My One And Probably Only Ever Post On Politics

So with all this political nonsense going on, there's a lot of bad feelings going around.  There are so many instances where conversations have to stop to save relationships.  I think that's sad.  One of the greatest things I've come to know in this life is that people are allowed to have different opinions.  It is impossible to please everyone and it's impossible to agree with everyone on all things.  But that's OKAY!!  This world works on free agency.  We all get to choose how we think, act, and feel.  As a result, we all must respect that how we think, act, and feel is going to be different from other people.  Conversations should be stimulating, not abusive.  It's not a bad thing to have others disagree with your stance on the world.  If everyone thought the same way, there would be no growth or learning.  In my life, I've come to find that there are times when other people are right I'm wrong, but there will also be times where it's reversed.  But most often, there will be times when there is no such thing as right or wrong (or at least no way to measure it). So, for what it's worth, I felt inclined to explain my opinion.  If you agree with me, then great!  If you don't, then great!  There will probably be something else down the line that we do agree on.

I believe that our country was made great because of the opportunity it presented.  It offered a chance for people to find freedom.  Freedom to live, freedom to choose, freedom to take their lives into their own hands.  This was made most evident in the Declaration of Independence: "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."  In that pursuit, all individuals have the right to succeed.  What's more is they have the right to fail.  It may seem impossibly frustrating to have a modest living, or be worse off than even that, and see others soaking in the dough.  But that's the way it is.  Not everything is fair in life.  I know of this firsthand.  I have never been well off.  In fact, I'm currently at the bottom end of the spectrum.  I know that jealousy for those who have wealth can poison my thinking and my very soul.  But, what I've learned is that successful people do what unsuccessful people won't.  The richest in the world are there because they (or someone before them) have worked very hard and gone through a lot of trials to reap the benefit of luxury.  So why should they be held accountable for my life?  I'm down here, not necessarily for doing anything wrong, but for not doing enough of the right things.  I have no one to point fingers at for my situation but myself.  And I have no one to expect to save me from my situation but myself.

I think the formula for success is a lot of hard work, time, dedication, and desire.  There's also an element of luck.  Luck is what happens in life by chance.  However, just because luck is by chance doesn't mean that you can't influence it.  When you work your very hardest.  When you power through the exhaustion and frustration.  When you do all that you can and keep going through all the bad crap...Something amazing happens: you start attracting that luck into your life.  Lucky people don't win the lottery or come into wealth or success by sheer chance alone (and if they do they don't stay at the top for long).  Lucky people first and continuously do the work required to be able to reign in the luck when it's made available.

So who am I to take away the fruits of their labor?  There is a large division of classes in our world.  The poorest are starving with no way to help themselves and the richest are spending frivolously without a care in the world.  So who is it that has the hardest challenges in life?  Who is the "worst off"?  Your immediate answer may be the starving and helpless children, but who are you to decide?  Outward success alone does not equal inward happiness.  And outward success alone does not equal a care-free life forevermore.  We all have our own vices and demons to fight and none of us can understand the life experience of another.

Instead of trying to bring down those at the top and take away the opportunity to succeed, what SHOULD (I use this modestly because I hate the word "should") be happening is strengthening those are the bottom.  I fully, 100% with all my life, mind, and soul believe in helping the needy.  But I do NOT believe in supporting the lazy.  You help those at the bottom to get their own start by providing that little bit of "luck" they were missing: the opportunity and the education.  Whether or not they want to take advantage of it and put the work into it is up to them.  And trust me when I say that most wouldn't - after all, they're free to fail.

So we're back to freedom. How does freedom work in society?  And what exactly is the government's role?  It is to provide order.  Rules, regulations, and order are prudent for any society or institution.  In order for the system to work, however, those rules and regulations must be based around the purpose of the system.  Looking back at the Declaration of Independence, the system was meant to protect the unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.  Freedom is defined as "the state of being...at liberty rather than in confinement...; exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.; the power to determine action without restraint."  I think that fits the description of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness  perfectly.  Knowing all this, it would seem to me that the true purpose of our government is to protect our individual and collective freedom.  That's a very simple answer.  So, then, how did it all become so convoluted?  I can sum it up in one word: POWER.

