How you do anything...

...is how you do everything.

Everything you do matters

Harv Eker likes to say: "How you do anything is how you do everything."

At a basic level, your actions determine who you are (or, arguably, who you are determines your actions).

Therefore every little thing you do makes you more like that action

Why so I say this?

Sins - God's Perspective & Man's Perspective

Well, Rebecca and I have been going through catechism at church, and I am learning (or at least more fully understanding) interesting things about sin:

1) We sin pretty much constantly.
2) All sin is equal to God - we have put our own hierarchy on which sins are not too bad or really bad.

For example, not reporting when you are undercharged at Wal-Mart is stealing. So is taking a pen home from work and never bringing it back. So is robbing a bank. In God's eyes, you are stealing in any of these cases.

We tend to make excuses for situations like the first two or think they are "no big deal".

The Little Things Make a Big Difference

So if we want to be people of integrity, we need to demonstrate that everywhere.

If we want to help people, that should start with those we are closest to.

Every little decision you make to take action (or not take action) takes you farther down that path.

I know I have done - in all likelihood - millions of things that I wish I had not (or wish I had in the case of omissions). They did not lead me to become the person I want to be.

For instance, I haven't murdered anyone physically, but I have murdered people in my heart. That is just as bad in God's eyes.

Help!

Unfortunately, it is much easier to see someone else's inconsistent actions than your own. If you are married, you may have noticed that your spouse is painfully good at pointing out some of your faults :)

If you really care about the people you are close to, you can help them out by very gently letting them know if you see them do things that you know are not consistent with the person they want to be - help hold them accountable.

Let me stress that you want to talk about this beforehand with them and make sure they will be receptive to your help :) Otherwise, it call easily come off as overly critical or naggy.

Everything we do makes a difference - let's help each other start acting like it.

Costa Rica summary

What I left out of our detailed description of the Costa Rica trip was a summary of our Costa Rica experience and how we feel about having land down there.

What I Liked

1) The natural environment. At our lot, the water has 50% fewer contaminants than Evian. Everything is raised "organically" - just because they don't need to use chemicals, etc. All of the food we tried really tasted great. Costa Rica protects the natural environment so that everyone can enjoy it.
2) The people. Everyone was incredibly friendly. Apparently it is a fairly conservative Catholic country and they even like Americans. Can't get much better than that for international investing.
3) The way of life. Costa Rica is very laid back and family-oriented. I can't think of a better culture to spend time relaxing in (not that I know that many cultures...).

Why We Want to Live There

1) It's Costa Rica! I have yet to meet anyone that visited Costa Rica and did not like it. If you are one of those people, I would love to hear why it wasn't for you.
2) The natural food (and water). See above.
3) Plan B. In case something goes wrong in the states - economically (Social Security crisis, anyone?), socially, politically...who knows. I just like having someplace I can go if necessary.
4) The climate. Although it is slightly humid for my tastes, it is not bad. Anyplace that you can essentially go without heating or air conditioning year-round and still be comfortable is my kind of place!

As with anyplace, it is not perfect - the roads leave a lot to be desired, cars are very expensive because of duties/taxes, etc. I strongly recommend checking it out sometime. We might even have a rental villa that we can give you a deal on :)

To find out more about the properties that we invested in, check out: http://www.best-costa-rica-real-estate.com. Unless you want to spend a lot of time learning the culture and finding someone down there you really trust to help you, I think Ventana del Pacifico is a great place to buy (I suppose that's obvious since we bought property with them).

If you are serious about learning more about Costa Rica real estate, I am also happy to answer any questions I can about travelling down there, etc.

Pura vida! (means "pure life", the unofficial motto of Costa Rica)