Handtruck Heaven

Are you a homeowner? Maybe you just like moving lots of heavy, bulky stuff. In either case, you owe it to yourself to get a hand truck and a set of ratcheting tie-down straps. It's one of the best tool investments I've ever made. I use them alone or in combination more often than I ever anticipated. The wife and I are building a patio in the back yard right now.  The problem is, dozens of  12" x 12" concrete pavers start off in the driveway. Carrying them two or three at a time isn't too appealing.

Moving to a new house? Helping a friend do the same? With the right cart and straps you can move that clothes washer all by yourself. The same goes for dryers, refrigerators, and big heavy boxes. No fuss, no muss, and no back pain!

Got a roof rack on your car? Use the  tie-down straps to secure your payload instead of that flimsy, slippery string. 

A couple tips to help you out:

• Get a handtruck that can convert to a flatbed cart as shown.
• It's hard to pump up the cart's tires if they completely deflate. The tires won't catch on the rims to form a good seal. Use a tie-down strap to compress the tire onto the rim, then inflate. 

Happy hauling!

Harry the Liberator

Harry Browne (1933-2006) is one of my personal heroes. A giant in the libertarian world, he endures as a great popularizer of liberty. Two of his books revolutionized my world view, and I re-read both of them every year. They're just that important to me!

How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World is timeless advice. Fourteen mental traps cause us to squander our freedom. Next we'll blame others, further magnifying the frustration and suffering. Browne shows us not only how to recognize the traps, but also how to avoid them. If you're already stuck in a trap, don't fret! Harry says you can get out, build a better life, and enjoy new opportunities. It's quite the kaizen approach. 

The other book I like to review is Fail-Safe Investing. Harry's original interest was investing and finance. Follow his short, simple, sensible advice to protect your nest egg. It's far more than the typical "do this, do that" book. In fact, the "formula" he advocates is downright boring, and for good reason. 

Much of his advice will change your perspective on savings and investments for the better. For the average investor (which is almost everyone) this book is a goldmine. You'll sleep better at night. You won't hang on the latest noise from CNBC and Bloomberg. When the financial SHTF you'll lose your socks while everyone else loses their shirts. So ignore the hot new investment trends. It's likely a Fed-inflated bubble just waiting to pop. 

Harry had a knack for opening people's minds without preaching a specific agenda. Like a good Zen story, nothing actually changes except our perception. The world is just as it ever was, but now we see it with new eyes. Right view may not be everything, but it's the indispensable first step.

Aside from his books, I also admire about Harry's willingness to speak the truth as he saw it. His "When Will We Learn?" op-ed was published on September 12, 2001. A nation filled with shock, rage, and sorrow didn't want to hear that message. Not at all. It was an act of enormous courage by a man willing to stand firm in his beliefs. 

I'd like to hear Harry's thoughts on the state of affairs today. Although afflicted by ALS in his later years, his optimism never flagged. Although I never had an opportunity to meet him, I did take advantage of the opportunity to vote for him. 

Where ever you are now, Harry, you have my gratitude. 

Kaizen: For Good Oral Hygiene!

Kaizen isn't a new idea by any stretch, but it's new to me. It translates as 'continuous improvement'. Starting at Toyota, kaizen principles are now used in many industries. Software development teams use it with aplomb.

Intrigued, I wondered how I could use it on myself. How could be so effective to bring about lasting behavioral change? After all, who doesn't have a nasty habit they'd like to break, or a new one they'd like to start? 

Lucky for me that I found Robert Mauer's One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way. His take on 'personal kaizen' is so simple, I thought it a tad ridiculous at first. So, just for the sake of experimentation, I tried it out. Imagine my surprise when his suggestions worked. 

My own bad habit concerned teeth, but not my own. I have dachshunds that need their teeth brushed, but I wasn't consistent about it. There were obvious problems looming if I didn't get into the habit, and soon. I saw one poor gray poodle at the vet's office, still woozy from multiple extractions. I didn't want that to be my wiener dogs. Despite that rather obvious warning, I still didn't have the gumption. 

Mauer's solution? Think of the smallest, tiniest possible step toward your goal. Make failure a laughable impossibility. Then go do that step for a while until you're comfortable with it. Then take the next tiny step. And so on. 

For my first step was beyond simple. Merely hold the dogs' toothbrush and toothpaste in my hands every day for thirty seconds. That's it. Day 1 of this came and went. I felt pretty silly just standing there. The same for Day 2, only I felt sillier. By Day 3 it was downright embarrassing. Wouldn't it just be easier to brush their teeth already? And that's exactly what I've done ever since. And although I've fallen off the wagon now and then, at least I know where to begin again if I must. 

This approach is so effective because we resist large, drastic change. We're not wired for it, and our subconscious fights against it tooth and nail. Gritty willpower is fine for the short term, but it's exhausting to maintain. Ever notice how gyms are so busy in January and February? By March they've emptied out yet again. Long term change must proceed by tiny increments whether we like it or not. 

As I found out, getting started is often the hardest part. Build up a modicum of momentum and you're off to the races. The time spent on baby steps acclimates the mind to something new but nonthreatening. We convince ourselves by degrees that this is no big deal. Over time the ratcheting effect of kaizen enables us to move mountains. A slow, creeping start gives way to an inexorable juggernaut of improvement and progress.