Abundance

Travel hacking to get the whirlpool suite in a sold-out hotel

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on July 22, 2013 | Featured | 2 Comments

I like to play the travel hacking game. I suspect you likely do too, considering this post is one of the most frequently-viewed pages on this site. I play the game a bit differently from many other people though. … Read More … Read More

Tags: hotels, travel hacking, upgrades

On losing a friend

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on June 3, 2013 | Featured | No Comments

I’ve talked before about being grateful: for your health, for your security/safety, for your freedom, but most of all for your friends and family. You may think that your most important work is your job, career, hobbies, or art, … Read More … Read More

Tags: feelings, friends, friendship, grief, loss, meaning, relationships

How to enjoy your travels more (and come home less exhausted)

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on April 18, 2013 | Featured | 1 Comment

It’s a gorgeous Spring day here in Tokyo. Sunny, warm, light breeze. There’s a bird outside saying “‘Caw’” like it’s got scare quotes around it. “‘Caw.’ I’m a bird, it’s what I say. ‘Caw.’” And here I am, inside, … Read More … Read More

Tags: relaxation, travel, universe

Why do you feel poor?

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on February 7, 2013 | Featured | 2 Comments

Many people are feeling poor these days. “The down economy and all.” “So much debt.” “My rent keeps going up.” “Government taking more of my hard-earned money.” There are loads of reasons. There is a difference between feeling poor … Read More … Read More

Tags: community, generosity, wealthy

How to defeat the lawn mower army

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on February 4, 2013 | Featured | No Comments

Walk outside your house and look around on your street. Chances are that you can see maybe a dozen houses. Now I want to let you in on a secret: Everyone of those houses probably has a lawn mower. … Read More

Tags: community, consumerism, lawn mowers

How to use induced demand to your advantage

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on January 17, 2013 | Featured | 1 Comment

In my last post I talked about induced demand, the counter-intuitive idea that when there is a greater supply of a resource, more of it is used. I see this most often in discussion of transportation issues, where people … Read More … Read More

Tags: friends, highways, love, money, time

What highway congestion can teach you about your goals

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on January 14, 2013 | Featured | 1 Comment

Many of you spend a large chunk of your life stuck in traffic. And I feel for you; I lived in New York City with a car for seven years, and while I never commuted to work using my … Read More … Read More

Tags: congestion, friends, highways, love, money, planning, time

Which lasts longer, a Thing or an Experience?

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on December 13, 2012 | Featured | No Comments

I used to try to avoid going out to eat. It’s not that I didn’t like restaurants, it’s just that I found it hard to rationalize them on a tight budget. More than that, though, the idea of its … Read More … Read More

Tags: experiences, friends, restaurants, things

How to be grateful

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on November 22, 2012 | Featured | 7 Comments

All throughout my childhood Thanksgiving dinners, I was asked to be grateful. Grateful for our food, our health, our families, whatever. And I don’t know if other people felt the same way as I did, but it always felt … Read More … Read More

Tags: family, food, friends, gratitude, love, Robert Burns, Seneca, Thanksgiving

If they are advertising it, you don’t need it

Posted by Mike Pumphrey on November 8, 2012 | Featured | 12 Comments

Many words have been spoken about the perils about advertising. I’ve never watched Mad Men, but I’ve listened to my friends’ discussions that followed after a long marathon. But after years of being bombarded by advertisements, I’ve realized something … Read More … Read More

Tags: advertising, fufillment, needs