Author Archives: Steven

Making the Best of a Bad Situation

27 April 2009

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Friday was my last day of work before being laid off and many people wished me the best of luck in my future.  With all of the well wishes, I began to wonder how much “luck” influences a successful future.

"My Destiny" by kh2rac @ FlickrThere is no doubt that there have been many people who have been in the right place at the right time and found themselves in a lucky situation.  There are people who win the lottery.  At times I have felt that luck was responsible for what had happened to me.  I found $10 on the ground and felt lucky, but was it really luck that was responsible?

People feel as though their lives are guided by destiny and have a predetermined course of events which is beyond their control.  To a certain degree I agree that people have a destiny in life, but I do not think it is a predetermined nor beyond our control.  Each choice we make in life is like choosing a direction.  By making a choice you have eliminated the alternative.

That isn’t to say that if the decision that was made was not the best choice that we are unable to change our course.  Oftentimes the best way for a person to learn is from their mistakes.  By making mistakes we are able to understand what works and what doesn’t, what is right and what is wrong.  It is better to take chances and make mistakes than it is to live life cautiously and never take a chance at all.

There are times in life when fate seems to take control.  Something happens in our lives that was just meant to happen.  After a long history of bad relationships, a chance encounter with a nice young lady turns into a lifelong love story.  A person who has a constant run of bad luck may accept that this is their fate.  Fate is something that I do not believe in.  Things happen to people, some good and others bad, but it does not mean it is fate and it does not mean that you can’t change it.  If you feel as though you never catch a break in life it isn’t because of fate, it is a result of how you chose to live your life.  Any number of things control our fate and they are all things we have the power to change; attitude, fear, motivation, desire, ability.

Ninety percent of the world population practice some form of religion.  They feel as though God (Buddha, Allah, Jehovah) control their lives and what happens to them is of a divine origin.  I will not contest the theology of billions of people, however I am reminded of a story about a man who lived by a river:

A man heard a radio report that the river was going to rush up and flood the town.  The radio report suggested that all the residents of the community evacuate their homes. Instead of leaving his home, the man said, ‘I’m religious. I pray. God loves me. God will save me.’

The waters rose up. A guy in a row boat came along and he shouted, ‘Hey, hey you! You in there. The town is flooding. Let me take you to safety.’ But the man shouted back, ‘I’m religious. I pray. God loves me. God will save me.’

A helicopter was hovering overhead. And a guy with a megaphone shouted, ‘Hey you, you down there. The town is flooding. Let me drop this ladder and I’ll take you to safety.’ But the man shouted back that he was religious, that he prayed, that God loved him and that God will take him to safety.

Well… the man drowned. And standing at the gates of St. Peter, he demanded an audience with God. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘I’m a religious man, I pray. I thought you loved me. Why did this happen?’

God said, ‘I sent you a radio report, a helicopter, and a guy in a rowboat. What the hell are you doing here?

Destiny, Fate and God all seem like good options for excusing our situations in life but by doing this we are only limiting our possibility.  If we don’t take matters into our own hands and do everything we can to make our lives the way we want them to be, things will never change or get better.  There will always be exceptions to the rules, those who will get lucky, but why should you rely on luck when you already have the ability to change your life?

There are plenty of people who feel as though life has dealt them a bad hand.  If you are one of these people, it is time to change the way you think.  Stop focusing on the negativity of the past.  Instead, focus on the opportunity of the future.  You can change your life, you can improve your life, you can be a success.

There may be people, places and things in life that are restricting your potential.  Don’t blame others for where you are in life.  It is easy for us to blame these outside influences but it doesn’t help fix anything.  By blaming our problems on anything other than ourselves we are only further perpetuating our circumstances.

Luck isn’t something we need in order to have a successful future.  What we do need is the determination to change our situations, the ability to overcome our fears and the opportunity to break free of what is restraining our potential.  All of this falls squarely in our hands and we are responsible for improving our lives.  That isn’t luck.

Master of Our Own Slavery

17 April 2009

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"Old Slave Bell" by Schalk Marais @ FlickrIn the not so distant past there was a distinct line between the slave and his or her master.  The slave was considered to be less than human, more closely related to the horse or oxen than to a human being.  They were there to harvest the crops and tend to the chores around the home.  Eventually, common sense prevailed and slavery was abolished, however slavery continues today in a more subtle form and of our own making.  We have become the slave and the master.

Everyday throughout this country, people force themselves to show up for work at a job they loathe.  They do it because they feel as though they have to.  There is no other choice than to suffer through another day, another week, in order to get that paycheck in their hands so they can put food on the table, a roof over their head and clothes on their back.

