A Warning For Everyone - No One Is Immune From This

You may have heard about this, but here is a feature article from the Washington Post, a reasonably well respected newspaper regardless of anyone's political persuasions. The article is about the Washington Metro Police Department - supposedly, one would think, in our nation's capital, a pillar of virtue. Not so! Read the story but, especially watch the video the Post produced.

It doesn't appear to matter what your race is or reason for being anywhere. I get the impression police are being trained to profile any vehicle they believe will contain a sizable amount of cash regardless of whether the vehicle is a "beater" or a luxury vehicle or anything between.

By the way, this has mostly been used by counties, small towns and villages, but as the big cities are realizing how much this "highway robbery" can bring in to be used to fund their departments, it appears they are raising the bar.

Read the Post article here and view the video:  http://wapo.st/1H6xAtO

Obviously, it's still a relatively small fraction of the traveling public who end up being targeted. But, the number is growing and so is the number of consulting/training companies who earn millions by teaching police how to "highway rob" with intimidation. They use interdiction methods specifically designed to catch smugglers and drug traffickers. But, the vast majority of the victims of these interdictions are innocent people like you and me. 

Just one more thing to be aware of. I guess we have to all make sure we don't carry any large sums of cash with us anywhere. You never know when you may become the next target or where it may happen. But usually, it will be at some serious distance from your home base. 

Here is something interesting. This is a current definition of "Police State" from the Urban Dictionary:

"A country where the police watch what you do and try to control your life. Where there's cameras in town centres and on public transport. Where you can be arrested because of something you said to a friend about the leaders of your country. Where police stop and search people for no reason. [my comment - anyone hear of "Stop and Frisk?"] Where you can be detained without charge or trial. Where the state plants bugs with impunity. Where protesters have to get police permits, and where police regularly attack protesters." 

And here is what is stated by Wikipedia in the opening paragraph of the topic "Police State:"

Police state is a term that originally designated a state regulated by a civil administration, but since the middle of the 20th Century, the term has "taken on the emotional and derogatory meaning of a government that exercises power arbitrarily through the police."

Does any of this sound familiar? 

Leaders, Leaners, Loners & Losers

I enjoy a little alliteration occasionally. This title popped into my mind while doing some fitness walking earlier today. Walking is a great time to develop ideas and lay the foundation for ideas. I realized everyone, during parts of their lives, wears each of these labels. Two are positive, while two are negative.

Fortunately, the two positive types, while experiencing periods of the negative traits, usually don't remain in the negative realm long. Unfortunately, the two negative types often spend most or all their lives wearing negative labels.

Have you figured it out, yet? Leaders and Loners are the positive people and Leaners and Losers are the negative people. Remember, everyone will experience periods wearing each of the four labels. So, allow me to give you my descriptions of these four kinds or people and experiences. . . READ MORE

If It Is To Be, It Is Up To Me!

I love the simplicity of that ten word statement comprised totally of two letter words. There is a lot of power in those words. I haven't been able to find the true origin, but the first time I heard it was in the early 80's from Alexandra Armstrong, an accomplished and highly acclaimed Certified Financial Planner and investment professional from Washington, DC.

The ten words are often applied in a motivational context relating to career, professional and business success. However, the words can be applied to any facet of anyone's life. They certainly apply to making changes in your life to realize whatever dreams, goals and missions you have established for yourself including making whatever life changes you need to make to achieve your definition of living free. . . READ MORE

Friday Finds #1

This week I've decided to be a "copycat" and implement an idea that I enjoy on another blog. The other blog is written by a 50 year old woman, Lois Field, who is a minimalist and has downsized to 300 square feet of living space. Her blog has a similar title to mine. Hers is "Living Simply Free." Our focus is very different in many ways and similar in a few." Lois also deals with Muscular Dystrophy that she was born with. She calls her regular Friday post "Friday Faves." During the week she collects assorted information and blog posts from others that she really found valuable and shares them with her readers on Friday.

I also find, receive, read and discover all kinds of interesting and useful information throughout the week. I often want to write about much of it, but I simply can't make the time to do it all. So, I'm copying the "Friday Faves" idea and I'm going to begin collecting the information during the week and on Fridays (I know, today is actually Saturday, I have to build this into my schedule) I'm going to post the URL's with a short description of what the piece is about. I'm calling my series "Friday Finds." I'll share what I find with you and if you're interested you can go to the sites yourself and read or view the info.

I hope you find this useful. I certainly have and I wish I had thought of copying the idea sooner. A lot of really great info has passed and you haven't benefited from it.

This first week will be fairly short as far as URL's to check out, however, I received an interesting email from an old college friend about the human body. It's long, but it's basically in numbered bullet points. I learned some amazing things about this aging hulk I'm using to haul my essence around.

But, first, here are some Web sites I hope you'll find useful, if not fascinating in some cases.

Using Amazon Price-Matching to Save Money While Shopping       

This information was posted by Trent on his "The Simple Dollar" blog. Since we're now officially in the holiday season and one of my 12 Steps for Living Free is economizing, this is some excellent information. I can't say how much you'll save, but becoming a more savvy shopper and using tips and technology like this can help make your holiday season (and any time during the year, realistically) a more  joyful time for all. You save money and can either save some money or stretch what money you have in your holiday budget a lot further.

Eighty-Six Your Clutter   

Courtney Carver is an expert in doing more and being more with less. She writes the "Be More With Less" blog. In this post she describes a formula she uses for decluttering. You can use this in your home, apartment, office, garage or any other space you occupy. In this post, Courtney has a load of tips on freeing up more space and reducing stress by eliminating stuff you don't need. It's really amazing how some of these ideas are.

Just ForToday

Marelisa Fabrega is the author of the "Daring To Live Fully" blog and always has some interesting concepts on doing just that. In this post she describes how we can live fuller, happier lives just doing something for today. Often when we look at a job, project, book or other challenge we may face in life, we'll take a negative approach and decide we can't do something. Marelisa shows you how you can do it, "just for today."

So, there are three interesting blog posts that I believe you'll find useful in your daily lives and especially in your pursuit of living free and happier. These are just starters. As I get more organized, I'll be providing more and more useful information in this series.

Now, as promised earlier, here is the article my friend emailed me. I found some of it very fascinating.

50 facts about your body....

      

The Human Body is a treasure trove of mysteries, one that still confounds        doctors and scientists about the details of its working. It's not an  overstatement to say that every part of your body is a miracle.

