Beach in Costa Rica

“What’s the use of a fine house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?”
- Henry David Thoreau

The last couple of weeks have been super busy for me. Stray Cat Alliance, the cat advocacy organization I work for, had its annual Stray Cat Club fundraiser this past Saturday night. I and many others put in countless hours and worked our butts off but our labor paid off. The event was a huge success and I’m so happy for the cats!

Needless to say I have not had much free time to do anything that has not been “cat” related in the last month. I did however manage to fit in a night with my husband and another couple we are friends with when we attended the world premier of Water is Rising at UCLA Royce Hall. Although very moving the content of this beautiful song and dance production did more than just entertain. It put a human face on the damage the more developed countries of the world are doing to our more vulnerable brothers and sisters. And it’s not pretty.

Water is Rising is performed by 36 artists from the tiny Pacific islands of Kiribati, Tokelau and Tuvalu. These islands are located where the equator meets the date line and they are remote, isolated and vulnerable to changes in the environment. These islands are elevated only 2-3 meters above sea level and climate change is wreaking havoc on them and there is the potential that the entire population may one day have to be relocated. Imagine having to leave your home where your ancestry goes back thousands of years because the rest of the world can’t get its act together and are consuming non-stop without any regard for anything except immediate gratification.

Water is Rising is an impassioned pleas for global awareness and social change. Despite all they are up against, the people of these nations deliver their message in a positive light and still manage to have a hopeful outlook on life. Thank God they are taking the high road and are delivering a plea for awareness instead of venting their anger (which I think would be wholeheartedly justified) at those countries who have disproportionately contributed the most to destroying our environment.

We all know excessive consumerism is taking its toll and that we can’t continue to live the way we are living without some serious consequences. Check out the website about this amazing project that is spreading awareness and asking us to all re-think and change our ways before it’s too late. We are all in this together and the earth belongs to us all. Mother Earth will survive and replenish herself eventually but we are a different story. The time has come to start showing her a little respect because we need her more than she needs us.

(If you’d like to read more about living simply and changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book which is available in paperback or Kindle: REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.

Another Beautiful Day in Marina del Rey, CA

I decided not to blog last week. My thoughts were all over the place and I didn’t want to bore anyone with an incoherent rambling session. So instead I took a break.

Breaking rules has been on my mind lately. You know, breaking all the rules held sacred by conventional wisdom that we rarely question. Taking a break from blogging was actually very apropos for me last week. When I started blogging I was given advice by several other bloggers and various other so-called experts who suggested blogging at least once a week or better yet several times a week in order to be taken seriously and create a following. I was going to post something just for the hell of it but I asked myself why? Because there’s some rule out there that some people say I must follow?

I have a really hard time with rules.  Always have. Now I have no problem following traffic rules and I don’t go around breaking into peoples’ houses, etc. But many of the so-called rules we all adhere to may not be in everyone’s best interest. I’ve always questioned rules even though I have often followed many of them all the while wondering why in the world I was doing so.

Like many people, I was saddened to hear that Steve Jobs transitioned out of this world last week. Steve Jobs was certainly a man who broke all the rules. He didn’t graduate from college. He was an erratic micro-manager and he relied on his instincts instead of the traditional counsel of those around him. He was a revolutionary who didn’t give a damn what others thought. He lived life on his own terms and he lived the hell out of it.

I was backing my car out of the driveway when I heard the news. I wondered why the radio announcer kept referring to him in the past and then a couple of seconds later it hit me that he was gone. I didn’t even know the man and even though I had (and still have) great admiration for what he contributed to the world I did have some problems with some of Apples’ labor practices under his tenure. But we are all a mixed bag, aren’t we?  There are parts of all of us that are good and parts of all of us that are not so nice. We are all victim to our own humanity no matter how hard we strive to be decent people.

