
50 Key Questions

Only We The People Can Answer

Book 9 of the Book A Week Writing Challenge

Stanley F. Bronstein

Copyright 2020

Digital Edition, License Notes

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Other books written by Stanley F. Bronstein can be obtained either through the author's website at:

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Additionally, the author and publisher disclaim any liability as to the accuracy of any individual stories contained herein. To the best of our knowledge, they are accurate, but no representations or warranties are intended or are being made as to the accuracy of said stories.

This publication is designed to provide the author's advice and opinions in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering professional services to the reader unless and until they have been hired specifically for that purpose.

The author and publisher specifically disclaim any liability or loss that is incurred as a consequence of the use and application, directly or indirectly, of any information presented in this book.

Additionally, the author and publisher disclaim any liability as to the accuracy of any individual stories contained herein. To the best of our knowledge, they are accurate, but no representations or warranties are intended or are being made as to the accuracy of said stories.

_____________________________

Acknowledgments

_____________________________

This book is the direct result of my having walked in all fifty states of the United States of America, over a sixty-nine day period, spanning from August through October 2010. I can think of no other period in my life when I experienced so much in so short a time. The people I met and the things I experienced changed my life.

After walking all fifty states, I'm more convinced than ever that despite all its problems, the United States of America is quite resilient. I'm convinced we can accomplish anything, IF we use our time, energy and resources appropriately.

For these reasons, I dedicate this book to:

We The People

of the United States of America

_____________________________

Table of Contents

_____________________________

The 15 Concepts of Excellence

Foreword

Part 1 - The 13 Self-Evident Truths

  * The Actuality Principle
  * Awareness Is The Key To Consciousness
  * America Is Financially Bankrupt
  * The Average American Family Is Heavily Indebted
  * The Unemployment Situation Is Worse Than Advertised
  * The Rich Are Getting Richer And The Poor Are Getting Poorer
  * America's Educational System Is Failing Us
  * America Is Full Of People Who Are Full Of Hot Air
  * The American Family Is In Trouble
  * America's Health-care System Is Really A Sick-care System
  * The Average American Wants To Be Constantly Entertained
  * The Average American Believes They Can't Do Anything To Change The Situation
  * Americans Can Accomplish Anything They Set Their Mind To Accomplishing

Part 2 - The 50 Key Questions

  * Who Am I?
  * What Do I Want?
  * Why Am I Here?
  * What Do I Believe In?
  * Were My Actions Today Congruent With My Beliefs?
  * How Do I Expect Things In My Life And My World To Turn Out?
  * Do I Love Others And Do I Love Myself?
  * Am I Conscious Of The World Around Me?
  * Do Some Things In My Life And My World Need To Change?
  * Am I Willing To Do What It Takes, For As Long As It Takes,To Bring About These Changes In My Life, My Country And My World?
  * Am I Willing To Be The Change I Want To See In The World?
  * Am I Willing To Accept Personal Responsibility For My Life, For My Country and For My World?
  * Am I Crazy Enough To Believe I Can Change The World?
  * Am I Willing To Open My Mind To The Possibility And Necessity Of Change?
  * Am I Willing To Commit To The Principle Of Constant And Never-Ending Improvement?
  * How Is My Physical Health And The Physical Health Of America?
  * How Is My Emotional Health And The Emotional Health Of America?
  * How Is My Spiritual Health And The Spiritual Health Of America?
  * How Is My Financial Health And The Financial Health Of America?
  * Is My Life Balanced? Is American Culture Balanced?
  * Do I Learn From My Mistakes, Or Do I Beat Myself Up Over Them?
  * Am I My Own Biggest Enemy, Or Am I My Own Best Friend?
  * Do I Spend More Time Living The Life I Was Given Or Living The Life I Have Made?
  * Do I Remember Where I Came From And Those Who Helped Me Get There?
  * How Do I Treat Those Less Fortunate Than Myself?
  * Do My Actions Proceed From Direction, Determination, Patience And Strength?
  * Did I Dream Today? Were Those Dreams Bold Ones?
  * Do I Inspire Others Around Me? Am I Respected By Others?
  * What Are The Five Most Important Things To Me?
  * How Much Time Did I Spend Working On The Five Most Important Things To Me?
  * Did I Learn Anything Today? How Much Time Did I Devote To Educational Activities Today?
  * Did I Do Anything Today To Make America A Better Place In The Future?
  * Did I Take Unfair Advantage Of Another Today? Did I Lie, Cheat Or Steal Today?
  * How Much Time Did I Spend Today Either Watching Television Or On The Computer For NON-EDUCATIONAL Purposes?
  * How Much Personal Time Did I Spend With My Family Or Friends Today?
  * Did I Spend A Considerable Amount Of Time Today On Things That Were Not Important?
  * Am I Organized Or Disorganized? What Can I Do To Become Better Organized?
  * What Are Five Positive Things I Did Today?
  * What Are Five Negative Things I Avoided Doing Today?
  * What Did I Do Today To Make Someone Else Feel Important? Was I Kind To Someone Today?
  * If I Did Anything Wrong Today, Did I Admit It Quickly And Emphatically? Did I Apologize To Anyone I Offended Today?
  * Am I Willing To Forgive Others? Am I Willing To Forgive Myself?
  * During My Life, Have I Planted Any Trees That I'll Never Sit Under?
  * Who Are My Role Models And Heroes? Does Paying Attention To Them Make My Life Better?
  * To Whom Do You Focus Most Of Your Attention On?
  * Do I Spend More Time Discussing Ideas, Events or People?
  * Did I Break Any Old Patterns Or Habits Today, Thus Allowing New Ones To Emerge?
  * Did I Spend More Time Today Lamenting What I Don't Have Or Appreciating What I Do Have?
  * Do I Control My Fear Or Does My Fear Control Me?
  * Did My Actions Today Get Me Closer To Where I Want To Be Or Further Away?

_____________________________

The 15 Concepts of Excellence

_____________________________

This book, like all the books in the Book A Week Writing Challenge series is based upon the 15 Concepts of Excellence, as detailed in my 2019 book – How To Create Your Excellent Life _._

**A free digital copy of** How To Create Your Excellent Life **can be**downloaded at this link **.**

As a reference guide for you to use as you read this book, here is a list of the 15 Concepts of Excellence, along with their related sub-parts (The 15 Untils, The 15 Laws and the 15 Benefits).

I have created short 3 to 4 minute videos, for your benefit, on each of the 15 Concepts, as well as a Goal Setting Workshop. They can be viewed by clicking the blue links below.

  * Introduction To The 15 Concepts Of Excellence

  * **The 15 Untils**
  * **The 15 Laws**
  * **The 15 Benefits**

  * Concept #1 - Learning To Tell It Like It Is

  * **Until #1 - Until We Tell It Like It Is**

  * Until we start "telling it like it is" and then begin adjusting our actions accordingly, we will never achieve our maximum potential and evolve as a species.

  * **Law #1 - The Law Of Actuality**

  * No living person or system can remain in existence for very long without first having arrived at a level of full, realistic awareness of their own existence, sensations, thoughts and surroundings and then responding accordingly after having done so.

  * **Benefit #1 - Living In The Real World**

  * By incorporating Law #1 - The Law of Actuality into our lives, we will be creating a society where its members truthfully and accurately assess and acknowledge their situation, and as a result, begin acting appropriately.

  * Concept #2 - Adopting Long-Term Thinking

  * **Until #2 - Until We Adopt Long-Term Thinking**

  * Until we adopt long-term thinking and start focusing less on short-term gratification, we will never achieve our maximum potential and evolve as a species.

  * **Law #2 - The Law Of The Long-Term**

  * Repeated short-term discipline brings long-term rewards. Consequently, one must place reasonable limits on short-term pleasures, with the understanding long-term benefits will be the result.

  * **Benefit #2 - Living In A Sustainable World**

  * By incorporating Law #2 - The Law of the Long-Term into our lives, we will be creating a society based upon principles that are sustainable over the long-term, as opposed to an unsustainable society that cannot hope to last.

  * Concept #3 - Taking Personal Responsibility

  * **Until #3 - Until We Stop Blaming**

  * Blame is irrelevant. Until we stop blaming others (and ourselves for that matter) and start fixing our problems, we will never achieve our maximum potential and evolve as a species.

  * **Law #3 - The Law Of Personal Response-Ability**

  * One must stop blaming others for anything wrong in their life. In fact, one must also stop blaming themselves. BLAME IS IRRELEVANT. All that matters is what are you going to do to fix the problem?

  * **Benefit #3 - Living In A World Of Problem Solvers**

  * By incorporating Law #3 - The Law of Personal Response-Ability into our lives, we will be creating a society where people are encouraged to become problem solvers, as opposed to being complainers who either do nothing or possibly make the situation worse.

  * Concept #4 - Embracing Change

  * **Until #4 - Until We Embrace Change**

  * Until we stop fearing change and start embracing it, we will never achieve our maximum potential and evolve as a species.

  * **Law #4 - The Law Of Change**

  * Everyone wants change, but few are willing to change. That's not the way it works. Change requires work. If one wants to see changes in their life and in their world, they are going to have to change first. Change starts with you.

  * **Benefit #4 - Living In A World That's Constantly Improving**

  * By incorporating Law #4 - The Law of Change into our lives, we will be creating a society that encourages constant and never-ending improvement, as opposed to one that fears it or discourages it.

  * Concept #5 - Focusing On The Possible

  * **Until #5 - Until We Focus On The Possible**

  * Until we start focusing on the wonderful things that are possible and stop focusing on the negative things that are holding us back, we will never achieve our maximum potential and evolve as a species.

  * **Law #5 - The Law Of Focus**

  * Whatever we focus our attention on expands in our lives. If one focuses on positives, then positives will occur in their life. If one focuses on negatives, then negatives will occur in one's life. Consequently, the ability to positively focus on the most important task at hand is the key to success.

  * **Benefit #5 - Living In A World Without Negativity**

  * By incorporating Law #5 - The Law of Focus into our lives, we will be creating a society that focuses on the positive things that are possible and one that stops focusing on the negative things that hold us back.

  * Concept #6 - Changing Our Perspective

  * **Until #6 - Until We Change Our Perspective**

  * Until we change our perspective and realize that everything we give and everything we receive in life is a privilege, we will never achieve our maximum potential and evolve as a species.

  * **Law #6 - The Law Of Perspective**

  * Sometimes life requires a change in perspective. One's previous life challenges have made them into the person they are today and given them the potential to develop a fuller perspective as a result, provided they learn from said experiences and move on, as opposed to dwelling on them and looking back.

  * **Benefit #6 - Living In A World Of Privilege**

  * By incorporating Law #6 - The Law of Perspective into our lives, we will be creating a society where everything becomes a privilege and nothing is an obligation. We will be creating a society where everyone is encouraged to help each other and to care for each other.

  * Concept #7 - Envisioning A Brighter Future

  * **Until #7 - Until We Envision A Brighter Future**

  * Until we begin envisioning the biggest, boldest and brightest possible future for ourselves, we will never achieve our maximum potential and evolve as a species.

  * **Law #7 - The Law Of Vision**

  * Visionaries see the future, finished in advance. Visionaries see that which others do not see. Visionaries see that which is possible, before it becomes obvious. Consequently, one must look inside themselves and form a vision of their best possible future. No one else will do it for you.

  * **Benefit #7 - Living In A World Of Conscious Choice**

  * By incorporating Law #7 - The Law of Vision into our lives, we will be creating a society that is based upon our own visions, passions and interests, as opposed to one based upon the visions, passions and interests of others.

  * Concept #8 - Learning To Give First

  * **Until #8 - Until We Learn To Give First**

  * Until we learn to give first, with no expectation of return, we will never achieve our maximum potential and evolve as a species.

  * **Law #8 - The Law Of Attraction / Reciprocity**

  * What one gives to the world is what they will be given back. One must pay attention to that which they attract most. If they constantly attract desirable things, then little or no change is necessary. If one constantly attracts undesirable things, then change is required if one wishes to attract more desirable outcomes.

  * **Benefit #8 - Living In A World Of Givers**

  * By incorporating Law #8 - The Law of Attraction / Reciprocity into our lives, we will be creating a society that encourages its members to focus more on what they can give to others, and less on what others can give to them.

  * Concept #9 - Allocating Our Resources Wisely

  * **Until #9 - Until We Allocate Resources Wisely**

  * Until we realize our resources have limits (including our time and energy) and begin using said resources wisely, we will never achieve our maximum potential and evolve as a species.

  * **Law #9 - The Law Of Readiness**

  * One must constantly prepare themselves so they are ready to act when desirable opportunities come their way. Luck favors the prepared, as opportunities won't always wait.

  * **Benefit #9 - Living In A World Of Abundant Creativity**

  * By incorporating Law #9 - The Law of Readiness into our lives, we will be creating a society that encourages its members to use their time and energy wisely for the purpose of constant and never-ending creation, as opposed to wasting said time and energy in the form of constant and never-ending consumption.

  * Concept #10 - Taking Consistent Action

  * **Until #10 - Until We Act Consistently**

  * our stated words and expressed desires, we will never achieve our maximum potential and evolve as a species.

  * **Law #10 - The Law Of Action**

  * Envisioning, attracting and preparing for desirable opportunities will accomplish nothing, if one fails to take action upon said opportunities. Do not wait for things to come to you. Instead take action. Make it happen. Set appropriate goals and then take appropriate action toward the realization of said goals.

  * **Benefit #10 - Living In A World Without Hypocrisy**

  * By incorporating Law #10 - The Law of Action into our lives, we will be creating a society that encourages its members to act in a manner that is consistent with their stated goals and desires and to be appropriately rewarded for having done so.

  * Concept #11 - The Power Of Persistence

  * **Until #11 - Until We Learn To Persist**

  * Until we learn to persist, despite all obstacles, we will never achieve our maximum potential and evolve as a species.

  * **Law #11 - The Law Of Persistence**

  * Nothing can take the place of persistence. Patience, persistence and hard work are an unbeatable combination for success. Energy and persistence conquer all things.

  * **Benefit #11 - Living In A World Where We Ultimately Succeed**

  * By incorporating Law #11 - The Law of Persistence into our lives, we will be creating a society that encourages its members to never give up on their hopes and dreams, and to ultimately succeed by learning from their failures, as opposed to giving up as a result of said failures.

  * Concept #12 - Building A Foundation Of Integrity

  * **Until #12 - Until We Start Acting With Integrity**

  * Until we rebuild our lives and our society upon a foundation of integrity, we will never achieve our maximum potential and evolve as a species.

  * **Law #12 - The Law Of Integrity**

  * Nothing can take the place of being kind, genuine, faithful, loyal, honest and sincere. Integrity is the foundation upon which all else is built. With integrity, one has nothing to fear, as one has nothing to hide.

  * **Benefit #12 - Living In A World Without Dishonor**

  * By incorporating Law #12 - The Law of Integrity into our lives, we will be creating a society that encourages the positive traits of integrity, kindness, authenticity, faithfulness, loyalty, honesty and sincerity as opposed to the dishonorable traits of deceit, hate, hypocrisy, unfaithfulness, disloyalty, dishonesty and insincerity.

  * Concept #13 – Respect

  * **Until #13 - Until We Respect Each Other**

  * Until we learn to respect ourselves and to respect each other, we will never achieve our maximum potential and evolve as a species.

  * **Law #13 - The Law Of Respect**

  * One must respect others in order to receive respect from others. Likewise, one must respect themselves before others will respect them. Respect must be given before it can be received.

  * **Benefit #13 - Living In A World Where Everyone Is Respected**

  * By incorporating Law #13 - The Law of Respect into our lives, we will be creating a society where everyone not only respects and cares about each other, but also one where everyone respects and cares about themselves as well.

  * Concept #14 - Learning To Think Win-Win

  * **Until #14 - Until We Learn To Play Win-Win**

  * Until we learn that it's possible for everyone to win and that others don't have to lose in order for us to win, we will never achieve our maximum potential and evolve as a species.

  * **Law #14 - The Law Of Alternatives**

  * There are always alternatives. ALWAYS. One must open their mind to the possibility of said alternatives and look for them at every opportunity. There is always a way around. There is always a way over. There is always a way through. Look for the win-win at every opportunity.

  * **Benefit #14 - Living In A World Where Everyone Wins**

  * By incorporating Law #14 - The Law of Alternatives into our lives, we will be creating a society where everyone can win, because its members will realize that others do not have to lose in order for them to win.

