To Whom the “Accidents” Happen
I’ve talked to many people that have well above average incomes but are not able to live a peaceful life at a level that co-insides with their income level and in many cases they are almost broke! FYI, according to the US Census Bureau, the US household median income in 2006 was $48,201.00. While talking with these people I realize in most cases thier financial situation is completely their fault! I know some will think that’s a bit harsh and uncalled for but stay with me here for a minute. Trust me I know “life happens” and sometimes it kicks the hell out of you and sometimes we can’t do much about it. I get that, I really do. People do get sick, people do lose jobs, marriages do implode, people do wreck cars coming home from parties, and yes a Peruvian stripper can steal your wallet when you’re not looking! In most though cases it really comes down to how you live your life both before and after these challenges arise. It usually comes down to you. This brings me to a very powerful 100-something year old quote I found some time ago while reading:
Did you ever observe to whom the accidents happen? Chance favors only the prepared mind -Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)
Maybe you didn’t make yourself invaluable in the workplace, maybe you failed to give your relationship the attention it needed, maybe you could have paid down debts to eliminate risk, maybe you could have cared better for your health, maybe you could have given a bigger tip to your stripper friend, and maybe you could have worked harder to build a solid financial foundation to plant your family on top of so when it rains (and it will rain) you’re still on a solid footing. Maybe you had a part in what happened.
After reading the quote above I realized there are certain people around me that seem to have crazy things happen to them almost every day. They seem to live life running from one fire to another. Does this remind you of someone you know, maybe even yourself? These people are usually easy to spot since they start most conversations with “you’ll never believe what happened to me”. I think if you were to write down every retarded thing that’s happened them in the last 6 months you would likely find a common denominator…THEM! It’s them…it’s how they live their lives. They have no focus, no self accountability, no self control, no drive and no discipline to change. Many poeple though do have the ability to recognize their positions and fight like hell until they either change it or die from it.
Lets take a minute and try an exercise, take a friend’s crazy life and write down all the nutty things that have happened “to” them in the last six months. Now have a good laugh at their expense, don’t tell them you did this though – it’s bad form! Then the next time they say “you won’t believe what happened to me yesterday” extend a bit of grace and maybe a little advice because we all know we’ve all been there. Now get off your lazy butt and do the same thing for your life. Make a list of your recent crazy happenings. Then make a list of what you’re going to do about it (note the only person who fix something about it is you….not your mommy, not your boss, and especially not the government!) Unlike many people who refuse to take responsibility for their lives, be a FinancialFreak and take control of your situation and work like hell to fix it!
Another great quote from Louis Pasteur sums it up pretty well:
When you work seven days a week, fourteen hours a day, you get lucky.
Comment and tell me and the other readers what you’re going to do about this starting today. (A little accountability never hurt anyone right?)
...."so when I got home we had a talk and decided this money situation had to change. I didn’t know how I was going to change it, we were barely making enough money to cover the monthly payments so how the H-E-double-hockey-sticks was I going to fix it?"