Here are fifty facts about your body, some of which will leave you stunned...or... 

1. It's possible for your body to survive without a surprisingly large fraction of its internal organs.   Even if you lose your stomach, your spleen, 75% of your liver, 80% of your intestines, one kidney, one lung, and virtually every organ from your pelvic and groin area, you wouldn't be very healthy, but you would live. 

2. During your lifetime, you will produce enough saliva to fill two swimming pools. Actually, Saliva is more important than you realize. If your saliva cannot dissolve something, you cannot taste it. 

3. The largest cell in the human body is the female egg and the smallest is the male sperm. The egg is actually the only cell in the body that is visible by the naked eye. 

4. The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue and the hardest bone is the jawbone. 

5. Human feet have 52 bones, accounting for one quarter of all the human body's bones. 

6. Feet have 500,000 sweat glands and can produce more than a pint of sweat a  day. 

7. The acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve razor blades. The reason it doesn't  eat away at your stomach is that the cells of your stomach wall renew themselves so frequently that you get a new stomach lining every three to four days. 

8. The human lungs contain approximately 2,400 kilometers (1,500 mi) of airways and 300  to 500 million hollow cavities, having a total surface area of about 70 square meters, roughly  the same area as one side of a tennis court.   Furthermore, if all of the capillaries that surround the lung cavities were unwound and laid end to end, they would extend for about 992 kilometers. Also, your left lung is smaller than your right lung to make  room for your heart. 

9. Sneezes regularly exceed 100 mph, while coughs clock in at about 60        mph. 

10. Your body gives off enough heat in 30 minutes to bring half a gallon of water to a boil. 

11. Your body has enough iron in it to make a nail 3 inches long.  

12. Earwax production is necessary for good ear health.  It protects the delicate inner ear from bacteria, fungus, dirt and even insects. It also cleans and lubricates the ear canal. 

13. Everyone has a unique smell, except for identical twins, who smell the        same. 

14. Your teeth start growing 6 months before you are born. This is why one out of every 2,000 newborn infants has a tooth when they are born  

15. A baby's head is one-quarter of its total length, but by the age of  25 will only be one-eighth of its total length. This is because people's heads grow at a much slower rate than the rest of their bodies.  

16. Babies are born with 300 bones, but by adulthood the number is reduced to 206. Some of the bones, like skull bones, get fused into each other, bringing down the total number. 

17. It's not possible to tickle yourself. This is because when you attempt to tickle yourself you are totally aware of the exact time and manner in which the tickling will occur, unlike when someone else tickles you.  

18. Less than one third of the human race has 20-20 vision. This means that two out of three people cannot see perfectly. 

19. Your nose can remember 50,000 different scents. But if you are a woman, you are a better smeller than men, and will remain a better smeller throughout your life. 

20.The human body is estimated to have 60,000 miles of blood vessels.  

21. The three things pregnant women dream most of during their first trimester are frogs, worms and potted plants. Scientists have no idea why this is so, but attribute it to the growing imbalance of hormones in the body during pregnancy. 

22. The life span of a human hair is 3 to 7 years on average. Every day the average person loses 60-100 strands of hair. But don't worry, you must lose over 50% of your scalp hairs before it is apparent to anyone.  

23.The human brain cell can hold 5 times as much information as an encyclopedia. 

Your brain uses 20% of the oxygen that enters your bloodstream, and is itself made up of 80% water. Though it interprets pain signals from the rest of the body, the brain itself cannot feel pain. 

24. The tooth is the only part of the human body that can't repair itself.  

25. Your eyes are always the same size from birth but your nose and ears never stop growing. 

26. By 60 years of age, 60% of men and 40% of women will snore.  

27. We are about 1 cm taller in the morning than in the evening, because during normal activities during the day, the cartilage in our knees and other areas slowly compress. 

28. The brain operates on the same amount of power as 10-watt light bulb, even while you are sleeping. In fact, the brain is much more active at night than during the day. 

29. Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast as 170 miles per hour. Neurons continue to grow throughout human life. Information travels at different speeds within different types of neurons. 

30. It is a fact that people who dream more often and more vividly, on an average have a higher Intelligence  Quotient. 

31. The fastest growing nail is on the middle finger. 

32. Facial hair grows faster than any other hair on the body. This is true for men as well as women. 

33. There are as many hairs per square inch on your body as a chimpanzee.  

34. A human fetus acquires fingerprints at the age of three months.  

35.By the age of 60, most people will have lost about half their taste buds.  

36.  About 32 million bacteria call every inch of your skin home. But don't worry, a majority of these are harmless or even helpful bacteria.  

37. The colder the room you sleep in, the higher the chances are that you'll have a bad dream. 

38. Human lips have a reddish color because of the great concentration of tiny capillaries just below the skin. 

39.Three hundred million cells die in the human body every minute.  

40. Like fingerprints, every individual has an unique tongue print that can be used for identification. 

41. A human head remains conscious for about 15 to 20 seconds after it has been decapitated. 

42. It takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown. 

43. Humans can make do longer without food than sleep.  Provided there is water, the average human could survive a month to two months without food depending on their body fat and other factors.  Sleep deprived people, however, start experiencing radical personality and psychological changes after only a few sleepless days. The longest recorded time anyone has ever gone without sleep is 11 days, at the end of which the experimenter was awake, but stumbled over words, hallucinated and frequently forgot what he was doing. 

44.The most common blood type in the world is Type O. The rarest blood type, A-H or Bombay blood, due to the location of its discovery, has been found in fewer than hundred people since it was discovered 

45. Every human spent about half an hour after being conceived, as a single cell. Shortly afterward, the cells begin rapidly dividing and begin forming the components of a tiny embryo. 

46. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do. 

47. Your ears secrete more earwax when you are afraid than when you aren't. 

48. Koalas and primates are the only animals with unique fingerprints.  

49. Humans are the only animals to produce emotional tears.  

50. The human heart creates enough pressure to squirt blood 30 feet in the air. 

51.  Here is one more amazing thing the human body can do:  If you remove half of your liver, it will grow back to the same size (it has memory) within 4 to 6 weeks.  And, if they removed half, part of your liver is  transplanted into another person, that half a liver will grow back to the same size as the donors liver in 6 to 8 weeks in the recipient. 

Surprise! You actually had a bonus, a 51st fact you probably didn't know. I hope you gained a useful idea somewhere in this batch of information. Next week I'll expand the offering. Let me know what you think.

