You're Just Making Shit Up

You're Just Making Shit Up

We all know someone who can't stop themselves from just making shit up. The person most famous for doing that is Donald Trump. He can take an ounce of fact and turn it into a pound of bullshit. The big problem with that is he could be our next President - UGH!

The people who are the best at making shit up are the people who actually believe the shit their making. These people pray who the people that don't know enough about the subject so they believe his shit is reality.  This can be nothing serious or it can be dangerous.

For example, we all were told that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (the nuclear bomb). These people took a small amount of fact and just made the rest up. It caused a war. Now, I call that dangerous.  Even if a friend takes an inch of information and just makes ship up on how to cure your cancer - that's dangerous.

However, most of the time the people who get off making shit up are just people who need to be right ALL THE TIME. When they get caught by one of us, who know more about the subject than they do, and say: "I'm calling bullshit," they just laugh it off.

However, when they're right, they look shocked at first and then put their chest out and say: "See I always know what I'm talking about." That only happens fifty percent of the time.  

Well, what do we do with those people? If they're the ones that are making shit up that can be dangerous, we must do our own homework and make sure they are right before we believe them. The ones who just have this burning need to be right, we have to love them just the way they are and let their bullshit pass through our ears.

On the other hand, it's sooo much fun when we catch them. It's sooo much fun watching them squirm when we tell them:

You're Just Making Shit Up

Does Anyone Give A Shit

Does Anyone Give A Shit

I write blogs about happiness, but does anyone give a shit? The majority of people in Syria are living below the poverty level with minimal food and shelter, but does anyone give a shit? North Korea's leader is a lunatic, but does anyone give a shit? The stock market is going through a crazy up and down period - now everyone gives a shit.

Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders could be the candidates running for President of The United States, but does anyone give a shit. An unstable person with his finger on the nuclear button and who will turn the cold war into the ice age war could be President - now everyone gives a shit. A radical left wing person who will make big government even much bigger and piss all over the people who manage our 401ks could be President - now everyone gives a shit.

In many areas the police are out of control, but does anyone really give a shit? The middle class is shrinking and the wealthy are getting more wealth, but does anyone give a shit - Oh yea, the poor people. However, in America, there just aren't enough poor people for the majority of us to give a shit.

There are terrorists all over the world, but because there are so few instances happening in America, most of us go about our day not giving a shit. However, one more World Trade Center and we all will give a shit. 

America says that illegal drugs are a big problem, but in reality most of us don't give a shit. In fact, many of us believe the best way to fix the problem is to make illegal drugs legal, collect taxes on them and use that money to help the people who need help. It works in Amsterdam because the people there give a shit.

Americans take more prescriptions drugs than anyone else in the world, but do we give a shit? I assure you the companies that make these drugs don't give a shit. About the only companies that do give a shit are the insurance companies, but only because they're afraid a Democratic President and Congress will make them give a shit.

You know, I could go on and on, but don't you think it's time we all should step back from our average daily life and find the time to:

Give A Shit!

Now The Whiskey Ain't Working Any More

Now The Whiskey Ain't Working Any More

What happens if you have a broken heart or a broken back or a broken marriage or a broken friendship or a broken car. Every one of those things can turn your world around.  Every one of those things can make you depressed. Any one of those things can make you angry or frustrated. Any one of those things can make you a negative person.

However, what happens when the whiskey ain't working any more? Some prefer pills, some prefer all kind of Illegal drugs and some prefer whiskey. Some prefer to just stay depressed.  But again, what happens when the whiskey ain't working any more?

Author Ken Keys Jr. writes there are three things you can do when you're unhappy and the whiskey ain't working any more.

1- Ask for what you want but, don't demand it. Asking for help doesn't mean you're the kind of person who can't help themselves. What it does mean is that you're smart enough to know something is not right and maybe, just maybe, someone can help you. 

Who you choose is not important because the person you choose may or may not be the right person. If not, you can always ask, but don't demand, someone else. What is important is that you've reach a point that intellectually you know something is not right. Intellectually you believe there is a better life ahead of you.

Happy or sad, you should always ask for what you want as long as you don't demand it. This is especially true if the whiskey just ain't working any more.

2- Accept what's happening for now. You don't have to like what's happening, but you do have to accept it. Your life has just turned upside down. You have every reason to be upset or even worse depressed. The more you resist the more depressed you'll get. The more you resist the less chance you'll ask for help. The more you resist the higher the chance whiskey (or any of the above) will become your solution.