Power is the most addictive drug there is.  Entire countries cause massive wars with other countries to keep or gain it just as a rowdy class vies to take it from the passive teacher.  The need for power causes a person to lie, manipulate, sell, trade, beg, plead, cry, fight, and kill.  If I am thinking correctly, the professions in our society that are most often associated with this behavior are lawyers and politicians.  What makes any of the candidates running for office any different?  I can't tell you who is "better" because I simply don't know.  But what I do know is that our government is not working because it's focusing on everything outside of its actual purpose.  It's trying desperately to reign in on the power it has grown exponentially since it was first established.  We don't need the government to "fix" most of the things they "broke" because they were never meant to be involved in the first place.  They don't realize that it is "broken" because of their presence in the issue.

Maybe this presidential race comes down to the lesser of two evils like I've so often heard (although, if everyone who wanted to vote for Ron Paul, but won't because they see it as a wasted vote, actually voted for him, he would have a surprisingly high chance).  Which makes the question of the day simple: which candidate is the lesser of the two evils?  In this post I've talked a lot about personal finances and growth, but there are so many more issues at stake.  When looking at it from a power perspective, I think what it really boils down to is the amount of government policy each person intends to bring to the table.  In my opinion, less is more.  With that said, it also comes down to the issues that each person holds as most important.  Who is it (if either) that builds people up, keeps a reasonably secure hold on safety inside and outside of our borders, and keeps a big-picture perspective rather than only seeing in-the-moment?

There will never be a single candidate that I will agree with 100%.  And it's very likely that the issues I've brought to the forefront in this post are the furthest from your personal concerns.  But I, too, have the freedom and inalienable right to have an opinion.  If I had to vote today I would vote for Romney, even if it was simply to keep Obama out of the White House.  My personal opinion is not necessarily in support of Romney (I honestly haven't done enough research to know), but more against Obama.  I feel that in his first term Obama created more issues than he solved.  That is besides the fact that he is doing a fabulous job at splitting our country right down the middle.  From what I've seen, you would either vote for Obama with absolute certainty right now in this moment, or you're automatically ostracized.  Political issues aside, I cannot support someone who holds and exercises that much power at the expense of the innate right to have the freedom to choose.  Honestly, that alone goes against everything I've just talked about.  So now, whether or not you cared, you know how I feel.  Even if you don't agree with me, I really hope you respect my freedom to choose just as much as I respect yours.  Because if you don't, you're really just making my point for me.

Fourteen Days In!

So, the LegalShield commercials have been playing here in Denver for a couple weeks now.  It's so amazing how a tiny bit of exposure makes such a difference.  Our company has been so hidden from sight, but it's soon to be a household name.

I love what I do.  I love sharing the information and having the opportunity to help people with areas of their lives they never expected to have help with.  I love being able to help people have the same awesome business opportunity I've had.

Right now is the prime time to be visible.  I want my business to explode, yes, for the benefit of my family, but mostly for the benefit of my clients.  It's hard to accept a new concept when no one you know has accepted it.  The more I help the people around me to understand what I do and how great of a value it is to them, the more that understanding will spread.

So here's your chance to jump on the bandwagon while the opportunity is still fresh!

Check it out:

What is LegalShield?

Who am I?

All Things Bright and Beautiful

What a beautiful world we live in.  I sometimes am stunned at how much I take it for granted.  We've been getting some thunder storms (although not enough rain....) around here lately.  I was driving home from work and was amazed at how very beautiful the lightening was against a darkening sky.  It caused me to stop and think.  I need to strive to remember more often that life is simple.  It really is.  We live, we breath, we laugh, we cry, we love, we hate, we die.  Bad things will happen, but good things will happen, too.  Either way, the only thing in this entire world that I can control is my own actions and feelings.  I can't even change who I am, in essence.  I need to remember I'm the one causing my life to be complicated.  There's simplicity and beauty all around me.  It's not always easy to realize they're there.  But, there they are and there they will stay.  The lightening will light up the night sky. The flowers in my garden will bloom.  The leaves on the trees will change color come Fall.  Children will laugh and play and be carefree.  My neighbors puppy will tremble with uncontrollable excitement and pure joy.  All these wonderful things will happen whether or not I'm paying attention.  And, really, the only one I'm hurting by allowing my human brain to blind me is, well, me. 

Here's to Momentum!

I am so excited for the momentum my company is being possessed by.  They are starting their awareness campaign to let everyone know we exist.

You see, we've been around for 40 years, but we have only reached about 2% of the US population.  Network marketing is a fantastic business model when done correctly.  I think one of the greatest features is the slow speed at which the information spreads when it's only going through word of mouth.  Most companies fail in their first few years.  Even the companies that seem to be rolling in rapid success tend to fail.  Most people don't realize that too much success too quickly can mean bankruptcy.  So now that we've been snowballing over the last few decades with amazing management, the company is secure in its financial health.