  * Concept #15 - Creating A Balanced Life

  * **Until #15 - Until We Achieve Balance**

  * Until we bring all our systems (individually and collectively) into balance by increasing that which is deficient and decreasing that which is excessive, we will never achieve our maximum potential and evolve as a species.

  * **Law #15 - The Supreme Law Of Balance**

  * A balanced system is a productive system. One creates balance by increasing that which is deficient and decreasing that which is excessive. Any system that is out of balance will not reach its maximum level of productivity.

  * **Benefit #15 - Living In A World Without Excess Or Lack**

  * By incorporating Law #15 - The Supreme Law of Balance into our lives, we will be creating a society where our excesses are appropriately curbed and our deficiencies are appropriately addressed, thus creating a balanced and sustainable society.

  * Goal Setting and Goal Getting Workshop

  * and Accompanying Goal Setting Workbook

  * (Be sure to download the workbook to use when watching the Workshop Video)

We Hold These Truths

To Be

Self-evident

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Preamble to the

United States Declaration of Independence

As drafted by Thomas Jefferson and

revised/approved by the Continental Congress

on July 4, 1776

When tasked by the Continental Congress to prepare a draft statement outlining the reasons for the drastic action they were about to take (namely declaring their independence from Britain), Thomas Jefferson summed it up quite nicely in only eight short words. We hold these truths to be self-evident.

What did he mean by those words? Let's analyze the last two words separately and then together.

(All definitions in this book are from TheFreeDictionary.com and Dictionary.com).

Self

a person or thing referred to with respect to complete individuality

Evident

easy to see or understand; readily apparent; obvious

Self-evident

evident in itself without proof or demonstration

Now let's examine the word, truth.

Truth

a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like

Anyone who has read enough of Thomas Jefferson's writings would probably agree that he was known for choosing his words carefully. Mr. Jefferson, who would go on to become the third president of the United States of America, was a learned man and a thinker. He didn't want to just write a "laundry list" of reasons for the United States's declaring their independence. He wanted his words to provide "indisputable evidence" that justified the actions being taken by the Continental Congress.

By using the words self-evident and truth as justification, Mr. Jefferson was saying several things:

  * The reasons (for the actions being taken) were so "obvious" that it wasn't even necessary to provide proof or demonstration.
  * These reasons were based on indisputable facts, propositions, and principles.
  * Anyone who disagreed with the actions of the Continental Congress must not be very astute. After all, these facts, propositions, and principles were so obvious that they were self-evident.
  * Americans, as individuals and as a group, had the right to think for themselves and to act in accordance with their own best interests.

In short, Mr. Jefferson contended that the very foundation and future of the United States of America was rooted upon one thing. That one thing was the concept of self-evident truths.

Personally, I believe the America our founding fathers helped create in the 18th century is in very serious trouble. I believe that if we continue on our present course of action, America, as we know it, cannot survive.

Despite that dire prediction, I believe there is hope. I believe it is not too late. If America is to survive the 21st century, it will be because the American people once again consciously choose to embrace the concept of self-evident truths.

In Part I of this book, I will lay out thirteen truths (one for each of the colonies) about America that I believe to be self-evident.

In Part II, I will discuss fifty vital questions about ourselves and our country that We the People MUST ask, and answer. It is in our answers that we will find the solutions to our problems.

If we do, there is hope. If we do not, all hope is lost.

Stanley F. Bronstein

PART I

THE 13 SELF-EVIDENT TRUTHS

SELF-EVIDENT TRUTH #1

THE ACTUALITY PRINCIPLE

No organism will survive, in the long-term,

without first having reached a state of consciousness

wherein it perceives its environment

as it actually is and responds accordingly.

Above, you will find a definition of what I refer to as the "Actuality Principle." Let's examine the key words closely.

**Organism** \- Any complex thing or system having properties and functions determined not only by the properties and relations of its individual parts, but by the character of the whole that they compose and by the relations of the parts to the whole. A form of life considered as an entity. Any organized body or system conceived of as analogous to a living being.

**Survive** \- To remain or continue in existence or use. To get along or remain healthy, happy, and unaffected in spite of some occurrence.

**Long-term** \- Covering a relatively long period of time.

**Without** \- With something absent or lacking.

**First** \- Before some other thing or event. Before all others or anything else.

**Reached** \- To come to or arrive at in some course of progress or action.

**State** \- The condition of a person or thing, as with respect to circumstances or attributes.

**Consciousness** \- Awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, and surroundings. Awareness of something for what it is. Full activity of the mind and senses. The thoughts and feelings, collectively, of an individual or of an aggregate of people.

**Perceive** \- To become aware of, know, or identify by means of the senses. To recognize, discern, envision, or understand.

**Environment** \- The aggregate of surrounding things, conditions, or influences. All external factors surrounding and affecting a given organism at any time. The social and cultural forces that shape the life of a person or a population.

**Actually** \- Existing in act or fact. As something exists now. Reality.

**Respond** \- To reply or answer in words or by actions. To exhibit some action or effect as if in answer to a stimulus.

**Accordingly** \- In agreement with. In conformity with.

Putting that all together:

**No living person or system can remain in existence for very long without first having arrived** **at a level of full, realistic awareness of their own existence, sensations, thoughts, and surroundings and then responding accordingly after having done so.**

In other words, in order for America to continue to exist in the long-term, it must consciously ascertain its place in the world and then respond accordingly after having done so.

In short, (i) America must first wake up and realistically examine its present situation and (ii) then act accordingly.

It is my present contention that America has failed to do either one for a very long time.

But rather than belabor the point at this early stage in the book, let's move on to Self-evident Truth #2.

SELF-EVIDENT TRUTH #2

AWARENESS IS THE KEY

TO CONSCIOUSNESS

The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the

power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.

Aristotle

__________

Let us not look back to the past with anger,

nor towards the future with fear,

but look around with awareness.

James Thurber

To be aware is to have knowledge or cognizance of your surroundings. To be knowledgeable is to be acquainted with facts, truths, or principles. To be cognizant is to have an awareness, realization, or knowledge of one's environment.

Awareness, knowledge, and cognizance share one thing in common. In order to be aware, knowledgeable or cognizant, one must observe that which is going on around them. Observing is the process of noticing or perceiving. An observation is the information one gains from observing that which goes on around them.

Conscious awareness is an essential element of the Actuality Principle (see Self-evident Truth #1). In any given situation, one must first become consciously aware of their own existence, sensations, thoughts, and surroundings before one can determine how to respond appropriately.

How Does One Increase Their Awareness?

Quite simply, one increases their awareness by making observations and learning from them.

If It's Really That Simple, Then What's The Problem?

The problem is three-fold.

1. We live in a society that, all too often, encourages us to NOT make observations.

2. We live in a society that, all too often, encourages us to NOT learn from any observations we do happen to make.

3. We live in a society that, all too often, encourages us to focus our awareness on that which "Others" deem is important and NOT on that which we might deem to be important if our awareness was properly focused.

Who Are These "Others?"

These "others" are those who seek to profit from controlling our thoughts and our actions. The key words here are "profit" and "control."

**Profit** \- To obtain a gain or benefit. To derive advantage.

**Control** \- The exercise of restraint, regulation or domination over someone or something.

These "others" are the corporations, the marketers, the politicians, the media, the entertainers, the athletes, etc. who bombard us with their messages every single day. These people act as our Shepherds and we are their **"Sheeple."**

What Are Sheeple?

The Wikipedia entry (see Wikipedia.com) for the term **"sheeple"** reads as follows:

Sheeple (a portmanteau of "sheep" and "people") is a term of disparagement, in which people are likened to sheep.

Note: A portmanteau is a blend of two or more words and their meanings into one new word.

It is often used to denote persons who voluntarily acquiesce to a perceived authority or suggestion without sufficient research to understand fully the ramifications involved in that decision, and thus undermine their own human individuality or in other cases give up certain rights. The implication of sheeple is that as a collective, people believe or do whatever they are told, especially if told so by a perceived authority figure believed to be trustworthy, without critically thinking about it or doing adequate research to be sure that it is an accurate representation of the real world around them.

Now That We're Aware Of The Problem, What Can We Do To Solve It?

As with any problem, becoming aware of its existence is the all-important first step toward solving it. Albert Einstein said:

Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.

The level of thinking (or in this case, non-thinking) on the part of "We The Sheeple of the United States" that created our current situation is not going to be enough to help us solve it.

It is my contention that the only way to escape the control of our shepherds and to take control over our own lives is to raise our level of thinking.

Rather than delve deeper into this issue at this point, let's move on to Self-evident Truth #3.

SELF-EVIDENT TRUTH #3

AMERICA IS FINANCIALLY BANKRUPT

The budget should be balanced. Public debt should be reduced. The arrogance of officialdom should be tempered, and assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome become bankrupt.

Cicero

It's amazing how Cicero's words are just as applicable today, in America, as they were roughly two thousand years ago in ancient Rome. One would hope other nations would have learned from Rome's example, but I'm afraid that's not been the case with America.

Let's take a look at some of the numbers. As this is being written (in August 2020), the clock at UsDebtClock.org shows the following numbers:

Total U.S. National Debt

$26.643 Trillion

Debt Per U. S. Citizen

$80,703

Debt Per U. S. Taxpayer

$213,899

Federal Spending this Year

Nearly $6.3 Trillion

Federal Budget Deficit this Year

A little over $3.958 Trillion

U.S. Federal Tax Revenue this Year

2.362 Trillion

All 50 States Total Debt

$1.188 Trillion

Local (Cities) Debt

$2.108 Trillion

All 50 States Revenue this Year

$2.152 Trillion

Local (Cities) Revenue this Year

$1.316 Trillion

These numbers are just the "tip" of the iceberg. As we examine them, I'd like you to note a few things:

If you added up ALL the federal, state and local revenue for the next five years and applied it ALL to JUST THE FEDERAL DEBT, it would barely pay it all off (and that number doesn't even include the interest on that debt).

If you include the state and local debt, it would take a little over 5 years to pay off all government debt (but that number still doesn't include the interest on that debt).

If you add in other forms of debt, such as social security obligations, medicare obligations the total U.S. debt rises to a staggering $79.3 Trillion. This works out to more than $240,000 per citizen.

A large amount of the federal debt is held by foreign countries (approx $6.9 trillion).

Over the past few years, China has passed Japan to become America's largest lender. The interesting part is that China's economy only ranks nowhere near the top in the world in per capita income, yet they save so much money they can afford to invest heavily in U.S. debt securities. The bright side is that we owe China so much money that it's in their best interest to ensure America's future success, rather than to encourage our failure.

I'm a CPA and I'm accustomed to working with large numbers. Despite that, these numbers simply boggle my mind. To be quite frank, there is no way these numbers can be paid off in the foreseeable future unless DRASTIC changes are made. Even that might not be enough.

With that said, let's move on to Self-evident Truth #4.

SELF-EVIDENT TRUTH #4

THE AVERAGE AMERICAN FAMILY

IS HEAVILY INDEBTED

In general, we are seeing an ever-increasing rise in consumer debt,

not just in payday loans but also credit card balances.

Personal finances continue to be headed in the wrong direction.

Bruce Hamlett

Consumer Credit Counseling Services

Delving a little further into the debt numbers at UsDebtClock.org I came across a few more startling statistics.

Home Mortgage Debt

Home Mortgage Debt is debt used to

finance the acquisition and improvement

of personal residences

Personal U.S. Home Mortgage Debt

Approx $17.93 Trillion

Personal U.S. Home Mortgage Debt Per Citizen

Approx $54,000

Normally, home mortgage debt isn't necessarily a bad thing, when you consider that said debt is used to finance something real and tangible - one's home.

Consumer Debt

Consumer Debt is debt used to

finance our personal consumption for things

such as clothes, food, gasoline, etc.

Personal U.S. Consumer Debt

Approx $2.76 Trillion

Personal U.S. Consumer Debt Per Citizen

Approx $8,000

At first glance, these numbers for consumer debt seem to be at least partially manageable. However, when you consider that much of that debt was probably used to pay for "optional luxury" items such as trips to the mall and restaurants, the problem becomes apparent.

As an example, many estimates show it takes the average consumer approximately four months to pay off their accumulated holiday shopping debt each year. While holiday presents are nice, should we be going into debt to pay for them?

Credit Card Debt

Credit Card Debt is the portion of

our consumer debt (see above)

that is on our personal credit cards

Personal U.S. Credit Card Debt

$986 Billion

Personal U.S. Credit Card Debt Per Citizen

$2,987

The amount of personal credit card debt also appears to be manageable until we stop to consider that this type of debt usually bears a higher interest rate than any other type of debt. I ask you, should we be financing things such as $10 lunches and our groceries on our credit cards? It's one thing to pay for those types of items on our credit cards IF we pay off the balance EACH AND EVERY month. If we do that, then there are no interest charges, so there isn't a problem. Otherwise, those $10 lunches and $40 trips to the grocery store will ultimately turn into $15 lunches and $50 trips to the grocery store (if not worse).

Total U.S. Debt

Total U.S. Debt is the total of

our Mortgage Debt and our Consumer Debt

Total U.S. Personal Debt

Approx $20.69 Trillion

Total U.S. Personal Debt Per Citizen

Approx $62,000

While this number is staggering, things don't look quite as bad when you realize that roughly 87% of the total debt number represents mortgage debt. As long as there's not too much of it, mortgage debt can be a good thing.

Still, when you add the Total U.S. Personal Debt per person with the Total U.S. Debt per person, you get a whopping amount of debt. How on earth are we supposed to pay that off?

Now, here's the really bad part. THESE NUMBERS ARE GROWING WORSE BY THE SECOND. It would be one thing if the situation was improving, but its steadily worsening.

So, what are we supposed to do?

For the moment, we're supposed to put this problem aside and move on to Self-evident Truth #5.

SELF-EVIDENT TRUTH #5

THE UNEMPLOYMENT SITUATION

IS WORSE THAN ADVERTISED

Unemployment is of vital importance,

particularly to the unemployed.

Edward Heath

At present, there are roughly 16.29 million "officially" unemployed people in the United States. When you realize there are approximately 330 million people in the U.S., that works out to roughly 5% of all people in the United States.

However, only 143.6 million of those 330 million are actually in the work force. If you measure the 16.29 million "officially" unemployed people against the 143.6 million in the work force, that turns out to be a little more than 11%.

There's just one problem. There aren't 16.29 million unemployed people in the United States. There are more like 26.782 million people who are actually unemployed in the United States. That works out to an "unofficial" unemployment rate of just over 18.5%.

How can this be? The answer's simple. Our government is "fudging" the numbers to make the situation look better than it actually is.

Persons are "officially" classified as unemployed ONLY IF:

They do not have a job;

Have actively looked for work in the prior 4 weeks; and

Are currently available for work.

Actively looking for work may consist of any of the following activities:

Contacting an employer directly or having a job interview

Contacting a public or private employment agency

Contacting friends or relatives

Contacting a school or university employment center

Sending out resumes or filling out applications

Placing or answering advertisements

Checking union or professional registers

Some other means of active job searching

The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't count people who have given up actively looking. If you're not actively looking (for whatever reason) YOU DON'T COUNT.

Just consider this. These "unofficially" unemployed people still need food, clothing and shelter. They still need to have some means of support, be it friends, family or the government. Yet they don't count. All because our government wants to make the statistics look better.

There are approximately 10,500,000 people who are "unofficially" unemployed who do NOT count.

So the next time you hear the unemployment situation is getting better, ask yourself, is it because "officially" unemployed people have found jobs or is it because "officially" unemployed people have given up and moved to the ranks of the "unofficially" unemployed?

SELF-EVIDENT TRUTH #6

THE RICH ARE GETTING RICHER

AND

THE POOR ARE GETTING POORER

It is harder to be poor without complaining

than to be rich without boasting.

Chinese Proverb

Over the past few years, the U.S. economy has taken a major hit. Many U.S. businesses have either closed or undergone major contractions. Unemployment has risen substantially. Many people who still have jobs have taken major pay cuts (or are having to working longer and harder to sustain their incomes). At the same time, the cost of many necessities, most notably gasoline and food, has risen tremendously.

All of these factors have put a strain on the incomes of all Americans. However, I contend these factors have hit the poor and the middle class much harder than they have hit the upper class.

Here's why.

No matter whether you are rich, poor, or middle class, your expenses generally fit into one of two categories; Required Expenses and Optional Expenses.

**Required Expenses** are those you generally cannot do without, such as rent payments, mortgage payments, car payments, food, and medical bills.

**Optional Expenses** are those that you can do without IF YOU CHOOSE TO, such as entertainment, beauty treatments, additional clothing, appliances, furniture, etc..

