The pursuit of happiness.

America, the land of the free and the home of the......foreclosed. So many Americans have found their lives in a utter state of financial ruin. What are we to make of this? Americans have become synonymous with overindulgence, overspending, and lack of self control. Our minds have been manipulated by marketing and advertising to drive us to buy buy buy, and as a result, we work our entire lives to buy the newest and "best"cars, houses, video games, cell phones, and computers. I am guilty of this, as most of us are. I have a iPhone, iPad, tv's, xbox's ect. I'm not better than everyone else. But we have to challenge ourselves to change. Life is too short to work yourself to death, to obtain the newly revised ,falsely defined, "American dream". Formerly this was described as a house, family, and a car in the driveway. In today's new and improved version, the components are a little different. Present day dreams are comprised of a unnecessarily large house with an unbearable mortgage, a painfully exorbitant vehicle with a large, high interest loan, and a family full of mindless consumers, ready to pounce on the next big gadget to hit the market. Change is not easy. To change a lifetime of misdirected money and poor life choices takes hard work. It's not my place to tell people how to manage their finances or budget their lives. What I do know is this. A "full time" job is a 8 hour per day time commitment. When John Doe arrives home from his long shift, his kids greet him with large anxious smiles, and long awaited hugs, as if they hadn't seen him in years. Dinner is ready and on the table as the family man sits down and enjoys a home cooked meal. After dinner it's bath time for the kids, followed by story time and goodnight kisses. After the kids are asleep, the last few hours before bed are cherished with his wife. If Mr. John Doe got off work at 5pm, that leaves a 5-6 hour window before he has to go to sleep,to prepare to awake, and do it all over again. For what? A house with unneeded space that he can't really afford? A new BMW? He really can't afford it, which puts the household in a financial bind. Don't fret, America's modern families have found a solution for this monetary debacle, put mom to work. Moms everywhere are leaving the comforts of their own homes for workplaces near and far. Homemakers aren't just leaving their homes, they leave their children as well, with day cares or relatives. It apparently isn't important to raise your own kids anymore, that has been left up to others. All of the aforementioned "solutions" are not as simple as the real remedy, conscious and responsible spending. Too many people find it impossible to be happy with what is truly important. Go outside, go for a walk, ride a bike. Spend time with your children and give them the influence and structure they desperately need. I do realize that life requires money. Rather than chase large amounts of money for your entire life, try saving rather than spending, you might be surprised at your new take on a ancient phrase, "money can't buy happiness".