We're perfectly poised for an explosion of growth.  The reason most people don't own our services is because they don't know they exist!  How amazing is it that we have the FIRST pre-paid legal services created in the US (the one all other companies try to copy, but never get just right) and it's something EVERYONE needs!  How often does an opportunity like this come knocking?

"Why would do I NEED a pre-paid attorney?" You might be asking yourself.  Well, I will tell you.  Did you know that you are three times more likely to end up in a court room than a hospital?  How scary is that?  Yet, it's health insurance we understand the necessity of.  It's a "just in case" sort of thing.  All insurances are.  I need car insurance "just in case" I am in an accident or my car is vandalized or broken in to.  I need house insurance "just in case" of a fire, burglary, or some other disaster.  You get the picture, right?

WRONG!  If you did you would already agree that you need LegalShield so much that you would be halfway through the application.  Do you know what sets legal insurance (at least OUR legal insurance) apart from the rest of these "just in case" coverages?  You can use it today!  You don't have to wait until you get sick or until the unthinkable to happens to get a return on your investment.  From day one you have UNLIMITED access to an attorney about ANYTHING!  That $1300 retainer your friend has to put down before her family law attorney would even talk to her seems scandalous now, doesn't it?

Bad things happen every day and they happen to every person, no matter how "good" or how "bad" you as a person are.  You may not have contacted a lawyer about that faulty watch the store wouldn't let you return or about that police officer you feel pulled you over and wrote you a ticket because of your skin color, gender, or sexual orientation.  But that's because you knew the battle for you rights (or even learning what your rights were) was going to be too expensive to be worth it in the end.

That's over now.  We have revolutionized the way every day, middle class citizens access the legal system.  That's why under the protection of LegalShield you and your family can live worry-free every day, every night, now and forever.

http://youtu.be/9GDB9WwHA5A

Guns, Guns, Guns...

There are so many things in this world that don't have a solution.  They tried to outlaw alcohol so along came speak-easies.  Marijuana is now heading toward the direction of completely legal as a result of the wide spread use, despite the fact that it's against the law.  And now we have guns.  I am no believer in drugs, alcohol, or violence, in this case guns.  I loathe all three.  I think the world would be a better place if they did not exist.  But they do.  And now we have an uncertain time ahead of us. 

With tragic shootings reminding us the power guns have and the devastation they can cause, the controversial argument of whether guns should be allowed on the streets or not has being everywhere.  I have heard suspicions that this recent movie theater shooting was a government setup just in time for a UN vote on stripping the public of guns.  In doing so, they believe our society will be a safer place. 

Whether or not the shooting was an organic idea in a sick man's head or a government conspiracy really makes no difference in my mind.  It happened and it was horrible.  If was a setup, that's a scary prospect but there is nothing that I can do about it.  I do, however, have troubled feelings over this UN vote.  As we saw in the examples above, outlawing things the public desires does not make it less prevalent.  In fact, it probably makes it more so.  There's a rebellious aspect to it, as well as a human characteristic of meeting one's own wants and needs first.

But guns have the power to take a life with little effort.  Most people believe the best way to fight gunfire is with gunfire.  And if you tell the American public that they are not allowed to have the deadly weapons, you cause a large public feeling of being threatened.  How are we supposed to defend ourselves against the lawbreakers?  And most terrifying of all, how are we supposed to defend ourselves against the government who is supposed to be protecting us?

There are too many examples throughout history of a country's governmental system turning against its people.  When selfish and evil intentions gain power, there is no telling what may happen.  The American government was setup with a system of checks and balances to ensure the power was containable.  That system is no longer effective.  The American people have lost all control over what happens to our country, our laws, or even our own assets.  Media have been completely corrupted.  There are so many lies and partial truths being told that it is impossible to know what's true anymore.  Trust is a thing of the past.

Now, if you take such a turbulent group of people who already feel powerless and in danger and strip them of one of the few tools that helps to give a sense of security, what do you think will happen?  Like I said before: I am against guns, violence, hate, selfishness, the whole gambit.  I don't know if the government is as bad as they say.  But really, it doesn't matter what I think.  I won't be the one pointing a gun at another person.

One Year Down, A Lifetime To Go

Today my daughter is one year old.  I can't believe it was just a year ago that I was laying alone in a hospital bed, too tired to live and in too much pain to function, but still determined to continually take that loooong (or so it seemed) journey down the hallway, down the elevator to the NICU to visit the helpless little pile of sticks they kept calling my daughter. 