Accepting is your real chance to turn a negative into a positive. Accepting what is happening for now is the best thing you can do to realize how precious life is. Accepting the now is the best way to focus on a more positive future. Accepting is when you realize the whiskey ain't working any more.

3- Love unconditionally even if you don't get what you want. Hating the person or the events that has made you unhappy or worse depressed, never works. The more love you can put out to the Universe the more love you'll get back. Loving the people or events that have caused you pain sounds like an oxymoron, but it's just the opposite. 

If you put yourself in first position and want to come out a winner, love them. If you put yourself in first position and want to come out a winner, let them realize how much you love yourself and their actions are never going to steal away you right to the happiness you deserve.


These three little actions are hard to do especially when your at you're lowest point, but take it from someone who has been there, they work. The most important thing is to realize you need to follow the steps above when:

The Whiskey Ain't Working Any More

Cousins Reunion

Cousins Reunion

Parents - I have none. Sister - I have none. Aunts and Uncles - I have none. Cousins - I have none. You see, they're all gone now. However, even when they were alive we were not a close knit family. There were very few of us and we never got together as a Family.

Then came Ellen. I fell in love with her immediately because she is the best person I know. What I didn't realize was the extra benefit that came with our relationship - HER FAMILY.

A short time after we met we went to a holiday get together with her Family. OMG, there seemed to be hundreds of them. Mother (her Father had died), Aunts, Uncles and Cousins - lots of Cousins. I not only had the love of my life, I had a Family.

From the start they treated me like Family. Even though my relationship with Ellen was new, the Family treated me like I've been with them my whole life. This was especially true of the Cousins. It was so new to me to see an entire Family who all liked and respected each other. Again, this was especially true of the Cousins.

The thing about these Cousins is the kind of people they are. They not only like and respect each other; they're bright, creative and most of all interesting. They are business people, book publishers, music publishers, musicians and teachers. As a business man, writer and blogger, I'm the most comfortable when I'm around them.

This coming Monday we're having another Cousins reunion (almost all of the senior Family are no longer with us - it's the downside of getting older). Cousins are coming from Portland, Chicago, Seattle and California. We're only missing one Cousin from Nashville because of business commitments.  

The thing that's great about these reunions is we have nothing planned. We just talk together for hours and hours. The subjects we talk about are so diverse we never get bored. No egos, no talking about how much money or "stuff" anyone has, no agendas and no narcissism (well maybe one of the Cousins has a little bit of that).

Sooo, what does this have to do with YOU? Well take it from someone who never had the luxury of Family until I met Ellen - appreciate your Family. Go out of your way to seek them out. If you have differences, find a way to get past them. Love them just the way they are and don't try to change them. Most of all:

Be The Positive Energy Person That Brings Them All Together

What We're Talking About Now

What We're Talking About Now

Remember when we were 8 years old. We talked about getting money under our pillow when a tooth fell out. We talked about how much we hated our little sister. We talked about not getting to play games (we called it grounded) when we pissed off our parents. We talked about the scratch on our knee when we fell down.

Remember when we were 13 years old. We talked about school. We talked about how we didn't like girls. We talked about how our parents pushed us to get better grades. We talked about how our parents didn't understand us. We talked about the cut on our leg from playing sports.

Remember when we were 16 years old. We talked about girls. We talked about sex. We talked about how we didn't like school. We talked about how our parents didn't understand us. We talked about when we would get to drive a car. We talked about the sprained ankle we got from ruff housing with our friends.

Remember when we were 22 years old. We talked about graduating from college. We talked about our girlfriend or boyfriend. We talked about our first or second job. We talked about a career. We talked about how our parents didn't understand why we wanted to be who we wanted to be. We talked about our fantastic car. We talked about the broken leg we got in a car accident.

Remember when we were 36 years old. We talked about our job. We talked about our spouse. We talked about either having kids or how much we liked the kids we had. We talked about how we used to stay up all night partying. We talked about the stress job, spouse and kids was giving us. We talked about the pain in our back because we lifted something heavy.

Remember when we were 45 years old. We talked about the kids graduating school. We talked about which relatives we liked and which ones we didn't like. We talked about the stress of getting older and trying to compete with the younger generation. We talked about things we should have done when we were younger. We talked about things we could have done yesterday. We talked about the pain shooting down our right leg because of the bad disk in our back.

Now we're 55 - 75 years old. We talk about the pain in our knee. We talk about the pain in our shoulder. We talk about back pain. We talk about cancer. We talk about the friends and/or family we lost to heart attack, stroke or cancer. We talk about all the medications we're taking. We talk about how lucky we are that we're not as sick as someone we know.

We have to stop talking about all this negative stuff. We need to talk about:

* How great retirement will be. 