While giving a commencement speech to Stanford graduates in 2005, Steve Jobs said “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

A friend told me this week that this quote inspired her to adopt a new cat. She had wanted to adopt this particular cat for quite some time but was worried that because she is in her 70s and not in optimal heath that she might die before the cat did. She said that when she read this quote in the newspapers she decided to follow her heart and do what she had wanted to do for the past year. A few days ago she adopted the kitty. She said she has never been happier about her decision.

Steve Jobs said that when he dropped out of college he “decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK.” Sometimes we just have to trust, don’t we? We have to trust that we will have enough money or that our health will hold out a little longer or that a kitty we’ve had our eye on was meant to be with us.

There is a great deal of economic and social turmoil in the world right now. It’s easy to sit on the sidelines in fear and not do anything. Instead of just weathering the storm maybe this is the perfect time to do something. Out of chaos comes creativity and new beginnings.  Start that business you’ve wanted to start or write that book that’s been in your head and dying to get out. Join one of the many protests popping up all over the globe if you want to make your voice heard. Follow your heart because life is short and you deserve a rich life. Break the rules! Just do it and trust it will all work out OK.

(If you’d like to read more about living simply and changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book which is available in paperback or Kindle: REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.

My parents' balcony in Birmingham Al. Finally some rain this Labor Day Weekend!

As we celebrate Labor Day in the United States this week, the concept of work is on my mind. Not the work we do at our paying jobs but the day to day work we do to keep our households running smoothly. You know all those tasks that take up precious time that we would rather be using for leisure activities or work we found more interesting.

I’ll be honest. I would love to have a cleaning person come to our home once or better yet twice a week. Hiring someone to wash the car, do the marketing, and wash and fold the laundry are also on my wish list.  The bottom line is I can’t justify spending the money. Plus, neither my husband nor I are willing to do what it would take to outsource these tasks.

Our current jobs provide enough for us to pay our bills and do some traveling here and there but not much more for extras like housekeepers and personal shoppers.  My husband is focused on creating a side business that will eventually allow him to quit his job. I am concentrating on my part time (which in reality is full time) job in animal welfare because it’s important to me that I be doing work that I feel is making a positive impact on the world.

It’s tempting to complain about having to mop the floors and clean the bathrooms and let me tell you I often indeed do! However, I am working hard to shift my mindset to one that’s more empowering and not one of dread.

Maybe just maybe this idea of being able to pay someone to do everything for us is not all it’s cracked up to be. Perhaps there’s much to be gained from performing what we view as tiresome mundane tasks. And of course if we are streamlining our material lives and keeping the clutter at bay, housework should be somewhat of a breeze.

Below are some of my ideas on how housework can enhance our lives and (gasp!) maybe even make us richer.

• Housework is good exercise. The human body was designed for constant activity and sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, scrubbing, and dusting force you to move your body in all different directions. You can work up a sweat cleaning your house. Exercise of any form is beneficial and healthy and cleaning our homes is no exception.
• Housework improves our mental health. There have been times when I’ve been down or frustrated and I’ve dived into housework.  It may not have solved all my problems but it certainly didn’t make me feel worse; if anything I felt better. I had a sense of accomplishment and an orderly clean home environment.
• Housework creates community in our households and no one gets stuck with doing everything. It teaches us we need to all pitch in. All of us are integral parts of making everything run smoothly and each person’s contribution is important.
• Housework saves us money. If someone wants to outsource their housework due to severe time or physical constraints and can afford it, I’m all for it. But for my family’s situation, we would quickly run a deficit each month if we paid someone to do what we are better off doing ourselves.
• Housework grounds us and connects us with our humanity. Too many of us are disconnected from what it means to do physical labor due to our sedentary lifestyles and technological advances that do much of our work for us. Hey, I’m all too happy I’m not drawing water from a well or scrubbing my clothes on a washboard but there is something to say however for work that makes us break a sweat now and then.  Why cheat ourselves of the human experience we were meant to have by never getting our hands dirty and acting like entitled little brats who should never have to lift a finger.
• Housework can be meditative. It teaches us to be present and connects us with reality. When you are doing chores you may not necessarily like, it’s the perfect opportunity to practice acceptance of your current situation. Acceptance of the fact that we have to do something we may not particularly want to be doing and acceptance that if we want it to get done, it’s up to us to do it.
• A clean well kept house creates a ripple effect in other areas of your life. Our personal lives benefit when we live in an environment that makes us feel peaceful and serene. We feel more balanced and have more stamina to focus on accomplishing those things we want to do.