To Be Yourself... Addendum

I received this great email feedback in response to my August 25, 2013 Photo-of-the-Week post titled THE HAT from long-time Living Free reader and friend, Roger Gilbertson. Roger is a retired Rear Admiral from the U.S. Navy Reserve, has a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California, has studied more things than I can even think of, has more certifications then probably anyone I know, is a scientist, a philosopher and he calls himself, a proactive generalist. He's also the author of A Free Range Human in a Caged World: From Primalization into Civilization.  But most of all, I'm grateful to have him as both an active reader and friend.

Ed,

I've got the COAT

Got it many years ago.

Hardly ever have reason to wear it.

Found it in a Goodwill store. Dirt cheap.

An Australian Slicker.

It is sort of waxed to be water proof, reaches nearly to the floor, and makes you feel like an Australian vagabond, an explorer, or an early cowboy.

All from the magic of the movies and television melded with my imagination.

My Dad gave me the model for exploring many specialties.

My Mom gave me the instinctive push for life long learning through experience and formal education. 

They allowed me to mind-roam from an early age.

Thanks for reminding me!

Attached is a Sunburst of my take on Influences on the Mind.

Have a great day!

Roger

I've also included Roger's sunburst that provides a graphic representation of what I was discussing in the last post on September 11, 2013, To Be Yourself... 

Thanks for your great feedback, Roger.

Your input is always like getting the "Parents Magazine Seal of Approval." I guess in this case it's more like the "Reader's Seal of Approval." 

The sunburst is exquisite! It really illustrates exactly what I was saying and I'm going to put up a post as an addendum to include it with reference to the To Be Yourself... post. Full attribution included, of course. 

I love the Australian slicker - The COAT. Yeah! I've always thought those were way too cool. I think I remember Sam Elliott wearing one of those in some western movie. I believe there was a slow motion scene in the movie with him walking straight at the camera with his big mustache, a ten-gallon cowboy hat and The COAT! And you are so right. It represents a certain kind of adventurer, traveler and bravado. The HAT was always at the top of my priority list of cool things to wear, but now that I have The HAT, there may come a day when I'll look for The COAT. 

Yes! We are definitely influenced by all the things you included in the sunburst. I don't think people realize just how hard it truly is "to be yourself." At best, I'd say in our current society and world, how each person defines him or her self is a synergism of all the influences that bombard us continuously. Being able to recognize this (like realizing that we are constantly bombarded by radiation) requires us to sort through all of these influences, filter out those that are irrelevant to who we truly want to be, embrace the influences that will define who we want to be and then finally being our true selves - is the unique synergism of the things that are truly in line with our values. 

M. Scott Peck felt that everyone, including psychologists and psychiatrists needed therapy. The implication, as I see it, is that all of us have some kind of mental/psychological issue. I'm not sure I'd call it an illness in most cases, since it's a universal condition. Only those with specifically overt symptoms, manifestations and anti-social behavior are clinically diagnosed. But, I believe the human condition, from a mental and psychological health perspective, is in decline. It's not because these various conditions of mental/psychological issues haven't forever been present. It's because we are over stimulated by all the influences illustrated in your starburst and so many more. 

We use words and images to over stimulate the brain. A car is transportation; it replaced a horse, oxen or dog pulled cart or wagon. But today the imagery of "The Ultimate Driving Experience,"  Zoom Zoom, the Challenger, the Muscle Cars of the 60's and 70's, etc. define us. Of course, we really only need transportation from point A to point B like we did with the animal drawn cart. We can't sleep so we have this quiet, soothing, peaceful voice and an image of a gossamer butterfly telling us that Lunesta, a drug, can replace something that is a natural human function. If we can't sleep, there is a problem. But, we don't find and fix the problem; we use a crutch to skirt around whatever the real issue is. If your antidepressant medication (you're already on one?) isn't making you feel like the world is a wonderful rosy place then talk to your doctor about adding Abilify - another drug. And as you and I both know the world, while full of wonders, beauty and is truly a wonderful place, is not always nor has it ever been, "rosy" - it often sucks and sometimes it sucks really, really, really bad. 

I dare say the healthiest people, even those who suffer from clinical depression, are the ones who realize and accept this reality and DEAL WITH IT! I'm had some really crappy times in my life. I just wanted the pain to go away. It hurt real bad. But somehow, from deep inside, something told me to face down my demons and they'd back off. I did and they did. I'm antidepressant free. Score one for my side. People just don't want to face off their demons. They don't have to. It's easier and faster to get the quick fix (instead of finding the root of the problem in the first place). So, we have a growing problem with illegal, so-called "recreational drug" use (alcohol and nicotine being two of the major ones), prescription controlled drug abuse, "huffing" glue and all kinds of chemicals and aerosols, homemade batches of dangerous stuff like LSD and crystal meth, etc. I can't wrap my head around the idea that anything about this is truly recreational - it's simply a way to escape reality rather than facing down one's demons and slaying them. 

Geez! Watching the news is enough to make most anyone want to jump off a cliff. Headline, "New Bride Indicted for Pushing Her New Husband Off A Cliff." "Newlywed Missing Off A Cruise Ship, Husband Believes She Jumped Overboard In The Middle of the Night." "President Says Syrian President Assad Has Crossed The Red Line, U.S. Must Expend U.S. Military Resources It Can't Afford to Replenish to Show Assad Who's the Boss." "Three Teenage Boys Attempt to Rob Young Mother, Shoot 13 Month Old Son in the Head Killing Him When She Says She Has No Money." "George Zimmerman, Acquitted of Murder, Assaults Wife and Father-in-Law." "Hit & Run Driver Kills Pedestrian, Never Stops to Help." "Teenagers Attack, Beat and Kill 92 Year Old World War II Veteran in Parking Lot." It goes on and on. Of course, there is the occasional "feel good" story that's supposed to sugar coat the murder, mayhem and chaos. But drugging ourselves doesn't make this go away. It amplifies it.

All those things influence who we are, too. As you well know, Roger. I don't care what BS the so-called experts expound about this not being a cause of more and more aberrant behavior. If oral, print and video messages can influence us to buy BMW's, Mazda's, Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwiches, Abilify and Lunesta, join and become a trained killer with The Brave. The Proud. The Few. The Marines, elect a President who came out of nowhere with no track record and little verifiable past with no proven ability to take on the role of "Leader of the Free World," then you can't tell me that we aren't influencing a new and growing trend of aberrant behavior with the crime shows, movies, video games, etc. Heck! Al-Qaeda believes it works so well, they are now recruiting in the U.S. and U.S. citizens are joining their ranks. A big shout out to the success of Madison Avenue. 

