We Really Do Have All We Need

Some of us feel we are in a fast paced world today....  faster than it was when we were younger.  Today's generation doesn't know any different, they probably think we've always had smartphones, Facebook and YouTube...  they were born with technology and need it now breed into them.  I'm wondering if we have gotten so fast paced and materialistic, we have forgotten about all we already have.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Beamer, it's the best car I have ever owned, at least in the best ride category...  okay, it is close to the most powerful too .... but I bought it used (that's my excuse anyway to justify this story).  I drive a ton of miles and wanted comfort.  I want the best in the things I buy, not low quality.  I'm telling you this because I am just as bad as the next in wanting it all.  I want my kids to have the best of the best.  To have more than I had.  To have better opportunities than I had.  To be more successful than I was ... or think I am.  Did I miss the target?  Did I focus on the wrong things?  Today, I'm wondering.

Is it all really needed?  Maybe many of us were brainwashed into thinking we needed it all,  I was.  Maybe our desires are misguided.  Life is more than "stuff"... sometimes we learn too late.  Life should be so much more.  Life should be happy without the stuff.  I'm hoping those younger than I will give it some thought.

The video that follows puts the focus on the important stuff we already have, and likely take for granted.  Things we should all be more thankful for.  I suggest after watching, we all might be a touch more thankful .... then consider what's really important and share some of our stuff with others.

... and if I haven't said it enough .... thanks for who you are, you are a special person and you are loved

Are our kids paying the price for our mistakes?

Is the difference between the "have's" and the "have nots" partially a result of our mistakes?  Quite honestly, I really don't care about the "have's", but I am quite concerned about our kids who end up limited because of our short coming.  At least in my case, my short comings.

We all make mistakes, misjudgments, errors in our ways....  call it what you may.  If you haven't made any, I made them for you.  What is important is that most of us don't make mistakes on purpose.  Nevertheless, we make them.  What is really bothering me, is that my kids, as they step into adulthood, have been forced into difficult situations, because of me.

Life is not fair, I get that.  I'd just like to see some situations changed so our youngsters don't start out in the hole.  Why should financial aid for students, or college loans, including FAFSA, be based on the income of the parents?  I just don't get why the kids are penalized because the choices I made as a parent, that may not have worked out as planned, thus, the kids pay the price for college because they are not eligible...  and they pay right through the nose.

Kudos to those parents whose plans worked out as they hoped and have been able to help their kids move into adulthood.  A lesson I learned, too late, is that this is all a game, my kids ended up on the losing team without choice, now they have no choice, dig deep and pay up, yourself, dad screwed up.

Sorry, just feeling a little frustrated.

After thought....
I posted the previous words earlier (or later last night).  Kirk Weisler looks into my soul like only he and one other person can...  and write on his T4D blog just for me...  not really, but it seems like it.  He is such a positive inspiration to me.  Thanks Kirk for your post today that inspires me to move on...

http://kirkweisler.com/t4d/2013/08/21/let-it-go-stop-sinking-like-a-stone/

I encourage to sign up for Kirk's blog post...  mind too if you want both sides of the story...

Change your Thoughts, Change your World

My dad passed away 5 years ago today.  My mental world was rocked.  I've laughed, I've cried, had many successes, many mental failings I try to hide.  I grown to a point where I know I don't hide very well.  I've been in limbo...  I've felt frozen...  knowing what to do, unable to act.  Without action, vision and moving forward is just like failing.  I at the starting line again.

Change that action.  If you can't act, and know it, then you have to force a change...  Change your thoughts.  If you think differently, perhaps you can act differently.  My mental twelve step program, one step at a time.

Today I faced a major hurdle that has been in my face for more than 3 years.  There is a long way to go, but by changing your thoughts, maybe our world can change.

What do you do when you face a challenge that you just can't move on?