I’ve always considered myself pretty lucky. I grew up in a loving family, had a pretty easy time in school, excelled in most things I tried and had parents and grandparents who were totally committed to my success. By most standards I was set up to live the “American Dream”. I was good at volleyball and received a partial scholarship to go play in college. Then I would get my degree, find a good job, settle down and raise myself a little family. Sounds just about perfect right? Well, it didn’t to me, so I found myself taking a different path. It was a path that was probably much harder at times, but I’ve always been someone who needed to learn things the hard way. So, instead of going the traditional route and graduating with $60-$100,000 in school loans I talked my dad into letting me go to cosmetology school. In one year I completed my training. Then I got married, had two kids, worked part-time, got divorced, got remarried, inherited a wonderful new step-daughter, and in the midst of this dealt with the sudden death of my father and two grandparents, and started my own business doing hair in my home. Sounds like the “American Dream” right? I doubt most people would think so, and if you would have told me that my life would have looked this way in high school I’d tell you you’re crazy, but for all the good and bad I wouldn’t change a thing. Why? Because I have learned more in my life from the times I’ve been down and had to deal with things that were WAY outside of my comfort zone than I ever learned in my little glass castle world of private school and sports.
I’ve learned that we are all part of this great experience called life and we are all so much more connected than we could possibly imagine. I’ve learned that people hurt in really big ways, and when one person hurts the whole organism hurts. I’ve learned that for all the bad there is in the world there is also so much good. I’ve learned that there is always something to be thankful for if we take the time to find it. I’ve learned that relationships really are the most important part of life. I’ve learned that we’ve all got to do our part. I’ve learned that if we want to see changes in our society and communities we can’t sit back and wait for someone else to take the lead. We can’t say one thing is important to us and do the opposite. We have to decide if we are going to be a part of the problem or a part of the solution. And, most importantly, I’ve learned that we are all humans and we make mistakes; we may not have it all figured out, but if we keep doing our best and getting back up when we fail eventually we’ll make a difference.
This is the purpose behind my blog. For the next year I am committed to putting my money where my mouth is. I have spent hours talking about the current economic situation with many people. We love to sit around and bitch about the unfortunate mess our economy is in, but not too many of us are willing to actually change our lifestyle or start a movement towards something better. We want someone else to figure it out. But, as my dad always told me, “If you don’t plan your life, someone else will do it for you, and you may not like the plan they have.” That’s what is happening in our country. We’ll let someone else determine the next president, we’ll let the government and large corporations determine our buying and spending habits, we’ll even let doctors tell us were depressed and need medication without even looking at the fact that our current fast-paced lifestyles are a major contribution to our bleak outlook on life. And NEWS FLASH, doctors get paid to tell us that!
The only way to achieve change is to start with ourselves. I may not impact a nation, but as the result of this project I may at least change my family’s experience of life, and maybe I’ll inspire a few friends in the process.
My goal for the next year is to start simplifying and getting back to the things that really matter, family, friends, health, and happiness. For me this includes living within my means, bettering the world around me, teaching my kids good morals and values, living with a loving heart, working on improving my health, spending more time with the people I care the most about, and exploring what creates happiness and contentment. My hope is that I inspire others along my journey. Maybe together we can all make the world a better place. Cheers to the journey!
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