It is much more difficult to control required expenses than optional ones. Although one might be able to reduce their required expenses by getting a less expensive car, getting less expensive housing or preparing their own food, one still has to drive a car, have a place to live and have food to eat.

On the other hand, one can virtually eliminate their optional expenses, simply by deciding to do without them. It's as simple as saying, I will NOT spend money on this optional item.

If you are poor (or even lower middle class), chances are you live paycheck to paycheck. While you may have some savings, most of what you earn goes to pay for your required expenses and anything left over goes to pay your optional ones. There is little or no cushion in your budget. If economic catastrophe strikes, you're going to have a problem.

If you are upper middle class or upper class (i.e. rich), chances are you do not live paycheck to paycheck. While a large chunk of your money probably goes to pay your required expenses, you would normally have money leftover to pay for optional expenses, to make investments, and to increase your savings. There is some cushion in your budget. If economic catastrophe strikes, you will be better prepared to handle problems.

Well, guess what. In early 2020, economic catastrophe struck. It struck hard. The Coronavirus Pandemic, hit America harder than any economic downturn in its history, including the Great Depression of 1929. Whether you were rich, poor or middle class you were hit.

Those who had little or no economic cushion were ill-prepared to deal with the consequences of the economic downturn. Those with a cushion still took a hit, but they were in a much better position to deal with the situation.

Those with little or no cushion began losing their homes. They began defaulting on their credit card payments. Their credit ratings went down the tubes.

As for those with sufficient cushion, they have undoubtedly seen their homes decline in value, but they have been able to continue making their payments. They may be finding it harder to pay their credit cards, but they have been able to continue doing so. Their credit ratings have not taken a hit.

So, what have been the consequences of the pandemic? The number one consequence has undoubtedly been that the "gap" between those who were rich and those who were poor has widened. As America works to "dig itself out" of this financial crisis, the poor will likely find it harder than ever to move up the economic ladder. They will basically find themselves starting over from the beginning. The rich, on the other hand, will be starting from a much higher point and will have greater resources from which to rebuild their financial position.

Only time will tell.

SELF-EVIDENT TRUTH #7

AMERICA'S

EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

IS FAILING US

Standardization of our educational systems is

apt to stamp out individualism and

defeat the very ends of education

by leveling the product down rather than up.

Harvey Cushing

In late 2010, the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) released their latest study which compared the scores of nearly a half million 15 year-olds from sixty-five countries in three subjects. These subjects were math, science and literacy.

How Did The U.S. Rank?

Overall, the U.S. ranked 17th in reading, 32nd in math, and 23rd in science.

Who Came In First?

Shanghai China came in first in all three categories. Not only were they first in all three categories, but the second place finishers weren't even close.

What Other Countries Scored Well?

Other countries ranking in the top five in all three categories were Singapore and Hong Kong China. South Korea almost made it, but they placed sixth in science. Finland almost made it, but they placed sixth in math.

Was The Poor U.S. Showing A Fluke?

I wish I could say this was an aberration, but the truth is that the United States has not scored well on these types of tests for many years. Quite simply, when compared with the rest of the world, our pre-college educational system is failing us.

What These Statistics Do Not Mean

These statistics do NOT mean that the United States is not producing any well-educated individuals. The United States continues to have some of the finest graduate level institutions in the entire world. These institutions turn out a large number of brilliant, well-educated individuals each and every year.

What These Statistics Do Mean

What these statistics do mean is that the average United States 15 year-old student is not nearly as well-educated as the average 15 year-old student from dozens of other countries around the world.

Why Do The U.S. Students Score So Low?

I believe it is for three simple reasons.

**Reason #1** \- The average American parent believes it is the job of the schools to teach their children everything they need to know. They believe that if their children learn everything that is taught in their classes, then they will be prepared to face the world. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Our children need to learn more. Much more.

**Reason #2** \- The curriculum in the average U.S. school system is not challenging enough. The curriculum is standardized so that all students in the class should be able to keep up. Unfortunately, this leads to a curriculum that forces the brighter students to slow down their learning in order for the slower students to keep pace.

**Reason #3** \- The school year is too short. The average length of the school year in the United States is 175 to 180 days. Korea is 220 days. Singapore is 200 days. The Netherlands is 200. Australia is 200. I contend that America's shorter school year has two major negative consequences.

**The first** is that students have so much vacation time between semesters, they wind up forgetting much of what was learned previously. Education is a foundational process that requires students to build upon their previous acquired knowledge. The short school year (with too much vacation time) forces teachers to spend valuable classroom time re-teaching knowledge from previous semesters that has been forgotten.

**The second** is that students do not develop the work ethic they will need to succeed once they enter the work force. Most of us who work five days (or more) per week, for fifty weeks a year, wind up working at least 250 days per year. Requiring children to attend school for only 175 to 180 days per year is not preparing them to work 250 days per year.

SELF-EVIDENT TRUTH #8

AMERICA IS FULL OF PEOPLE

WHO ARE FULL OF HOT AIR

When you see a hot-air balloon going by,

you immediately turn and look in awe.

No matter what you're doing , you just want to look at them.

Balloons have always been a great attraction.

Frank Ferraro

Face it. Anything (or anyone) who is full of hot air usually attracts attention. Successful entertainers, politicians, sports figures and business people know this.

If someone wants attention in America, all they have to do is come up with a ridiculous proposition and scream it from the rooftops. Just look at some recent examples:

1) Despite all of his apparent addiction problems, the actor, Charlie Sheen, tells the world how great he is and gets way more attention than he deserves. Look at some of his quotes:

I am on a drug. It's called Charlie Sheen.

The only thing I'm addicted to is winning. This bootleg cult, arrogantly referred to as Alcoholics Anonymous, reports a 5 percent success rate. My success rate is 100 percent.

You can't process me with a normal brain. Maybe I don't want to "waste my time" processing him at all.

2) Sarah Palin, the former vice-presidential running mate of John McCain in the 2008 presidential election (and probable Republican candidate for president in 2012), espouses ideas we're not even sure she understands. Once again, she gets way more attention than she deserves and is apparently making quite a bit of money as a result. Look at some examples:

When CBS news reporter Katie Couric asked her 3 times to name a few magazines and newspapers she reads to stay current, Palin failed to name even one. Palin's response was All of 'em, any of 'em that have been in front of me over all these years.

When Katie Couric asked Palin about Supreme Court cases she disagreed with, Palin was unable to name even one, other than the famous Roe v. Wade abortion case. Her response was Well, let's see. There's -- of course in the great history of America there have been rulings that there's never going to be absolute consensus by every American, and there are those issues, again, like Roe v. Wade, where I believe are best held on a state level and addressed there. So, you know, going through the history of America, there would be others but –

On Glenn Beck's radio show, Palin uttered her famous quote about the then current Korean situation. But obviously, we've got to stand with our North Korean allies. Doesn't she realize it's South Korea who is our ally, not North Korea?

3) Brett Favre, the former football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and the Minnesota Vikings also loves to talk. He is known for "retiring" and then "un-retiring" on multiple occasions. The news media routinely allowed him to hold them hostage during successive summers while they waited for him to decide whether or not he was going to play football. Look at some of his quotes.

I think [my return is] great for football. I can't see how you wouldn't think it would be. This seems a little self-centered to me.

I'm not gonna lie to ya ... Considering how many times he changed his mind, he must have been misquoted on this one.

When the fans of his first team, the Green Bay Packers grew upset upon learning that he was "un-retiring" and would play with the New York Jets instead, Favre was quoted as saying: If you're true Packer fans, you'd understand. In other words, if you didn't agree that it was okay for him to leave Green Bay then you weren't a true Packer fan. Here's the funny part. After Favre finally did permanently retire, Green Bay won the Super Bowl, WITHOUT HIM.

There are countless other examples, but there are too many for the limited space in this book.

Are these people lying, are they hypocrites, or are they just full of hot air. I'm not really sure. I'll leave that up to you to decide. The important part is not whether you agree with my selections or my opinions. The important part is that you realize there are people who are "full of hot-air" and that you recognize them when they open their mouths.

This subject reminds me of a quote I first heard many years ago.

The big lie does sell.

My response is simple. Just because it may sell doesn't mean you should lie.

Let's move on to Self-evident Truth #9.

SELF-EVIDENT TRUTH #9

THE AMERICAN FAMILY IS IN TROUBLE

There is no doubt that it is around the family

and the home that all the greatest virtues,

the most dominating virtues of human society,

are created, strengthened and maintained.

Winston Churchill

One may ask why I quote from Englishman to illustrate the importance of the family in American society? There are two reasons. First, Winston Churchill is best thought of as a citizen of the world rather than as an Englishman. Second, he hit it right on the head. It all begins (and ends) with the family.

If we have strong family roots, we will build a strong society. If our families let us down, society will suffer as a result.

Unfortunately, the American society is doing just that; suffering.

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, our families are under assault, economically and socially.

The parents are under greater strain that ever before.

That strain filters down to their children.

Furthermore, many children are having to stay at home and get their education online, rather than physically attend class in the schools.

While it's understandably necessary for the safety of all, it certainly can't be helping the children emotionally, psychologically and socially.

Assuming you agree there is a problem, what's the answer?

What are the consequences if we continue to neglect this problem and allow it to worsen?

Now, let's move on to Self-evident Truth, #10.

SELF-EVIDENT TRUTH #10

AMERICA'S

HEALTH-CARE SYSTEM

IS REALLY A SICK-CARE SYSTEM

He who takes medicine and neglects to diet

wastes the skill of his doctors.

Chinese Proverb

America has what some consider to be the greatest medical system in the world. There's just one problem. This "great" system is designed to help us get healthy ONLY AFTER we become sick. It is NOT designed to keep us from getting sick in the first place. Why?

Doctors say it's important to properly diagnose the problem in order to come up with the appropriate cure. Let's do the same thing here.

In America, healthcare is a business. A big business. It's all about making money.

If our healthcare system kept us from getting sick:

The number of doctor's visits would be drastically reduced;

Patients would not need to stay in hospitals or medical facilities;

Patients would not need surgical procedures;

Patients would not need to take medicines or prescription drugs.

If our healthcare system waits for us to get sick and then tries to heal us:

The number of doctor's visits will be drastically increased;

Patients will need to stay in hospitals or medical facilities;

Patients will need surgical procedures;

Patients will need to take medicines or prescription drugs.

Which system makes the most money for the doctors, hospitals and drug companies?

The Food Industry

Before we leave this subject, let's examine the food industry and the diet choices they present to us.

Critics of the food industry say the food choices being presented to the average American only serve to constantly make us fatter and sicker. I couldn't agree more.

Why does the food industry do this?

Once again, it's about the dollars. The fatter Americans get, the more they will want to eat. The more they want to eat, the more food the industry can sell to us. The more food the industry sells us, the more dollars they make.

It's all about the money. Our health is being sold down the river by the medical and food industry. Are all companies doing this? No, of course not. But overall, the vast majority of companies in both the medical and food industries seem to care much more about their profit margins than they do about our health.

Let's move on to Self-evident Truth #11.

SELF-EVIDENT TRUTH #11

THE AVERAGE AMERICAN

WANTS TO BE CONSTANTLY ENTERTAINED

And yet, in a culture like ours, which is given to material comforts,

and addicted to forms of entertainment

that offer immediate gratification,

it is surprising that so much poetry is written.

Mark Strand

_______

America is addicted to wars of distraction.

Barbara Ehrenreich

________

Man cannot live without joy; therefore when he is deprived

of true spiritual joys it is necessary that he

become addicted to carnal pleasures.

Thomas Aquinas

In general, America is a nation full of instant gratification junkies. We are addicted to distractions.

Why is that?

I believe it's because Americans are afraid to face their real problems. Just think about it. If we spend all our time watching television, surfing the net, tweeting on Twitter, chatting on Facebook and playing games, we don't have to spend any time thinking about our real problems.

In a nutshell, thinking about our real problems might make us feel bad. Being constantly entertained makes us feel good. Which would you prefer? Feeling bad or feeling good?

The downside to this scenario is that if we never face our problems, we'll never solve them. Our problems will just continue to grow worse. That's precisely what America has done over the past forty to fifty years, as television and the internet have become more prevalent in our society.

Can we continue to live this way? Absolutely not.

If we continue to entertain ourselves more and more and deal with our problems less and less, only one thing can happen. The complete and total collapse of America as we know it today.

But rather than spending a lot of time outlining this problem, let's move on to Self-evident Truth #12.

SELF-EVIDENT TRUTH #12

THE AVERAGE AMERICAN

BELIEVES THEY

CAN'T DO ANYTHING

TO CHANGE THE SITUATION

There are no hopeless situations, only people who think hopelessly.

Windred Newman

Remember our discussion about "sheeple" in the chapter on Self-evident Truth #2? In that chapter, we talked about the existence of "others" who seek to control and manipulate us, all in the name of profit.

Self-evident Truths #2 and #12 are closely connected. The very same people who seek to control and manipulate us do NOT want us to be empowered. They do NOT want us to believe we have the power to change the present situation. They want us to believe the situation is hopeless.

After all, if we believe the situation is hopeless, we won't even bother trying to make changes. If we don't bother to try, it just makes it easier for them maintain the present system of control and manipulation. It's a vicious circle.

Well, I believe things are NOT hopeless. I believe each and every one of us has the power to change the present situation. In order to change the present situation, we must first "unlearn" much of what has been taught to us in the past. We have to "unlearn" the attitude of hopelessness we've been taught.

Once we "unlearn" the old, we have the learn the new. We have to learn that there is hope. We have to learn that each and every one of us, as individuals, has the power to change our individual situation. We have to learn that if enough of us come together and change our individual situations, it will change our country and the world for the better.

And now, the greatest Self-evident Truth of them all. Self-evident Truth #13.

SELF-EVIDENT TRUTH #13

AMERICANS CAN ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING

THEY SET THEIR MIND TO ACCOMPLISHING

Happiness is different from pleasure.

Happiness has something to do with

struggling, enduring, and accomplishing.

Author Unknown

We live in a society that's all about pleasure. We eat for pleasure. We entertain ourselves for pleasure. We rest and recreate for pleasure. We buy things for pleasure. We consume things for pleasure. Everything is about pleasure.

Pleasure, pleasure, pleasure.

Despite all this "pleasure," I ask, are we, as a society happy? I'm not so sure. In fact, many Americans I talk to seem downright miserable to me. Why is this?

It's because we're too wrapped up in pleasure. While there's nothing wrong with pleasure, our society will rot and fall apart if all we do is focus on our pleasure. It's like being on a diet of nothing but sugar cookies and ice cream. It may taste good, but our teeth will rot and we'll grow fat, lazy and stupid.

Instead of pleasure, we need to shift our focus to one of accomplishment.

Let's look back on some of the greatest accomplishments in American history.

1) **1969 - Landing men on the moon and returning them safely** \- This was accomplished less than ten years after President John F. Kennedy challenged Americans to make it happen.

2) **1964 - The Civil Rights Act** \- While we still have a long way to go toward racial equality, we've sure come a long way in less than fifty years. So far in fact, that a black man, Barack Obama, was elected president of the United States in 2008.

3) **1920 - Woman's Suffrage - 19th Amendment** \- After many years of struggle, women gained the right to vote in the United States.

4) **1863 - The Emancipation Proclamation** \- This started the ball rolling toward freedom of all slaves with the 13th Amendment.

5) **1805 - Lewis & Clark Arrive at the Pacific Ocean after Exploring the Louisiana Purchase Territory** \- While their exploration was not unique, the vast amount of information they learned about this territory helped the United States as it expanded westward.

6) **1803 - The Louisiana Purchase** \- In one bold stroke, President Thomas Jefferson virtually doubled the size of the United States overnight. What an incredible move this was.

7) **1789 - The United States Constitution** \- While this document is far from perfect, it has, for more than two hundred years, served as the basis for one of the greatest political systems the world has ever seen.

8) **1776 - The Declaration of Independence** \- When one looks back, it is almost a miracle that all thirteen colonies were able to gain enough of a consensus and that they were brave enough to actually declare their independence from the British. Even more incredible, they actually won the Revolutionary War.

Just look at this list of incredible accomplishments. It doesn't even include many things in which America played a vital role, such as medical cures, discoveries, inventions, computers, or the internet.

The bottom line is this. We can accomplish virtually anything we set our minds toward accomplishing.

So I ask, why are we afraid to do something about our present situation?

If we set our minds to the task, we cannot fail. If we don't, failure is inevitable. The choice is up to us.

