Road Rage

Road Rage

There is a lot of talk about autonomous cars. In the not so far future, cars will be able to navigate the roads and other cars without assistance from a human being. Of course it will be a longer time before a car will be able to do this without a human behind the wheel. I know I wouldn't feel comfortable giving total control to my car.

The benefits of autonomous cars are many. Fewer accidents, fewer deaths, lower insurance rates, less road congestion and less bad drivers pissing us off. That leads to my favorite benefit - less Road Rage.

Road Rage is a negative response to many things going inside ourselves. We all believe other drivers are the cause of Road Rage. I say that's bullshit. Road Rage happens when we are pissed off, frustrated, depressed, having a bad day, late for an appointment and the unrealistic expectation that all drivers (young and old) should be able to drive as good as we drive.

The fact is Road Rage accomplishes nothing positive. It won't get you to your appointment faster. It won't make a bad day a good day. It won't make you feel better about yourself. It won't make the bad driver drive better. 

It will raise your blood pressure. It will become a negative attitude that you will carry throughout your entire day. It will make the other driver nervous enough that he or she might cause an accident. It might even get you shot to death.

The first cars ever built had a horn. I agree that honking your horn might be necessary to avoid an accident or get someone out of the way, however the makers of cars never anticipated that the horn was the major instrument of Road Rage. The facts are that using your horn for the former is the minor use of this instrument. The vast majority use this instrument to implement their Road Rage.

I'm all in favor of autonomous cars, but before they become a reality, I think we should get rid of the horn. Yell out your car's window all you want, but stop honking your horn. Maybe yelling out the window will get some frustration off your chest. 

I hate bad drivers, but, I hate Road Rage assholes more 

Let Somebody Love You Before It's To Late

Let Somebody Love You Before It's Too Late

The last line in the song "Desperado" song by the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt is "Let Somebody Love You Before It's Too Late." It's a great line and for some it has tremendous meaning. We go through life loving others, trying to find love or confusing love with commitment. What we miss many times is to Let Somebody Love You Before It's Too Late.

Believe it or not there are people who want to love you. The only thing that prevents them from doing so is your attitude, your politics, your prejudices, your holding on to a past disagreement or your barriers. 

Many of us have these barriers because we want to protect ourselves from being disappointed. Some of us have these barriers because it's a cruel world out there and we don't want to be taken advantage of. A few of us have these barriers because we don't love ourselves enough to think we are lovable by someone else.

Life with too many barriers is half a life. Love is the elixir of life. You can't get too much love. If you don't realize this now you will as you grow older. My Father at sixty five dropped his main barriers and let me love him. It was quite a sight watching us hugging, crying and loving each other. 

Letting go of our attitudes, our politics, our prejudices and our barriers becomes more important to us as we see the end of this life coming. The reason is because as we realize life is much shorter than we thought and we want to let in all the love we can get and all the love we deserve.

I say, why wait until you're almost touched by the Grim Reaper. Get rid of all that shit and:

Let Somebody Love You Before It's Too Late

Never Buy A Hat If Your Feet Are Cold

Never Buy A Hat If Your Feet Are Cold

Those of you who know me know that "Never Buy A Hat If Your Feet Are Cold" is the title of my first published book. However, that book was about taking charge of your career and your life. The title came from my years at Xerox Corporation where they consistently bought companies and invested in products that didn't fit their strategic direction.

In life we all have made choices that we wish we could take back. I chose a second wife because she was the direct opposite of my first wife - Never Buy A Hat If Your Feet Are Cold. I chose to take promotions for more money that were less fun - Never Buy A Hat If Your Feet Are Cold. I chose to buy a Cadillac Biarritz Diesel (in the seventies OPEC oil crisis) because it was better looking than a much more reliable Mercedes Diesel. The car turned out to be an unreliable piece of shit - Never Buy A Hat If Your Feet Are Cold.

I learned from my mistakes. My third wife is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I never again took a job promotion for anything other than my happiness. I now drive a very reliable Honda with great resell value. I stopped Buying A Hat When My Feet Were Cold.

Enough about me, what about YOU? Are you still making choices for the wrong reasons? How many times do you say to yourself: "what the hell was I thinking?" Are you befriending people because they might get you something you can't get on your own? Are you still in a job you hate because you don't want to take a risk? Are you still in a relationship because getting out of it is just too hard?

I hope none of the above is happening to you. I hope you realize you are in control of making changes for your benefit not theirs. I hope you have realized you should:

Never Buy A Hat If Your Feet Are Cold

New Year Financial Suggestions

New Year Financial Suggestions

It's the New Year and there isn't a better time to consider your financial situation. Most people don't want to think about it until they get older, but young or old, getting you're financial house in order has a lot to do with your happiness.

Sooo, here are a few suggestions:

* Think about every purchase. It's not just about "Want" Vs. "Need." It's about the level of "Want" and the reality of "Need." Most of us live in places where we "Need" a car. However, consider the purpose of the car. Is it just to get you from place to place or is it to carry lots of people or is it to carry lots of stuff or is it to show off to your friends and family or is it to make you feel important.

A Honda will get you from place to place, but won't do much for your ego. Which is more important for your happiness, spending money you don't need to spend to enhance your ego or saving money and getting a car that will meet your needs while being reliable and long lasting?