All of this constant bombardment by so many influences and constantly changing value systems has caused so much confusion that those mental/psychological issues that everyone has at some controllable level are now trending out of control. We want a life with no physical, emotional or psychological pain, complete security from birth to death, a lifestyle that provides for fast cars, fast men/women, luxurious houses, all kinds of toys, extravagant food, little work (let alone fulfilling work and pride in achievement), exotic vacations, life long security, etc. None of which are necessary for a happy, content, fulfilling life. And now that the economy is in a downward trend - we're heading right back to where it all started. A tiny percentage (1%) of an elite, wealthy class (with their wealth increasing exponentially) and 99% of the population sliding down towards the poverty ranks...again. All of this because of greed and corrupted values and most of the population not knowing who they really are, but buying into all the influences telling them who they should be. Now, where is my stash of marijuana, I'm getting a headache from thinking about this. 

(Disclaimer: Those last two sentences were a twisted attempt at humor. I don't need an kind of substance, especially an illegal or controlled substance to feel really great - I have the best deal of all, I'm free.)

Dreaming, Experimenting, Experiencing and Living

That is my interpretation this morning of what life is all about after reading some blog posts and on-line newsletter articles from some of the other people I personally follow. You may interpret life differently and that's just fine with me. Share your ideas, definitions and opinions in the comments after this post. Each of these four words can inspire an individual post, a feature length periodical article or even one or more chapters of a book. Actually, each of the words could easily inspire an entire book. Who knows what the future holds. Maybe I'll undertake one or more of those as challenges.

Dreaming

So, let's begin with the basics. Everything begins with a dream. I won't go into what inspired our conception. I hope we're all familiar with the mechanics of this miracle. The next miracle for all, but the tiniest percentage of human beings, is "The Dream." You and I are who we are and where we are today because of "The Dream." According to an article in Scientific American, researchers have found scientific evidence that dreaming may actually begin in the womb as early as the 23rd week of gestation. More research says it begins between the age of 5 and 7 years. Yet, experiential evidence suggests that children will speak of dreams as soon as they are able to talk and articulate reasoned thoughts at the most basic level. Personally, while I don't have a lot of memories from before the age of four, I do recall small "snapshots" from before that and they included some nightmares. How about you?

Dreams begin to take on more sophistication and meaning as we become more aware and knowledgeable about the world we live in. I think this probably begins by the age of four or five. Of course, our world is very small at that time. Our circle of relationships and experiences is very limited and, accordingly, so are our dreams. For young boys, those things they see in nature and their small surrounding world typically impress them. Policemen, firemen, soldiers, doctors, teachers are their outside the home influences and may be why in early years boys dream of these occupations for their own future. Young girls, on the other hand, even today, though, perhaps less so than in the past, seem to see teachers, nurses, women doctors, mothers and similar as their early influences. Of course, much of our earliest literature focuses on these kinds of occupations, after all, what five or six year old is ready to comprehend a graphic designer, computer programmer, hedge fund manager, etc.

There are lots of stimuli in the current, developed world with all forms of literature, audio, video, broadcast and cable television, movies and the Internet. Most of us had only a fraction of this kind of stimulation when we were children. But, dream we all did. And as our brains became filled with more and more knowledge and we expanded our minds through more and more experiences, so, also, did our dreams expand. The exciting thing is that human potential is almost limitless. By the time we reach puberty and those exciting, yet often painful teenage years, we begin to believe we know where we want to go with our lives. Most teenagers become overly anxious to spread their wings, leave the nest and soar. We envision (dream about) falling in love, finding THE "One" who will be our permanent mate for life, the place we want to live, the kind of home we want to have, the occupation/profession we will earn our living from, the lifestyle we'll lead, the places we'll visit and the adventures we'll experience. In essence we've created our dream "magic carpet" that will take us through this glorious life we envision. Oh, yeah, and that glorious life we envision usually will not exactly emulate the more mundane, hum-drum life of our parents, unless, of course, we're never allowed to think outside that box.

Those dreams are what propel us into adulthood. Regardless of how simple they may be or how complex, adventurous, exciting and glamorous they may be, they are our launching pad. And then comes...

Experimenting

So, it's not like we didn't do any experimenting during our developmental, teenage years. Sure we did. We wanted to learn about all kinds of things including sex, love, what was outside the boundaries established by our parents, what it was like to have money of our own, how to express ourselves culturally, socially, fashionably, intellectually, physically, creatively and occupationally. Most of us muddled through this challenging stage of life without many serious consequences. But, oh baby! Once we were 18, out of high school, maybe in college and away from home on our own recognizance, working a job and earning our own money, free to come and go as we pleased, maybe even getting our own cave/nest or sharing one with one or more roommates and so on, the experimenting with all things "life" took on a much bigger meaning.

This is truly the time of our lives when the rubber started to meet the road. This is also when certain stark realities began rearing their ugly heads. All of a sudden our responsibilities and obligations expanded beyond those of helping with household chores and keeping our rooms cleaned up (to a greater or lesser degree depending on our parents strictness or leniency). We may have experimented with drinking alcohol and with some drugs while we were in high school, but now, NOW we had the option and choices to make about how far down those roads we wanted to "experiment." Now, we could dress anyway we wanted to. Now, we could run with a "fast" crowd all hours of the night and weekends. Now, we could travel whenever and wherever we wanted to. Now, we could try different jobs and careers. Now, we could do and be anything we wanted to whenever and wherever we chose to. Or so it seemed.

Well, that was part of the "dream," anyway. But, along with this time of experimenting came those stark realities. We began learning new lessons during this major experimental phase of our lives. First, we are responsible for our actions. Second, we are always accountable to someone. Third, obligations must be met and fulfilled. Fourth, there are ALWAYS consequences, positive or negative to all our choices and actions. As examples, I'll use just two areas of human behavior that are major areas of experimentation during this time in particular, sex and alcohol.

Responsible sexual behavior will lead to a lifetime of joy, respect and fulfillment for both individuals involved. Irresponsible sexual behavior can lead to the conception of one or more (by one or more partners) unwanted children and all the responsibilities thereto attached. It can also lead to disease that may detrimentally impact one and possibly others for their rest of his or her life and their lives. Of course, in the worse case scenario, it can end in an early and usually ugly death. Most of us have made it through this stage of experimentation. Unfortunately, far too many pay the consequences.

