Tag: Finance

Life As Of 2013…

On work…2013.road_-e1358439868371

“It is a working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man.”- Benjamin Franklin

I’ll take bullshit for $800 Ben. I get what you’re saying, but I don’t buy lottery tickets for nothing, and no I’d never get bored. I love my job, I do, everything besides getting there by 9am, completing paperwork and having a boss, in that order. Honestly I can’t get away from working with all my babies. If it wasn’t a conflict of interest, I’d take half of them home with me. The connection built with them seems most rewarding for both parties, so if that’s considered work, then I guess I’m a happy man!

On finance…

“Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it’s just the opposite.”- John Galbraith

Simply put, whether you live in America or China, guinea pigs, grab your wheels and get to running. My financial goal for 2014 is to pay all my monthly expenses with one pay check. I’ve gotten better, but my spoiled American ego still wants more than what I need. I love watching “Extreme Cheapskate,” and no I don’t plan on wiping my booty with cloth then washing and reusing it instead of toilet paper, nor do I plan on dumpster diving for food, but it does make me more conscious about my spending habits. I’m doing better than last year Ha! That counts.

On family…

“In every conceivable manner the family is the link to our past, bridge to our future.’” – Alex Haley

I recently had a conversation with my cousins about family secrets we may have been too young to learn about as children and how these secrets can create generational deterioration. When you understand the origin of a situation it may not totally prevent you from having to be raised by your grandmother instead of your parents, or stop Uncle Ricky from smoking crack, or keep cousin Rochelle from being promiscuous, but understanding the origin of the situation can help you deal with some of the implications, in turn, allowing you to prepare for better. You don’t get to choose your family and lord knows I try to maintain good relationships but sometimes you learn to love them from a distance, even if it’s your mother. It’s not ok for people to continuously hurt you, neither is it ok for you to continue to live in that place of hurt.

On friends…

“A friend to all is a friend to none.” –Aristotle

Impossible is an opinion, but trying to be genuine and trying to please everyone seems impossible. With so many personality traits, wants, and needs, one would have to spread themselves pretty thin trying to please everyone, taking away from what’s necessary to maintaining genuine relationships. Someone will always be disappointed, and that’s ok! To the friends that I do have, I may not like you all the time, but because you’re still here, I love you.

On love…

“I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it.” Audrey Hepburn

If you are not willing to make a fool of yourself for love, you are wasting your time. I’m not saying be naïve, lose yourself, or keep playing a defective game, I’m saying get on that bull horn and profess your love, let the front desk tease you for showing up at the apartment for the fifth day in a row with a milkshake at 12am… When you become your own biggest fan, it becomes easier to recognize another whole heart and give without the fear of rejection. Because it is mostly our life experience that shape our perspective, when all else fails, you end up falling in love with someone that you almost gave up on, again and again, someone who’s love doesn’t match the picture you have in your head, but in learning each other, somehow it becomes compatible, someone you want to roundhouse kick sometimes, but you end up holding them instead…Yes, life, it goes on…IN 2014!!!

 

#WhatILearnedAsAnAdult

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So I have this social network friend named Redi W. He is the king of
#WhatILearnedAsAnAdult posts. I generally find his post relatable so I thought I’d share #WhatILearnedAsAnAdult with you guys 🙂

1) I often describe myself as being very simplistic. Life isn’t as smooth and simple as I would like it to be, and I tremendously appreciate the strength in resiliency. I have learned that making a few short-term goals and completing them over a short period makes me happier than making a long term goal and not being happy until I reach that goal later down road. My long term goal is to be happy, so by steadily maintaining fulfillment along the way, in a sense, I’m already there.

2) While we live in a capitalist society, our financial well being is placed in the hands of the highest bidder, so it is important for me to reassess my finances annually. The best financial security is being debt free, not owing anyone, so the closer I get to that point, the better off I am financially. I’m constantly looking to lower my homeowners insurance, car insurance, and looking to become more energy efficient, saving myself from having a panic attack when I open my electric bill. I’ve recently stream lined my mortgage to get a lower interest rate, which saves thousands over the life of the loan and a few extra dollars monthly.

3) I don’t ever want to be so religious that I miss the point. For me, the point being is the spiritual connection/relationship with God, and sharing the experiences and blessings across the board, not only with those who share the same faith, and without judging those that oppose it.

4) Good communication is key to any successful relationship. Everyone loves differently. If you don’t feel your love is reciprocated, it doesn’t necessarily mean that person doesn’t love you with all they have, you just may not share a similar experience of what love is. In either friendship or romantic relationship, spend time experiencing each other whole heartedly and with an open mind. Love is a subjective experience and can grow into easily complimenting others when you can understand each other.

5) Im still a kid a heart and the greatest gift I can give to myself, is being myself; changing what I don’t like and accepting what I cant change took years of practice. (Freeing your mind) Life experience is one of the best teachers and can be a great character builder. Whatever makes you happy, do it more often. Clearly if setting fires or grand theft rocks your world, this does not apply, but if someone makes you happy, see them more often. You get the point. While the only thing constant in this world is change, my motto is “its never to late to get brand new.”