Somehow I forgot I wrote this, originally December 29th 2019. I was 26 years old, on vacation with my fiancé and his parents in Laos. The biggest thing I noticed during our trip was the difference in wealth and one word sums it up well, that's stark. We walked or cycled past homes that would be classified here as million-dollar-mansions. There would be electronic iron gates protecting the front of the properties. Statues made of marble or who the fuck knows. The people on the inside of the walls of these houses don't have the faintest clue about happiness. They wear LV and speak only in material or image. It reminds me, in a way, of the leadership in Alberta right now. In a way, they're living in the past under a communist regime. Sorry if that's confusing, but I know you've been paying attention if you live in Alberta too.
Focusing rather on what you have, instead of what you want, might bring about the spark that sets you off on a path to getting the thing you really want. I don't have a ton of money but I do have enough to donate, for example. So three or four times a year I'll go through my drawers, the linen closet, the basement and garage, to find items that deserve to be appreciated. I did this earlier today. COVID-19 has put so many people through rough situations I don't know sometimes, how to feel. But I do know that donating clothes, towels, shoes or other household tools makes me feel a little better.
To be clear, giving money away isn't about making you feel good. The feeling the act of charity gives is only a bonus. It's more about boosting your odds of being successful. Success is a result of doing something you believed you could.
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"Right now if you have a job you should really be thankful."
Starting now I'm going to be grateful, more than ever, for the money I do have.
Grateful for the career I've chosen wholesale & business development.
I turned 26 the year I started with this company and maybe that means nothing or something but I won't know unless I keep working toward my target. Sometimes I will think about how today I might have been a lawyer or nearly finished with med school had I keep going. Then I remember how at twenty-one-years-old I chose to assume the debt of a homeowner rather than that of a student. I'm thankful and I'm proud but I'm not entirely certain all the time. And that's OK.
Let's back it up a bit to changing your (my) perspective.
To be clear, giving money away isn't about making you feel good. The feeling the act of charity gives is only a bonus. It's more about boosting your odds of being successful. Success is a result of doing something you believed you could.
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Think about your personal goals, the ones you've followed through on.
Now think back to your mindset at the time you reached those goals. Were you high on positivity? Surrounded by like-minded people, lifting you up? Your mental attitude will reflect your success and I'm willing to bet in those moments you hit that target, you were feeling your most/best because you worked hard. Anything worth having takes a lot of work after you reconsider it. Not only did that glowing result take effort but was made possible in part because of the fact you felt supported.
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Right next to the mansions in Laos you can find a tiny version of a home made of what looks to be logs, straight tin and wood. The roof might be slanted. You see children actually playing in the yard; a bicycle; a dog or a chicken scuttling across. They have the richest people you can imagine sharing a fence with an average income-earner ($621.00 CAD Annually) and it's like we almost can't fathom it because it's something we'd never find around where we come from. I get that the standard of living is nowhere close to that of Canada but seeing it with my own eyes really put the whole concept of happiness into perspective for me. There are two kinds of happy people: those people with extra and those who have no room for extras.
As we get older we notice the majority of people want one of two things:
-Money
-Status
So if we really look at what most people want (money) it means we should all be focusing on the surplus of money, in order to get it.
Think: lots and lots of money.
Visualize: yourself winning the lottery.
Perceive: you have too much money.
What people tend to focus on is actually the opposite - the fact they do not have money/fame.
We don't feel we earn enough for all that we do. Our bills are increasing; there's insurance for everything. We want a pet but then we have to find the means to feed and support it. We don't think about the total at the register, after filling our cart up at the grocery store. It's so full that we need help pushing it through the parking lot to our vehicle.
I've caught myself saying, "more is better" before but that doesn't mean I'm talking about wanting to have more than others. Whatever happened to equality? Does community even exist anymore?
Just take one look at the Toilet Paper aisle in your local grocery store to determine the answer.
Humans can be total garbage people.
"Right now if you have a job you should really be thankful."
I keep hearing this and it pisses me off because I know a lot of people with student debt accumulating, who are taking university courses online, not knowing whether they'll come out with employment on the other side. That to me sounds fucking terrifying.
Now in Alberta the economy revolves around the O&G industry and it's no surprise they're rich fuckers, and it's what post-secondary students want for themselves. Can we blame them? Of course not - people want lots of money so they gallop in the direction of money, historically. But isn't that the problem?
Historically the money in Alberta has come from the oil and gas industry. And yet our government continues betting (literally, 1.5B - that's B for BILLION) on a near-dead source of income. What if the more you started paying attention to wealthy people, the more you attracted things of wealth to your life? It might sound bizarre and I don't know if I've run out of options, for what it's worth I think it's about time we started looking at their way of doing things instead of always bitching about it. And for the record I'd like it if someone started telling Jason Kenney he's the one who's fucking lucky to have a job right now. Anyone I talk to absolutely hates the man.
Starting now I'm going to be grateful, more than ever, for the money I do have.
Grateful for the career I've chosen wholesale & business development.
I turned 26 the year I started with this company and maybe that means nothing or something but I won't know unless I keep working toward my target. Sometimes I will think about how today I might have been a lawyer or nearly finished with med school had I keep going. Then I remember how at twenty-one-years-old I chose to assume the debt of a homeowner rather than that of a student. I'm thankful and I'm proud but I'm not entirely certain all the time. And that's OK.
Let's back it up a bit to changing your (my) perspective.
10 years ago I remember saying to my family I want six kids. SIX. Yet in the last six weeks [Edit: ~2 years] I've questioned the decision - out loud, [quote] I don't know if I want to bring kids into this world. [unquote]
Last week I went to drop off my niece's birthday gift and one of my Sister-in-law's friends asked me if we're planning to have children. I think I laughed before I could spit out an answer and if I'm totally honest I didn't really recognize the answer that emerged. Yes I realize life is all about the way you look at things. What you take away from your experiences is ultimately how you become You. That can be angry, sensitive, erratic, and even responsible.
"Until Jason Kenney is out I wouldn't dream of bringing a kid into this province," is what I heard myself respond with. You can laugh all you want but what I'm really saying is, my eyes are open.
As we get back to our lives, traversing the Year 2021, we're bound to learn some new things. Last year was trying for so many people. Our instincts have become almost defensive. It seems like over the past 12 months we became overly-sensitive or disillusioned. I don't want to say it's a result of being in a largely-conservative region and watching the fall of Donald Trump south of our border, but hey - it doesn't hurt to remind you: not everything you read on the internet is true. Believe what you will. He can fool the majority but he can't fool me twice.
As we get back to our lives, traversing the Year 2021, we're bound to learn some new things. Last year was trying for so many people. Our instincts have become almost defensive. It seems like over the past 12 months we became overly-sensitive or disillusioned. I don't want to say it's a result of being in a largely-conservative region and watching the fall of Donald Trump south of our border, but hey - it doesn't hurt to remind you: not everything you read on the internet is true. Believe what you will. He can fool the majority but he can't fool me twice.
I read somewhere that just because you're offended, doesn't mean you're right.
And if you think money's going to buy happiness I think you're forgetting one very important thing:
The future's not in the past.
