Normally I wouldn't post something like this due to its "spammy" nature (hey just being honest), but having recently saved about $700 a year on my own auto insurance by implementing many of these same steps, this guest post by Tom Bartsch of Dairyland insurance makes perfect sense to get out to the world. I'm all about big wins. If you can do a couple hours of work, and save literally hundreds of dollars every year, I think it's far more worth it than doing things like saving $3 on your lunch … [Read more...]
All of the Gear, Apps, and Services I Used to Cut My Cable TV Subscription Without Sacrificing Live Sports Or Local Channels
This information in this post has been updated for 2019. You can read the new version here, or you can live in the past and read the old version below. :) "Fuck cable. Who needs 200 channels... with lousy customer service... at $200 a month... when you only watch 4 of them?! It's time to cut the cord for good!" But there's a problem with that noble declaration, which I'm sure you've muttered in your own way as well. I'm a big sports fan. Colts Football in the Fall. Kentucky … [Read more...]
5 Powerful Black Friday Hacks to Avoid the Pure Evil Genius of Retailers
What the Black Friday weekend does to people is absolutely insane. It's human irrationality at it's best, and retailers have figured out all of the right buttons to push to make it happen. I know I'm not going to keep you from buying stuff. There are just too many forces working against you, but what I can try to do is help you be smart and fight back against the evil genius of retailers during this time of year. Believe me - I wish the answer was as simple as this dude makes it, but … [Read more...]
My Growing List of Timeless Leadership Books
In the last ten years I've gone from a having no idea what I wanted to do, to a trusted project manager in charge of the productivity of over a dozen people, and a leader of the web operations of one of the largest global electronics companies in the world. I don't say this to brag or boast. I say this to let you know that wherever you are in your life, you can grow yourself and do something similar. With the transformation I went through to be who I am today came an evolution of … [Read more...]
30 Lessons Learned From 30 Years of Change
Note: I originally published this post on The Change Blog. Due to the great response, I am republishing it here for the benefit of Academy Success readers. As I write this post, I was brought into this world 30 years ago today. Even though 30 is apparently the new 20, and some days I feel like my real life is just starting to get interesting, I find myself reflecting on the experiences of the last 30 years, and all of the lessons I've managed to learn along the way. So here they are, … [Read more...]
How Can New Or Expecting Parents Keep Their Finances In Check?
Everyone has heard that after you have a child, your life will never be the same. While that's absolutely true, the saying itself doesn't really go into any useful details. In addition to having a sporadic sleep schedule for the next few years, one of the areas that a new child impacts the most is a couple's finances. According to multiple estimates, the cost to raise a child over the course of eighteen years is around $300,000. If that figure didn't make your jaw hit the floor, it's worth … [Read more...]
How to Let Go of Worry and Live the Life of Your Dreams
You know how awesome it is to dance when people aren't watching? It's great. There is no one to laugh at you, no one to please, no one passing their judgments on you about your moves. It's just pure. You move how you want to and you thoroughly enjoy it. Well, what if you could do the same thing with your life accomplishments? Have you ever decided not to do something because you were worried about what people would think? What if you could completely let go of worry. Some of us are … [Read more...]
Grab Your Copy of The Lifehackers Manifesto
Leading a more successful life isn't just about being more productive, or learning how to manage your finances well. It's about learning how to be a more effective person overall through the acquisition of a variety of skills and knowledge, and I want to be able to help do that for you through Academy Success. So to move closer towards that goal, I teamed up with 9 of my best blogging friends to create an awesome resource full of some of our best tips. It's called "The Lifehacker's … [Read more...]
A Simple Process to Make Your New Habits Stick
As we approach the beginning of a new year, you've probably got an awesome list of New Year's Resolutions that you've promised yourself you're going to stick to in 2013. That's great, but as I'm sure you've experienced before... things don't always go as planned. Don't worry. It's not your fault. Society has taught you that if you just "try harder" and "persevere" then you'll come out on top. Ok great. But what does that really mean? How do you really make your new habits stick? That … [Read more...]
Overcome Self Doubt With The Why Not Technique
Without a doubt in my mind, the number one thing holding you back from accomplishing the goals in your life is your own self doubt. It's something we all struggle with. Even the most successful people in the world have things they tell themselves they can't do. Well today, I'd like to introduce to you a technique that I've been using for the past few years of my life to help overcome self doubt. It's a way to not only pump yourself up for something you really want to do, but also identify … [Read more...]