A shirt (or shoes or handbag or etc., etc.) from a discount store will look and feel as good and wear as long as a shirt from a high cost store. What is more important for your happiness, spending too much money on a shirt from a designer at a high cost store so you can tell everybody where you got the shirt and who the designer is or saving money buying almost the same shirt from a discount store and if you must, lie about where you got it. 


*  Too much is too much. When you're young you want to look good. When you're young you don't think about your finances for the future. When you're young you are dazzled by the latest thing. So you just buy, buy, buy until you're financial reality catches up with you.

When you're older and have more money, you just buy, buy, buy because you can afford it and believe you deserve it. Again, financial security for your future takes a back seat to that beautiful new handbag or another pair of sneakers.

When you're old you wish you had some of that money back so you could do more traveling, eating at fabulous places and living in a nicer home/neighborhood. You wish you thought more about your financial happiness years and years ago.


*  Cash is king. When interest rates are low (as they are now) use other people's cash. Keeping your cash and leasing a car instead of buying a car is the way to go unless you're going to abuse the cash you keep. Keeping as much cash in investments instead of using it to make large purchases (like a car, home, etc.) is important to your financial happiness especially when you're older.

When you're older - shit happens. Having the financial security of investments is much more important than thinking you would rather not be making monthly payments. If you're smart with your investments (meaning you're not "day trading" your life savings in the stock market), you probably will be getting as much return on those investments as the financial charges on a loan.


*  Screw the family and kids. This is your money - not theirs. You worked your ass off to accumulate the money you have. You owe them nothing. It's their responsibility to be doing all the things I stated above. Just because you were prudent with your finances and they weren't, doesn't give them the right to think they are going to get your money when you die.

Sooo, make a goal to spend it all before you go. Enjoy every dollar before the Universe takes you away. Do all the things you always wanted to do before you're too old and sick to enjoy it. 

I know people who want to control their kids or family by letting them know if they love you they will get a large sum when you pass away. I say: "screw them." If that's the only way to get them to love you, you're never going to get the love you deserve. If they really love you, they will want you to use all your money to enjoy the best life you can while you're on this earth.

Sooo, just follow these simple financial suggestions to enhance your life happiness: 

Think about every purchase

Too much is too much

Cash is king

Screw The Family And Kids

Just An Old Fashion Love Song

Just An Old Fashion Love Song

By Kenny Felderstein

I love when my wife tickles my fancy

I love when my wife says she loves me

I love my wife when she dresses schmancy

Just loving everything about her is my key

I love my dog when she waits for me at the door

I love my dog when her tail wags and she kisses me

I even love the sound of her snore

Just loving everything about her is my key

I love my friends for all the good times

I love my friends who have stood by me

I love them in the daytimes and the nighttimes

Just loving everything about them is my key

I love myself for always trying to find my happiness

I love myself because I've stayed true to me

I love myself for trying to avoid a world of unhappiness

Just loving everything about me is my key

Just An Old Fashion Love Song

By Kenny Felderstein

Faithful/Loyal

Faithful/Loyal

Do you consider yourself a faithful person? Do you consider yourself a loyal person? When I go to the dictionary I find it hard to distinguish the two.  In the dictionary, faithful points to loyalty and loyal points to faithful.

Below are the definitions of both - you decide.

faith·ful

[ feyth-f uhl]

ADJECTIVE

1.

strict or thorough in the performance of duty: a faithful worker.

2.

true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.

3.

steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant: faithful friends.

4.

reliable, trusted, or believed.

5.

adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate: a faithful account; a faithful copy.

loy·al

[ loi- uhl]

ADJECTIVE

1.

faithful to one's sovereign, government, or state: a loyal subject.

2.

faithful to one's oath, commitments, or obligations: to be loyal to a vow.

3.

faithful to any leader, party, or cause, or to any person or thing conceived as deserving fidelity: a loyal friend.

4.

characterized by or showing faithfulness to commitments, vows, allegiance, obligations, etc.: loyal conduct.

I know my dog is loyal to me. Some breeds more than others. Zita is part Chow. Chows are very loyal dogs. She would do anything for me and would protect me till her death.  But yet we always call her our faithful dog Zita.

I know I'm a faithful husband, but am I loyal to the death of my wife?  If a killer asked me to choose between killing me or her (Even though I love her, knowing that I love myself more than anything or anyone else in the world), I'm not sure what I would say. BTW, I know she loves me, but I also know she loves herself more than anything or anyone else in this world, sooo, I'm not sure what she would say.

I do know that if we were in a deadly car accident, I would do everything in my power to save her. I also believe she would do the same for me. I guess that means I'm both faithful and loyal to her - food for thought.

I love my dog, but would I risk my life to save her from a deadly accident?  To be honest,  probably not.  Does that mean I'm not a faithful and loyal person  - food for thought.

I do know faithful and loyal people don't cheat. Faithful and loyal people don't lie (even on their taxes). Faithful and loyal people don't throw friends under the bus. Faithful and loyal people don't let someone else take the fall for something they have done. 

I wish I had bosses who were faithful and loyal. I wish I had wives who were faithful and loyal. I wish some of my friends were faithful and loyal. I wish I had a cat who was faithful and loyal (faithful and loyal is not their nature. It's not their fault - its natural selection).

The problem is being faithful and loyal is not the true nature of way too many people - sad world.

I want to live in a world of the faithful and loyal. I guess that's not realistic, but I assure you I'm doing my best to be associated only with the ones who are:

Faithful/Loyal