Responsible use of alcohol is another area of experimentation. I make no judgments and am not going to be hypocritical about alcohol. But, one of the great questions that remains in the back of my mind is why do alcoholic beverages exist and why to we partake in them? Please don't reply to this question. It's rhetorical. While the "health industry" and the medical profession both keep coming up with ways and reasons that consumption of alcohol is beneficial in moderation, I see this as a feeble justification to support this industry. If alcohol is good for us, why does the same medical community vehemently demand that pregnant women not drink alcohol? It all seems like another double standard to me. Hey! I did my share of drinking, my drink of choice was Scotch - on the rocks. I am one VERY, VERY lucky individual who has driven an automobile numerous times (in Manhattan, one time, I might add) so drunk that under today's laws they would slap me in jail and throw away the key. I never had an accident, injured anyone, any property or myself, but I sure could have. Stupid and irresponsible doesn't begin to describe how I feel about my actions at that time of my life.

I just described my experience with alcohol in which I was extremely fortunate. Unfortunately, way too many young "experimenters" have maimed and killed innocent men, women and children because of their experimenting and irresponsibility. They found the negative consequences. Many people will self-medicate with booze. The pain of dealing/coping with those stark realities of life weakens them to use alcohol to temporarily relieve them of the pain. What most people don't realize is that  the pain is probably a good thing. There are lessons to be learned. But, that's a topic for another time. Unfortunately, for too many people, the body (and mind) develop a dependence on alcohol (like any of the many other addictions). Fortunately, the majority of people do not become alcoholics and "bad drunks." But, for those who do, the harm they do to themselves, their loved ones and others they may have maimed or killed is beyond any reason. They may spend some time in jail and many may permanently lose the privilege of driving any kind of motorized vehicle.

Experimenting is an important part of who we become and leads us into...

Experiencing

Experiencing is truly when the rubber meets the road and stark reality truly faces us, head on...sometimes whacking us up the side of the head with a 2x4. Reality is when the dreams and the experimenting land us smack, dab where most people will end up spending most of or all of the rest of their lives. That's why I've heard many people wiser than me say, "No matter where you are in your life, it's exactly where you want to be, otherwise...you'd be someplace else." This is the time when we typically make all kinds of excuses, blame someone else for the path our life took and why we're basically not happy, not joyful, not fulfilled and taking way too many anti-depressant drugs (the drug industry and the therapists are happy, though).

I've heard people say "I'm lucky, I married the right man/woman, have/had great kids, have/had a job/profession/career I love, work/worked for the best employer, live/lived in the perfect home, reside/resided in the best village/town/city in the world, etc." I don't think luck had much to do with any of that. I think you have/had dreams, you pursued them, you experimented and found what worked and didn't work for you and focused on what worked, didn't settle for a partner but sought one who shared your dreams and values, had great kids because you again, shared your values and dreams (and included them in your dreams) with them, respected them and earned their respect by sticking by your values and established fair, meaningful, reasonable boundaries for them based on your values. The same goes for the career, the home you live in and the village/town/city you chose to live. These were all conscious choices you made based on your dreams, the values you developed and the experimenting and determining what worked and didn't work for you. Sure, there is always some small element of chance in life. For example, there is a chance some freak act of nature could happen and change your life. There's a chance you could contract some terminal disease and die way too young. There are always "chances" of things happening. Heck! If you buy a lottery ticket in the PowerBall, there is a chance you could win millions of dollars. But, most of us don't live our lives waiting for that PowerBall winning ticket.

You can't blame other things or people or circumstances. As the old saying goes - "Shit Happens!" We have to deal with it. That's part of experiencing life. If you're married to (or even divorced from) the wrong partner, don't blame the other person. In any relationship, it takes two (in a marriage) or more (in other forms of relationships) to make the relationship work or fail. It always amazes me how many people love to beat dead horses. For some reason, we want to have and use the latest technology in the form of smart phones, computers, tablets, the Internet, high-tech appliances, cars that have more techy bells and whistles than Carter had little liver pills (for those who remember Carter). But, we cling to archaic values, standards and ideas that should have ended eons ago (maybe when they stopped burning witches). If your marriage isn't working, DEAL WITH IT! The only reason (poor excuse) to stay in a dead or abusive marriage (or relationship) is because of insecurity and fear (often fear of failure). Change it and move on. Life is short. The same applies to not liking where you live or where you work or whom you work for or what you do for a living. CHANGE IT! Easier said than done, you say. Of course, it's always easier to do nothing and stay in the pain, despair, anguish, discontent, abuse, etc. that you're in. Besides, there is also the fear of the unknown. What if it's worse on the outside? Well, you'll never know if you don't go find out. If I get any comments at all on this, I'm sure you're going to give me a million excuses.

Hey! I've been there! I've done that! I've been divorced twice. My family that I grew up in disintegrated in one day by one single action when I was 21 years old. I've had businesses fail. Sure! There are many things I haven't experienced, but I'd credit that to making choices that didn't put me in a position to experience those things (score one for good choices). Everything we do during our life from the moment we're born until the moment we die is, in some form or another, experiencing...

Living

This is the bottom line, brothers and sisters. Life is about living. I cannot accept the idea that we take those beautiful dreams we start creating as soon as we're able to begin comprehending what tangible life is all about, build and expand those dreams, experiment and manage to live through doing some really stupid things (all too often) to ultimately allow circumstances take control of this miracle and gift we call life. Maybe we don't set high enough expectations. Worse, yet, maybe we don't even have any real expectations. If you don't know where you're going, you're very likely not going to like where you end up.

No! This is not a motivational speech! This is simple philosophy. I'm not some brilliant sage. I'm a simple guy who was fortunate enough to pursue some education, develop some dreams and follow those dreams. I stumbled. I fell. I failed. I lost my shirt, my family, my marriages (and a significant other) relationships and some businesses. But, I determined a long time ago, no matter what the outcome of a situation or circumstance, I AM ALWAYS THE WINNER! I may lose a wife or money or a business, but I always gain far more in Experience than I lose. Multi-millionaire, successful business consultant, best selling author, Brian Tracy says, "We will always tend to fulfill our own expectation of ourselves." Low or no expectations and we'll have low outcome and fulfillment. High expectations and we'll have a high-level outcome and fulfillment - even if we miss the final mark. Wendy Wasserman says, "Don't live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable."

