Wisdom can be found Anywhere
A few years ago, I had interviewed my grandparents for a video I made using their old 8mm home movies, and to this day something my grandfather said stays with me. He was telling me how so many of his friends were focused on being rich, and focused on the top jobs, and the big incomes, and he remembers how young they all were when they passed on and how little they saw their families, and how much they missed in life. Now my grandfather was no slouch he managed a loan company back when banks didn’t give loans, and was able to provide for his family, though he can tell you how bad the depression, and war years were. But he didn’t look for a CEO or “big-wig” job. He went home at the end of the day to his wife and two sons. He spent the weekend at baseball games, and working on his grass. He took time for family vacations, and to sit on the porch with his wife after the children were in bed.
I remember he said that the secret to life was being happy, and enjoying it. That he never needed a huge mansion, or fancy cars, or millions of dollars. He just wanted to be able to live his life. “I didn’t want everything, I wanted happiness, and that wasn’t given by how big my house was or how much material things I had.” And the friends that did want that, he said may have gotten it, but they lost the benefit of knowing their families, and died too young to enjoy their fortunes. He knew his family wanted him more than millions.
You have heard me talk about all of my on-line venture hopes, and ways to make additional money, and it’s funny, because if you search the Internet, you can find countless people looking to make the millions, and have the fast cars, and expensive mansions.
This is what I want:
- To pay off my debt once and for all.
- Save money to buy a house, and send my children to college.
- Save enough money so that when emergencies like the last year of my life arise I can pay for them without being in debt.
- Give money to others that may be in a rough situation.
Now that won’t take millions. So are you thinking that I am crazy? It doesn’t mean that if I was offered an executive position tomorrow I wouldn’t consider it; I would as long as I could still spend my weekends at baseball games, or working on my yard, or sitting back with my wife when the kids are in bed.
Someone recently asked if I were to win the lottery tomorrow, would I stop working, and my answer was no. I still would. Maybe not at what I do today, but just to be able to earn my way. That’s my goal, my dream. And we can only hope that dreams come true. So I appreciate the suggestions, and keep them coming, and thanks for stopping by, and I hope you’ll tell a friend who can benefit from my thoughts, and it will help them Build Tomorrow!
~Another Day
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