goals and do some projects. If I spend the day just lounging around, I tend to feel worse – more stressed than not. But if I set some goals, I feel great.

They don’t have to be “functional” goals! I’m still talking about fun stuff, just fun stuff with intention. Going for a hike, building something I want for myself, or digging into a pile of books all count.

Our relaxation time needs to charge us and center us. Slugging doesn’t do that for me.

My biggest boy is seven years old today. He’s got a heart of gold, nothing but kindness for everyone he meets. He bends over backwards to make his sisters and cousins laugh, he rescues everyone, and he makes friends instantly. He dreams big and loves bigger. He’s wild and active, an explorer and adventurer to his core. I couldn’t be more proud of the man I’m raising, every single day. Happy Birthday, my best Buddy.

No matter how good an approach is, you can think of an outlier example where it won’t work. You can always find the one odd exception. That doesn’t mean the approach is bad! 100% effectiveness isn’t the standard for improving your life.

Humor will keep someone interested in between places where the words themselves are. Deliver a message by delivering a punchline.

Let’s say you’re in charge of a project or team with a specific goal. Here’s an exercise to give you some incredible clarity and focus as you pursue your objective:

Imagine you have the ability to create a dashboard that gives you the answers, in real time and with perfect accuracy, to any five questions related to the project. What five questions would you plug in?

Here’s an example – I’ve recently started getting into Formula 1 racing. It’s neat! I still don’t know much at all about racecar engineering, driving strategy, etc. But if I was placed in charge of a team right now, I at least know what my goal is: To have one of my cars (every team gets 2) come in first place, and ideally to have both of my cars in the Top Two.

Without knowing anything else, what would I pick as my Top Five Questions? Probably:

1. How long is it taking each car to complete a lap?
2. How long is it taking each car to complete the whole race?
3. What position did we finish in each race?
4. How much time did we gain or lose between each race?
5. What were the road conditions in each race?

With the answers to those five questions accurately displayed for me, I could start making strategic decisions about how our car is designed, how our racing strategy is deployed, et cetera. Now, obviously the actual decisions would be much better if made by someone with real experience, but I would at least not be flying (or driving?) blind.

Often in business, people with great and relevant experience are still letting themselves “fly blind” because they don’t know the answers to the most important questions affecting their project. I’ve met sales leaders who didn’t know how many pitches their salespeople were making. I’ve met project managers who didn’t know how many man-hours were being spent on their projects, or how many were available. I’ve met HR leaders who didn’t know the turnover rates or costs at their companies. It’s rampant, and it makes for poor decisions even if leaders have the relevant expertise to make good ones.

In order to make good decisions, you need to have the expertise and the data. And getting the right data starts with asking the right questions.

There is an art to getting into places, and it isn’t stealth or smooth-talking. It’s being unquestionable.

The best camouflage you can ask for is other people’s general indifference. The more people there are, the more indifference they tend to have. If you want to get into a building that you technically shouldn’t be in, you just have to look at the kind of people that walk in unhindered.

People with reflective vests, clipboards, ladders, or tools generally walk in anywhere. People also don’t tend to question people carrying pizza boxes. If you’re carrying a bouquet of flowers or a heavy potted plant, that’s usually good too. Especially if you look vaguely confused and/or bored.

Don’t try to come up with a story. Act mildly frustrated. If someone asks where you’re trying to go, just say, “Dude, I have no idea.” Nine times out of ten, the person will suggest a valid reason you might be there! Then just say, “You know what, probably? It’s been a day. Which way is that?”

Don’t be trouble, and trouble tends to avoid you.

(Worth noting: Use these skills only for good, people!)