(If you’d like to read more about living simply and changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book which is available in paperback or Kindle: REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.

Beautifiul Flowers at the Getty Museum

 The power to change the status quo is in our hands.-Nathan Winograd

I recently heard an inspiring presentation by Nathan Winograd, founder of the No Kill Nation. This group advocates for taking the killing of shelter animals in America completely off the table. Making the United States a no kill nation is a tall order but when ordinary individuals step up to the plate extraordinary things can happen.

Nathan said that when you are working to create social change to never go looking for a savior or say “someone has to do something” because that person is you. He then told us what led four ordinary people to step up to the plate and advocate change for their respective social causes. I will share these people with you in just a bit but first I want to point out that all movements are up against the status quo and the Simple Living Movement is no exception.

Living simply and minimally requires a bit of an activist streak. Although I live simply for personal reasons I admit that I do have a social agenda as I’m sure do others who follow this path. The simple living movement has its roots in frugality, environmentalism, social justice, and spirituality. All of these things resonate deeply with me and I believe the world would be a better place if we cared more about the environment, consumed less, and had policies that did not exploit those in vulnerable positions.

Just because The Simple Living Movement has no formal group that represents us doesn’t mean we can’t still advocate for social change for the “simple living” cause of our choice. Think you can’t make a difference? Think again. The four people below did not wait for anyone else to give them permission to forge ahead and work for what they knew was the right thing to do.

I want to acknowledge that the information below is from Nathan Winograd’s presentation “The Power of You” which you can be read in its entirety on his blog.

Four People who Made a Huge Difference

Thomas Clarkson was a 25 year old student committed to becoming a preacher when he was assigned an essay “Is it lawful to enslave the unconsenting? He had no agenda other than getting a good grade but as he delved in further on the topic he was horrified at what he discovered about the British slave trade. He said that if what he found out were true then certainly some person should work to end this horror. He decided that person was him. He answered the calling right away and did not wait for anyone else to take the lead.

From that day forward in June of 1785, he spent his life working and ultimately succeeding at abolishing the British slave trade. He had no idea at the time but he was creating what is considered the first human rights movement in history. We also have Clarkson to thank for all the tools of social change we use today. These include the political book tour, the consumer boycott, letter writing campaigns to legislators, and newsletters to keep the public informed.

Martin Luther King, Jr. is no stranger to any of us and his contributions to society have been astronomical. Because of him, we have the Civil Rights Act and legal equality. But did you know that at first he was reluctant to lead the fight to end segregation? He had just received his PH. D. when local activists approached him about fighting against segregation. He didn’t want to make waves so he declined.

The arrest of Rosa Parks leading to the boycott of the Montgomery, Al buses on December 5, 1955 changed his mind. Dr. King said he watched one bus after another usually filled with African American workers, pass by him empty. He realized a miracle had taken place when he saw masses of people walking, hitchhiking and even driving farm equipment to work. “I knew that there is nothing more majestic than the determined courage of individuals willing to suffer and sacrifice for their freedom and dignity.” Although still fearful and struggling with feelings of inadequacy, he made a decision right then and there to get involved and thank God he did.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was Susan B. Anthony’s best friend and a pioneer of the women’s rights movement in the U.S. Although Susan B. Anthony played a crucial role in women’s rights, Elizabeth Cady Stanton often wrote her speeches and it was her who first suggested women should have the right to vote, even when other women activists thought that was going too far.

