Are You Better Off 4 Years Ago?

This is a question thrown around when people are asked to gauge who to vote for in this year’s Presidential Race. If they say yes, then they’re supposed to vote for Obama. If not, then the vote goes for Romney.

How stupid!

Your life runs its course despite of whoever is in office. The only one to control your life is . . . YOU! You are in control of your life. If you’re not better off, then you’re the one mostly at fault. And it’s about time you do something about it.

Is my life better off 4 years ago (or 8 or 12 or 20) than today? Of course not. But NONE of it has to do with who is sitting in the White House. Even last year when my wife was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and spent the bulk of the year down at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN—in raising three kids, it was a lot like being a single parent, I might add—our life is still much better off. In fact, most of 2011 was pretty much crap for us, but there were lessons to be learned--and learned we did!  Our family is closer. Our debt load has lessened (but not completely, hence the "Please Donate" button along the top of the blog). Our knowledge has increased. Our careers are better. Spiritually we’re better. We are much farther along . . . and, once again, it has nothing to do with the person who holds the title of President of the United States.

My life is all up to me.

So when you’re asked this ridiculous question of whether your life is better off four years ago when compared to today, look to yourself instead of to the President. Now, I understand if you’ve had something bad happen that was beyond your control—Hello! Wife! Leukemia!—and I sympathize . . . but the lesson to be learned from it is how can you turn it around into something positive. Remember the Enron scandal? Many people lost their job and 401(K) fortunes because of it, and it was largely beyond their control—although, it was stupid to hold all of your retirement money in one fund or stock, but that’s a topic for another day. But I've heard several stories of people who started their own business afterwards and are earning more money than when they were at Enron.

Your life is up to one person: you.

What are you doing to make your life better in the next four years?

Or the next twenty?

Or forty?