Are we willing to adopt the motto, **Accomplish or Perish?**

PART II

THE 50 QUESTIONS

WE THE PEOPLE

MUST ASK AND ANSWER

WHO AM I?

You are who you are

and that's who you are.

Variation of Popeye's Favorite Slogan

I have a favorite Navajo Native American saying. _Walk in harmony in the universe by being aware of who you are._

This saying is not only incredibly beautiful, but also extremely important. It implies that you must first figure out who you are and then you must accept who you are, in order to live in peace and harmony with the universe.

In my experience, many people define themselves in terms of who they are not, rather than in terms of who they are. They focus on their weaknesses and the things they don't have or haven't accomplished, rather than on their strengths and the things they do have or have accomplished.

In my opinion, we would all be much better served if did the opposite. We should define ourselves in terms of who we are, instead of who we are not.

Who you are is your core essence. When all else is stripped away, what is left over? You are not your job. You are not your family. You are not your list of accomplishments. You are you. You are who you are and that's who you are. You are unique.

I want you to take a few minutes and come up with no more than five sentences that answers the question, Who Am I ? No more than five sentences. That's all it should take.

Before you do that, I want you to get out something to write on, such as several sheets of blank paper or a notebook. A notebook is better because it will allow you to keep your notes and thoughts organized.

Now, to help you get started, here's my answer to that question.

I am Stanley Bronstein, aka the Warrior Walker. I walk along my chosen path in a steady, persistent and diligent manner. My actions as I walk along my chosen path proceed from direction, determination, patience and strength. My purpose for being is to help others find their purpose, and achieve it.

Now I want you to take out your blank paper or your notebook and answer the following question.

Who am I ?

This is your core essence. It is the foundation upon which, from this day forward, you are going to build everything else in your life.

After you have figured out who you are, you should ask yourself the opposite question: Who am I not ? Think about the characteristics and traits that do not describe you. Again, write your answer on a blank sheet of paper or a notebook.

Who am I not ?

Now that you have thought about who you are and who you are not, it's time to ask yourself yet another related question.

Who do I want to be ?

Unfortunately, there is no easy, immediate way to figure out who you are. You must continuously look inside yourself to find the answer to this question. You may even find your answer will change from time to time. That's okay.

Knowing who you are, who you are not and who you want to be, will bring you a sense of inner peace that is essential for the remainder of our journey together.

WHAT DO I WANT?

Sometimes you have to figure out what you don't want

before you can figure out what you do want.

In life, we sometimes do not figure out what we truly want until we first get what we think we wanted and subsequently discover we were wrong.

Here's an example from my life:

At the age of 28, I was a fairly successful and happy CPA. One day, in the midst of a heated conversation at work, my business partner (who happened to be my brother) accidentally reignited a passion within me to become an attorney. It was something I had always wanted, but had pretty much given up on. Our conversation made me realize that not becoming an attorney was an unacceptable outcome. As I consequence, I committed myself, from that point forward, to do whatever it took to become one and four years later I did become an attorney.

That career change, instigated by a totally random, unplanned conversation, has made an incredible difference in my life. It made me realize something was missing from my life and that I could do something about it while I had the chance.

I ask you to consider, at this stage of your life, the following questions. Answer them either on a blank sheet of paper or a notebook.

What do I truly want ?

What changes, if they were to occur in my life, would make me happier ?

Plain and simple, you can't figure out what you need to do and where you need to go until you first figure out what you want. I urge you to take the time to answer this question before you move on to the next question.

To help you get started, I'll share my answer with you.

_I, Stanley Bronstein, want to be a "change-agent" who helps change America and the world for the better. I want to empower all Americans to take charge of their lives and their country. I want_ _America and the world to be a better place._

WHY AM I HERE?

The heart has its reasons which reason knows not of.

Blaise Pascal

This may be the most important question in this entire book. Why are you here? Nothing I can think of sums it up more precisely than this question. We are all here for a reason. Do you know yours?

As I have stated previously, I believe my reason for being here is to help others find their purpose in life and to achieve it (i.e. find their reason for being). It's a personal mission statement that contains what I believe to be my reason for being.

I believe that one of the main reasons we were all put on the face of this earth is to help others. Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying we can't help ourselves, but I believe it is possible to do so in a manner that helps others at the same time.

Here are some questions you may want to think about as you try to decide why you are here. As usual, answer them on a blank sheet of paper or a notebook.

What do I do best?

What can I do that no one else can do?

What can I do better than others?

What makes me happiest while I'm doing it?

What can I do to help others and make the world a better place?

Now that you've answered those questions, here's the big one.

Why am I here?

WHAT DO I BELIEVE IN?

If you believe you can, you probably can.

If you believe you won't, you most assuredly won't.

Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad.

Denis Waitley

I'm often asked to give the one most important piece of advice I would share with others. My answer is always the same.

Believe in yourself, your abilities,

your talents and your ideas.

Nothing could be more important. As Denis Waitley suggested in the above quote, if you believe you can, you probably can. The flip-side of that is if you believe you can't, you probably can't.

With that in mind, I'd like you to **answer the following questions** **and complete the last statement** , again on a blank sheet of paper or a notebook.

What do I currently believe about myself, my abilities, my talents and my ideas?

Do my current beliefs about myself, my abilities, my talents and my ideas serve to limit that which I can accomplish, or do those beliefs encourage me to accomplish more; to become something greater than I currently am?

From this day forward, I consciously choose to believe the following about myself, my abilities, my talents and my ideas: ___________________________.

WERE MY ACTIONS TODAY

CONGRUENT WITH MY BELIEFS?

Your life changes the moment you make a new,

congruent, and committed decision.

Anthony Robbins

**Congruent** \- Agreeing. Corresponding. Corresponding in character or kind.

In order to be successful, it's not enough that we decide to change our beliefs. We must also put those beliefs into action.

It's not even enough to just put our beliefs into action. In order to be truly successful, our actions must be consistent with those beliefs.

Think about it. You can't believe you are a healthy, slim, fit person and then eat a diet consisting solely of cheeseburgers and deserts. To do so would be acting in a manner that is incongruent with your beliefs. Your actions would be undermining your belief system.

In other words, your beliefs would not truly be your beliefs.

I'll give you an example from my own life. Despite being obese for most of my adult life, I always believed there was a skinny, healthy person inside of me who was screaming to get out. I also believed that I had the power within me to accomplish whatever I wanted (including losing weight). However, my actions over my first forty-nine years were not congruent with that belief. I ate too much. I didn't exercise enough. My health suffered.

My problem was not in my beliefs. My beliefs were fine. My problem was that my actions were incongruent with my beliefs.

One day around February 2009, I had a revelation. I woke up one morning and announced to my wife that from this day forward I was no longer going to tolerate "garbage" in my life from anyone. I then told her the first person I was going to stop tolerating "garbage" from was myself. From that day forward, I was going to change my actions. My actions were going to be congruent with my beliefs. The changes I have seen since that day have been wonderful.

So, I ask you.

Are your actions congruent with your beliefs? If not, what can you do to change that?

HOW DO I EXPECT THINGS IN MY LIFE

AND MY WORLD TO TURN OUT?

Expectancy determines outcome.

Deepak Chopra

What do you expect to achieve in your life? I ask because defining your expectations is a key ingredient in achieving your desired outcomes. If you expect grand outcomes, you are much more likely to achieve grand outcomes. If you expect little or nothing, that is exactly what you are most likely to achieve; little or nothing.

Often our expectations in life are shaped during our early formative years. Many parents tell their young children they are capable of accomplishing anything they desire. I was fortunate to have had such parents. Other parents fill their children with limiting beliefs that only serve to limit the expectations of their children.

I remember an example from many years ago when a new acquaintance introduced his son as his "little idiot." I was extremely upset when I heard this. I did not say anything at the time, but I probably should have said something such as, "I'm sure you don't really mean that, as your son appears to be very smart to me."

Unconsciously, that father was programming his son for failure. He was unconsciously programming his son to believe he was an idiot. He was unconsciously inhibiting his son's future development.

Children and adults, have a tendency to believe what they hear. If we're told that we're smart, we'll expect to do things smart people would do. If we're told we're an idiot, even in jest, we'll expect to do things idiots would do.

Do you find yourself using limiting thoughts such as: "That was a stupid thing I did", "I'm so dumb", or "I could never be smart enough or dedicated enough to do that?"

Even worse, do you find yourself imposing those types of limiting thoughts and beliefs on your children?

If you have a tendency to have those types of limiting thoughts, you are unintentionally limiting your expectations and thus your ultimate outcomes. If instead, you adopt positive, non-limiting expectations, you will be working toward and ultimately achieving positive, non-limiting outcomes.

With that in mind, ask yourself the following.

What do I currently expect will happen in my life and in my world?

Do my current expectations serve to limit the possibly of achieving successful outcomes in my life and in my world?

From this day forward, I consciously choose to expect the following outcomes in my life and in my world.

DO I LOVE OTHERS AND

DO I LOVE MYSELF?

To find love is not to find the perfect person,

but to love an imperfect one.

Author Unknown

If people would spend more time loving, the world would undoubtedly be a better place. In order to "love" someone, two things must take place.

One must invest their time, energy and emotions on the object of their love, and

One must recognize and appreciate the qualities of the object of their love.

The lack of love for others in our society stems from the same two causes.

So few of us are willing to invest our time, energy and emotions on another (or even ourselves); and

So few of us are willing (or able) to recognize and appreciate the qualities of another (or even ourselves).

Why is this so?

I believe the average American is not willing to put forth the necessary effort because they fear being hurt or suffering a loss. Think about it. Loving someone (or yourself) requires an investment on your part. If you feel the most likely reward from your investment will be negative, then you will be afraid to make that investment.

In other words, if you expect a negative outcome from your investment, you will probably not make that investment. You believe loving others (or yourself) might be a waste of time, so you do not make that investment of time.

That can change. That must change. That will change.

In Question #49, we'll discuss fear in much greater detail. But for the moment, it's enough for us to realize that fear holds us back. Fear limits us. Sometimes that can be a good thing, but quite often it's not.

For the moment, it's enough that you ask yourself two questions.

Whom do I love?

Do I love myself?

Until we learn to love ourselves and to love each other, America (and its citizens) will continue to suffer.

That can change. That must change. That will change.

AM I CONSCIOUS

OF THE WORLD AROUND ME?

No problem can be solved from the

same level of consciousness that created it.

Albert Einstein

Consciousness is an awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts and surroundings. In order to be conscious, one must set aside time each day for "deep thinking."

Of all the things I've read and heard about the creator of the above quote, Albert Einstein, he was a deep thinker. In order to comprehend physics at his level, you pretty much would have to be a deep thinker. Just looking at the quote, it's obvious that Einstein thought about more than just physics. He also thought about philosophy and life itself.

The interesting part is that his quote is pretty much an equation. In order to solve a problem, one must increase the level of one's consciousness. There is a direct causal relationship. The higher one's level of consciousness, the great chance one has of solving any given problem.

Well, guess what? America (and most Americans) have a whole host of problems. As I've stated several times before, I do NOT believe the situation is hopeless. I believe we have it in ourselves to solve each and every problem we face. The way to do that is by raising our level of consciousness.

What Is Consciousness?

Consciousness is basically awareness. Awareness of a great many things, such as your existence, your sensations, your thoughts, your surroundings and your actions. By being aware, you will gain a better understanding of your life and your environment.

Is Consciousness The Same Things As Being Awake?

Most people equate consciousness with being awake. They equate unconsciousness with being asleep, or knocked out. I believe that not all who are awake are conscious. Every day I see many people who walk through life without being the least bit aware of what goes on around them. They simply exist. They basically walk around on auto-pilot.

**Why Aren't People More Aware?** Two reasons.

It's Easier

I believe it is because it is far easier to go through life being unaware than it is to be conscious of everything going on around us.

Awareness Can Be Painful

Carl Jung said: _There is no coming to consciousness without pain._ At times, it can be quite painful to be aware. If you are unaware, you are not aware of problems around you, so you don't necessarily have to deal with them. Unfortunately, if you are unaware, you are also not aware of the opportunities available to you to solve these problems.

As much as I hate to say it, the two chief motivators of the average American are laziness and avoidance of pain. If we go through life unconsciously, we can avoid a heck of a lot of work and quite a bit of pain.

But, that kind of an attitude won't solve any problems.

So ask yourself?

Am I conscious?

What can I do to increase my level of consciousness?

How might I benefit if I increase my level of consciousness?

DO SOME THINGS IN MY LIFE

AND MY WORLD NEED TO CHANGE?

I found out that I can change my life.

There is a possibility for that and it's an easy possibility.

It's not as hard as it looks.

Veronica Martinez

Now that we've decided it's important to raise our level of consciousness, let's start examining our surroundings. It's time for you to take a look at your life and at your world. Ask yourself:

How are things going in my life at the present time?

Are there some things in my life that need to change?

Would my life be better if these changes were to happen?

When it comes to making changes in your life, you are pretty much in charge of your own destiny. While you are certainly affected by your environment and by others, it will pretty much be up to you to bring about your own changes in your own life. You are the boss.

When it comes to making changes in America and in your world, you are just one part of a much larger picture. You are responsible for bringing about your share of the necessary changes, but you can't do it all by yourself. Despite this, you should realize that one person can be very powerful. One person can be a change-agent who influences others to do the same. For this reason, it's essential that we each do our individual share. When it comes to bringing about countrywide and global changes, don't let the fact that you are one person overwhelm you.

With that in mind, here's your next set of questions.

How are things going in America and my world at the present time?

Are there some things in America and my world that need to change?

Would America and my world be better if these changes were to happen?

AM I WILLING TO DO WHAT IT TAKES,

FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES,

TO BRING ABOUT THESE CHANGES

IN MY LIFE, MY COUNTRY AND MY WORLD?

It doesn't matter how much you want.

What really matters is how much you want it.

The extent and complexity of the problem does not matter

as much as does the willingness to solve it.

Ralph Marston

Here's where the "rubber meets the road." Unless you are ready and willing to "start your engines" and begin "driving your cars" along the road you're laying out for yourself, you're just wasting your time.

Changing our lives, changing America and changing our world, requires a commitment. The minute you pledge yourself, unequivocally and positively to bringing about these changes, the process of divine intervention will pledge itself too. It will pledge itself to set into motion a series of unexpected events and chance encounters that will aid, assist and support you, all in a manner and on a scale that you could never have imagined.

In simple language, if you commit yourself 100% toward bringing about these necessary changes, divine intervention will help you by bringing a series of unexpected opportunities to you that are grander than you could have possibly imagined.

The 100% commitment formula stated above is extremely simple. The hard part is making the 100% commitment. When you're not sure how things are going to turn out, it's tough to commit all your resources and all your energy to something. Despite the uncertainty, you have to make the commitment.

I know in my own journey there have been a lot of down periods when it would have been easy to become discouraged and give up. But if you ask any of my friends and family members, they will tell you that I have never given up. I have been steadily persistent and have refused to take no for an answer.

By refusing to give up, I've set the process of divine intervention into motion and all sorts of great things have been happening in my life, in my country and in my world.

Can this happen to you? Absolutely. All you have to do is make a 100% commitment to making the necessary changes in your life, in your country and in your world.. Not just a strong commitment, but a 100% commitment. It's almost as if we're being tested by divine forces and must receive their approval before they will be willing to hop on our bandwagon and make things start to happen.

So you must ask yourself the all-important question.

Am I willing to do what it takes, for as long as it takes, to bring about these changes in my life, in my country and in my world?

If you answered yes, then keep reading. If you answered no, please do one of the following two things:

Go back and re-read Part I of this book; or

Give this book to someone else.

AM I WILLING TO

BE THE CHANGE I WANT TO SEE

IN THE WORLD?

You must be the change you want to see in the world.

Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi's teachings provide us with many basic fundamentals for changing the world. Among his teachings are such thoughts as:

Change starts with you;

You are in control;

Forgive yourself and forgive others;

Without action, you won't get anywhere;

Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then power derived from fear of punishment;

Concern yourself less with the past and the future. Be concerned with the present moment;

We are all human and thus capable of making mistakes;

An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind;

Persist. Never give up;

See the good in others;

Be your true self. Make your actions congruent with your words; and

Continue to grow and evolve.

Out of all Gandhi's teachings, the quote at the beginning of this chapter sums them up the best.

_So ask yourself_.

Am I willing to be the change I want to see in the world?

You can't expect others to change unless you're willing to change yourself. If you want your world to change, then you must a shining example of that change.

