The Compilation Post!

Here is a compilation of all of my “Total Change of Heart” tips, and the tips alone. For, you know, quick reference. :)

For a Total Change of Heart: Don’t be like Oprah. Be altruistic, sure. Be generous as much and as often as you can. But for the love of all that is decent, don’t jump into something that sounds like a good idea before thinking about it first. Other than a CZ-75 semi-automatic pistol, thoughtful planning is among the best weapons you can keep in your arsenal, and it can defend you against any attacker. If Oprah had done her research, or at the very least thought about the implications of what she was doing, she wouldn’t be in such deep shit with everyone right now.

For a Total Change of Heart: I urge you to find, analyze, and if at all possible destroy those little rituals that add an artificial sense of heightened enjoyment to an already perfectly enjoyable activity. Get back to the roots of it – what was it about that activity that drew you to it in the first place? Why do you go to the movies? It sure as hell ain’t for the popcorn. Would you still go to that bookstore if there wasn’t a Starbucks in the middle of it? Probably. Reconnect with what you’re really after when you set out to have a good time – everything else is superfluous.

For a Total Change of Heart: Commit to a no-buy month, or week, or even day if you’re going to be a pussy about it. Put yourself out of your comfort zone financially, and force yourself to look around and appreciate what you already have. Read, exercise, no-charge events, anything that’s FREE. Even if you’re bored, don’t spend a dime! Money is not a cure for boredom; imagination is. Money only treats the symptoms of a life ill-spent.

For a Total Change of Heart: Identify your addictions, then figure out whether they are actually benefiting your life. Research the hell out of them, and decide if you really want to spend your time/money/energy supporting those addictions. Ask yourself if you could live without them, or if you actually need them in order to survive. Be realistic and reasonable about it. Cancel out all that unnecessary shit you don’t need.

For a Total Change of Heart: Know your values. Level every choice you make against them, and make no exceptions. Your morality should always take precedence over your impulses. Find something worth fighting for and don’t stop fighting for it. That is the ONLY way to inspire real change in yourself and in others.

For a Total Change of Heart: Don’t turn away from what you know your flaws to be. You know you have them. You don’t have to post them up for all the world to see, as I have done here, but you need to at least face them, then try and decide what to do about them. Because if you aren’t constantly trying to better yourself, then WTH are you doing here anyway?

For a total change of heart: Look at your economic woes and put them up against your blessings (family, friendships, spirituality, hobbies, talents). If the economy even comes close to being as important as those good, stable, consistent, REAL things, then you need to reprioritize. No problem will go away if you ignore it, but by shifting your focus, you might find that the problems just don’t need to affect you that much.

The Economy is Bullshit

The economy is bullshit.

Yes, I said it. It’s meaningless in the grand scheme of things. I don’t want to get all hippie-dippy on you, but the truth is, real wisdom and real longevity come from the love we give each other. We are being so blinded by this irresistibly unpredictable “economy,” this ephemeral concept that has no physical reality for anybody, that we’re allowing it to stress us out. And what happens when human beings get stressed out? We withdraw from each other, only emerging from our shells to lash out at the nearest passerby who looks at us funny. We are alienating everyone else in the world, all because we’re trying to cover our assets and pick up the ghostly pieces of some dream that was never real to begin with.

Anything that needs itself to define itself, and cannot be smelled, tasted, touched, seen, or felt with your heart should have its position on your priority list reconsidered.

No, I’m not saying that the economy needs to fall off the priority list altogether. It’s reality enough in the minds of the decision-makers to affect some of us very deeply. It can cause great pain, and rarely brings any real pleasure. So stop giving it so much attention. It is undeserving of our efforts, and as we can all plainly see, our efforts have little effect on it anyway. It is only as real as we let it be.

For a total change of heart: Look at your economic woes and put them up against your blessings (family, friendships, spirituality, hobbies, talents). If the economy even comes close to being as important as those good, stable, consistent, REAL things, then you need to reprioritize. No problem will go away if you ignore it, but by shifting your focus, you might find that the problems just don’t need to affect you that much.