Life is NOT about making Money

As I was gazing at stars tonight in the pool, I had this thought…

I want to be financially free just like the next person, but this does not mean I should be living my whole life only to make money.

I spend a lot of time thinking about how I will earn my next dollar.  I think a lot of people do, and I realized that I do not want to be consumed by the thought of money.  Life is so much more than these pieces of paper we use for transactions.

So what is life about?  …It’s NOT about making money.

  • Life is about making the world better than it was before you came to this Earth.
  • Life is about having a positive influence on the lives of others.
  • Life is about finding something you truly love doing, then doing it until you become an expert!
  • Life is about spending time with people who support & love you; stop spending time with people who only bring you down.
  • Life is about the adventure.
  • Life is about finding answers to questions but also accepting that some questions won’t be answered.
  • Life is about Living.

What is life about for you?

Life is not meant to be wasted constantly thinking about the dollar bill.  Or the five, or the ten, or the twenty, fifty, not even the hundred dollar bill.  Crazy huh?

I know that money is a necessity when it comes to paying the bills and raising a family, but you can be pursuing what you love as you make money in another way (A Job) until you start getting paid for what you love doing (Your Captivating Career).

Do you truly want to spend your days consumed by the thought of money?  Or do you want to free your mind and start truly living the life meant to be lived?  The choice is yours…

Get off of the couch and go for a walk.  Call a friend or family member.  Think about how you can positively impact this world, your community, one person, and then do it!  Take time to think of what you love doing, and try to figure out how you can make a job out of it.  Appreciate and be thankful for what you have, for one day, this too shall pass.

Think it’s impossible? It’s not. More and more people are doing what they love. This is a new day, a new age, a new generation. Here is one awesome example of a person who quit their job to follow their passion:

How to Quit Your Job, Move to Paradise, and Get Paid to Change the World

Please leave a comment below if you’d like.  Let me know what Life is about for you.

     And enjoy each moment of this beautiful mystery we call Life.

45 Life Lessons

  1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
  2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
  3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
  4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
  5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
  6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
  7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
  8. Save for retirement, starting with your first paycheck.
  9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
  10. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
  11. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
  12. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
  13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
  14. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
  15. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
  16. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
  17. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
  18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
  19. Burn the candles; use the nice sheets; wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
  20. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
  21. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
  22. The most important sex organ is the brain.
  23. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
  24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
  25. Forgive everyone everything.
  26. What other people think of you is none of your business.
  27. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
  28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
  29. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
  30. Believe in miracles.
  31. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
  32. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
  33. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
  34. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
  35. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
  36. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
  37. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
  38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
  39. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
  40. The best is yet to come.
  41. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
  42. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
  43. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
  44. Yield.
  45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

These are all so good.  I read this a few times!  Credit to Regina Brett.  Which is your favorite??

My First Week in Denver

It’s hard to believe that I have been in Denver Colorado for a full week.  My car ride here seemed like an eternity, but everything sped up as soon as I arrived.  There’s something about being in good company that makes time go fast, and I am very grateful to be in good company.  I am currently staying at my good friend Kory’s house.  He and his roommates are all friendly positive people; a trend I’ve noticed by most of the people in Denver.  Anyway, here are the details of my first week in Denver, beginning with the car ride.

I left my hometown on Friday March 10th to head to my sister and her husband’s house in Kentucky.  My parents had planned to visit them that weekend so it worked out perfectly for me, as this would make the ride to Colorado a little shorter and I’d get to visit some family!  I followed my parents to my sister’s house in which we got there in about 7 hours.  It always feels so good arriving to a destination after a long haul.  I spend the next couple days with my family in Kentucky and we had a great time.  Louisville is a beautiful city, but the experiences we all have depend on the people you’re with.  I’m lucky because I really enjoy spending time with my family.  Anyway, after a nice weekend with some of the family, I departed for Denver Monday morning around 9:00AM.

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Some of the Family at Sister’s Wedding

The GPS told me that Denver was 16 hours away.  I was super excited to drive for almost a whole day…but not really.  I did feel pretty good for the first few hours of driving; I think my adrenaline was still going.  I went to a rest stop after those first hours for a short bathroom stop then immediately went back to driving.  I do love blasting music to help make the car ride easier, but I also listen to podcasts and audio books.  I definitely recommend listening to podcasts and books to anyone making a long trip.  Moving on, I continued driving through Indiana, Illinois and Missouri.  I stopped once every 3-4 hours to either get gas, go to the bathroom or get food.  I planned on driving straight through without sleeping, and so far I felt fine.  Then along came Kansas, a stretch of over 500 miles.  I arrived at Kansas right after going through Kansas City Missouri-which was the only time I missed an exit during my trip.  I was frustrated I missed the exit, but it was an easy fix that only took away about 10 minutes of my time.  I’m not a huge fan of speeding drivers in a big city with exits all over the place.  I definitely understand why it’s easy to get upset while driving.  I finally got out of Kansas City and I was halfway to my destination around 5:00PM.  I was relieved to not have to drive through any more big cities.  I continued driving through the plains of Kansas, where I passed by some places that looked like what I’d imagine Hell to be.  This was the time where I was really hoping my car wouldn’t

break down, and it didn’t!  Thank you grandma for the car!  It still works.  Around 10:00PM when I was somewhere in Kansas I stopped for McDonald’s.  I wanted to arrive at my friend’s house at a reasonable time, not 2 or 3AM, so I decided to try and find a place to sleep.  The place I found was the parking lot of a grocery store.  Good times.  It took me more than 30 minutes to get to sleep, and I woke up only after 45 minutes of sleeping.  I couldn’t sleep any more so I kept driving.  I took my time driving, stopping at a couple more rest stops before finally arriving in Denver!  I arrived around 3:30AM and didn’t want to wake up my friend or roommates in the middle of the night so I slept and stayed in my car until 6:00AM.  I was very happy to finally be in Denver!  After catching up with my friend for a bit I went to sleep but only for a couple hours.

I woke up feeling refreshed, but knew I’d probably be tired later on.  I and one of Kory’s friends, Boy, walked into downtown Denver to check out the city.  Yes his name is Boy, he’s from Amsterdam, really cool guy.  It was a great day to walk around as the weather was in the 70’s!  We went to a couple stores then got some coffee at a café.  We walked through a couple parks too, they’re everywhere in Denver!  It was a good first day, I ended up walking over 10 miles.  The next day I went for an interview for a consulting job.  They gave me a second interview the same day and offered me the job but I didn’t accept it.  The hours were too many for not enough pay and I plan on substitute teaching.  I enjoy checking out different job opportunities though.  The next couple of days I applied to more jobs and got in contact with some school districts.  Anyway, the weekend was here already, and the weather was still amazing.  Denver is pretty cool at night too.  I went out with a group of people on Friday and we had a couple drinks and just enjoyed some of the bars around the area.  It was a relaxing night with some good conversations.  I’m excited to explore more of Denver; I always enjoy finding the hidden wonders of an area.  The next day was the best yet.  Kory, Boy and I went to a huge park to meet some friends and play volleyball and football.  It was 80 degrees and sunny; beautiful weather with the snow covered mountains in the background.  We played for hours and I got pretty sore.  Afterward we all relaxed for a bit then had a couple drinks.  A few of us had a great conversation that led to laughing more than I have in a long time.  Sunday came and we pretty much watched March Madness basketball all day.  Let’s go UNC!!!  Good times..

So as I sit here writing this I’m excited for what the next week holds.  It’s always awesome discovering new places, but remember, it’s all about the people you’re with!