Choose to Take the Journey

Every day in the news you hear stories about the sad state of our economy.  Many people need not even turn on their tv or computer to find this out; they live it on a daily basis.  Prolonged unemployment.  Unaffordable healthcare.  An endless barrage of bills and student loan payments.  I hear people now saying that anything below $4.00 per gallon is a good price for gasoline.  Huh?

Even if you are one of the lucky ones, which I consider myself to be, I’m sure you are working harder, more hours, and for less pay than you used to.  You likely know of at least one person who just cannot find a job, especially if you live in California.  I live here now, and I know of several.

For better or worse, we now live in a global marketplace. As an employee, you are competing with someone on the other side of the world who is willing to accept a daily salary equivalent to your hourly pay. As an employer, you are competing with multinationals that are capable of cheaper, faster, and more convenient services and products. Outsourcing, downsizing, and bankruptcy have become commonplace threads in our social fabric. It is a bitter pill to swallow, but perhaps it is medicine in disguise.

I don’t often write about finances, simply because I don’t know much.  But I do try to follow these two rules:

1) Get out of debt and stay out.

2) Spend less money than you make.

I’m still working on the first one, paying off my highest interest rate student loans first and working my way down.  Less debt now means more discretionary income later.  I struggle with the second rule, because I’m a pathological consumer.  Who doesn’t love fast cars, fast fashion, fast food, and uh… open-minded women?  But I digress…

Let us not allow tough times get us down.  Instead, we ought to profit from this opportunity.  A little stress to keep the old ticker ticking.  A little discomfort to catalyze your personal evolution.  Let us not become fat and lazy.  No matter how long it takes, no matter how many detours it requires, success lies ahead for those who persevere.