Food for Thought...

Before I get started, I just wanted to share something exciting. Last night, I submitted my final assignment for the Social Media Certificate program I'm in. Provided I didn't fail the final presentation miserably, I will soon be certified! I must admit, I'm pretty excited. :) I've only been doing the courses since October, but it was a bit shocking to me how much time that took out of my life. Every night, I'd come home from work, and I'd feel guilty if I did anything but homework. It was always on my mind. So happy that it's over. And that got me thinking...

Thinking about a lot of different things. These days, my head seems like it's always filled with a million different thoughts. Sometimes homework. Sometimes money. Sometimes work. Sometimes health. Sometimes the desire for something more... More money, more time, more adventure, more happiness. The list goes on and on. Out of that list, I'd have to say that time and money are the things I think about the most. Hell, I'm already looking forward to this weekend because I have no plans and I can do nothing and feel completely okay with it since I'm no longer chained down with homework. Makes me sad that wishing away time is what gets me through the week at times. Then there's money. It's always on the mind, because I'm trying to save money, and I'm trying to put more away for retirement, and I'm trying to still enjoy my life without feeling guilty for spending a little here and there. I feel like it runs my thoughts more often than not over the past few weeks. I find myself wondering how I don't feel any further ahead money-wise, even though I make more than I did in my last job, even though I saved $150/month by moving out of my old apartment, even though I've cut costs in a number of ways. Then this makes me think that I will have to work, work, work forever to just live even remotely comfortably. Does anyone else have these thoughts?! I feel like a freak sometimes.

Anyway, it was like someone out there was just reading my mind, because one of my friends posted an article on Facebook last night called, "Your Life Style Has Already Been Designed," and I just about fell out of my chair when I read it. It made total sense to me. The American mentality and lifestyle is kind of a twisted and unhealthy one. We work so we can play. We spend more when we make more (which I have clearly done, because otherwise money probably wouldn't be on my mind so much). We save our fun for the weekends because we're too busy otherwise. Things like that. Please read this article. It really gives you insight into what all of us have been conditioned to do and think in our lives. Beyond that, the article makes me want to travel because life seems so much simpler somewhere else. :)

Sorry that I'm rambling... I just have been thinking about life a lot, and sometimes I wonder what it's all about. And then I read something like this and it's no wonder I think that way. I try very hard to stay positive, to make good changes in my life, and to focus on the little things that this "normal" lifestyle we live makes it so easy to forget. It's time to read. It's time to go for a walk. It's time to go out and explore. It's time to just be. I feel like I forget that far too often, and this article helped remind me of that a bit. I hope you are all content and that you don't drive yourself crazy with these thoughts quite as much as I do. ;) But if you do, then maybe it's time for some changes. Not sure what those changes are, but I'm going to try to live more simply and happily. I think it will do me wonders. :)