Live it up!  Some people believe that times are getting worse.  Of course, there are many good things and improvements happening around us.  But some choose not to see those.  They only see all the problems going on in our country and in the world.

This pessimism has been around from the beginning of time!  In fact, it started with the snake that was actually the devil in the Garden of Eden.  The snake fooled Eve that they could not be happy without eating the forbidden fruit.  In effect, the snake devil convinced her to enjoy while she could.  And that was the start of real unhappiness.

Today, there is much political news that doesn’t seem to get resolved.  There is so much fraud in banking and mortgages.   Politicians seem to be running our country and the world to the ground.   Our money could become worthless in the future.  Our savings could be lost when a bank is closed down.  The investments for our children’s schooling could be lost in stock market crashes or changes in government policies.  Why then should we then care about saving?  Live in the present.  Let’s spend on what we like today. Let the future take care of itself.

Nothing could be further from correct with this kind of spending habit.  This is the act of a person who is irresponsible. If he ever matures, he will realize that all the bad habits he developed will catch up with him.  He would have a bad credit history with banks and credit cards.  He will be rejected for car loans, home loans and any kind of loan.  His poor family will suffer and he and his family will be forced to work doubly hard for other sources of income.

Well there is a choice.  I read about a man who decided to “quit money.”  He lived with whatever was cast away by others.  He became a scavenger and just lived without any purpose other than to show that it was possible to live without material things.  In other words, he was a bum.

If you do not want to live as a bum, then the lesson is to look at our country and the world as a half-full glass.  There are so many opportunities to fill it up and eventually it will fill up.  When we are optimistic, we would look for ways to improve our lives and as we improve our lives, we do our little part to help our country improve.

If you decide that life will improve, then you need to make sure you do not get into big useless debt and follow the principles of saving and growing your wealth.