The deciding moment for Stanton was when her father who supported her no matter what she achieved told her “Elizabeth, if only you were a boy.” He knew that no matter what she achieved she would always have limitations placed on her because of gender. This made her more determined than ever to be the equal of any man and to work to create a society that would encourage rather than discourage female achievement. All of us women who work outside the home, run for and hold elected office, own property, are partners with our husbands instead of being property, start our own businesses, and live life  on our own terms have Elizabeth Cady Stanton to thank.

Henry Bergh is the father of the animal rights movement. He founded the first SPCA in the United States and oversaw the passage of the nation’s first anti-cruelty law. He dedicated his life to enforcing this law and was also the first to challenge the round up and killing of stray dogs.

He was born the wealthy son of a NYC shipbuilder in the middle of the 19th Century, and his ambition was to become a diplomat. He was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln to the court of the Czar in St. Petersburg, Russia.  One day while riding through the city he came across a Russian peasant beating his donkey. Disgusted, he ordered the man to stop immediately. The man did due to the fact that he was a wealthy well-dressed gentleman who held an official position. This moment was Bergh’s awakening and from then on he dedicated his life to the humane movement in America.

Bergh awakened the collective public consciousness about animal rights which in turn led straight to the No Kill movement today. All of the animal organizations that exist today do so because of him. More importantly, all of our beloved pets and every other animal who has legal protection by law can thank Henry Bergh.

(If you’d like to read more about living simply and changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book which is available in paperback or Kindle: REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.

Walkway at George Washington Univ in Wash DC

What is money exactly? Yes, it sounds like a ludicrous question because we all know what money is right? Money is that $20 bill you take out of your billfold at the grocery store or it’s that debit card you swipe through the machine when you need to fill up your car at the gasoline pump. If we dig deeper into this question, it’s actually a bit difficult to answer. Is money an object? And where do they keep all this so called money? And who the hell is “they”?

Where did all that money go in the 2007 financial meltdown and all the meltdowns before then? How much money is in the world and where does it come from? Why do some have so much and some have so little? Is the work of a teacher or nurse really less valuable then a hedge fund manager or professional athlete?

When I was a child I remember trying to get some straight answers about money. Where does it come from I would ask. Who controls the money supply? All I would get were status quo academic answers from status quo academic people who through no fault of their own had been fed the same answers from a status quo society. Money comes from the bank they would tell me. But where do they get the money? No one had an answer that made sense to me or that got to the root of my question.

I eventually found out my answers about our monetary system and who controlled the money supply. Money is created out of thin air and controlled by the big central banks based on a model that growth must constantly be increasing. The entire modern monetary system is based on the ever expanding debt of individuals, companies, corporations, and governments. This however is unsustainable because our natural resources are finite and at some point will dry up if we are not careful and selective in how we use them. If you’re like me and curious about how our monetary system works, check out Money is Debt. This video takes what is a fairly complicated subject to explain and puts it in simple everyday terms.

Once you grasp how the monetary system operates, it’s tempting to feel pessimistic. However, I take comfort in knowing that it’s a human made system and has nothing to do with real abundance. Our beliefs systems about money keep the concept alive. Money is valuable simply because we believe it to be so. Human made systems can be changed and so can our belief systems. It doesn’t have to be the way it is. The more people are educated about what’s really going on the better chance we have to come up with new ideas and demand a system that works for everyone.

All this talk about money then brings us to the question, what is wealth? If wealth is having lots of money then what happens when your money no longer has any value? For instance, if people start losing faith in something that is perceived to have value, then that “something” quickly loses its value. Then those who were so called rich simply own a lot of valueless money, stock, real estate, etc… Basing your wealth on money is risky because you never know which way the markets will fluctuate.