AM I WILLING TO ACCEPT

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY LIFE,

FOR MY COUNTRY, AND FOR MY WORLD?

Freedom is the will to be responsible for ourselves.

Freidrich Nietzsche

**Responsible** – Answerable or accountable, as for something within one's power, control, or management. Having a capacity for moral decisions and therefore being accountable; capable of rational thought or action. Reliable or dependable.

You are responsible for yourself.

I don't know what has happened in America and in the world, but for some reason, very few people are presently willing to accept personal responsibility for their own actions. They want to blame everything on somebody else.

That philosophy is part of our present problem.

It doesn't really matter who is at fault. What matters is who can fix the problem?

There's an old saying. _Fix the problem, not the blame._

Forget who is responsible for whatever problems you have in your life and simply realize that if you do your best to make the appropriate changes, RIGHT NOW, you will be getting yourself ready to take advantage of future opportunities.

As the quote at the beginning of this chapter suggests, if we are willing to accept responsibility for everything that happens to us; for everything that we do; we become incredibly powerful. We become free.

If we are NOT willing to accept responsibility, then someone else must always be involved, even if it is to simply to serve as the object of our blame. If we take 100% responsibility, then no one else needs to be involved.

When no one else is involved, there's no one to get in the way. No one's permission is required. We are free !!!

_So ask yourself_.

Am I willing to accept personal responsibility for the things that happen in my life, in my country and in my world?

You can't keeping "passing the buck" to someone else if you want to solve your problems. As President Harry Truman used to say, " _The buck stops here._ " Someone has to accept responsibility and it might as well be you.

While we're on the subject of responsibility, I want to point out one more thing that is best illustrated by the following quote:

You are not only responsible for what you say,

but also for what you do not say.

(Martin Luther)

While our society does an excellent job of shifting blame onto others for things that happen, it does NOT always do a good job of apportioning responsibility for things that do NOT happen.

I believe that sometimes the things we don't do can be even more important than the things we do.

For example, what if you decide to help someone. That's good, isn't it? Others might notice that you helped someone and think more highly of you as a result.

But, what if you do NOT help someone, what then? Someone else might not even notice.

Which makes the bigger statement? Helping someone or not helping someone.

Unfortunately, our society is so focused on what people do, that it often forgets to look at what people do NOT do.

I learned this lesson from my older brother, Martin. When I first became a lawyer, Martin told me I was doing an excellent job of telling him what the contract I was reading said.

He then went on to say that I would NOT become a great lawyer until I could tell him what the contract did NOT say !!!

His words were so true and he was 100% right.

So, you need to ask yourself one more question.

Am I willing to accept personal responsibility for the things that do NOT happen in my life and do NOT happen in my world?

AM I CRAZY ENOUGH

TO BELIEVE I CAN CHANGE THE WORLD?

The people who are crazy enough

to believe they can change the world

are usually the ones who do.

Author Unknown

If you're going to dream, you might as well dream big. That's what I always say.

That's what I'm asking you to do here. I'm asking you to release all the limitations you might have. Just let go and realize you just might have the power to bring about incredible changes in your life and in your world.

When she was younger, do you think Mother Teresa knew the impact she would have upon the world's poor and downtrodden?

Probably not.

When he was younger, do you think Mahatma Gandhi knew how large of an impact he would have upon the world?

Probably not.

When he was younger, do you think Martin Luther King knew how large of an impact he would have upon the American Civil Rights movement?

Probably not.

What all of them did know is that they had ideas and that they believed in them. They also knew that they were willing to do whatever it took, for as long as it took, to make things happen.

_So ask yourself_.

Am I crazy enough to believe I can change the world?

AM I WILLING TO OPEN MY MIND

TO THE POSSIBILITY AND

NECESSITY OF CHANGE?

In times of change, learners inherit the Earth

while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped

to deal with a world that no longer exists.

Eric Hoffer

Change is inevitable. The world has changed quite a bit over the last hundred years and it's going to change quite a bit more over the next hundred. Not only that, the pace of that change is growing faster and faster. I suspect very few people would dispute my statements.

Despite that, why is it that so many individuals are resistant to change? I would think that anyone of reasonably sound mind and body who anticipates living for the next five to ten years (and probably longer) would realize the necessity of embracing change. But quite frequently, that doesn't seem to be the case.

People don't want to learn new skills because that would take time, effort or sacrifice.

People don't want to lose weight because that might require time, effort or sacrifice.

People don't want to learn newer, more efficient ways to get things done as that might require time, effort or sacrifice.

All too often, people just want to be left alone in the comfortable world they've built for themselves. Why do they do that?

I think it all boils down to the same two characteristics we've discussed before. People are lazy and fearful.

Change requires time, effort and sacrifice. Change requires overcoming our fear of what that change might bring.

Unfortunately as this chapter's quote suggests, if we do not change, we will find ourselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. At present, America is well on it's way to doing just that.

We are exporting our jobs and our technology. While this is great for the rest of the world, it results in our country being left behind. The sad part is that we are doing this to ourselves, all in the name of the almighty dollar.

So much of our manufacturing and service jobs are being exported to other countries. This is being done because other countries will do the work for less money and because too many Americans are lacking the knowledge and skills to do it here.

This can change. This must change. This will change, but only if we as individuals first make the changes in ourselves. If we do not change, we WILL perish, both as individuals and as a society. It's just that simple.

Change is inevitable, but growth is optional. Change will happen with or without us. If it happens without us, there will be no personal growth among Americans as individuals or as a country.

_So ask yourself_.

Am I willing to open my mind to the possibility and necessity of change?

What changes do I believe are possible in my life and in America?

What changes do I believe are necessary in my life and in America?

**Am I willing to make these changes? Is** **America willing to make these changes?**

AM I WILLING TO COMMIT

TO THE PRINCIPLE OF

CONSTANT

AND NEVER-ENDING IMPROVEMENT?

Become addicted to constant and never-ending self-improvement.

Anthony J. D'Angelo

Kaizen is a Japanese principle that refers to philosophy and practices that result in continuous improvement. Kaizen recognizes that it's not good enough to sit back and rest on one's past accomplishments.

Unfortunately, I believe that's exactly what America does all too often. We send men to the moon and then we lose interest in the program once it's been done. We build what is perhaps the greatest political system in the history of the world and then we allow it to slowly fall apart due to petty squabbles and petty politics. We make some of the greatest scientific advancements ever and then we stop educating enough of our citizens to make certain we are capable of even greater scientific advancements in the future.

Welcome to America, the land of resting on our laurels.

That can change. That must change. That will change.

America needs new challenges. Whenever America has faced challenges, it has shown an unparalleled ability to meet them.

The problem is that many of our current leaders have not demonstrated the willingness or the insightfulness to make the hard choices necessary to put these challenges before the American people and to meet these challenges after having done so. Instead, these leaders do what is easiest and what works out best for them individually or for their constituency. That needs to change.

In Part I of this book, I listed several problems America must overcome if it is to survive. The only way we can overcome these challenges is if America (and Americans) decide it is time for us to be great again. We must rise up and we must face these challenges. If we adopt a spirit of "kaizen" (an attitude of constant and never-ending improvement, we can do so).

_So ask yourself_.

**Am I willing to commit to the principle of constant and never-ending improvement? Is** **America as a country willing?**

HOW IS MY PHYSICAL HEALTH

AND THE PHYSICAL HEALTH

OF AMERICA?

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being,

and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Author Unknown

**Health** \- The overall condition of an organism at any given time.

**Physical** \- Of or relating to the body, as distinguished from the mind or spirit.

Now is the time to cut to the chase. Now is the time for us to be honest with ourselves. Now is the time to face facts.

The physical health of the average American stinks. Recent statistics released in 2008 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Journal of the American Medical Association indicate the following:

32.2% of American men were obese

35.5% of American women were obese

68% of Americans were either obese or overweight

Other studies from the period 2006 through 2008 showed blacks had a 51% higher prevalence of being obese as compared with whites. Hispanics had a 21% higher prevalence of being obese as compared with whites.

Among American children and adolescents, in 2007 - 2008, the estimated rates were:

16.7% of non-Hispanic white boys were obese

19.8% of non-Hispanic black boys were obese

26.8% of Mexican-American boys were obese

14.5% of non-Hispanic white girls were obese

29.2% of non-Hispanic black girls were obese

17.4% of Mexican-American girls were obese

Mind you, these are just obesity rates. They don't even begin to cover those who are overweight enough to be unhealthy but not overweight enough to be considered obese.

What's makes this really bad is that the numbers have only grown worse since then.

What does it mean when someone is classified as overweight or obese?

Obesity classification is based upon a measurement known as body mass index (BMI). BMI compares one's weight and height to statistical norms. Rather than go into complicated detail, suffice it to say that overweight means someone has a higher BMI than is normal. Obese means someone has a grossly higher BMI than is normal.

Exact measurements are not necessary. The bottom line is that the average American is either overweight or obese. So, how does that affect us?

Being overweight or obese increases our chances of getting several diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, arthritis and breathing /sleeping difficulties. It drastically increases our healthcare costs. It results in increased sickdays. It causes problems with families.

The most common causes of being overweight or obese are eating too much and not exercising enough. Sometimes the problem can be caused by genetic issues, medications or illness, but the overwhelming majority of the problem in America is caused by Americans eating too much and not getting enough physical activity.

So, how do we solve the problem?

It's real simple.

Make more intelligent eating choices, including but not limited to eating less and eating better; and

Exercise more.

Americans are literally eating themselves to death. We have become so successful that we can obtain virtually any food we want, virtually any time we want it.

On top of that, we've grown lazy. A perfect example is the prevalence of drive-thru windows at fast-food places. Not only do we want to eat a bunch of food that is probably bad for us, we've grown too lazy to even get out of our cars to get it.

The sad part is that, for the most-part, all of this is preventable. We are doing it to ourselves.

Why don't we see hundreds of television ads telling us to eat better and exercise more? Because there's no money in it.

Can you imagine a food company telling us to consume less of their product because it's bad for us to eat too much?

Can you imagine a hospital telling us to take such good care of ourselves that we don't need to use their services?

Can you imagine pharmaceutical companies telling us to take such good care of ourselves that we don't need to buy their pills and potions?

Can you imagine a beer ad during the Super Bowl telling us to drink less of their beer (or not drink at all) because it's making us overweight?

Can you imagine a television station saying they don't want to run food ads, pharmaceutical ads or beer ads because they're promoting products that might be bad for us?

None of these things are going to happen any time soon.

We live in a society that specializes in creating artificial demand. All of the ads that bombard us daily tell us that we need things that we may or may not actually need. We demand things the "powers that be" tell us we are supposed to demand.

The solution is not to make these companies stop advertising to us. The solution is to change what we demand.

If we stop buying bad products and insist that we will only buy good ones and necessary ones (or that we may not buy anything at all), then and only then will things begin to change.

You've heard of Supply Side Economics. Well, this is Demand Side Economics. We have to change what we demand and how much we demand. Then and only then will the providers change what they supply.

While I am not a doctor, I will share with you what I did to lose over 109 pounds in a little over two years.

I took personal responsibility for my being obese.

I stopped tolerating poor behavior on my part.

I gained control over the food I ate.

I changed the foods I ate. I gave some bad things up and added other good things.

I do not drink caffeine.

I do not smoke.

I no longer drink alcohol. That's not to say I'll never have a drink again, but it's been two years and I don't miss it.

I do not drink sodas. That's not to say I'll never have a soda again, but it's been two years and I don't miss them.

I do not eat late at night. Most days I stop eating in the early afternoon. If I do eat late at night, I make that meal small; VERY SMALL.

I exercise at least an hour a day EVERY day (unless I am injured).

That's it. Those few changes have made all the difference in the world.

So ask yourself.

How is my physical health?

Does my physical health need to improve?

What am I willing to do to improve my physical health?

Now ask yourself.

How is America's physical health?

Does America's physical health need to improve?

What am I willing to do to improve America's physical health?

HOW IS MY EMOTIONAL HEALTH

AND THE EMOTIONAL HEALTH

OF AMERICA?

Love is the essence of human experience and emotion.

It is at the root of all and everything we, as humans, do.

Without love, what do we have to live for?

Author Unknown

**Health** \- The overall condition of an organism at any given time.

**Emotional** \- Of, characteristic of, or relating to the part of the consciousness that involves feelings; sensibility.

The basic emotions are typically thought of as love, joy, surprise, anger, sadness and fear. There are also derivative emotions such as happiness, pride, optimism, jealously and many others.

All of these emotions can be wonderful things, as long as they are in balance. Like most things in life, experiencing too much or too little can be bad.

In Question #20, we are going to talk more about the need for balance in our lives, in our country, and in our world. For now, suffice it to say that balance is:

Increasing anything that is deficient and

Decreasing anything that is excessive

If you have too little of something, you must increase it. If you have too much of something, you must cut it back.

Do you find yourself getting angry too often? If so, you need to get angry less often.

Do you find it difficult to be happy? If so, you need to allow more joy into your life.

Are you always afraid of what might happen? If so, you need to find a way to reduce your fears.

So ask yourself.

How is my emotional health?

Does my emotional health need to improve?

What am I willing to do to improve my emotional health?

Now ask yourself.

How is America's emotional health?

Does America's emotional health need to improve?

What am I willing to do to improve America's emotional health?

HOW IS MY SPIRITUAL HEALTH

AND THE SPIRITUAL HEALTH

OF AMERICA?

A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on an installment plan.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

**Health** \- The overall condition of an organism at any given time.

**Spiritual** \- Of, concerned with, or affecting the soul. Not tangible or material

Some people think of spiritual health as having to do with religion. Others think of it as something a little more individualistic and personalized.

Personally I don't think it matters whether a person is religious or not religious. I also don't believe any one religion is more important than another. What I do think is important is that we all believe in something. No matter your religion, no matter your beliefs, we all have souls and our souls need to be healthy. Having a healthy set of beliefs helps make our souls healthy.

So, what is a soul?

A soul is the animating and vital principle in humans, credited with the faculties of thought, action, and emotion and often conceived as an immaterial entity. It represents the spiritual nature of humans and is often regarded as immortal and separable from the body at death.

Basically our soul is that which animates us. It is that which makes us alive.

When our souls are healthy, we have virtually unlimited amounts of energy. When our souls are sick, we do not.

Personally, I think America's soul is sick. Very sick. In my opinion, there is so much wrong with America right now that it's extremely difficult for America to get things done.

Despite that, I believe there is hope. I believe there is incredible hope. America can get better. America must get better. America will get better.

So ask yourself.

How is my spiritual health? How is my soul?

Does my spiritual health need to improve?

What am I willing to do to improve my spiritual health?

Now ask yourself.

**How is America 's spiritual health? How is ****America's soul?**

Does America's spiritual health need to improve?

What am I willing to do to improve America's spiritual health?

HOW IS MY FINANCIAL HEALTH

AND THE FINANCIAL HEALTH

OF AMERICA?

Many people make the mistake of thinking that all the challenges in their lives would dissipate if they just had enough money.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Earning more money, in and of itself, rarely frees people.

It's equally ridiculous to tell yourself that greater financial freedom and mastery of your finances would not offer you greater opportunities to expand, share, and create value for yourself and others.

Anthony Robbins

**Health** \- The overall condition of an organism at any given time.

**Financial** \- Of, relating to, or involving the management of money and other assets.

We've already talked at great length about the financial situation of the average American and America as a country in Self-evident Truths #3 through #6. Suffice it to say that the financial situation of the average American and America as a country is NOT good.

If America and We the People are going to fix things, it is absolutely essential we get out finances in order. In fact, our finances may be the biggest problem we face.

Personally, I think it's all connected. If we improve our educational system we can have more jobs in America. If we stop spending money on useless consumer items, we will have more money for that which is important. If we improve our health, less money will have to be spent on our health care.

We are in a vicious downward spiral and we have to put a stop to it. If we do, there is hope. If we do not, all hope is lost.

_So ask yourself_.

How is my financial health?

Does my financial health need to improve?

What am I willing to do to improve my financial health?

_Now ask yourself_.

How is America's financial health?

Does America's financial health need to improve?

What am I willing to do to improve America's financial health?

IS MY LIFE BALANCED?

IS AMERICAN CULTURE BALANCED?

In order for a larger system to be in balance, as a whole,

each smaller system within it must itself be balanced.

This principle is the same at each level of complexity.

Author Unknown

As I mentioned back in Question #17, balance is increasing anything that is deficient and decreasing anything that is excessive. Now we're going to add another component to the equation.

In order for America to be in balance, as a whole, we as individual American citizens must also be in balance.