Each of has a finite amount of time on this Earth. I don't care if you have an unshakable, devout religious belief in some kind of eternal afterlife or if you believe in reincarnation or if you believe that when you take your last breath that's all there is and it's over for eternity. That is all up to you and I'm not even going to suggest I know anything about what happens at the end of this life. What I do know is that by some miracle each of us was born and endowed with various talents, degrees of intelligence and the ability to dream. We were born somewhere in this world under a broad range of possible circumstances. It is not our parent's or anyone else's responsibility to create our future. That's the beauty of living free. No matter what the circumstances of our birth, we are ultimately in control of and responsible for our own lives. As the best selling author of the classic book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill said in his book, "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve." He also said, "It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project."

So, there you have it. In four words, what a life is all about. Dream...Experiment...Experience...Live this life to all you want it to be. Don't measure it in money and investments, how much property and possessions you gather or touchdowns, home runs, partners you've had sex with, places you've visited and experienced, etc. Measure this life in freedom, joyfulness, happiness and contentment. Everything else is simply numbers and measurements that don't count for anything in that last moment of life. The only thing that really matters is how you lived your life and how happy and content you are at that final moment.     

Who Am I . . . REALLY! Part II

In Part I of this post about who we REALLY are, I explored the scientific facets of our tangible characteristics and traits and the superficiality of the human experience. I also indicated that, in my opinion, this superficiality is probably more prevalent in the developed societies or segments of a society. Those who still live a less developed, primal life due to the circumstance of where they were born and live their lives are much less complicated. I feel comfortable saying that tribal societies in Africa, South America, Asia and even parts of Eastern Europe are very likely not to be as superficial as the developed nations.

This can be attributed to a variety of things, however, I suggest that the primary reasons are because those living in the more primal tribal societies do not have to cope with the stresses of a system of complicated and conflicting laws, rules, regulations and other constraints, limitations and controls over individual freedom and actions. Additionally, they are not bombarded by constant visual and aural stimulation and static to buy, own, accumulate such a wide array of material "stuff" as to be mind numbing. Their needs are simple. Their pleasures are simple. Their lives are simple. That is, until we interfere with their lives and make them believe they aren't and can't be free and happy unless they have everything we have (that makes us miserable). I guess misery loves company.

Sure, there are things we can do for these people to help them to live healthier lives. But, are we really doing anything to help them be happier by showing them all the things we have and they don't so they feel miserable when they may have actually been happier before we entered their lives? Don't we do the same thing with our children? Each generation does their best to make life better, easier and happier for their children and in reality, what is happening is that we're weakening our children. They don't have to worry about living decently if they can't find their ideal job and be willing to begin their lives, as we did, in starting level positions and work their way up. If they can't find a decent job, they simply come home and live off mom and dad, often for years. They don't have any motivation to do whatever it will take to build a life. The same is true with the people in undeveloped societies. Instead of evolving as those developed societies did through years of toughing it out and pioneering, we simply want to give them everything. That immediately complicates their lives and their societies and pretty soon, they begin living in a superficial world.

Freedom Requires Not Passing Judgment On Others

Before I go any further, let me state right now that it is not my place in this life to judge what anyone else does, has or is willing to exchange for their personal freedom and happiness. The premise of our society is that it is a free society and based on a free enterprise economic model. We have to be careful when we use the term free society, because freedom is defined differently by different people and certainly any governmental, corporate or institutional organization limits freedom to serve its own purposes. Usually, these organizational structures want those individuals subject to them in some manner to believe that the organizations operate for the common good and welfare of all. Unfortunately, as these organizations grow larger, which is most typically what happens, they also become more defensive and self-serving so they can perpetuate their existence and growth. So, what often starts out as a benign situation can become a malignant parasite on society.

Here is another fact; we NEED most of the corporate and institutional organizations. They benefit society by providing a variety of products and services. They also provide job opportunities for the majority of the population who do not have (any longer) the entrepreneurial spirit, willingness to take calculated risks and the survival mentality that this society (and other societies) was founded on. In reality, everyone is self-employed. But, most people don't want to accept that fact. This is another example of the superficial traits of modern, developed societies. An employee is simply a person who is working to fulfill his or her own needs just as any entrepreneur or business model. They certainly don't care about the business owners' mortgage, rent, sustenance, clothing, etc. They are working for their own needs.

The only thing that differentiates an employee from a self-employed person is that someone else decides how much money they will earn, precisely what they will do to earn that money and, to some degree, controls the employee's time. The employer also takes care of making the tax deposits and some bookkeeping for the employee. An employee can do everything for himself or herself that the employer does, including shop for and buy into whatever kinds of "benefit" packages the employee wants. In fact, there are people who do exactly this. They are called "contractors," "independent contractors" and "freelancers." These people work for the same employers except they control how much money they earn, what work they will do and when they will work.

But, again, our society has grown, become more and more complicated and created paths that for most people seem like the "easy" path. But, there is always a price and there is certainly a price for being employed by someone else. Essentially, one is under the control of someone else when employed. So, these controls involve all kinds of laws, regulations and rules. They demand loyalty to the employer. This is also where certain other elements come into play like status, keeping up with the Jones' and other things that foster the layers of superficiality that becomes part of our day-to-day existence. Add to this the requirements of a spouse and family, external family commitments, community involvements and so on and pretty soon, we are lost in this morass of complexity and really don't know who we are because we're answering to a variety of masters. There is no time left to peel back the layers and seek out who we really are under all of this complexity.

If Not Now, Then When?

That's an age-old question. I've been listening to people talking about really going after their dreams when they retire. Unfortunately, some people don't make it to retirement. Two years ago I learned that a friend I had started going to elementary school with and went all the way through high school with had passed away, just several months before his planned retirement. Several years back another friend from the speaking profession turned 60 and decided to retire, bought a nice motorhome, was preparing to take off on his travel adventures with his wife (who had been an MS victim for many years) and, he had a massive heart attack and both their dreams were dashed. Another close friend, like a brother, bought a brand new quarter million dollar motorhome and he and his wife, both speakers and consultants, were living full-time and traveling to their assignments in the motorhome. He contracted a very rare degenerative muscular disease and one year later, he was gone, age 61. There are a lot more stories I can write about like that, but I think you get the picture. We just don't know what tomorrow has in store.