Money is ultimately a hollow object. Maybe this is why people of all different income levels never feel wealthy enough because money has no meaning in and of itself. I think it’s important to feel wealthy no matter what our present system dictates. This is a difficult concept to accept I realize but how come there are so many people who can feel content despite being “poor?” Why do so many people take pride doing important jobs that they know our system does not reward financially but that gives them great pleasure and a feeling of making a difference? We would all be competing for jobs as bankers if money really was the end-all and be-all. But notice we’re not. Not everyone has a desire to go into those professions that promise great financial rewards. That’s probably because deep down we don’t really value money but we value work that means something to us.

At the beginning of this year I took a part time job in an animal non-profit organization. I’m making less money that I ever have before in my life but I don’t feel “poor “at all. This was a real breakthrough for me because I’ve previously based how wealthy I felt by how much money I was making. And you know what, it was never enough. No matter how much I had, I always felt I needed more.  I thought that if only I could make a little bit more or if my stocks would just increase in value then I would feel more secure and in turn more wealthy.

I now base my wealth on more important things. I’m grateful to not be going to a soul sucking job each day doing something that is not in line with my value system. I’m thankful to be healthy and that I have money for shelter, food and travel. I trust that I will be taken care of and I’m letting go more. Life is easier when I don’t put so much effort into trying to accumulate more and worrying that what I have will be taken away. In other words, my life is wealthier.

(If you’d like to read more about changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.)

Some of the kitties in my feral cat colony

The greatness of a society and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals.
~Mahatma Gandhi.

Community cats are the free roaming cats who do not belong to anyone. They are often referred to as ferals or strays. In a perfect world all cats would have homes but since the cat overpopulation problem is rampant and not enough people are willing to take them in, these cats live on the streets and depend on the kindness of human strangers to take care of them.

The best case scenario for these cats is Trap Neuter Return or TNR for short. The cats are humanely trapped and then taken to a vet to be spayed or neutered. They are vaccinated, given flea treatment, and one of their ears is tipped to identify that the cat has been fixed. The cats are then released in the area where they were trapped and live together in what are called colonies.

TNR in a win win for all. The cats are not shipped off to the shelters to be killed and they don’t continue to reproduce unwanted cats. The community stabilizes their cat population and caring people feed them and monitor their colonies while they live out their lives in peace and celibacy! It’s quite touching to see how appreciative these cats are when they know they have a safe place to live and plenty of food.

TNR is a big part of my life because I work for an organization whose mission is Trap Nueter Return and we are advocates for those cats who do not have a voice. Our motto is “Building a No Kill Nation One Stray at a Time.” Each cat is important to us and each life is seen as valuable. You can find out more about us at Stray Cat Alliance.

Trap Neuter Return and caring for a cat colony represents all that is good about the human spirit: love, compassion, and caring. Now I don’t want to paint an inaccurate picture and give the impression that all street cats have the perfect scenario because way too many do not. They continue to roam, reproduce, and scavenge for food. Many are targeted by unsympathetic and sometimes evil people making their lives far from ideal. Cat advocates still have quite a ways to go but we are making headway. Those lucky ones who have the luxury of living in colonies monitored by loving people at least stand the chance of a quality life.

It’s no secret that I consider animals a huge source of wealth in our world. And no I’m not talking about  food and labor but what they give us in enjoyment and fascination. Can you imagine a world without all the fabulous gorgeous animals that inhabit it? I feel that a big part of a wealthy life is working for a cause that helps make a difference in the world. Advocating for the cats is mine. What’s yours?

(If you’d like to read more about changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.)

Rorschach trying to figure out if these flowers are food

Why do the corporate mainstream media constantly refer to the American populace as consumers? It’s rather insulting. The implication is that our only purpose is to gobble up as many goods and services as our already over-extended credit cards will allow. What little doo-dad can I buy next to display on my shelf? What cheap piece of clothing can I buy to stuff into my already over- bulging closet? My car is over three years old so I must replace it with the newest most hip model! Before we know it, we have more crap than we know what to do with and a large chunk of our income is used to pay for things we never would have wanted had it now been for clever advertising!