Putting the two parts together, we realize that the only way to bring America into balance is for We the People, as individuals to increase everything that is deficient in our lives and to decrease everything that is excessive. The very act of doing so will help do the same for America as a whole.

In case you haven't noticed, nearly all of the Questions in this book are designed to help you identify deficiencies and excesses in your life.

_So ask yourself_.

What is deficient in my life?

What is excessive in my life?

What am I willing to do to increase that which is deficient and decrease that which is excessive in my life?

_Now ask yourself_.

What is deficient in American culture?

What is excessive in American culture?

What am I willing to do to increase that which is deficient and decrease that which is excessive in American culture?

DO I LEARN FROM MISTAKES

OR DO I BEAT MYSELF UP

OVER THEM?

Do not fear mistakes.

Fear only the absence of

creative, constructive and corrective

responses to those mistakes.

Author Unknown

**Mistake** \- An error or fault resulting from defective judgment, deficient knowledge, or carelessness. A misconception or misunderstanding.

Mistakes happen. It's just a fact of life. I make mistakes all the time and it drives me nuts whenever I do.

When a mistake happens, we have three basic choices:

**Choice 1** \- Ignore it;

**Choice 2** \- Beat ourselves up for having made the mistake; or

**Choice 3** \- Fix any problems caused by the mistake and learn from it.

The first two choices are not good ones. Ignoring problems and mistakes is one of the major reasons America is in such terrible shape today. Beating ourselves up (or beating each other up) over the problems and mistakes is another one of the major causes of America's current situation.

Choices 1 and 2 don't fix anything and as a result only make things worse. Choice 3 is the only one that can fix things and make the present situation better.

Choices 1 and 2 are the lazy way out. Choice 3 requires time, effort and sacrifice. Unfortunately as we've discussed before, Americans haven't been willing, in the recent past, to put forth the same amount of effort or make the same level of sacrifice they used to do. We've grown lazy.

If we are to overcome the problems facing America that must change. We must begin to admit it when we've made mistakes and we must be willing to fix the problems caused by those mistakes and to learn from the experience.

_So ask yourself_.

What are some of the mistakes I've made in the past?

What are some mistakes I might be making right now?

In the past, whenever I've made a mistake, did I realize it at the time or did I not realize it until much later?

In the past, whenever I've made a mistake, did I ignore it, beat myself up over it, or learn from it?

How might I benefit if I made a conscious effort to learn from my mistakes?

AM I MY OWN BIGGEST ENEMY

OR AM I MY OWN BEST FRIEND?

Because the demands on a goalie are mostly mental,

it means that for a goalie the biggest enemy is himself.

Not a puck, not an opponent, not a quirk of size or style.

Him.

The stress and anxiety he feels when he plays, the fear of failing,

the fear of being embarrassed, the fear of being physically hurt,

all the symptoms of his position,

in constant ebb and flow, but never disappearing.

The successful goalie understands these neuroses,

accepts them, and puts them under control.

The unsuccessful goalie is distracted by them,

his mind in knots, his body quickly following.

Ken Dryden

**Enemy** \- One who feels hatred toward, intends injury to, or opposes the interests of another; a foe. A hostile power or force, such as a nation. Something destructive or injurious in its effects.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, everyone became focused on our enemies. The enemies identified (Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, OPEC and others) were all forces who opposed America's interests. Is it possible that we've become so focused on these stated enemies, that we've overlooked our greatest enemy?

Who might that enemy be?

As Walter Kelly, the creator of the comic strip "Pogo" said many years ago, We have met the enemy and he is us.

Al Qaeda didn't create the current American culture of over consumerism and laziness.

Osama bin Laden didn't create the current American culture of constant and never-ending entertainment.

Saddam Hussein didn't cause 68% of the American people to become overweight or obese.

OPEC isn't responsible for the failures of the American educational system to educate our children to worldwide standards.

We the People did all those things. Blaming someone else is just the American way of avoiding personal responsibility.

As we've discussed before, that has to change if America is to survive. America has to move from being it's own biggest enemy to becoming it's own best friend.

_So ask yourself_.

Am I my own biggest enemy?

Am I my own best friend?

What am I willing to do to become less of an enemy to myself and more of a friend?

_Now ask yourself_.

Is it possible America might be it's own biggest enemy?

Is it possible America could become it's own best friend?

What am I willing to do to help America become less of an enemy to itself and more of a friend?

DO I SPEND MORE TIME

LIVING THE LIFE I WAS GIVEN

OR LIVING THE LIFE I HAVE MADE?

Everyone Has Two Lives.

The One They Are Given And The One They Make.

Author Unknown

People love to have something to complain about. They love to complain about everything that has gone wrong with their lives. Did it ever occur to them things might get better if they spent 1/10th the energy they spend complaining about a situation to do something to improve that situation?

One of my biggest pet peeves is people who will spend an hour telling me why they don't have ten minutes to do something. These people are just complainers and time wasters.

If America and its citizens are going to fix their problems, we have to stop complaining and instead roll up our sleeves and do something about those problems. No one else is going to do it for us.

We have to stop complaining about the life we have been given and start working to make a better live for ourselves and for our country.

_So ask yourself_.

Do I spend a lot of time complaining about the problems in my life?

Do I spend very much time taking steps to fix the problems in my life and to improve my life?

What can I do to spend less time complaining about my current life and more time working toward creating a better life for myself, my family and America?

DO I REMEMBER WHERE I CAME FROM

AND THOSE WHO HELPED

ME GET THERE?

It is the characteristic of the magnanimous man

to ask no favor but to be ready to do kindness to others.

Aristotle

I remember attending a lecture from a very well respected author of self-help books. During the lecture, this author spent ten minutes talking about the importance of remembering those who have helped us when we were younger and remembering to return the favor by helping others when we get the chance. The author went on to talk about several instances where people had helped him early in his career and how he might never have been as successful were it not for their help. One instance he mentioned was the time when a famous author endorsed one of his earlier books as a personal kindness to him.

After that very same lecture, I asked the author if I might be able to send him a copy of the manuscript from my recently completed third book and would he consider endorsing it if he liked what he read. I was met with a blank stare and after a minute or two of consideration, he gave me the email address and phone number for his personal secretary.

Per his secretary's advice, I forwarded a copy of the manuscript and a cover letter outlining my endorsement request. Weeks went by and I heard nothing. Finally after a few months with no response, I called the secretary and inquired as to the status of my request. I was told that the author was "too busy" to read all manuscripts that were sent to him and that he wouldn't be able to endorse my book. I was also told to let them know if and when I became famous, as he might be willing to do a monetary endorsement deal with me then.

Afterwards, I just had to laugh. Here was a person who goes around the world telling people they need to remember where they came from and to remember to help others along the way, while at the same time apparently refusing to help others unless there was something in it for him.

In my opinion, his actions were not congruent with his espoused beliefs.

Was I mad? No. Was I upset? No. Instead, I chose to learn from the situation and I vowed to never allow myself to become that type of person.

Contrast that first individual with another I had the good fortune to meet, Charlie "Tremendous" Jones. Although I only met Charlie one time, he took me into his home and quite literally opened his arms to me. He told me of all the highly successful people he wanted to introduce me to. The only problem was that Charlie was dying of terminal cancer and he had less than a year to live. While Charlie wanted to help me (with no expectation of anything in return), he had very little time left and had to focus on his illness.

The first individual (who shall remain nameless) forgot where he came from and who helped him get there. Charlie "Tremendous" Jones did not.

I choose to learn from the negative example of the first individual and to live the positive example of Charlie.

Always remember where you came from.

Always remember who helped you get to where you are today.

Always remember to help others in the same way others helped you.

Always.

_So ask yourself_.

Where did I come from? What are my roots?

Who helped me get to where I am today?

What can I do to help others in the same way?

HOW DO I TREAT THOSE

LESS FORTUNATE THAN MYSELF?

Judge a person by how they treat the least among us.

Biblical Saying

It is human nature to get so caught up in our own activities that we fail to notice the activities of others. We also have a tendency to fail to notice how we might be able to make their lives just a little bit better or a little bit easier. This is especially true when it involves people who are less fortunate than ourselves.

One example I remember was very hurtful to the person it affected. I was attending a large social function that was followed by a buffet style meal in which everyone had to stand in long lines to get their food. There was an elderly lady who had very bad knees and who could not stand in line for herself.

I asked her if she would like me to get food for her. She said, "No thank you Stanley, my children will take care of me." By her "children," she was referring to a few of the people at the function whom she had raised as a housekeeper from birth. She obviously thought her "children" (now adults who were there with their own families) would be thoughtful enough to get her a plate of food.

After roughly 20 minutes had passed, I happened to be walking past her and she asked: "Stanley, would you please go get me a plate of food now?" I could see in her eyes that she was heartbroken that none of her "children" had been kind enough or thoughtful enough to take two minutes away from the social function to take care of her needs. My heart really went out to her at that moment. As I got her food, I felt very sad for her. I'm sure I will remember that experience for the rest of my life.

Obviously, in that example, her "children" were so busy thinking of themselves that they didn't realize she needed help. I'm sure they would have helped her, had they taken the time to recognize the need of someone less fortunate than themselves.

Were her "children" bad people because they didn't realize she needed help? No, of course not. In fact, they are all fine outstanding "pillars" of their communities. Despite that, they failed to remember the needs of those less fortunate than themselves. They could have used a reminder of that need.

Well, that's what I'm doing right now. Let this chapter serve as your reminder to pay attention to others around you and to recognize when those less fortunate than you might need your help.

_Now ask yourself_.

Who are some of the people in my life who are less fortunate than me?

How might I be able to help those I encounter who are less fortunate than me?

What can I do to encourage my fellow Americans to recognize those who are the least fortunate among us and to help them?

DO MY ACTIONS PROCEED FROM

DIRECTION,

DETERMINATION,

PATIENCE, AND STRENGTH

For your actions to be pure, they must proceed

from direction, determination, patience and strength.

J. Michael Straczynski

**Direction** \- A tendency toward a particular end or goal.

**Determination** \- Firmness of purpose. Resolve.

**Patience** \- Tolerance of delay. Forbearance. Serenity.

**Strength** \- Capacity or potential for effective action.

**Purity** \- The quality or condition of being free from taint. Wholesome. Good.

Americans used to be liked by others around the world. We also used to have a tremendous sense of pride. In order for that to happen again, we need to clean up our act. We need to regain a sense of purpose for ourselves and for our country.

The problem is that, to some extent, America no longer knows what it stands for. We "think" we stand for truth, justice and the American way, but one doesn't have to read very much of the news to see plenty examples of untruth and injustice in America.

The best way for us to regain our sense of purpose, is for us to make certain that our future actions proceed from direction, determination, patience and strength.

I also believe Americans have lost their patience. We live in a society that is full of instant fixes. If we feel bad, we take a pill to feel better. If we're depressed, we turn on the television or our computer and we're instantly entertained. We've lost our willingness to wait for that which is good. We want it instantly.

All of this had made us weak. America has grown weak. We as individual Americans have grown weak.

We need a sense of direction as to the journey ahead.

We need a sense of determination such that we will be able to get where we're going, no matter how long it takes.

We need a sense of patience so that we will persevere down the long road ahead.

Lastly, we need the strength to ensure that our actions will be effective ones.

America can do this. America must do this. America will do this, but it's up to us as Americans to make it happen.

_So ask yourself_.

Do my own personal actions proceed from direction, determination, patience and strength?

In what direction do I want to go? In what direction does my country need to go?

Am I determined to do what it takes for as long as it takes to get to where I want to go? Is my country determined to do the same? What can I do to help my country be more determined to do what it takes for as long as it takes?

Am I a patient person? Are my fellow Americans patient? What can I do to help myself and my fellow Americans become more patient?

Have my own personal actions been effective? Have my country's actions been effective? What can I do to help my country's actions be more effective?

DID I DREAM TODAY?

WERE THOSE DREAMS BOLD ONES?

Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

**Dream** \- A condition or achievement that is longed for; an aspiration.

**Bold** – Not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff; courageous and daring. Beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action; imaginative.

In the above quote, I believe Goethe was trying to tell us to not sit on our rear ends and watch life pass us by. He was trying to tell us to ask two questions.

What can we do?

What do we dream we can do?

Once we've answered those questions, he tells us to begin it; to go ahead and get started. That's because the very act of getting the ball rolling starts a process within us that will help propel us toward our goals.

This process is known as momentum. As Sir Isaac Newton's first law of motion states: Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it. While Sir Newton was talking about physical objects, in my opinion, this same law applies to the intangible motivational processes within a person.

To rephrase it in my own words, a person who gets off their rear end and starts to work toward achieving their goals tends to continue working toward their goals unless some external or internal force is applied to it. If you notice, I also said internal force. That's because sometimes, the forces that stop us can come from inside of us not just outside of us. Sometimes we can be the force that stops our own progress.

In the second part of the quote, Goethe suggests that by the very action of beginning, by not hesitating, by not being fearful, we will unleash the genius within us.

As Charles Baudelaire said: _Genius Is Nothing More Than Childhood Recovered . . . A Childhood Now Equipped For Self-Expression With An Adult's Capacities._

Have you ever noticed how much energy and zest for life most children have? Most children are born without fear. We're all born that way. Most children are not afraid to try anything. It's only as we grow older that we allow limitations to be placed upon us and those limitations serve to remove our boldness, to remove our energy and zest. I'm here to tell you that it doesn't have to be that way.

By taking action, we will be able to unleash the childhood energies within us all, but we will be doing so as adults, with an adult's capacities. That's powerful.

As we unleash our inner genius, we will discover that we all have incredible power and incredible abilities. We will discover that we have the ability to do virtually anything we can dream or imagine.

_So ask yourself_.

Am I a dreamer?

When I dream, do I dream of bold accomplishments and great possibilities?

What can I do to dream more often and to make sure my dreams are bold ones?

What am I willing to do to make those bold dreams come true?

Do I encourage others to dream, or do I place limitations on them by telling them not to dream of tremendous accomplishments and great possibilities?

DO I INSPIRE OTHERS AROUND ME?

AM I RESPECTED BY OTHERS?

The mediocre teacher tells.

The good teacher explains.

The superior teacher demonstrates.

The great teacher inspires.

William Arthur Ward

**Inspire** \- To stimulate to action. To motivate. To be the cause or source of. To arouse.

**Respect** \- A feeling of appreciative, often deferential regard; esteem. A willingness to show consideration or appreciation.

The great football coach, Lou Holtz said:

Motivation is simple.

You eliminate those who are not motivated.

I'd like to add an extra line to that quote.

You also eliminate those who fail to motivate others.

Human beings are not solely creatures of logic. They are full of emotions that serve to motivate them or to de-motivate them.

If America is going to solve its problems, it is going to require large numbers of motivated people acting together toward common goals.

What is motivation? Motivation is something that prompts a person to act in a certain way or do a certain thing. Motivation is providing incentive to another (or yourself) to act toward the fulfillment of a particular goal.

People can only be motivated in one of two ways.

Either they motivate themselves (i.e. self-motivation); or

Someone (or something) motivates them.

Motivated people are energetic and pleasant to be around. They want to get things done and they do just that.

Demotivated people are exactly the opposite. They are passive, frequently non-energetic and a downer to be around. They not only don't care whether or not things get done, they may not even realize there are things that need to be done. Demotivated people can be like sheep; easy to control.

I believe a large chunk of America is demotivated. As mentioned in Self-evident Truth #12, they don't believe they have the power to change things. That may have been true in the past, but it does not have to be true in the future.

If America is going to change, people like you are going to have to "step up to the plate" and change it. You have to become inspired and motivated. You also have to serve as an inspiration to others and to motivate others.

_So ask yourself_.

Am I inspired?

Am I motivated?

If I were an employer, would I hire myself?

Do I serve as an inspiration to others?

Do I motivate others?

WHAT ARE THE FIVE MOST

IMPORTANT THINGS TO ME?

Separate the urgent from the important.

Only deal with the important.

Author Unknown

**Urgent** \- Compelling immediate action or attention; pressing.

**Important** \- Of great significance or value.

Not everything that is urgent is important. It may seem important at the time, but in the long-run, it may not be that important at all.

On the other hand, everything that is important should compel our immediate attention, but because unless we deem it as urgent, we have a tendency to delay or fail to act.

Well-known author, Stephen Covey, talks about these principles in his best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. If you haven't read it, you should pick it up immediately. To summarize, he divides our activities into four quadrants.

**Quadrant I** represents tasks that are both urgent and important. These activities need to be dealt with immediately and because they are both urgent and important, we usually do so.