Now, if you're reading my blog and can honestly say that your life is full, rich, free, you're living your dreams right now and you are truly happy, then you probably have already dug deep into your soul. You've sincerely asked yourself the question "who am I . . . REALLY?" You've likely done the hard work of finding the answer and you've made the course direction changes necessary to reach this state.

Most likely, you still don't know who you are, really. Few people ever actually dig deep enough, deal with the hard questions and answers, face the (sometimes ugly) truths about yourself and then make the changes absolutely necessary to find your own Nirvana here on Earth. The hard part of this is dealing with the "truth" about yourself. This is especially true if you live in one of the developed countries I've indicated. We, as a society, have become accustomed to trading our freedom and our happiness for acquiring all the superficial things that are made to seem important. Watch (or read - a dying art) the news. Look at the proliferation of literature on personal and professional development - how to be more successful in your career and in your personal life. Look at the variety of products bombarding us day in and day out. These include clothes, shoes, cars, athletic equipment, "labor saving" appliances, kitchen utensils, furniture, electronics, etc. Think about the services like facelifts, tummy tucks, Zumba classes, golf lessons, cruises, dating services, etc. This doesn't even scratch the surface. But, look around you and see how people are drawn into all of this stuff.

Watch how they are drawn into Paris Hilton's lifestyle, the Kardashians, Honey Boo Boo, never ending news sagas like the Martin-Zimmerman trial, the birth of a child to a couple in England that has the entire world gaga! Once again, this goes on and on. It's voyeurism at its best. Frankly, whenever I see and hear all this bullshit cluttering the airwaves and tabloids because there is so little of redeeming value to really tell people about, I simply say, "Who cares?" Actually, there is lots of things of redeeming value in this country and the developed world to tell about, but the populace has become so morally and intellectually void and corrupted by voyeurism, sensationalism and living their lives through others who have capitalized on titillating people's prurient interests that they don't have a real life of their own any longer.

People pay insane amounts of money to buy fancy sneakers because Michael Jordan's name is on them. Women pay outrageous amounts to by designer clothes made in some sweatshop in underdeveloped nations in Asia or South America. Then when something nasty happens in one of those nations, they express "righteous indignation." But, it was okay for you to pay $200 for a pair of jeans, made by some young teenager in a sweatshop making $2.00 a day. People pay a fortune to by Apple products, which may be innovative, but are not without shortcomings and are made in far eastern factories with low cost labor working long hours, often in less than conditions anyone in this country is willing to work under. But, they need that little Apple logo so they can be "cool." People need bragging rights. They need to keep up with the Jones' even if they don't know or like the Jones'. They are competitive and don't need to use commonsense, they simply need to be "the first on their block" to have the latest, greatest whatever it is.

This is how we define ourselves in our current society. It's not about truly discovering the true values that really define who we are as people. It's about all the superficial crap that is shoved down our throats by sports moguls, entertainers, (mostly) stupid reality shows, incessant blathering and harping by people in infomercials and 24/7 selling channels. It's what makes it possible for Costco, Sam's Club, Walmart, Target, Lowes, Home Depot and so many others to not only be profitable, but to be obscenely profitable.

Hypocrisy

Now, lest I come across as a hypocrite, I'm guilty of watching too much television, TV and cable news, listening to public radio and watching public TV (with their, now, monthly incessant begging for contributions in exchange for WAY overvalued "gifts"). And here's the worst part, all this stuff is addicting . . . as it's meant to be. Just as people can be addicted to booze, drugs, gambling, sex, porno, eating, etc. the, now, flat-screened, one-eyed "huckster" sucks us in and attaches itself to our eyeballs and brains. I like the State Farm Insurance TV commercial with the man and the woman where he says, "Where did you hear that?" And she replies, "On the Internet! They can't say anything that isn't true on the Internet?" There it is! The intellectual level people are being dumbed down to. I've done it before and I MUST do it again. I must break away and stop watching all this TV and listening to the ongoing talk on radio.

Let me also say, again, so I'm not taken as a hypocrite, I don't have any problems with a profit motive. I've been a lifelong entrepreneur and one of the driving forces behind everything I did was a profit motive. The problem for me, and you have to make up your own mind about this, is the difference between earning a profit from something that truly enhances someone's life at a reasonable price for the product or service offered as compared to blatant exploitation of the herd mentality that seems to prevail in our, so-called, "advanced" society. But, like beauty being the eye of the beholder, value is also in the mind of the beholder.

So, what is really important to you? What value do you place on the one and only life you have? What value do you place on, in my opinion, the most priceless commodity we possess, our time? Do you want to live where you live because it's what you REALLY want or do you live there because you've been conditioned to believe that this is a status symbol indicative of your success in life? Are you doing work that you honestly feel has redeeming value? Will the fruits of your labor not only provide you with what financial support you need to meet your real requirements but agree with your value system? Do you REALLY love and are you passionate about what you are doing or are you REALLY doing it solely for the money and do you REALLY need all that money? Are you in debt? Did you get into that debt in order to have things that you couldn't really afford when you, for whatever reason, decided that you MUST HAVE IT NOW? How do you feel about still paying on that debt when you may no longer value that item or even use it? Did it actually bring you the happiness and fulfillment you were sure, at the time, it would? These are some of the really hard questions you need to be asking yourself.

To Thine Own Self Be True

I'm sure you've heard the quote from Hamlet (Shakespeare), " This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man." Who are you kidding or fooling? If you're not being true and honest to yourself, then you cannot be and are not honest with anyone else including your spouse, kids, parents, relatives, neighbors, friends, employer and co-workers . . . no one. So, if you're living a superficial life that conforms to all the marketing hype and all the inconsistencies of the average modern lifestyle, are you being true to yourself? Are you afraid of what you'll be missing if you really peel away all the levels of superficiality and live the life and dreams that REALLY represent the values and what's important to you? Digging down to truly find these answers and making hard decisions to discard the superficial layers and simply become the you that you really want to be deep down. It could get ugly. You could lose friends, have to give up your job, be ostracized by your relatives and despised by your immediate family if they are addicted to the superficial.