Aw advertising! Yes, advertising is one of the key reasons people consume so much. Think about it. Would you have ever bought half the stuff you currently own had it not been advertised to you as a way to enhance your life and make it more complete? Most news outlets depend on advertising from their major corporate sponsors so it is in their best interest to keep us tied to the consumer bandwagon.

We are also told to be good Americans and buy lots of stuff so we can keep the economy going. It is after all our patriotic duty to spend because when we spend everyone benefits, right? Using this logic, we should all be sitting pretty because people have spent themselves silly yet still we have a huge gap between the rich and poor. Unemployment remains high and wages are stagnant. This is sort of like the “more tax cuts for corporations and the super wealthy” argument because doing so will create jobs. You know a rising tide lifts all boats, right? Well many boats are sinking. If these tax cuts are suppose to benefit us all then the last ten years should have brought us more jobs than we have people to fill them. But we all know that’s not the case.

It’s time to shift our thinking and start thinking of ourselves as citizens. The next time you hear some cable show talking head or some financial publication refer to you as a consumer, remind yourself that first and foremost you are a citizen. What’s the difference? Citizens are active participants who are mindful of the common good. They take an active role as opposed to a passive role. Consuming is passive. Being involved in our communities, questioning the way things are and coming up with solutions to make things better is active.

This shift in thinking from consumer to citizen is a huge step. After we make the transition from consumer to citizen, we can become more active in our communities and in the political process. All over the world, people are beginning to question their governments, corporations, and other societal institutions that hold way too much power. Consuming less and more mindfully gives us more time to be involved in work that benefits us all. It’s hard to work for social change when we are constantly at the mall or flipping through mail order catalogs.

I choose to be a citizen, how about you? Imagine the difference if the media started to refer to refer to us as citizens. Would we all start to take our roles much more seriously? Would we work more for change that benefited us all instead of constantly slapping down our credit cards for the latest gadget? Let’s rid ourselves of the consumer label once and for all and find out.

(If you’d like to read more about changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.)

Tornado damage in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

The tornadoes that swept through the South this past week made me seriously reflect about the things that really matter. Needless to say, material belongings are not on that list. Neither are houses because houses are not what make a home. What matters goes far beyond anything we could buy or display for the world to see. I don’t care how expensive the item or how many generations it has been in your family, material possessions are ephemeral. They are vulnerable to the whims of nature and numerous other factors beyond our control.

How must it feel to lose everything? One minute you have all the comforts of your possessions around you and the next moment you look around and it’s all gone. Think of all those people who woke up last Wednesday morning and how they had no clue that their lives would drastically change in a matter of seconds at some point later that day. Think about this for a little while. Let it sink in. What would it feel like to have nothing left?

I grew up in Alabama.With the exception of one brother and his wife who lives in Atlanta, all of my family is still there. Birmingham and Montgomery to be exact. I know what it’s like to get that dreaded warning that a tornado is on the way. I have spent many a night with my family and childhood dogs sitting in hallways and waiting for tornadoes to pass over us. It was commonplace to have tornado drills at school and it was not unusual to sit in the school hall when it was for real. You don’t have time for anything except gathering up all the living beings around you and taking cover. No time to think about what do I want to save. You don’t care, you just want to make sure you survive and pray that there won’t be much destruction.

I’m happy to report that most of my family came out of this tragedy unscathed with nary an injury or loss of anything material. I do have an aunt and uncle who lost one of their greenhouse farms but no one was hurt and they will bounce back on their feet in no time.

My brother emailed me and said that he knows it sounds like a cliché, but seeing the tornado’s destruction in person is indescribable and devastating. President Obama said something similar. He went on to say that he understands better why the Bible says to store your treasures in Heaven, because the material stuff down here is worthless. Worthless indeed. What matters is our families and friends and the good times we tally up during this short time on earth.

