Don't Be a Media Monger!

Oh, how the media would like to keep us stirred up, preparing for something absolutely terrible and completely unmanageable! That's their job. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, it's not news if it's not sensational.

Isn't it enough to know that we need to pay more particular attention to our finances and become thoughtful about our future? I don't think it is at all likely that we need to get re-fired up morning, noon and night by the television station looking for ratings.

Now is the time to take stock and focus on reality. It's not a good time to buy things on what the British call the "never, never" because you keep on paying but you never, never own whatever might be striking your fancy. We've likely done enough of that.

My parents were teenagers during the Depression in the 1930s. By the time I came along, they were what their friends called "insurance poor." They were so afraid of not having that they had insurance on everything and for everything. This really came into sad focus shortly after my Mom died which was five years after my father's passing. As an only child, all the joys of their estate came to me...including their mail. One day, an invoice arrived saying it was time to pay the annual insurance--they called it an extended warrantee--on the television. The television was ten years old, yet, my parents were afraid not to have the warrantee in case something happened to it! It's not rocket science to realize that the ten years of annual warrantee payments would have easily bought them a new television.

That's what happens when we go into fear. We don't quite think straight. Let's not go there. Let's focus on doing what we can to keep our own affairs in order. Think through our financial decisions and see if there are positive changes that would be wise to make. But, let's not become glued to the television so that our emotions can be whipped about needlessly.

I think we've all got the memo, right? It's time to think through our financial and career decisions in a realistic way. That's a great start. Don't let the doomsayers into your living room on purpose. It's also a good time to remember our values, beliefs and principles and establish alignment with them in what we do, think and say.

You know what needs doing. I'm cheering you on.

Cheers,
Rhoberta