**Quadrant II** represents tasks that are important, but not urgent. Since they are not urgent, we have a tendency to put them off and not act upon them. However, since they are important, putting them off is a mistake.

**Quadrant III** represents tasks that are urgent, but not important. Since they are urgent, we tend to act upon them, but since they are not important, we probably should place them lower on our list of priorities.

**Quadrant IV** represents tasks that are not urgent and are not important. These are the activities that waste our time.

Covey contends that we spend way too much time on activities that are not really important (Quadrants III and IV) and not nearly enough time on activities which are important, but lack a sense of urgency (Quadrant II). I agree with him completely.

Two perfect examples of non-urgent, but important activities might be spending time with your family and exercising. If you don't spend time with your family today or if you don't exercise today, nothing bad is likely to happen TODAY. But if you neglect spending time with your family long enough, or you neglect getting your exercise long enough, some pretty bad things are likely to happen IN THE LONG-TERM. Your family life and your personal health will suffer.

That's what has happened to America. We spend so much time on non-important activities that we have neglected the important, non-urgent ones.

Our health has suffered.

Our family life has suffered.

Our children's education has suffered.

Our entire country has suffered.

If America is going to change, we are going to have to get our priorities straight and we are going to have to learn how to allocate our time, energy and resources toward those priorities. We are going to have to spend less time on time-wasting activities such as television and Facebook and more time on important activities such as personal exercise, spending time with our families and learning.

_So ask yourself_.

What are the five most important things to me?

What are five non-important things I spend too much time on?

What can I do to spend more time on the five important activities I listed?

Am I willing to spend less time on the five non-important activities I listed?

HOW MUCH TIME DID I SPEND  
WORKING ON THE

FIVE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO ME?

Goals are nothing without action.

Actions speak louder than words.

Author Unknown

Saying we are going to do something is quite different from actually doing it. It's quite easy for us to make a list of the five things that are most important to us. It's another for us to act upon that list.

Lately, America has done quite a bit of talking and not a lot of acting. We talk endlessly about what needs to be done, but we fail to take action.

That can change. That must change. That will change. It's time for Americans to take action.

Look back at your list of the five most important things in your life you created in response to Question #29. Take another look at your list of things you could do to devote more time on those important items.

_So ask yourself_.

What have I done today to work on the five most important things to me?

Anthony Robbins says that we should never leave the scene of a decision without taking some specific action toward it's fulfillment.

When you answered Question #29, you made a decision to work toward the fulfillment of your five most important items. What are you waiting for? Get to work.

DID I LEARN ANYTHING TODAY?

HOW MUCH TIME DID I DEVOTE

TO EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES TODAY?

Never stop learning.

Author Unknown

Perhaps the major fault of America's educational system is that we rely upon it too much.

We believe our schools are supposed to teach our children everything they need to know.

We believe our colleges are supposed to teach their graduates everything they need to know.

We believe it's not necessary to do any learning once we've graduated.

We spend little or no time educating ourselves.

We spend little or no time educating ourselves during the times when our schools are not in session.

We spend little or no time educating ourselves once we've graduated.

In short, we've become passive learners. If you put educational materials or courses in front of us, we might learn something from them. But we don't go out of our way to actively seek the educational opportunities that are right in front of us.

Today, we possess the most amazing educational opportunities in the history of mankind. These are the television and the computer. The amount of educational material readily available to us at little or no cost is simply staggering. We have tremendous free libraries in most major cities.

But we fail to take advantage of these opportunities.

Do we watch educational programs before going to bed at night? No. Instead we watch "Dancing with the Stars", "American Idol", "Real Housewives" or "The Next Food Network Star."

When we use our computers, do we read educational materials such as newspapers, Wikipedia or various websites? No. Instead we watch movies or television shows on Netflix and spend all our time on Facebook.

Why is this so?

It's because somewhere along the way, we've lost our way. The average American no longer recognizes the value of a good education and even if they do, they're not willing to go the least bit out of their way to get it.

Instead, we are encouraged to use our televisions and our computers to entertain ourselves. Once again, I believe it is a matter of control and manipulation.

Well-educated people are not as easy to control and manipulate as poorly educated people. The "powers that be" are afraid that if we become too educated:

We might start taking better care of ourselves;

We may stop watching their television programs; and

We might stop buying their products and services.

While the current system works very well for American business, it does not work well for the American people or for America itself.

The current system is breeding successive generations of Americans who are fat, lazy and stupid.

How can we survive (and thrive) in this world if we are fat, lazy and stupid? The answer is that we can't.

One of things I've done to educate myself is to begin listening to audio books. I get them from the library for free and I've managed to learn quite a bit from them. I estimate that I've listened to roughly two hundred and fifty educational audio books, on a variety of subjects, over the past three years. Even better, I listen to these audio books while I'm out walking. That's multi-tasking. I combine my exercise activities with my learning activities.

You can do the same thing. Read or listen to an educational book. Watch an educational television program. Encourage your children to do the same. If you spend several hours each week commuting, start listening to educational materials during your commute.

_Now ask yourself_.

Have I participated in any educational activities today?

Have I visited a library recently?

What am I willing to do to bring more educational activities into my life?

Never stop living. Never stop learning. Learning is meant to be a life-long activity. Be an active learner for the rest of your life. Teach your children to do the same.

DID I DO ANYTHING TODAY

TO MAKE AMERICA A

BETTER PLACE IN THE FUTURE?

You can't cost-cut your way to prosperity in the long-term.

David Kudla

America and its citizens are focused on the short-term. Everything is about having fun. Everything is about getting the latest gadget or having the latest styles. Everything is about being entertained.

That's short-term thinking. If we live our lives that way, we might have a great time in the present, but we leave nothing for our future (and for the future of our children).

America needs to shift over to long-term thinking. While it's okay to think about the short-term, we can't live our entire lives there. If all we think about is the short-term, America will have no long-term. America will perish.

Long-term thinking requires us to make an investment in ourselves. By asking (and answering) the fifty key questions contained in this book, we are doing just that. We are making an investment in the long-term prosperity of America.

America can't succeed without our help. It will only succeed if we as individual Americans take the appropriate steps and if we take them NOW. It's in our hands.

_So ask yourself_.

What have I done today to make America a better place in the future?

What am I willing to do tomorrow in order to make America a better place in the future?

DID I TAKE UNFAIR ADVANTAGE

OF ANOTHER TODAY?

DID I LIE, CHEAT, OR STEAL TODAY?

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

The Golden Rule

Mary Kay Ash, the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, said, Honesty is the cornerstone of all success, without which confidence and ability to perform shall cease to exist. That's what the Golden Rule is all about, honesty and fairness.

Honesty is the quality or fact of being honest; upright and fair. Honesty is about being truthful, being sincere and being frank. It is freedom from deceit or fraud.

By using the word "cornerstone," Ms. Ash was suggesting that honesty is a foundation upon which everything else is built. She was suggesting that honesty is the basis or groundwork for everything else.

As any good builder will tell you, you MUST have a strong foundation, or any house you build on top of it will eventually come tumbling down.

Thomas Jefferson put it another way. He said, Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. Mr. Jefferson didn't use the word cornerstone, nor did he use the word foundation. He simply said honesty must come first. By placing honesty in the #1 position, he said that honesty is more important than anything else.

If we are honest; if we are fair; we can do anything. If we lie to each other; if we cheat each other; if we steal from each other, we have nowhere to go but down.

I heard a disturbing story last night while watching "educational" television. It was about a company that had apparently patented two specific cancer causing genes in the human body. As a result of their patent, this company apparently would not allow any other companies to even do something as simple as test for the presence of those cancer causing genes in someone's body. Instead, the company apparently developed a $30,000 test for the presence of those genes that only they were allowed to administer. While some medical insurers were willing to pay for the test, they were not willing to pay what they apparently saw as the grossly inflated price of $30,000 for what was supposedly a simple test. As a result, many people who needed the test couldn't afford to have it performed. I'll let you decide if their business practices were ethical or not.

In my opinion, it was once again all about the money. Please don't misunderstand me. I don't have a problem with companies wanting to make money off their efforts to fight cancer. What I do have a problem with is a company that seeks to unfairly profit from a given situation. In my opinion, profit is fine. Unfair profit is not.

To put it another way, would the medical company's officers have been happy if it was their family member who couldn't get a much needed medical test because of a similar situation? I don't think so.

Honesty and a sense of fairness are important traits you need to cultivate within yourself AND others (especially if you have children). Children are pretty smart people. They see things from a fresh perspective and they often see things others do not. Teach them honesty and fairness from the very beginning and you'll make certain that perspective is an honest and fair one.

_Now ask yourself_.

Did I take unfair advantage of another today?

Did I lie, cheat or steal today?

HOW MUCH TIME DID I SPEND TODAY

EITHER WATCHING TELEVISION OR

ON THE COMPUTER

FOR NON-EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES?

One of the very worst wastes of time

is doing something very well that need not be done at all.

Author Unknown

In Question #29, we introduced the idea of Stephen Covey's four quadrant system of priorities. If you remember, Quadrant IV was filled with activities that were neither important nor urgent.

That's what this question will expand upon. I contend that the average American spends way too much time on Quadrant IV activities.

Here's a perfect example. Over the past few days, the news has been full of stories on Arnold Schwarzenegger's love-child that he apparently had with his housekeeper several years ago.

Of what importance is this story to us as Americans? Apparently the news media thinks its very important because they won't stop talking about it. Apparently the average American thinks it's important because they won't stop watching and reading those stories. But is it really important?

In my opinion, the only bit of possible importance from that story would be that it should serve as a lesson to us on how to NOT live our own lives. Other than that, I believe the story is completely irrelevant to us and to our future success as individuals and as a nation.

Instead, the news media and average Americans continue to focus on the story. We like the "gotcha" aspects and we love watching the downfall of others. The Germans even have a word for this. That word is schadenfreude, which means taking pleasure from the misery of others.

Call it schadenfreude or call it whatever you want. To me the only words that apply to that story are unimportant and irrelevant.

Despite that, the news media continues to give us these stories because we continue to devour them. Can we blame them? It's only when we stop wasting our time on these unimportant stories and demand important ones that the news media will feel the need to give us something more important.

But they won't stop until we demand that they stop. The only way we can do that is to move away from the unimportant / non-urgent activities to the important ones.

Sports are another perfect example. Americans spend too much time watching sports on television. Is the Sunday football game really that important? Will my life be better because I watched the game? Will my family be better because I watched the game? Will watching the game help me get a better job or to pay my bills?

I'm not saying give up on sports. I'm not saying we should never watch sports. I'm just saying it should not be something we do all day, each and every day. Diversions are fine. Diversions are important. I'm just saying our whole life shouldn't be one large diversion from reality.

To put it another way, why should I be so concerned with what happens in a football game when the players and owners of that team probably don't care the least bit about what happens to me? Think about it. Think about it really hard.

_Now ask yourself_.

How much time did I spend today using my television or computer on unimportant / non-urgent activities?

Did I spend more time than I should have using my television or computer on unimportant / non-urgent activities?

What am I willing to do to spend less time using my television or computer on unimportant **/ non-urgent activities?**

How can I use the extra time I will gain on important activities?

HOW MUCH PERSONAL TIME DID I SPEND

WITH MY FAMILY OR FRIENDS TODAY?

Home is the place where boys and girls first learn how to limit their wishes, abide by rules, and consider the rights and needs of others.

Sidonie Gruenberg

In Self-evident Truth #9, we talked about the American family being in trouble. I believe the main reason for this is that we don't spend enough time together as families. The parents spend most of their time at their jobs. The children spend most of their time at school and with their activities. The one place where they don't spend their time is together.

As parents, it is our obligation to provide a stable environment wherein our children learn about love, life, fairness, sadness, joy and so many other aspects of life. In a stable family, the parents act as a support group for the children and in many ways the children serve as a support group for the parents. In an unstable family, it can create a situation where each person is out for themselves.

In my opinion, the major thing a parent can do for their children is to spend time with them. It's all about time. When you spend time with them, you have the opportunity to listen to them, to learn from them, to guide them and they have the opportunity to learn from you.

I believe our relationships with friends are also in jeopardy. Everyone is always so busy that we don't seem to have as much time for our friends as we used to. That too is a shame. Our friends serve as "extended" family and in many ways can be equally as important.

_So ask yourself_.

How much time did I spend with my family today?

How much time did I spend with my friends today?

Was I there for my family the last time they needed me?

Was I there for my friends the last time they needed me?

What am I willing to do so that I can be there for my family and friends more often?

DID I SPEND A CONSIDERABLE

AMOUNT OF TIME TODAY

ON THINGS

THAT WERE NOT IMPORTANT?

Make now the most precious time.

Now will never come again.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Episode - The Inner Light

This is similar to Question #34, but I want to cover it anyway. Plain and simple, I want you to think about everything you did today and whether or not those things you did were important.

After all, now is the most precious time you have. I'd hate to see you waste it.

_So ask yourself_.

What did I spend my time on today?

Did I spend my time on important things or unimportant things?

Did I spend my time as if it was the most precious resource I have?

What am I willing to do to spend my time more appropriately?

AM I ORGANIZED OR DISORGANIZED?

WHAT CAN I DO

TO BECOME BETTER ORGANIZED?

An organized person's best friend,

besides their dog, is their wastebasket.

Author Unknown

**Organize** \- To put together into an orderly, functional, structured whole.

The key word in the above definition is functional. When things are put together in an orderly, structured manner, they function more efficiently. They function better.

Napoleon Hill said, First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. Without organization there will be no ideas or plans. There will be no transformation of those ideas and plans into reality.

I believe Mr. Hill was suggesting that thoughts, in and of themselves, may or may not mean very much. It is only when those thoughts are put together into orderly and structured ideas and plans, that those plans can be transformed into reality.

I look at in a slightly different way. If our thoughts are disorderly and our thoughts lack structure, no matter how good they are, it is going to be much more difficult for us to transform them into reality.

A person can have the greatest thought of all time, but if they can't organize that thought into ideas and plans, it's going to be pretty difficult for them to act upon that thought. It will be difficult for them to turn that thought into reality.

Why is this so?

It's because we only have a limited amount of time and resources. If we are organized, we are better able to use our limited time and resources to get things done. If we are disorganized, we are more likely to waste our limited time and resources and wind up accomplishing nothing.

Here's a perfect example. I know a person who routinely loses their car keys and cell phone at least five times per week. I've estimated that they spend probably twenty minutes each week looking for their car keys and/or their cell phone. That works out to roughly one thousand one hundred minutes per year or roughly eighteen hours per year. That's a lot of time.

Imagine instead if that person were to set aside one location in their home where they ALWAYS put down their car keys and ALWAYS put down their cell phone. They would undoubtedly drastically reduce the number of times per year they have to search for those items. At a minimum, they could probably gain fifteen to twenty hours per year by doing so. The problem is they resist doing so. For whatever reason, they simply won't do it. It's as if they do not want to be organized.

These same principles can be applied to other aspects of our lives. If we were to set up routines for commonly repeated tasks such as cleaning, getting dressed and cooking, we could make our lives so much easier. The question is, are we willing to do so?

Some people like to be organized. They crave it. They require it. Other people resist organization like the plague. I'm not sure why they resist, but they most assuredly do resist.

That's fine. It's your time. It's your energy. You're free to use it however you wish. But if you want to change your life; if you want to change your country, then getting organized is a great way to start.

_So ask yourself_.

Am I organized or disorganized?

Do I waste a lot of time and energy on repetitious tasks that could be simplified if I were more organized?

What am I willing to do to become more organized?

WHAT ARE FIVE POSITIVE THINGS I DID TODAY?

Accentuate the positive.

Author Unknown

**Positive** \- An affirmative element or characteristic. Tending to emphasize what is good or laudable; constructive. Tending toward progress or improvement.

One of the problems in today's American society is that we are surrounded by so many negative influences. Just turn on the nightly news or read the newspaper.

For example, I'm going to MSNBC.com right now and looking at the stories on their front page and in their main sections. I would estimate 70% to 80% of the stories have some type of negative angle to them. They talk about something bad happening or how someone is making a move to stop someone. Worse yet, very few of the stories have a positive spin to them.

Why is that?

Negative stories are more interesting. They're sexier. They're more controversial. They attract readers.

They may be sexier. They may be controversial. They may attract readers. They may do all those things, but they also turn us into negative people.

If all we focus on is negativity, we can't help but become negative. We can't help but become what we focus our attention on.