The New York Times featured an article a few days ago that is well worth the read. It’s about a man who returned to Birmingham just hours after he lost his home. The article says “He worked through the warm day, not a cloud in the sky, and into dusk, well aware that others in this state were mourning their dead. Sweat-stained and flecked with sawdust, he occasionally looked up to see his wife and his two children in their altered yard, working, making new memories. His house nearly destroyed, he felt blessed.” I know what he means. I think we all do.

(If you’d like to read more about changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.)

The New York Times has featured an article a few days ago that is well worth the read. 

Big Bear Lake

Every Friday is “Friday Fun Day” and I post a website, quote, recipe, or story that relates to simple and minimalist living. Sometimes I just post something fun and inspiring!

What a week! February flew by and I can’t believe March is already here. I had a very fast paced but exciting week. Below are a couple of fun things I want to share with everyone.

Woman’s Day magazine recently featured a fabulous article in their April issue called “Confronting Your Clutter Conundrums”. I was quoted in the article so I got a kick out of  seeing my name in their magazine. Check out the article. Not only because of my quote, but because it gives some great tips on how to control clutter that I think are super helpful. I know they helped me.

It seems more and more people are getting on the de-cluttering bandwagon. I think so many of us have way too much distraction in our lives in the form of material possessions. With spring right around the corner, this is the perfect time to get rid of things clothes that don’t fit, knickknacks we don’t like, and household items we don’t use anymore. This way we can open up our calendars for outdoor activities, visiting with friends and family, and not be slaves to cleaning and organizing a bunch of junk we don’t need.

Just last week, I did another de-cluttering session in my kitchen and filled  4 grocery bags with bowls, plates, glasses, utensils, etc… Everything I threw out was still in great shape but no longer useful to me. I put my 4 bags out on the curbside in front of my home and by the next morning someone had taken everything. It’s a neat feeling to know that someone out there can possibly benefit from what I no longer find useful.

I was even able to talk my husband into getting rid of eight 1984 Olympic beer  mugs. I might try to sell them on E-bay and see if they are worth anything. If not, then into the Goodwill bag they go or out on my curbside for someone else to find. There were several other things that I would have gotten rid of but my husband wanted to keep. But that’s ok because marriage is all about compromise and I am in a  partnership. Maybe next time, huh? And I did luck out with the beer mugs!

A couple of weeks ago Miss Minimalist talked about how the mere thought of eventually having to sell a purchase on eBay was a powerful deterrent to shopping for her.  This resonates with me as well. Having to sell something or just having to go through the process of throwing junk out is enough to keep me out of the stores for quite some time. Think about this the next time you have the desire to make an impulse purchase. Your wallet will be fuller and your life less complicated if you can resist.

Last but not least, I wanted to share that I was interviewed about my book on “Out the Box” on Blogtalk Radio last night. You can still catch the interview by clicking here. I so appreciate venues like this that give independent authors like myself a platform to talk about their work.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you next week!

(If you’d like to read more about changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.)

Challenging the Status Quo! Some think tables are for eating, not Hunter. He says they are for lounging!

“If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away.”

~~Henry David Thoreau

Last week I wrote about status-quo beliefs that we rarely question. Home ownership, getting a college degree, and spending money thoughtlessly and how the beliefs we form around these subjects may or may not be right for us. This week I’d like to look at several more societal beliefs that put pressure on us to conform and don’t allow much room for alternative points of views.

You must save a certain amount for retirement. First of all let me be very clear. I am not against saving for retirement. My husband and I have several retirement accounts as well as a pension from the state of California that we hope (God willing) will still be around when we get older. Saving is smart but I don’t think one should fixate on a number and buy into the hysteria that you much reach a particular magic number or you’re doomed.

