To give you some back story: two years ago around my 26th birthday I bought myself a 2011 Dodge Charger R/T Plus for $32,000. V8, leather seats, seat warmers, 19" chrome rims; ohhh man what a car! Last year around my 27th birthday, I had wisened up at least a little and gave myself the gift of paying it off.
I have been following MMM for about 4 months now. At first I thought "I'll do everything he says except ride a bike", but after a few months I decided to get my road bike back in working order: tuned the rear derailleur, replaced the front derailleur, adjusted the brakes, cleaned the drivetrain, and greased up everything that needed it. I started riding my bike to work sporadically about a month ago. I started doing it because it was the "right thing" to do (good for the health of me, my wallet, and the planet), but it started a wonderful change in my life. Every day I ride my bike to work I arrive with more energy. When I get home, the stresses of the day are behind me and I'm in a great mood. I genuinely feel more healthy.
Today is my 28th birthday. A year ago, I would have told you this had been a crappy day so far: I got sweaty, had a flat tire, and then got rained on.
This year my present to myself was to ride my bike to work, because it always leads to having a better day; why would I "treat" myself to being lazy and feeling like crap? I woke up and it was warm and muggy, with a 30% chance of rain; so I brought a change of clothes in my backpack. I got downstairs and my front tube was empty, so I changed the tube to one of the new ones I just got with the correct length stem. Worked like a charm, much easier to fill with my floor pump than the old ones! On my way in it started to rain lightly, but because of the heat and humidity it felt great! Now I'm at work, full of energy, ready to tackle the day, and didn't even have to look like a clown to get here.
A new outlook on life has turned what would have been a crappy day into a great one. Now that's what I call a good birthday present!