[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+1]Masterson sends an email newsletter daily "Early to Rise".
This article really hit home with me and I thought it might with others.
Simplify Your Life: Socks and Underwear[/SIZE][/FONT]
This article really hit home with me and I thought it might with others.
Simplify Your Life: Socks and Underwear[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]By Michael Masterson[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I was three days short on socks during our recent trip to Paris. The department store had a huge selection. I was looking for cheap socks that I could trash at the end of the trip, because it seemed like the right thing to do. But the less expensive socks were really flimsy ... and it got me thinking about my sock drawer at home. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It's not something I was proud of - filled with socks of various ages, all trying to be black but many that were closer to grey or brown or blue. Yes, there were a few pairs of really nice cashmere socks that I bought years ago ... back when I first wrote about "How to Live as Good as a Billionaire" for ETR. But since then, I'd fallen back on my stingy ways. Most of the socks in the drawer had something seriously wrong with them. Some wouldn't stay up on my ankles. Others had little snags. Still others had silly polka dots or stripes on them. What was I thinking when I bought them?[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I had to face reality: My personal sock situation was a disaster and I was about to make it worse by adding three more crummy pairs to my crummy collection.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]On an impulse, I walked over to the next aisle, where the more expensive socks were displayed. Most of them were crazy expensive - but then I saw a rack of Hugo Boss socks on sale. Beautiful, well-made black socks with a dignified Hugo Boss embossing across the top. And they were a very reasonable $10.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There were 15 pairs on the rack, and I took them all. "Have you gone crazy?" K asked me when she saw me dump them on the cashier's counter. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"They're only $10 apiece," I explained.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"But you've got plenty of socks at home," she countered.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"But I hate most of those socks. These socks I'll love."[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Fifteen of them?"[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Yes. These socks will cost me $150. I can afford $150. And when I get home, I intend to throw away every crummy pair of socks I have and keep only these beautiful, comfortable, well designed and fairly priced ones in my sock drawer. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Then, whenever I go to my sock drawer to select a pair of socks, I'll be able to grab the first pair I lay my hands on, knowing they are exactly what I want."[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Now that I'm back home, I'm happy to report that my sock plan has proven to be everything I'd hoped. No longer do I waste time every morning stressing over which socks to wear. Nor do I begin my day feeling poor or foolish, wearing droopy socks with snags or goofy patterns. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Yes, I've achieved a new level of sock satisfaction. No matter what the occasion - important business meeting or formal dinner - I know that my ankles are royally clad in quality, cool, black Hugo Boss socks. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]What could be better than that?[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Underwear," Charlie said. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I don't know how the subject came up, but this morning, while I was writing this piece, Charlie Byrne walked in. After taking a look at my computer screen, he told me he'd just had a similar transcendent moment with underwear. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Not only do you know that every pair of underwear in the drawer is the same," Charlie said, "but you know that you only have to go underwear shopping once every 12 to 18 months. Buy them all at once and throw them away all at once.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"The key to doing this successfully," says Charlie, "is to have the fortitude to toss out ALL of your existing supply. No matter how recently you may have added to it, and no matter how closely any of it may match your new supply ... everything must go! Get it outside in the garbage can, and watch them haul it away. You'll never look back."[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Socks and underwear. Just imagine how they could change your life. [/FONT]
