George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions. "How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key. You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. "How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16!

And then the greatest day of your life .. . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!! But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed? You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone. But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday! You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92." Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!" May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them."

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, and hobbies. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

New Credit Card Offsets Carbon Footprint!

I just discovered a wonderful website (http://brighterplanet.com/act) that offers a credit card with the sole purpose of funding renewable energy projects. Here is another link (http://brighterplanet.com/impact_estimator) to a page on their site that will show you how much your monthly spending will reduce carbon emissions. In addition, Bank of America is matching 50% until December 2008.

Bright Planet was founded by Andy Rossmeissl and Jake Whitcomb, two college students who created a credit card company that funds renewable energy projects and carbon offsets with every purchase. Inspired by a forward-thinking "Environmental Economics" professor at Middlebury College in Vermont, Jake Whitcomb and Andy Rossmeissl turned a class project into a growing business. Together, they created the Brighter Planet Visa, a rewards-based credit card that provides the opportunity for consumers in the United States to contribute to renewable energy projects and fight global warming with every purchase. Over the next five years, the Brighter Planet Visa credit card will offset the effects of several million tons of carbon dioxide. We all use plastic to buy groceries, gas, cloths, and when traveling. Why not use The Brighter Planet Visa Card and begin making a difference. The greatest impact a human can have is participating in the small grass roots efforts that end up changing the world!

Save the earth, spread the word! http://brighterplanet.com/act

The Government's Website for Financial Education

Do you want to learn how to save, invest, and manage your money better?

MyMoney.gov can help you.

MyMoney.gov is the U.S. government's website dedicated to teaching all Americans the basics about financial education. Whether you are planning to buy a home, balancing your checkbook, or investing in your 401k, the resources on MyMoney.gov can help you do it better. Throughout the site, you will find important information from 20 federal agencies government wide

http://www.mymoney.gov/

118 Ways to Save Money in College

Here is a website with invaluable information with over 118 ways to save money for help you or those you know in college .

With college tuitions increasing at record rates, frugality is no longer an option. As discussed in the book, The Millionaire Next Door, the average millionaire in the United States is frugal in his spending on cloths, cars, and other common expenses. How do you think they became millionaires in the first place?

There are only two ways to have more money at the end of the day: Spend less, save more or a combination thereof. Which one are you going to focus on?

http://www.collegescholarships.org/student-living/save-money.htm

Article: Turn $451 Into a Million Bucks

Here is an article I saw on Yahoo with some great ideas on how to save money.

The economical challenges and energy crisis we are facing have not been seen in nearly 30 years. Regardless of what happens in the future, we must take action today to begin protecting ourselves and look at consumption in its totality, not just the environmental factors.

Save money, save resources, save the world. It starts with learning how to live within one's means. That means spending less than you earn. I know it may be challenging, but the paradigm you choose can be one of hardship and despair or one of adventure and challenge. The choice is yours. Make it a good one!

Click here to view read the article and learn how to save $451 a month.
http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/105062/Turn-451-A-Month-Into-A-Million-Bucks

The Launch of Financial Well Being!

Today is an exciting day, the launch of my blog, Financial Well Being, devoted to helping create greater quality of life throughout the world. My objective is to use this as a tool to provide you with greater resources, tools, and opportunities to live with greater well being financially and otherwise.

Stay tuned for the release of my book, A Journey to Financial Well Being, which will be offered both as an ebook and in paperback at www.journeytofinancialwellbeing.com

My other website, www.dreamsunlimited.org will soon be operational with features such as downloadable programs discussed in my book, lists of additional resources (books, website, audio programs, seminars, and organizations) for a variety of subjects, and tap into ways to save thousands of dollars each month.

Welcome to Financial Well Being and we look forward to helping you on your journey. Wishing you all the best.

Jesse Hartman