What people fail to realize is that their money isn’t being spent only on basic necessities such as food, shelter and clothes.  We buy expensive cars, motorcycles, boats, flat-screen televisions, iPods, iPhones, CDs, DVDs, Blue Ray, green rays, plasma rays, death rays, fast food, Aqua Globes, Snuggies, gym memberships, touch screen car stereos, vacations, shopping sprees, designer jeans, perfume, cologne, teeth whitening systems…

If we didn’t buy all of this unnecessary Stuff, just how much less time would we need to be slaves in a job where we are unhappy solely for the purpose of financing all of the things we buy but don’t actually need?  I live a pretty basic life today compared to how I used to.  Sure, I still spend money and enjoy my life, but I do it more responsibly.  I think about how I am spending my money and how it will affect my future.  I consider whether or not what I am purchasing will add value to my life or if it will end up on eBay or a landfill before I buy it.  I used to blow my entire paycheck buying things like DVDs and CDs.  I didn’t have a penny saved, but I had a lot of Stuff sitting around my apartment, collecting dust.  At least I had something to show for all of my hard work, right?

While I did have a lot of things as a result of my ability to spend frivolously, none of it added value to my life.  I may have been entertained while watching a movie, but wouldn’t I have been just as entertained had I rented it or borrowed it from a friend?  Of course I would have and I would have saved myself about $15 in the process, but I wouldn’t have anything to show for my work.

Every single week of my life I have $82 withdrawn from my checking account to make my car payment.  That is money that I never see, it is just gone;  $328 in after tax money each month.  That is over 33 hours worth of work just to pay for a car (net income divided by a 40 hour work week), which is used primarily to take me to work.  Sweet irony.

Many people don’t consider how much money they actually bring home.  A person may gross $40,000 a year but thanks to Federal Taxes, State Taxes, FICA, medical and dental insurance, 401(k) contributions, alimony and whatever else a person may have deducted from their earnings, their checks don’t amount to $40,000 at the end of the year.  People rationalize to themselves that buying a $20 DVD is only an hour and a half of work, but in reality is more than that because you are paying with after tax dollars.

We are spending ourselves into a situation where we really do need that job that we hate so much because now we have a mortgage, a car loan, consumer credit card debt and we keep spending more and more on things we don’t need.  We are the masters to our own slavery.  Until we are able to break ourselves of these spending habits we will continue to rely on a job that doesn’t make us happy.  We will continue to shuffle our feet through the door of a company which doesn’t allow the personal freedom or creativity we desire in a job.

We may as well be pulling a plow across the earth like our ancestors.  The major difference between then and now is there wasn’t a choice in the past but today there is, and we are our own masters.  Whenever you feel like it is time to break free from the chains of slavery, you are in control to make that decision.  The more debt you accumulate and each dollar you waste is another day of slavery.  It doesn’t need to be that way…break free.

“You Can’t Save the World”

15 April 2009

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I would describe myself as being an ambitious person.  Sure, I have my mornings where I’d rather stay in bed and ignore the influences of the world but for the most part I try to do all that I can in order to be a productive person and improve the space in which I am inhabiting.

Despite my ambitions, there are times when I feel as though my efforts are as effective as screaming into the Grand Canyon. 

"Globe Collection" by girlhula @ FlickrI separate my recyclables from the trash while I watch my neighbors dragging out their garbage but no recycling bins.  Then I wonder if my recyclables will even make it to any recycling facility.

I have been eating more fruits and vegetables for health reasons but wonder if my actions are as environmentally responsible as some people would want us to believe.  In order to grow our vegetables we fertilize our soils and eventually these nutrients find themselves flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, creating a dead zone where no life is able to be supported.

I try to conserve water by turning the faucet off while brushing my teeth, but my showers are too long.  I know that I don’t need to stand there with the hot water spraying on me, but it is my way of washing away the day physically and mentally.

There are countless areas in my life in which my efforts seem to be neutralized by my own actions or those of others.  I exercise as often as possible but will find myself snacking on junk food a couple of hours later.  I don’t use paper towels, but my girlfriend does.  I ride my bike to work, but drive more often.  I use rechargeable batteries but leave a cell phone charger plugged into the outlet, draining electricity.  I use non-toxic dish soap for my dishes but use Tide for my laundry.

Despite all of my “failings” I do whatever I can in order to make the world a better place.  Just because I have room for improvement doesn’t mean that I should give up on the things that I am doing right.  People tell me that I can’t save the world, and maybe that is true, but I strongly believe that although I am only one person I can make a difference.

I can improve my own life, my household, my neighborhood.  If I can improve my neighborhood, then I can improve my community.  If I am improving my community then I am improving my country and if I am able to improve my country then I am able to improve the world.  If we all started believing that we have the power to make a difference and the power to change the world, maybe we really can do something.

Individuals build a community and communities create our world.  Maybe I can’t change the world on my own but as a global community I have no doubt we are capable to doing great and many things.  Even the small changes are a step in the right direction.  Keep building upon those small changes and eventually you will be making a huge impact.