Here’s an idea I’d like us all to start chewing on: One of the main reasons our society has gotten itself into such debt is that we have allowed our government to get into tremendous debt with almost no visible ramifications. Now what I mean by that is that even though “Uncle Sam” is trillions of dollars in the red (isn’t red indicative of anger?), we, the people of the US, do not necessarily experience much pain as a result of all this debt. We still have roads and running water and schools and everything else that one associates with government spending.

If you understand that the two most common motivators for change are pain and pleasure, it’s easy to understand why we don’t, as a people, spend much time now considering ourselves as catalysts for change. There’s just not much actual pain that we experience. And if you look around, sometimes there seems like there’s not that much pleasure any more. We’re too busy just trying to make it through our days, earning enough money to provide the lifestyles that we think we should have to make us feel as though we’re successful at this thing we call life. And I don’t know about you, but when the most common theme you hear from the people you love is that they are too busy, something’s just wrong with the big picture.

Albert Einstein once said, “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means.” So, when you’re making choices, whether you have kids or not, ask yourself what type of example you’re setting for those around you. We all have people in our lives that we influence on a daily basis. Keep in mind that your actions always speak louder than your words so choose your actions wisely. And then, go out and see what kind of catalyst you can be. It will feel great…I promise!