We are conditioned to think from an early age that the wealthiest people are the ones we ought to emulate. We’re bombarded with their actions on television and in the news. Entire magazines are dedicated to following the lives of the usually rich, and generally famous.

It’s not that our parents told us money would make us happy. Most of us were told that money isn’t ‘everything’. We humans have this tendency to ignore words, then listen to actions.

When dad worked through the weekend, or mom gushed over that new diamond ring, we took something from that. A thing that makes us think, “The more money and things I have the happier I will be.” Every episode of E! True Hollywood Story reinforced that into our impressionable childhood personas. We’ve been given a mission: to consume and to take as much as we can. That is the highest honor.

“Let us work for dollars so that we may buy happiness!”

Somewhere down the road though, most of us realized it wasn’t true. Divorce, suicide, depression, Xanax, all these things gave us the hint that maybe money wasn’t that great after all. Still though, what else is there? It’s not like we’ve actually been given any other options.

We visit psychologists and psychiatrists. Trade sad little stories for prescriptions. Sometimes they make it better, sometimes the drugs do the job they’re supposed to. They’re just trying to get the levels in my brain right; that takes some time I suppose.

“One day they’ll find that perfect cocktail for me.”

I found out that the time I got lost in the grocery store as a child causes some of my problems and maybe somebody molested me as a kid. I’m going to hypno-therapy to find out. I’m learning how to tell a really good story. The more I realize everyone else screwed me over in life, the more reasons I have to cry, err, I mean be happy.

I found out that I’m in bondage to a spirit of happiness, that’s what they told me down at the first baptologist church of the fifth night. Monday night is deliverance night, Xenu showed up one time, and a picture of baby Jesus appeared in someone’s napkin after they wiped their mouth. He was in a cradle and everything, just like the nativity. I’m really hoping this deliverance session works out.

Someone told me a large donation will grease the palms of heaven, helping me out of this gosh darned happiness.

Governments create initiatives. Grand schemes to produce better fathers, reduce unwed mothers, rehabilitate people back into society. Never mind you that these seem to never work. All that is needed are bigger budgets. So raise taxes, increase budget deficits, and then once we’ve spent enough, we’ll be happy!

If I was only protected from those evil immigrants, dirty bombs, knives, drunk drivers, health concerns, tax dodgers, and dope peddlers. Then life would be great.

Has anybody seen my freaking prozac?

Politics, sex, love, divorce, suicide, drugs, religion. Wash, rinse, and repeat. Is it possible that something’s missing? Is it possible that somebody’s hiding something from us? Perhaps there’s a secret most people don’t know, perhaps we’re uninformed.

Maybe money isn’t really everything.

Is it possible that wanting something outside of ourselves, that striving to make a positive difference and having a little hope can make us into something better?

I’m living in Serbia right now, and the lack of hope is extremely apparent in most people here. When something bad happens I hear, “This is Serbia.” It’s as though being screwed over is something to be expected. People expect life to be crappy here, life tends to meet their expectations.

Throughout human history, different groups of people have said “Enough is enough.” People have decided that things must change, that the possibility of change is worth sacrificing everything for. Something strange happens in those moments. Things change when people ask for something better. At times only small changes occur, but in rare moments the entire world changes.

Could the reality of things be that we have to hope for more? That we have to expect more out of ourselves? Is demanding more out of life actually a good thing?

Can we make this world into a better place? Will those with hope band together? Will people chose to ignore the status quo?

I want to hope so.

I try to live for it. I try to show respect, to forgive, to look for the best in people. I try to remember that there’s more to this life than the television. I try to build something better, to give more and consume less. Sometimes I succeed.

I’ll keep living for those moments, and I hope maybe you’ll join me.

Why do you elude me when I need you the most? Is it because I spend more than I save? Or is it because I have champagne taste but a beer pocket? Maybe I can just use the economy as my scapegoat?

You probably have an array of reasons why you or your business is cash poor. Maybe you spend too much, make too little, went through a rough patch, or simply don’t know how to say no.

What it probably boils down to, though, is poor (or no) financial planning. Good financial planning will help you succeed and potentially live a good life. The question remains, can you live a great life without money? Perhaps, if you’re deserted on island and no one exists, but let’s get real; you need it to survive and thrive more often than not.

As of late, everyone seems to talk about money (or the lack of it), and this shouldn’t be the sole objective of our lives. However, at the end of the day, everything we do involves money (most of our life is dedicated to get it). So if you want to survive in today’s world, you must plan for your (or your business’s) future. Never live day-to-day thinking tomorrow is going to be okay, always plan for the worst. When worst actually hits, it will be a minor bump in the road. Having financial freedom will help your stress levels decrease and can put your mind at ease. Recessions are looming and scary, but a love for economics has shown me that on average the pain lasts eleven months. So with an emergency fund and a good financial plan, you can still insulate yourself better than an attic!

Here’s a favorite resource to get you started.

Now go make some paper and save some if it, too!

-SM