In my opinion, a great deal of the numbers we see about how much we need to stash away in our retirement savings accounts are driven by banks and brokerage firms who stand to benefit from us investing our money with them. Exorbitant figures in the millions come up when we use those little retirement calculations they provide. These kinds of numbers can put us into panic mode and that’s not a fun way to live.

I have no answers for anyone on how much to save for their golden years. The best any of us can do is come up with a reasonable amount of money to save each month and have a target number that we feel comfortable with achieving. Also keep in mind that our expenses will go down when we’re not working so we may not need as much as we think.

Personally, I’m not too concerned about retirement. The rules of the game keep changing by the power elite that run Wall Street and I’ve come to realize that much is out of my control anyway. Since most Americans have their retirement savings tied up in Wall Street, we are at their mercy to a great extent. Many Wall Street banks would be gone today without government assistance so they are really not the free market system they claim to be. The best I can do is save what I can without obsessing too much about it and pray that some sensible regulations will eventually be put into place so that everyone is taken care of in their older years.

You are what you drive. The automotive industry spends millions of dollars each year convincing us that our cars say something about us. They have done a great job in convincing us that our identities are represented by our cars so we must have the trendiest, coolest, most luxurious car available. It sounds silly on paper to equate our cars with anything having to do with our self worth but millions of people do.

Car expenses are a huge chunk of most people’s budgets. Gas, repairs, insurance, and in many cases a car loan or leasing agreement adds up rather fast. We don’t have to buy into this mentality of our cars defining who we are. Choosing the best vehicle for our budgets and circumstances doesn’t mean we have to drive a clunker but it also doesn’t mean we have to traipse around in a showy over-priced piece of metal. What you drive really says nothing about how wealthy you are. We all know people who are loaded that drive modest cars and people who are broke that have the latest sports car with all the fancy accouterments.

In some cases some of us may not even need to own a car. I live in one of the car capitals of the world but I’m noticing that more and more people are taking public transportation. I know some people who rent cars for special occasions because the expense and upkeep does not make sense for them. For those that sit in offices all day, a car may not even be necessary especially if you have access to public transportation. Some households may find that they don’t need multiple cars and can carpool. It takes a little extra planning but the financial savings and positive impact on the environment are great motivators.

We must all conform and look the same way. One of the things that I find so fascinating about humans is our physical diversity. We come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. There’s no right way to look but society sends us messages all the time, mostly in the form of advertising, which insists we all must look a certain way.

Not only should we look a certain way, but there’s a preferable way as well. And if you are so unfortunate to not look this particular way (which is 99.9999 percent of the population), never fear! Someone is waiting to sell you a pill, diet, product, surgery, piece of exercise machinery, etc. that will help you achieve this goal.

Keep in mind that most of the jabs at our so-called inadequacies are because someone is trying to make money off our insecurities. There’s a difference between being presentable and trying to resemble an airbrushed Vogue cover image. We’ve all heard of Photoshop and believe you me it and many other “tricks” are used on the people who supposedly represent what beauty looks like.

Celebrate who you are and play up your own unique features. If you think about it, the most attractive people you know are probably that way because of something that glows from inside not because they have six pack abs. I write a lot about yoga and the benefits I receive from this powerful practice. Acceptance of my physical self is no exception. I’m much more accepting of how I was created and I no longer care whether or not I fit some media ideal of how I’m supposed to look.

The great thing about letting go of status-quo beliefs is it cuts down on not only the physical clutter in your life but more importantly the mental clutter. Isn’t sifting through the mental clutter to a place of peace and equilibrium the primary reason we strive to simplify our lives?

There’s a lot of turmoil in the world right now but it’s also an exciting time to be alive. From Wisconsin to the Middle East, people all around the globe are questioning the status –quo and hopefully setting the stage for some positive change. Yes, the Status-Quo Mountain is crumbling all around us so this is the perfect time to challenge any and all beliefs that no longer work for us and replace them with something more empowering.

(If you’d like to read more about changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.)