Do More Real Stuff — explained

Fred Mackaman

The official slogan of RenoGulch.com is “Do more real stuff.”

It’s not a complicated idea, but please allow me to elaborate a bit.  I’m a retired teacher — we tend to over-explain.

I’m no psychologist, life coach, or personal trainer — these ideas come from my own research and life experience.  But let me break that slogan down in a word-by-word analysis:

Do More Real Stuff

  • Do suggests action — which can be physical, intellectual, political, etc.  But sometimes “do” can be very still, as in sleeping, daydreaming, and meditating.  Don’t confuse “busy-ness” with “doing.”  Do is also affirmative — who wants to be told what not to do?
  • More is about improvement, not about defining an amount or a quota.  Each person is unique, and I don’t judge others and I try not to be too hard on myself, either.  But the word more nudges me to make some progress from where I currently am.
  • Real.  This is the hardest part, I think, given the world in which we live.  Real things are natural, human, concrete — going for a walk is real;  watching a race on TV is less real.  Talking to a friend on the phone is real, chatting online with strangers is less real.  Attending a sporting event in person is real;  watching a TV show about a sporting event is less real.  Please note, though, that I’m not saying any of those online/high-tech activities is bad, but I merely suggest that we reflect on our pursuit of those activities and consider the benefits of pursuing things that are more real.
  • Stuff.  OK, it’s not the most elegant of nouns, but it’s a comfortable catch-all term.  If you’re not hurting yourself or others, you have a wide choice regarding the way you spend your time.  That’s your stuff.

We spend a whole lot of time these days interacting with technology, especially in the form of TV watching, web surfing, and social media.  These are wonderful assets in modern life — but with a bit of a dark side.  If your relationship with your phone, with social media, and other “virtual” experiences has gone a little too far, perhaps you’re due for a change.

Maybe you should do more real stuff.

Thanks for reading.  Comments are always welcome.