The race is on!

Money has always interested me. Not that I wouldn't enjoy more money, but that's not quite why it has interested me. Money has the interesting ability to make people lose their minds. Just hang around a lottery booth when the jackpots get high and see the mob trying to get their winning ticket and you'll see what I mean. Reality shows are crammed full of people who will do anything for a shot at a few dollars, and for a million they'll give up their friends and family for a month or more.

I've always found it astonishing that no matter how much money anybody makes, or has, they never have enough. We all seem to know this as we see the likes of Bill Gates and Donald Trump Trump and the like constantly driven to make more and more money. Yet we are foolish enough to try to pursue more money in the hopes that will improve our lot in life. The interesting part is that in the race for more money, we rarely have time to live our lives. People work such long hours that they rarely see their kids anymore. I know married people who see each other maybe an hour a day if they are lucky. You can measure success in whatever way you want, but I think that if you want to be happy, you should really learn to be content with what you have. Set goals and gain what you can, but always be aware of the greater cost. I would never want to be so busy that I can't stop and have a coffee with a friend, or play with the kids. Money's like drinking folks, you have to know when to say enough is enough.

While it's true that money can't buy happiness, it is also true that plenty of money can distract you from true happiness. It seems hard to be sad if you live in a massive house and own a few boats and planes. There are people out there who live the "good life" as we are lead to believe that would happily trade it all for a simpler life and people that truly care about them. I'm glad I'm not wealthy as I am not surrounded by people trying to suck up to me. What's to gain by kissing my ass? Bad breath. I proclaim this year as the year of the self audit. Take a good solid inventory of what you are and what you have. Don't just look in your drawers and houses, but look into yourself. Are you really happy? Is it a new TV that will make you happy? Probably not, but it'll give you something to watch when you are depressed. Instead of moping about how crappy your luck is and how life's keeping you down you should take a stand and make changes. You can sit and grumble, or you can turn things upside down and find the true way. The sooner you start living for yourself and stop trying to keep everyone else happy, the better off you'll be.

The funniest part about re-prioritizing your life and goals is that you can sometimes be completely stunned at the things you learn about yourself when you take a moment to really understand who you've become over the years of chasing your goals.

Disclaimer - This is a direct side effect of people with money complaining about their lack of it. This also is in response to them asking me how I can be so happy most of the time when I'm not wealthy and work is a little nuts. Find your happy place and try not to laugh at the rich people, they can afford really good lawyers.