As someone who has managed money her whole adult life as profession I can tell you I enjoy looking into other peoples perspective on the ” Haves and the Have not’s.”  Now this may sound weird to you, but then again you do not know me.    I am self help/spiritual junkie, who loves to throw in a little (maybe a lot) of  motivational reading just to keep it Upbeat kind of girl.  People just intrigue me.   I remember when I was a little girl, I loved to hang back while the other kids played and the women talked, just so I could get the scoop on things.   Nosey… I’ll give you that ..along the way I just loved to try figure out what makes people tick.    I always thought money was a big part of it.  Now I am not so sure.  Here is what I do know…sometimes privileged lives do not lead to success .  Actually often times it leads to failure.  We have to be careful to not give everything to our kids in the material world.  What they need is our time.  All of our loved ones do.

Here is what I believe after living and breathing in the financial world for over 30 years.  Time is the only way each and every human being on the planet is created equal.  To quote Taylor Swift it is  our “Blank Slate”.  Every single day we get one.  You, me , the neighbors, your parents  the postman,  everybody gets a blank slate.   The difference is how we all  spend it.  When you think about it,  it is pretty easy to see what is important to other people because that is how they spend their days.  Always remember this….People do what is important to THEM.  Not to  you. For some it might be working and watching TV every night with the countdown to Friday, so they can do what ?? Watch more TV.   For others it is golf, tennis, kids soccer games, playing guitar,working out or   playing video games. Some people can only work , their mind is on the business everyday 24/7.   They will do all the other stuff later.  This is where is gets to be a problem.  We all think we can wait and do something when the kids go off to college  or when we retire or sell the business.  We can’t.  Life is not suppose to work that way.  Money is not the best currency,  TIME IS!!  Money can come and go in your life. Money gives you options.   Time just goes.  You can not get it back..  This is so important to understand.  There are more very rich, lonely depressed people in the world than you will ever know. Guess what ??? The money does not love them back! HA!  It is not supposed to.  When someone gets really sick or dies, we and they usually have regrets.   Time is your best currency.

I will never forget a women coming to my office one day early in my career.  She was so excited,she had saved money her whole life .  She was a well respected principal at a private school.  She sat down and told me that now she was going to live her life.  She was 65.   I was so excited for her.  Unfortunately a few months later I got a phone call from one of her family members telling me she had died.   It me  took a very long time for me not to think about her every day.  As she spent her years counting the money, time was slipping by.   I am not advocating everyone cash in their 401Ks and take off to never never land.  What I am trying to point out is every day is a gift and the most important things in life can not be bought.  They are to me the simple things . A sunrise anywhere there is a big open space.   A heart to heart with one of my dearest friends, walking my dog with enough time that we both enjoy it.  Having a cup of tea with my mom.   Laying on my back looking up at the stars.  Watching the butterflies dance in my garden.   Going to the beach and paddle boarding.  Talking to my favorite clients about their adventures and listening to their stories.  Riding my bike on a bright sunny day. Cooking the kids favorite foods and watching the Voice together.  Volunteering at a local charity.  These are just some of my favorite things and none of it costs any money.  It is how I like spending my time.  All these moments fill me  with gratitude for the beautiful life I have.  They make me take stock of the NOW.  The other day I was talking to my friend Kim and we were laughing because I said “life is so good I wish I did not have to sleep.”  I meant it. When you spend your time doing the things you love everyday it creates such a sense of joy you bubble over.

We all have times in our life where sh#t happens and we get stuck and it is hard to move on.  We loose someone we love for whatever reason.  Someone gets sick.  Another person we know could be violated in someway.  Things happen way beyond our control everyday .   We have to remember that it is up to us to forgive.  It is up to us to not let it be our excuse not to live.   Some of it is big and some of it not.  We get to decide how long we hang on to anger, fear, depression, anxiety and stress.   We get to decide how much fun or not we want to have. Our perception about our experience means more than anything to the outcome.  You are in control… of Your thoughts. Period.  That is the only thing your can control.

How do you spend your currency?   The  first time this thought popped in my head I could not shake it.   No one promises you tomorrow.   You have to be Present.  That is what that means.  If you are hanging out with one of your family members or BFF’s, put the phone down.  Listen and ask questions.   Become aware of the habits you are creating.   When someone speaks they want to be heard.  Duh.  Always wondering how things are going to work out is a waste of time.   I am guilty of it too, but I try to catch my self.   I tell myself over and over again, the only thing I have control over in life is how I respond.  People can disappoint you by not showing up or engaging with you, the only thing you have control over is how you respond.  If time is your currency are you going to stay in a field of disappointment or are you doing something good for yourself?.  Always choose the later.    There is an old saying “actions speak louder than words.”  I love that one.   If time is your currency who are you spending time with?Where do they have you going and what do they have you doing??  Who are you wasting time with?   Are you responding to life knowing you are living your best life now?  If not, why??? Do what you love people!  Be around the ones that love you back, lift you up.  Go to your happy place more often.   Paint that painting, ride the horse, try something new.  If you are blessed give.  If you do not have money to give,  how about giving some of that currency we call time to make the world a better place.   No one gets a U-Haul behind them when they die.  No one lies on their death bed saying I wished I would have finished watching those TV shows.   This blog started because I felt the world was on a negative binge and it was getting worse every day.  It freaked me out.  I knew I could not change the world, but maybe just maybe, if one person had a better day because I could write about some of my thoughts and feelings it  could help. The feedback has been amazing.   I do this for me.  I have kept journals for 30 years as a way to deal with the stress in life. I do not need a therapist . What I needed is figure out how to live my best life everyday.  I have learned how to cope and respond. When life throws me lemons I make lemonade. We can all change the world around us if we change just a little by doing and being what we love. Have the heart to heart conversation, take that trip,  write that book ,  and live more in the moment.  Life does not have a fast forward or a rewind button.  All you get is one day at a time.  Please do not waste it on stuff that does not matter.  Our currency is so important.  How are you spending yours??

Try to remember … Who is better than you??? NOBODY!!