* How great it will be to finally start collecting Social Security when we paid the Government more money than we will ever get back.

* How great it is to have the house all to ourselves because the kids are gone.

* How great it will be to have the time to travel.

* How much less mental stress we will have as we get older.

* How we don't have to worry about our parents when they are gone.

* How great it will be to sleep-in every day when we leave our job.

Now We Must Talk About How Much More We Appreciate Life As Our Number Of Years On This Earth Becomes Less And Less.

Decisions I've Made A Few

Decisions I've Made A Few

I guess over the course of my lifetime I've made more than a few decisions. The thing that's interesting is all of my decisions were made in the moment. Some people shy away from making a decision. Some think the best decisions are ones that are planned a long time in advance.

The reality is we all make a decision at the moment a decision is needed. Always remember a no decision is a decision as long as you have the choice to make the decision or not. You see decisions can be forced upon us by family, friends, doctors or even your friendly plumber.

The best decisions are ones that work out as you wanted them to work out. However, sometimes a bad decision or a no decision can educate you so you don't make the same bad decision twice. You all know the old saying "fool me once shame on you - fool me twice shame on me." You also know the old saying "insanity is making the same bad decision over and over again while expecting a different result."

Would you make the same decision today that you made when you were a teenager? Would you make the same decision at forty that you made at thirty? I will say again, all decisions are made in the moment. It doesn't matter if you wouldn't make the same decision today. What does matter is did you learn to live with the decisions you made at that time.

There are a tiny number of decisions that will cause you death. There are a tiny number of decisions that will cause you to have a bad life for the rest of your life. There are a tiny number of decisions that will cause you lose your happiness forever.

The most important thing to accept is that you are in control of most bad decisions. OK, you made a very bad decision - now what! Do you believe being angry with yourself for the bad decision is serving YOU or do you believe in yourself so much that you know you will overcome any bad decision?  Which person are you?

We all want every decision to work out perfectly. Well, take it from someone who has been there, that's not the way the Universe works. What I have accomplished is to learn from my decisions (good or bad), find a way to turn a bad decision into a good decision or accept what's happening for now and find a way to change it or live with it as a happy person.

Remember, shouldas and couldas are a horrible way to live your life. You should never be angry or frustrated with yourself because you shoulda done this instead of that. You should never be angry or frustrated with yourself because you feel you coulda done this instead of that.

Yes, decisions I've made a few. Some good and some bad. However:

Avoiding Making A Decision Because You Fear You'll Make The Wrong Decision Is A Crappy Way Of Living Your Life.

THE ONLY THING CERTAIN IS DEATH AND TAXES

THE ONLY THING CERTAIN IS DEATH AND TAXES

Benjamin Franklin said "in life the only thing certain is death and taxes." I'm not sure that's the only thing certain.  Tell me about someone who never had aches or pain. Tell me about someone who never made a mistake. Tell me about someone who never hated, was frustrated, fell in love, was never rejected, never got pissed off or never wanted to be thinner, fatter, better looking or richer.

I'm not talking about someone with a birth defect like Down Syndrome.  I'm not talking about someone who has had a lobotomy.  I'm not talking about someone who has been locked in a basement their whole life.  I'm talking about us.

The one thing I'm sure is certain is that in life shit happens. Oh sure, death is coming our way and taxation will never end in our lifetime.  However, the goal of happiness is determined by how many of the other certain things, stated above, we can avoid happening to us or use them to our benefit.

We can choose not to hate.  We can choose to never get frustrated.  We can choose to never fall in love. We can choose to never get pissed off.  But, if we choose those things what kind of life does that leave us?  Shutting down our emotions will never make us happy.  Shutting down our emotions will result in half a life.

Wanting to be thinner, fatter, and/or richer is a good thing as long as you're not addicted to getting it. Everybody wants to look better. Everybody wouldn't mind having more money. But, trading off your happiness to get those things is self-destructive.  Only an addict would believe getting those things is more important than happiness.

We can't do much to avoid aches and pains (or worse disease). Our body is just not made to deal with the consequences of life.  However, we could choose to make something good out of something bad by accepting the body given us.

We could put ourselves in a box and avoid making mistakes.  That's also a shitty life. Mistakes are how we learn.  Making a mistake means you took a risk.  Life without risk is also half a life.

Sooo, don't assume the only thing certain in life is death and taxes.  There are many other certainties in life.  The desire to be happy is determined by:

HOW YOU EMBRACE THE OTHER CERTAINTIES AND USE THEM TO GET TO YOUR GOAL OF HAPPINESS