There are quite a few people in our society who are being true to themselves. They choose to live very different lifestyles to what the mainstream, average individual and family lives. They often live very simply, occupy considerably less space, require significantly less money, live in locations that inspire through nature rather than over stimulate through 24/7 noise and light pollution, congestion and a mind numbing over abundance of choices. But, once you know who you REALLY are, you'll be able to decide what works for the life you truly want to live and you'll feel you're being true to yourself. There will be an adjustment period to whatever you choose. There will be stress. There may be a learning curve. It's probably not a great idea to go "cold turkey," but create a plan with a timeline and go through the "withdrawal" from your current life to your REAL life. Maybe this sounds scary. From my own experience, I found it to be scary. But, the best way to overcome fear is to face it head on.  

So, "Who Are You . . . REALLY?" There's no better time than right now to find out!

A Simple Lesson About STRESS

An old college friend dropped me an email last night with the following story. It struck a chord with me and thought it might strike the same chord with you.

A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and explaining stress management to an audience with a raised glass of water. Everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, 'half empty or half full?'... She fooled them all .... "How heavy is this glass of water?" she inquired with a smile. Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. To 20 oz.

She replied , "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.

If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "and that's the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden - holding stress longer and better each time practiced. So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night.... Pick them up tomorrow."

You Are Not Alone

Everyone has some stress in life. Actually, doctors say that a certain amount of stress is good for everyone. It keeps us on our toes. It keeps us sharp. It motivates us to take necessary actions and accomplish things that need to be done. But, there is a big difference between that "certain amount of stress" and living in a constantly stressful world where there is always several things on your shoulders and eating away at you.

I like the example of the glass of water the young woman used in her illustration in this story. I have chosen to live free and one of the things I wanted to be free of was the stress I allowed myself to live under for all of my adult life until I began to make significant changes to my lifestyle. There is a good chance you are either still living under all that stress or you remember what it was like and how it could consume you.

We have personal stresses, family stresses, financial stresses, job or business stresses and stresses that aren't yours, but are laid on you by others so you can share their misery. Of course, the reality is that most of our stress is self-imposed. What I mean by that is simply this. We choose to be under stress or accept other people's stress.

Stress often involves fear and worry. If you've read enough self-help, personal development books you've probably read that fear is defined as "False Expectations Appearing Real." If you've never heard that before, you can Google it and find a lot of reading material about "fear."

Worry goes hand in hand with fear and results in stress. In fact, most things people worry about never actually happen. When something does happen it's seldom even close to the consequence the subject of the worry expected. And, in the very, very small percentage of the time when something truly catastrophic happens, there is seldom ever any amount of worrying that could have prevented the outcome. Worry is actually the main component of generalized anxiety disorder, which is a serious mental illness that manifests in any number of physical symptoms and can actually disable individuals. Approximately 7 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with the disorder and there are probably a few times that many who have not been diagnosed.

Here's the important thing to think about. If you've made a choice to adopt a "living free" lifestyle, then you should automatically be releasing much of the stress (and fears and worries) you lived with before you made the lifestyle change. If, however, you still are carrying albatrosses around your neck and the weight of the world on your shoulders, you have some serious work to do, yet. You may even want to schedule an appointment with your primary doctor and possibly a clinical psychologist who specializes in stress and stress reduction.

Life Is Short

Let's face it! Life is short! Everyone, yes, including you, were born with a terminal disease. We're all going to die. Now, there are lots of things that can contribute to and cause premature death including accidents of all kinds, diseases of all kinds and STRESS (with its accompanying fear and worry).

Accidents happen and we all hope we won't be the victim of an accident. But, letting this possibility stress you out and cause you to spend your priceless time fearing everything that might result in an action and worrying about it, may actually accelerate your demise from health issues caused by the stress.

The same is true of diseases. No one wants to hear his or her doctor tell you have some form of cancer or coronary disease or any other kind of disease for that matter. So, instead of allowing stress (worry and fear) to control major parts of your life, why not be preemptive. Learn what you need to do at the various stages of life to maintain a healthy body and mind. Don't stress about what might happen, enjoy the health you have and keep yourself healthy (you'll also be happier).

Of course, there is the very small percentage of people who will find out at the 11th hour that they have Stage 4 of some form of cancer or they have a 95% blockage of a major artery or an abdominal aneurysm or something else and it's too late to do anything about it. That is, unfortunately, the luck of the draw. It won't help to spend your time worrying about death, that's going to happen. If you're fortunate enough to know you have three or six months or a year, then having an up to date "Life List" (or Bucket List if you want to be negative about it) is the best possible thing. Focus on that list and start experiencing everything you can on the list immediately. It's actually been documented that people with a list and who attack their list aggressively rather than worrying about the inevitable, will extend their lives.

The one thing you do have the most control over is Stress (and the accompanying fear and worry), so why choose to let stress control your life? Here's a reality. For most of us who have lived an active, busy, hectic occupational life and family life, we've been living under massive stress most of our life and have simply adjusted to it and accepted it as a way of life. Making the choice of letting go of your past life and adopting a lifestyle of freedom may actually be more stressful than your previous stressful lifestyle of the past 10, 20, 30, 40 or more years. It was that way for me. There have only been a few super stressful times in my life (the rest of my stress was just the daily, accepted, constant stress). One of those super stressful times and, perhaps, the most stressful, was when I made the transition from the lifestyle I'd led for about 40 years to my lifestyle of living free.

Reducing Stress Is Stressful

It was a very difficult, challenging and, yes, I'll use the word, stressful experience. And, it's not that four and a half years later I'm without all stress. However, as I've told people, my financial overhead reduced by 80% when I made the transition. I no longer had a house and property on my back. I didn't have all the stuff to warehouse and pay insurance for. I simply figured out what I needed to maintain, like health insurance, vehicle insurance, minimal clothes, etc. and that's all I had to be concerned with. Pleased notice, I said "concerned with" not "worry about" or "stress over." I can honestly say my life is the most stress free it's ever been. I'm personally freer and happier than I've ever been and the only thing I question is why I didn't do it years earlier. I have no desire to ever return to the lifestyle I left. There is absolutely nothing appealing about it or that I miss. And, all the people who I've come in contact with and met who have made this same choice and have been living free (many of them considerably longer than me) have said the same thing.

So, how long can you hold that glass of water at arm's length in front of you before you'll begin realizing the negative impact the "stress" will have on your arm and shoulder? Will you worry you'll spill it? Do you fear that if you spill it you'll damage something? What is making you hold that glass out in front of you at arm's length? Do you have something to prove by it? Do you really care what other people think? You can put it down anytime you choose to. After all, who is the boss of your life? I sure hope you are.