About five years ago I bought a brand new Hamilton blender. It worked great at first, as they tend to, but gradually I noticed it would leak from between the base of the pitcher and where the blade connects. I put off replacing it and instead opted to wait and score a nice commercial blender during a seasonal sale. Then it dawned on me one day while cleaning the gasket on a water bottle: why not try replacing the rubber seal?

Fast forward a week and the replacement seal arrives in the mail. I pop open my container of superfood protein powder and got to work. Guess what? No leaks!

Initially, I was skeptical of a simple fix as the original seal appeared to be in fine condition. Lo and behold, it was the culprit after all. That and over tightening which likely warped/weakened the seal over time.

It goes to show that if you like something enough, consider fixing it before tossing. In my case, the fix was ultra easy and worth a shot. It paid off for me. Now the $$ I saved can be allocated to the next thing that genuinely needs replacement or professional repair.

LPT: My best LPT is to sit at the bar at any restaurant you visit. It is so interesting to engage in conversation with other patrons as well as the bartrnfing staff. I literally just left the hotel bar where I had the most intriguing conversation with other patrons.

I have a LinkedIn connection to someone I met one time and continue to engage with them.

The bartender from a restaurant I patronize recently opened his own restaurant and he was so surprised and grateful when we showed up to support his new venture. That never could have happened if we had not mutually engaged at the bar.

Put down your reservations and strike up a conversation! You will be glad that you did!

Anxiety feeds off of importance. So if you *secretly tell yourself that what you’re saying is the buildup to a joke then it’s easier to get it out with more confidence. Because you’re relieving your psyche of your words significance.

And one of the key components of confidence if not seeking to get any particular reaction from anyone.

Example:

I need five beers for table 6, I’m celebrating 5 years sober by myself!

You can’t use my bike, work won’t let me be late due to “being a conflict avoidant pussy”….again.

I like your outfit! Who was buried in it?

Just say the build up without the punchline and it flips a switch in your brain. You become an impartial representative of your thoughts instead of the owner.

Basically just commit to the joke without the punchline.

I’m not kidding I’ve seriously struggled with Coming off as genuine and confident (I am genuine but my tone comes off forced and awkward) and this has helped me tremendously.

I got a fraud alert on a credit card that I keep locked away at home. I thought I was going to have to wait until I got home to call the bank. Luckily, they sent an email that I was able to read on my smartphone that listed the phone number that they wanted me to call.

After reflecting on a 20 year career that constantly shit on my Anniversary it literally just hit me why that happened. The Fiscal Year starts October 1st. That means everyone suddenly has money to spend and all the things get done. I was constantly TDY or in the field for our anniversary…

If you get married while in (or before and plan on going in) aim for August/September. Pretty consistent free time or at least only absolutely mission critical functions are happening.

Edit: we were late October so all the LOAs had dropped at that point.

Under current USDA regulations, plumped chicken may still carry an “All-Natural” or “100% Natural” label. This is why it's important to check the ingredient list.

Source

If you’re a pepperoni person like me and you’re ever unsatisfied with how many pepperonis come on a frozen pizza or if you just want more: use turkey pepperonis. Tastes exactly like regular pepperonis but hardly any calories, fat, and extra protein. You can add as much as you want without any added guilt that may already come with eating a frozen pizza lol.

Can you help me grab some ice?

Can you come help me with this for a second?

Now you can talk away from everyone without announcing to the whole room that a mysterious private meeting is happening.

Nothing makes people more curious than can I talk to you privately?

If you're like me and forget things constantly due to the doorway effect, I highly recommend using a phone / alexa to document your shower thoughts. It's been a complete gamechanger for me.

I discovered this accidentally last night, and I thought it was neat.

When it comes time for annual performance reviews, promotion requests, or updating your resume, most people struggle to remember what they did three months ago, let alone a year ago.

Keep a running document (a "brag sheet") and bullet point 2 or 3 things you finished, problems you solved, or positive feedback you received each week. When review season comes or you apply for a new job, you’ll have an exact, quantified list of your impact ready to go without stressing.