It's easy when its easy!

It's easy when it's easy...WHAT?!

When things are going great, it is easy to feel good about everything going on and it is easy to stay positive. That's why I always say that the internal barometer of a person is best seen when they are struggling.

You see, we all hit the highs and the lows, but it is easier to see what kind of internal fortitude people possess when things aren't going their way. Are they still nice people? Do they treat their spouse with love and respect, or do they become absolute jerks? Some people believe that they will become great benefactors of the human race when they make it big...but in the mean time, they are just going to be self-centered until they get to the top...Here is a newsflash for you, THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

If you are a jerk, you will just be a bigger jerk when you have fame and fortune...money, power and fame make you more of what you, intrinsically, are. That means if you are a great person without money, you will probably go on to be a great person with money....

But I digress (a little.) Let's face it, we are facing some pretty tough times right now on a lot of levels. Look around to see how those around you are weathering the storm. Take a look at yourself and see how you are handling all of the pressures facing us as individuals and furthermore as a nation. Now more than ever we need to look inside ourselves to find out what we are really made of. Consider these trying times a gift to find ourselves, or rather the center of ourselves. Up to this point, very few of us have ever had to take stock of who we are and where we are headed. Now, we have that opportunity...yes, opportunity. Be thankful for it.

So, our plans are not as solid as we may have thought and our reality has been shaken over the past 2 years. I submit to you that it may get worse before it gets better. Take time to figure out what is really important to you and what is not. I am not here to tell you what you should have as your top priority...only you can know that, but at the very least, take a look inside to see what is going on inside of you every once in a while. That way, it will be much easier when it is easy and it won't be so hard the next time it's hard.

...and that is the spirit of Suck it up, Buttercup!

Rob

Just say "NO!"

Just say "NO!" to quick fixes.
just say "NO!" to any quick fixes, especially when the government is the one suggesting them. Let's think about this for a second. Can you lose 40 lbs overnight? No! can you overcome alcoholism in one day? No! Can you resolve the crisis in the middle east in one day? No!

QUICK FIXES DON'T WORK! So, why in the hell are we trying to quick fix our economy? There is only one real way to get out of this hell-hole and that is to tighten up the belt around your waste and stop financing (yes that's what you are doing when you are using your credit card) fast food, shoes and all the other crap that is not necessary in your life. We have become a nation of debtors, and yes, I AM ONE OF THEM! I am pissed off at all of us, and yes, chances are you are one of them. It's ok...actually it's not ok, it's very NOT ok, but this is where we are and it is up to us to deal with this, not the government...

It is up to us to make the right voting decisions to keep the government in check, but if you got yourself into debt, then it is yours (and my) responsibility to bail ourselves out. It really is that easy. Now here is the rub...It's going to take some time. That's right, I am going to say it again because it is critically important. IT IS GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME...a lot of time! Years...That's right, get used to it. Oh, here is the other thing, it is going to be uncomfortable for a while. Sorry, but that is reality. If you don't believe me, then let's look at fat people (yes I said fat people...If you are offended you probably should be!) If you want to be skinny, then you have to take the time to eat right and exercise. Changes don't happen overnight. We all know this, yet we don't apply the same principles to our catastrophic economic conditions. This stuff is not rocket science. We spent more money than we had...as a nation of individuals and businesses, we spent more than we had. Now we need to pay our debts back. Doing so is a matter of critical importance. It is good for our creditors (other countries) and it is good for our own collective self esteem as a country. We are in danger of completely (if we haven't done so already) losing our sense of right and wrong...MORALITY.

Keep in mind that if I am criticizing anybody, I am criticizing myself, but I think this applies to a couple of hundred million people. We can get ourselves out of this jam, but not by any easy means. Suck it up, live right, take accountability for your actions and live below your means. You may also want to start taking care of yourselves and going to church as well...it aint gonna hurt, but you make up your own mind, these are just my thoughts.



Suck it up, Buttercup!



Rob

and yet another one...

again. I am just checking to find out how all of this high-technology integrates with each other. I mean really. I am an old dog, but I am certainly learning new tricks...Check out some of these places and try them out for yourself. It damn sure doesn't hurt your search engine rankings. If you don't believe me just search for Robert D. Cass or Suck it up, Buttercup! on Yahoo or Google...Not bad huh? 9 1/2 more years of this and I should have something good to sell...Time will only tell...Rob

Apparel for Suck it up, Buttercup! Whodathunkit?

Seriously. Who would have thought that anyone would ever buy apparel from a book, or about a book...crazy right? apparently not...I just checked my cafepress site, which happens to be www.cafepress.com/siub and there were sales for the month of July..How cool is that?! Since nobody reads my blog, I will answer with a resounding, VERY COOL!
5 Items were bought and I can't figure out for the life of me where the sales came from, but because of the great age of computers, I can tell where the sale generated from...Ontario Canada! Rock on!

Suck it up, Buttercup!

Rob