Happy New Year to all my readers. No matter how bad things get or what happens with the economy, we need to keep things in perspective.
I have friends who tell me "My stock portfolio is down 40% for the year." And I respond, "You mean you have money to invest in stocks? You're lucky to have stocks. Do you know how many people don't have any investments at all and can barely afford their mortgage or rent? Count your blessings!"
I have friends who say "My house has dropped in value by 35% during the year." And I respond, "You mean you live in a house? You mean you own a house? You mean you are able to afford your mortgage payments? I personally know half a dozen people who lost their homes due to foreclosures during last couple years from the mortgage crisis, and there are hundreds of thousands of others. Count your blessings!"
I have friends who say "My boss is a jerk." (Although they usually use much stronger language than that.) And I respond, "You mean you have a job? You mean you get a regular paycheck? Do you know how many people are out of work or are about to lose their jobs? Do you realize that there have been a lot of people who have been out of work for a year? Count your blessings!'
I could go on and on about the people who whine about their other complaints, such as tennis elbow, but its not finance related. So my message to my readers, and myself especially, is Count Your Blessings.
Happy New Year!
By Fred Fuld at Stockerblog.com
I agree. We need to count our blessings. Another way to put it is what my mother always said, "bless your problems." This means that no matter what you are facing, someone else is facing something much worse.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the posting. I will reference you in a presentation to parents I am giving on Tuesday.
Steve Curtis, PhD
Author, Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior
http://lifespanpress.blogspot.com
Thanks for your nice comments. This is something I have to remind myself on a regular basis.
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