Cause The Times; sadly not the people; They Are a Changin

I’m going to give you a backwards domino effect of how we can improve as a whole. THESE ARE MY OWN PERSONAL OPINIONS, for all you sensitive folks.

The only way we can advance as a race, the human race, is by being a better society. The only way we can be a better society is by reaching out and helping our fellow man to advance in any way they can. The only way to help someone else advance is by knowing first what you are capable of doing. The only way of knowing what you are capable of doing is by first knowing yourself. The only way of knowing yourself is to face who you really are, and I do mean who you really are, at this stage in your life and doing whatever it is that you can to improve it.

I find that a lot of people are so quick to talk about how this can be better and how that can be better, and yet these same people have quite a few faults that they are just not willing to come to terms with. Now we all have faults, yes, we all have our little annoying habits that we probably all see as just endearing qualities that every human being on earth possesses that will probably get on someone else’s nerves at some point. But there are things about each and every one of us that we know deep down need improving. We know there are some things about ourselves that nobody else knows that we have either been harboring for years or we have been repeating the same mistakes for years or that we are trying to hide and have been successful at doing so for years. And sadly enough the bottom line is it does not matter how long you have gotten way with being that kind of person, with going through your life knowing that you need to change something, this society will not get any further if YOU can’t get any further.

These people that have done the most started out just as normal and regular as you and I. I can only imagine where we would be as a whole if people like Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Junior, Michael Jordan, Barack Obama, the guy who invented the stop light, the person that invented the comb, or the Wright brothers, had all thought that they don’t really have any significant impact to make on this world. You may not be the next great inventor or the next world leader, but then again you have no idea who you are or who you were meant to be if you’re very content with just being who you are right now, with all your little horrible faults and bad habits that you are unwilling to change. I’m not talking about nail-biting or fidgeting in your chair or twirling your hair on your finger. I’m talking about things like procrastination; knowing that you need to be to work on time or trying to be an entrepreneur but never actually getting up and doing what you need to do to get it done, not being productive at all. I’m talking about things like carrying around what happened to you in your childhood or your teenage years or in your early 20s or two weeks ago on the job; having that uncanny ability of never letting things go so that you carry it around with you all the time, and you either the kind of person that stays angry or stays depressed. When we cannot face the very things about us that hold us back because we are afraid, then the entire society doesn’t go anywhere because you are depriving the world of a truly, possibly incredibly gifted, human being.

I know there are a lot of people out there who will not agree with me on this, but it is my belief that Paula Deen benefited a great deal from saying what she said. I’m not saying that it was a good thing what she said, but I am saying that if she had not said what she said she probably would have continued to go on believing that that type of thinking was okay. But because it was exposed and the repercussions also may have affected her children’s careers and not just hers, she realized that this was a part of herself that needed to change. You can sit around all day and say, just like she did, that this bad habit or horrible thing is not who I am. But that’s exactly what I’m trying to say to you today, that is most definitely a part of who you are and that is the part that needs to change. Some of us have had the benefit, if you want to call it that, of having God and the world expose our bad habits so that we have no choice but to change them. And there are some, if not all of us, who have had the luxury to still hide some of the bigger things that hold us back. I understand, believe me I do, that it hurts like, literally, peeling off your own skin. But the more unhealthy layers of your character that you are willing to peel off and get rid of the further you will get in life. And the further you get, the further I get, the further we all get. But I have to say it does not surprise me that we as a country here in America are moving in the wrong direction. I see too many people neglecting to peel away the unwanted parts of their character in favor of drowning themselves in capitalism, commercialism, and greed; all in the forms of fame, fortune, money, status, notoriety, and self-preservation (I’ve got my cares about you). As always (the only things that should stay the same), stay in Faith, stay Blessed and stay Happified.

ta ta for now
S

My Mama Told Me, You Betta Shop Around

This won’t take long today. As usual I have a little something to get off my chest. While I do a lot of creative things that act as my bread and butter, I also work a part-time job that supplements my income. Now exactly where I work is of no concern, you'll all probably figure it out in just a moment. But the things I've heard and the problems I've come across while doing this job are absolutely dumbfounding to me. If you are buying or signing up for anything such as satellite TV, mobile phone or home phone service, or internet service, why would you sign on the dotted line without reading the contract first? What makes people believe that the offer they saw on TV is the best offer they could ever get? Need an example, ok.

 *Sign up now for our phone service and get this (insert favorite phone brand here) for free and pay only $45 a month.

*Get (insert favorite TV service here) and pay 35% less than (other TV service).

 AFTER you get it you realize that said mobile phone service requires a certain two year plan with ridiculous termination fees, only certain phones are available with this offer, plus you have to sign up for this, that, and the other as well. NOT ONLY THAT, but you find out that the competitors TV service is normally $115 a month. 35% off that means a bill of somewhere around $71-$75; without taxes. And then people like me get the fun job of having to hear people like that call in and complain. "I was never told blah blah blah', 'Why is my bill so high', I should be let out of my contract because I was misinformed', and the annoying and most pathetic one, ' I feel unhappy so what are you going to do for me as a customer, what will you give me"? Now you want something because you feel you deserve it for not doing your job. All because no one took time to read the fine print, ask in depth questions to more than just one person, and most importantly, LOOK FOR THE BEST OFFER. 

 People if you want to stay out of debt, afford the things you want and skip the headaches,  you've got to get past the introductory prices and new customer offers and look at what it’s going to cost you down the road. And never look at just one company or speak to just one person at that company. For instance, when I was looking for a mobile phone the first thing I did was look at coverage. Where I live, most carriers were eliminated. Of the ones that were left, I spent almost a month comparing. That included me calling the store and asking them about the plans and prices. I made sure to ask them what this will cost me after the one year. Then I called that company's sales department and asked them the same things. THEN I called their regular customer service and asked them. A lot of times I got three different answers, so naturally they were eliminated. I went with prepaid in the end because I could up or downgrade at any time I felt like, I paid one flat fee with no surprises on a bill every month, and everything is unlimited (with great coverage). Do I have the hottest phone, No. Do you, Probably. Does you bill go up and down monthly and are there sometimes hidden charges, More than likely. Do I have that issue, NOT! When it comes to my satellite, was I told one thing during sign up and then shocked by my bill later (even 12 months later after I was no longer a new customer), again NOT!! I went beyond the introductory low price and calculated all my bills using the regular price, plus tax, plus overages, plus ppv, and equipment. Needless to say I always paid less than what I budgeted for. When you have to start calling these places and complaining and arguing about something you could have fixed; a look at your bill, research online and from existing customers, asking the hard questions; you just give away your power and you're left at the mercy of someone who can only do so much within company policy and that includes managers. And threating to cancel; WHATEVER; you don't want to pay the termination fee so stop lying. Not to mention you'd have to go through this all over again at your new company because it's a sure thing you didn't learn the first time.

Let's face it, these companies advertise new phones like they advertise cars, a new one every second. And the mobile carries and satellite companies and so on, they love that consumer need; that need to have "it" now, and have "it" be better than someone else's. And some of you out there will always fall into that trap if you can’t do your homework. It's worth it in the end to do what is necessary to get the best for your wallet and your family; not what's best for your image. As always shoppers, stay in Faith, stay Blessed, and stay Happified.

ta ta for now

S