My labor had lasted for 22 hours.  By the time I got any sleep after giving birth I had been awake for well over 24 hours.  And when I did sleep, it was short and disturbed.  It was such a terrifying time.  I didn't know how I was supposed to live one second to the next in so much pain.  This was during AND after my labor!  I was so alone and too tired to care.  I was overwhelmed and lost.  Suddenly I was plunged into this new world and I had no time to adjust before it was time to go home. 

Most women get to spend their hospital stay WITH their new baby.  They get to change the baby's diaper and cuddle the warm little body in the middle of the night.  They get to feed the baby whenever they want to.  They get to make all the calls.  And they rarely are alone.  But my experience was different.  My baby needed to be on oxygen for the first day and was hooked up to IVs and antibiotics for the rest of our stay due to the possibility of an infection in her lungs, which luckily turned out to be negative.  On top of this, I had broken my tail bone during labor.  And to add insult to injury, they had no rooms available so I was assigned to the overflow on a completely different floor of the hospital.  Plus, I was a single mom and no one was able/willing to stay with me throughout my entire stay.  I had family and close friends visit, of course, and my sister and my mom were good at being there as much as they could, but, much of the time, I was alone.  Even from my baby.  Out of the three days I was in the hospital I spent only a few hours holding my child.  I never changed her and I had the hardest time in the world nursing her (a challenge that would take several months for me to overcome).  When I carried her car seat into the house after discharge she was still a stranger.  I loved her dearly.  She was so small and so beautiful.  I was filled with pride every time I looked at her.  But still, I hadn't really had the chance to get to know her at all.  When my mom went back to work after that first week I really thought my life was over.  I was terrified.  I was overwhelmed.  I was sooooo tired.  But no matter how impossible it seemed, I had no choice but to keep going.  And now, it has been 366 days and I can't even recognize the zombie sitting on the couch staring blankly at the new baby sleeping in her bassinet.

It's so amazing to see how my little girl has grown from that tiny, helpless little creature who had no ability to do anything and no knowledge of the world into this big, independent, smart little person I see walking on two feet and pretending to talk on my phone.  But what's even more amazing, although far less obvious to see, is the transformation I've gone through.  My entire life revolves around this two-foot person and I absolutely love it.  All the things I thought I wanted in my previous life are they desires of another person.  I would be perfectly content to never again do anything besides watch her play and cuddle her.  I enjoy teaching her and helping her to develop.  I'm miserable when we're away from each other.  I miss her terribly when she's in the next room sleeping.  My life is now tied to her.  Every breath I take, every beat of my heart is for her benefit and hers alone.  In one year I have become a true mother and in one year she has become an individual.

So, today, on her first birthday, she ends her life as a baby, but begins her life as a toddler.  Happy birthday, my Love.  And may this next year be even greater than the first.

Almost A Year....

Today my daughter is 51 weeks old.  She has been on this Earth for 361 days.  That's 8,684 hours.  She has already lived for 31,263,458 seconds.  And in less than a week she will turn a year old.  One whole year has come and gone already.  That means one year ago today I was sitting on this same couch, with a belly the size of the moon, wondering if the baby inside me would make an appearance on her due date.  I thought it was pretty clever that she was due on 7/11/11.  She, however, needed a few more days until she was ready to exist outside of me.  It's funny, our bodies are no longer physically tied together, but I still feel it.  I feel as if we're one person.  Only whole when we have each other.  And all that has happened in a single year.  She has grown from a tiny 7lb little wrinkled bundle of sticks, incapable of doing anything besides cry, suck, and poop, into an amazing, smart, beautiful little person with an entire spectrum of talents and preferences just beginning to emerge.  And I have grown from a girl stagnating in life, bored out of her mind with no idea of which direction to go, into a mother so enamored with her baby that every previous idea of I wanted isn't even comparable to what it is now.  Watching her as she's learning to walk alone is such an amazing experience.  And heart-wrenching at the same time.  It means that she really is growing up.  She won't be this small baby needing me for every part of her life for very much longer.  Today she learns to walk and tomorrow she'll be ready to move out on her own.  Moving away from home might be when the child leaves the nest, but learning to walk on her own is the process of her growing the necessary wings.  It feels me with tears of joy and tears of sadness both at the same time.  In one year my life has changed so dramatically and I have loved every second of it.  It terrifies me that time will keep on moving.  I'm reminded of the saying: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  How can it possibly get better than this?