Just be good, people.
Picture this: You’re in debt. You hate your job but the debt keeps you working. You’ve had some fun (but that’s part of the reason you have debt). But you’re starting to miss out on plenty of fun because you’re starting to realize you can’t afford it. And now you’re starting to feel bad about yourself, and you beat yourself up. You use critical words to describe yourself like inadequate and stupid.
Good news: You are not alone. And your problems are not unique. And it’s not as bad as you think it is.
Better news: There are several ways to win at this game. It won’t be easy, but it will be effective. I’ve done it. You want to know what it is? Here it is: Be yourself, have courage under fire, and keep forging positively forward. It’s pretty simple. It’s just three things. (1) Be yourself, (2) have courage under fire, and (3) keep forging positively forward. When you do these three things, you basically only have to wait a period of time until your success is achieved. Keep reading if you want more details, but it’s summed up in those three key goals.
For this post, I’m gonna focus on the “Forge positively forward” part. Forge. Let’s think about that. I’m not saying “pounce”, “bound” or “sprint”. Forge … it’s a slower process. “Trudge” may also be appropriate. This is also an acknowledgement that life is hard. It’s a competitive world out there and forging and trudging acknowledges some of that pain.
And it is a slower approach. Why? Well that’s a good question. Bankruptcy is pretty bad. Trying to earn a bunch of money real fast, while under the pressure of a large load of debt among all the other stresses, is risky. I’m not saying that a faster approach is impossible, but playing it safe with a pretty ordinary job will work too, and it could keep you out of bigger trouble. This is my approach.
Live within your means. Save money. Don’t buy that video game system, the big TV, the fancy phone, the fancy car, the fancy house. Work the debt off by sacrificing your ego (for a while anyway). The satisfaction will be real when it’s all paid off, and then you may treat yourself to a reward.
People have just got to be more positive. See the bright side. Be nice to other people; or at least don’t be mean to other people if they don’t deserve it. But going out of your way to be nice, has benefits too. Sadly, people have become so angry lately. It’s a sure sign that they’re just not being positive.
In life, you get out what you put in. What’s that golden rule? “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.” I want to write a post about cliches. They’re often the brunt of jokes, but they’re all true.
The late great legendary rockstar David Bowie said this one time in an interview. He said:
“That’s the shock: All cliches are true. The years really do speed by. Life really is as short as they tell you it is. And there really is a God – so do I buy that one? If all the other cliches are true… Hell, don’t pose me that one.”
Now we all know that everyone has bad days. Expressing frustration is a good and healthy thing. It’s called communication. But don’t abuse this. And think about to whom you express your frustration.
Compare this to the black hole of negativity. Excessive negativity just leads to bad things, period. Express your frustrations to a person or two, hopefully a trusted confidant, mentor or partner. But spout off too much and risk branding yourself as an angry belligerent.
Times are tough for many people. That’s understood. Hopefully there not so tough as to call for drastic desperate measures. (another cliche in there somewhere)
And God forbid that desperate measures turns into intense hatred or violence. Blinded by rage, people have trouble controlling themselves and they do dumb things. And this will usually just prolong their misery by creating more problems. Feuds. Legal problems. Which usually just end up taking more time, money and energy you could be spending elsewhere.
Exercise is a also a great way to blow off steam, not to mention the general health benefits of working out. Join a gym. Or maybe even just do some sit-ups, push-ups, and squats. That only takes about 5 minutes. Its free! And it can be done anywhere … your bedroom, your office, or in a park somewhere.
The power of good is that you can’t be ignored. When you deliver positive value over and over again, and hone your product or service continually (the “forward” part of the forging positively forward), it might be a slow process, but eventually you will be successful.
Just be good, people. Forge positively forward.