“Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that
comes from bad judgment.” (Will Rogers ).
Experience is going through a number of choices and seeing those choices to their consequences. After awhile your
choices (or judgments) are no longer choices but your way of life, experiences
telling you the right way to live. At about age 40, I realized that not every
person in American can make a million dollars by the time they are 30 and when
I let that foolish notion go, that was when I realized the true nature of
humanity. I know now what to do with my life and it’s quite a bit different
than when I was a child or a young adult. I choose to let go of the notion that
I must make the most amount of money possible and instead try to share what I
have with others who can benefit from it.
I fully believe that humanity became fittest and
smartest in the circle of life by sharing the work with all tribal members as
best as each task fit each member and by sharing the food with all tribal
members equally. Humanity continued to progress and became the true keepers of
the planet by following this plan. Anthropologists document this and I think if
one looks deep inside one’s own heart, that truth feels right.
It’s when we
started the “every man for himself” attitudes, when we got the “he who has the
most gold wins” attitude that we started to fall apart. I suddenly noticed that
quite a few people at the top were amassing great fortunes but were not giving
back in kind to their fellow humans. They were “dying with the most toys” but that
is not winning. We all know they can’t
take those toys with them. I suddenly realize there is no important reason to
make a million dollars by the time you are 30.
For me at this time, I need to let go of things that no
longer matter. It is not even a question of needing to let go, it comes as
naturally as breathing. I no longer set a goal for a new car, just a car that
runs and is efficient on mileage (after all we all have to do our part to
reduce our dependency on oil). This helps reduce the number of cars that are
sent to the junk yards. I no longer set a goal on owning the latest fashions instead
I shop at a Goodwill retail store. This helps reduce the amount of cast off
clothing that winds up in the dumps. When I need to do repairs on my house, I
go to the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. Habitat for Humanity is an
organization that helps the less fortunate own their own homes. They work with
donated materials. The leftover (and other) donated materials are then sold at
the “re-store”. There I can find extremely affordable household repair
resources, such as molding for my walls, or carpet pieces to turn into rugs;
leftovers from other completed construction of homes. It’s not all about saving
money it’s also about respecting earth. It’s about not leaving behind a mess
for my children to clean up.
When I see a person, who needs another 6 cents to pay
for their groceries, I step up and pay it. When I know a person has looked for
a job for 2 and half years and still has not found one, I don’t judge them I
just help them as best as I can. I offer rides to job fairs or if I’m available
will give rides to those who need to make it to a job interview. I donate some
of my career clothing so that others can also look professional at interviews.
I don’t look at people and wonder how much
money they have in their bank accounts when I see how they are dressed, or
where they work. I just don’t care – that is not what is important. It’s not
about whether a person is better or worse than me, it’s about being the best
person I can be without checking to see if anyone is watching me.
In other words, I think the gifts I have to offer are
simply; use less and only take what I need. Help, pitch in, whenever I can
without questioning the other person’s motives or my own motives. I have
discovered it is about conquest, all right, but not conquering a mountain of
money, rather conquering the need to win. It’s about taking only what you need
and giving when others need. I win when I give it away and not when I take it
all. To quote once again, “Live simply that others may simply live.” (Mahatma
Gandhi). This style of living has become what I want to do with my life.