There are so many positive things going on in this country and in this world, yet for some reason we don't always hear about them. We hear about the scandals, but we don't hear about the do-gooders.

It's time to change that. From now on, I want you to embark upon a campaign of doing at least five positive things each day. I want you to make a daily list of those five positive things and keep them. Your collected lists will serve as a reminder of all the good you have done.

So ask yourself, today and every day.

What are five positive things I did today?

What are some more positive things I can do tomorrow and in the days that follow?

What impact will it have on my life and on America if I continue to do these positive things each and every day?

WHAT ARE FIVE NEGATIVE THINGS

I AVOIDED DOING TODAY?

Eliminate the negative.

Author Unknown

**Negative** \- Indicating opposition or resistance. Tending to emphasize that which is bad; destructive. Lacking positive or affirmative qualities. Tending away from progress or improvement.

In Question #38, we discussed the benefits of being positive. Now we're going to discuss the flip side. We're going to discuss the benefits of avoiding negativity.

One of the interesting things in mathematics is that when you take the negative of a negative number you get a positive one. Sometimes, life can be like that too.

When you avoid an opportunity to be negative, you can wind up being positive. In other words, the very act of avoiding doing something bad can, in and of itself, be good.

If we take it a step further, if we focus on avoiding negativity, we are in fact doing something positive. We are in fact making our lives better. We are in fact making America and the world better.

I want you to embark upon a campaign of avoiding doing at least five negative things each day. I want you to make a daily list of the five negative things you avoided and keep those lists. They will serve as a reminder of all the negativity you avoided.

Some examples of avoiding negativity might be:

Not getting mad at someone or yourself;

Not telling someone you thought they were stupid or acted foolishly;

Not getting into an argument with your spouse or children; or

Not getting upset at another driver when you're driving home from work.

You can put virtually anything on the list. It's your list, so keep it however you wish.

So ask yourself, today and every day.

What are five negative things I avoided doing today?

What are some more negative things I can avoid doing tomorrow and in the days that follow?

What impact will it have on my life and on America if I continue to avoiding doing these negative things each and every day?

WHAT DID I DO TODAY

TO MAKE SOMEONE ELSE

FEEL IMPORTANT?

WAS I KIND TO SOMEONE TODAY?

Make the other person feel important.

Dale Carnegie

Everyone wants to feel important. It doesn't matter where you are on the social ladder. Unfortunately, there is only so much "importance" that can go around. If I take all the credit for something good, there's little credit leftover for you to enjoy.

If We the People are going to improve our current situation, it will be the result of our having learned that we must sometimes put the needs of another before our own. One way we can do that is by allowing others to bask in the spotlight and taking a little bit less credit for ourselves.

Think about it. Is it really important that everyone know's how great you are? Sometimes it is, but not always. Often, if you are willing to share the credit for your accomplishments, you will be rewarded with lifetime loyalty as a result.

Have you ever seen a boss who blames everything bad on their subordinates and who takes all the credit and all the reward for everything good? How do you think that makes their subordinates feel?

My guess is that it makes them feel hurt and resentful.

Now ask, how a subordinate would feel if their boss took the blame for everything bad and credited them or rewarded them for something good that happened? That subordinate would certainly not feel hurt or resentful and would probably feel a sense of admiration and loyalty toward their boss.

If we want the respect and admiration of those around us, we must learn to make them feel important and respected. This not only applies to us as individual Americans, but to our country as a whole. If we treat another country as if they were dirt, they will resent us. If we treat that country as if they were important, they might appreciate us just a little bit more. It doesn't always work, but it frequently does.

In that same vein, we must make an effort to be a little bit kinder to each other. Think about it. Don't you appreciate it when someone is kind to you? Doesn't that make you feel a little better about yourself and your life?

All too often, we are looking for reasons to be kind. If there isn't a reason, we don't feel the need to be kind. Kindness isn't supposed to work that way. Sometimes we should be kind just because it's good to be kind. We don't always need a reason.

There is a saying, Practice random acts of kindness. It doesn't say, look for reasons to be kind and then be kind. Kindness doesn't require a reason. It only requires a kind giver and an appreciative recipient.

_So ask yourself_.

Did I go out of my way to make someone else feel important today?

Was I kind to someone today?

How might America be a better place if, every so often, we all went out of our way to make someone else feel important?

How might America be a better place if we were kind to each other just a little more often?

IF I DID ANYTHING WRONG TODAY,

DID I ADMIT IT QUICKLY AND

EMPHATICALLY?

DID I APOLOGIZE TO ANYONE

I OFFENDED TODAY?

If you want the last word, apologize.

Author Unknown

One of the major problems facing America today is that when people are wrong, they're afraid to admit it. I'm not sure, but I believe people perceive such an act as a sign of weakness; as a sign of failure.

I believe it's just the opposite. The ability to admit when you are wrong is a sign of strength. It is a sign of character.

Unfortunately, almost no one wants to admit it when they are wrong. Instead, we love to blame others. We love to look for a scapegoat.

I learned a long time ago that when I am wrong, it is best to admit it, quickly and emphatically. The longer one delays, the more harm they will suffer.

Face it. We all make mistakes. It's human nature. It's going to happen.

Whenever we refuse to admit that we've made a mistake, several things happen, none of which are good. For example:

Those around us will figure out we made the mistake and they'll think we're either trying to hide our mistake or we're too stupid to realize our mistake;

Those around us lose respect for us because we're not willing to admit our mistake; and

We are so busy trying to hide or deny our mistake that we can't fix the problem or learn from it.

Apologies go hand in hand with mistakes. After all, isn't offending someone just another type of mistake? Whenever we make a mistake or offend someone, we should admit it quickly and emphatically and then we should apologize.

An admission of error and an apology will never hurt and they sometimes help.

_So ask yourself_.

Did I make any errors or mistakes recently?

Did I admit my errors or mistakes quickly and emphatically?

Did I offend anyone recently?

Did I apologize for my offending behavior quickly and emphatically?

Did everything turn out better because I admitted my errors or mistakes quickly and emphatically and because I apologized?

AM I WILLING TO FORGIVE OTHERS?

AM I WILLING TO FORGIVE MYSELF?

Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain

but it takes character and self control

to be understanding and forgiving.

Dale Carnegie

**Forgive** \- To excuse for a fault or an offense; pardon. To renounce anger or resentment against.

Of all the things I'm asking you to do in this book, the act of forgiving might be the toughest. The reason forgiveness is so tough is that it requires us to excuse another for having hurt us.

Why is it important that we forgive? Is it to let the other person know that they don't have to feel bad for having hurt us? Personally, I don't think so. That may be a side benefit of our having forgiven, but it's not the primary benefit.

I believe the primary reason it's important for us to forgive is what it does for us, not for the other person. The act of forgiving allows us to release the anger and resentment we harbor for the object of our forgiveness.

Anger and resentment are very strong, negative emotions. If they continue long enough, they can, quite literally, eat us alive. When we let go of the anger, when we let go of the resentment, we are also letting go of the negative parts of the experience. By letting go of the negative parts of the experience, we are left with only the positive ones. The positive parts of the experience are what allow us to learn from the experience.

In short, the negative parts of the experience are what we feel as a result of having had that experience. The positive parts of the experience are what we learn as a result of having had that experience.

Of all the people we need to forgive, the most important person is probably ourselves. After all, we spend more time with ourselves than anyone else, so isn't it logical that we would have had more opportunities to do offense toward ourselves than anyone else would have had?

When I look back at my own life, I realize many of the mistakes I've made. Chief among these mistakes was that I allowed myself to be grossly obese for the first 49 ½ years of my life. Just think of all the time I wasted.

I figured out a long time ago that I was making this mistake, but it wasn't until I was willing to forgive myself for having made the mistake and I was willing to accept responsibility for having made the mistake that I was able to correct the situation.

Forgiveness is an act of responsibility. Responsible people forgive, and in doing so, turn something negative into something positive. Irresponsible people refuse to forgive, and in doing so, take a negative experience and continue to live in it.

It's your choice. Negative or positive. What will your choice be?

I want you to ask yourself.

What are some of the major offenses I've committed against another?

Was I ultimately forgiven for having committed those offenses?

What are some of the major offenses I've had others commit against me?

Have I forgiven them for having committed those offenses against me?

Did everything turn out better because I admitted my errors or mistakes quickly and emphatically and because I apologized?

What did I learn as a result of my experiences?

DURING MY LIFE, HAVE I PLANTED

ANY TREES THAT I'LL NEVER SIT UNDER?

A society grows great when old people plant trees

whose shade they know they shall never sit in.

Ancient Greek Proverb

If America is to overcome its problems and achieve its potential, we are going to have to make a lot of short-term sacrifices that result in long-term benefits. The only problem is that America has gotten into it's current situation as a result or our previously demonstrated unwillingness to plan and act for the long-term.

We overeat today because it feels good, despite the fact it makes us overweight tomorrow.

We overspend today because we want to have the latest gadgets and the fanciest clothes, despite the fact we won't have enough money for our retirement tomorrow.

We over borrowed against our homes yesterday so we could take fancy trips and buy fancy cars, despite the fact it ultimately caused many of us to lose our homes.

Our country overspent on its citizens, while undertaxing them yesterday despite the fact it has resulted in our being hopelessly in debt tomorrow.

This can't continue. America has spent the past fifty years living it up today without leaving much (except massive debt) for tomorrow.

We have to start thinking about the future. We have to start thinking about our future and the future of our country.

This doesn't just apply on a national level. It also applies with each and every individual American and in every American household.

Think about your individual family unit. Have you overspent? Have you focused on the short-term while neglecting the long-term? "Planting a tree" is a long-term investment. When I say "plant a tree," I mean making a long-term investment. I'm not literally saying you have to plant a tree. Some other examples of "planting a tree" might be starting a children's educational program or starting a college fund for your grandchildren. The list of potential long-term investments is endless.

Just remember, you might plant a tree at your home today, but it might take fifteen to twenty years before anything comes of it. Heck, you may have moved on by then or you might not even be alive. Despite that, it would still a wise move for you to have planted that tree. Even if you never benefit from it, someone else will.

Or to put it another way, the very shade tree you are sitting under today, was planted by someone who didn't worry about whether or not they would be there to enjoy it in the future. You have to do the same thing for others.

I want you to ask yourself.

Have I planted any trees that I may not sit under in the future?

What are some trees I should consider planting in the near future?

What can I do to encourage others to consider planting trees in the near future?

WHO ARE MY ROLE MODELS AND HEROES?

DOES PAYING ATTENTION TO THEM

MAKE MY LIFE BETTER?

I am not a role model.

Charles Barkley

For many years, the former basketball superstar Charles Barkley has said that athletes should not be considered role models. He has said, _A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be role models?_

My answer is no, sometimes. Athletes should be role models, IF AND ONLY IF, they are known for setting a good example for others.

Take Tiger Woods. Everyone looked up to him. Everyone admired him. Then on that fateful day in late 2009, everything changed. As word leaked out of Tiger Wood's numerous acts of marital infidelity, he wound up taking a leave of absence from golf. Since that time, his career has not been the same. The problem with having used Tiger Woods as a role model was that, even before news of his infidelity leaked out, he was not necessarily known for being a positive example for others.

In other words, Tiger Woods should probably have never been a role model in the first place.

What about entertainers? Should they be role models? My answer is that some of them probably should and some of them probably shouldn't.

What about politicians? What about news reporters? What about doctors, lawyers, or book authors? What about plumbers, electricians and landscapers? What about your parents for that matter?

The bottom line is that role models should only be chosen for merit. We should be careful to only pick fine outstanding individuals, who demonstrate the qualities we wish to emulate, to serve as our role models. But it doesn't always work that way.

The media tells us who our role models are and who they should be. They continually feed us images and stories about athletes, entertainers, politicians, professionals and lots of others and ask us to devote our attention to them. The only problem is that many of these images and stories are negative. The only example many of these "role models" provide is how we should NOT live our lives.

Do I fault the media for feeding us these negative images and stories? Not really. They are only giving us what we are demanding. The problem lies not in what they are feeding us, but in what we are choosing to eat. We need to change that which we are demanding.

If we choose to ignore these negative images and stories, the media will have no choice but to feed us something more positive. But they're not going to do that until we decide to stop eating that which they are feeding us and start demanding something better.

I want you to ask yourself.

Who are the people you are currently paying the most attention to?

Are these people you're paying attention to a positive influence or a negative one?

Who are the people you admire the most?

Do you serve as a role model to others (especially your children)?

Are you setting a positive example or a negative one?

What are you willing to do to set a more positive example for others?

DID I LEARN ANYTHING TODAY?

HOW MUCH TIME DID I DEVOTE

TO EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES TODAY?

Whatever we focus our attention on expands in our lives.

Author Unknown

Your time and your resources are like money. Your attention is a limited resource. You only have so much of it. Have you ever asked yourself how you spend that resource?

This chapter is a simple one. It consists of five related questions.

To whom do you focus most of your attention on?

Are they worthy of your attention?

Do you allocate your attention wisely?

To whom should you devote more attention to?

To whom should you focus less attention on?

DID I SPEND MORE TIME

DISCUSSING

IDEAS, EVENTS, OR PEOPLE?

Great minds discuss ideas.

Average minds discuss events,

Small minds discuss people.

Eleanor Roosevelt

If I had to sum up all of America's problems in one sentence, I would say:

Americans spend way too much time discussing events and people and not nearly enough time discussing ideas.

If you think about it, that is the entire root of virtually every problem facing America today. We don't spend enough time discussing ideas.

Ideas will be what gets us out of the mess we're in.

It won't be events. It won't be people.

It will be ideas.

But how are we going to cultivate ideas if we don't spend time discussing them?

It's all about allocating our limited time, energy and resources wisely. Are we going to allocate them to events and people or are we going to allocate them to the discussion and creation of ideas?

Less than a month ago, America was abuzz with the latest British royal wedding between Prince William and Miss Catherine Middletown. Thousands (if not millions) of Americans stayed up through the night so they could watch the wedding on live television. It was definitely one of the major "events" of the last few years.

But what did we get out of watching the royal wedding? All we got was a diversion. It was just the latest form of entertainment for an American society that loves to be entertained.

Suppose, just suppose that we would have devoted the same amount of time, energy and resources to a national discussion on how exercise and diet could help alleviate the current obesity epidemic plaguing America?

But there's no excitement in that, is there? There's no romance involved. It's probably a heck of a lot more important, but it's boring, and Americans hate to be bored. Not only that, the program would have probably been filled with commercials for the latest diet products, the latest diet programs, and the latest diet pills. Welcome to America . . .

Not only that, as much as I hate to admit it, I suspect the average American probably has very few "ideas" in their head to discuss. Is that meant to be a slap in the face of the average American? Absolutely not. It's simply a recognition that our current educational system hasn't encouraged people to be independent thinkers. Instead, it encourages them to be mindless robots who all act the same.

That can change. That must change. That will change, but only if We the People change it.

_So ask yourself_.

Do you spend most of your time discussing ideas, events or people?

What are you willing to do to spend more time discussing ideas?

What are you willing to do to spend less time discussing events and people?

DID I BREAK ANY OLD PATTERNS

OR HABITS TODAY,

THUS ALLOWING NEW ONES

TO EMERGE?

Sow a thought, reap an action.

Sow an action, reap a habit.

Sow a set of habits, reap a character.

Sow a character, reap a destiny.

William James

As I've said many times previously, we all have a limited amount of time, energy and resources. As a result, we have to learn how to use them wisely and efficiently.

Whenever we want to bring a new habit into our lives, we quite often have to rid ourselves of an old one in order to make room for the new. For example, if you want to get in the habit of eating a healthy breakfast, you're going to have to break the habit of eating an unhealthy one. If you want to get in the habit of spending less money on non-essentials, you're going to have to break the habit of spending money on non-essentials.

_So ask yourself_.

What are some new habits or patterns I'd like to start?

Are there any old habits or patterns that are getting in the way of my starting new habits or patterns?

What am I willing to do to rid myself of these old habits and patterns that are getting in my way?

DID I SPEND MORE TIME TODAY

LAMENTING WHAT I DON'T HAVE

OR APPRECIATING WHAT I DO HAVE?

If you're not thankful for what you have,

what makes you think

you would be thankful if you had any more?

Charlie "Tremendous" Jones

From time to time, we all lament about the things we don't have. Face it. We live in a culture that's all about possessing and consuming. Possessing and consuming is fun, but in a culture like ours, it's harder to enjoy ourselves if we don't have anything to possess or consume.

It doesn't have to be that way. If we would devote our time to appreciating that which we do have, rather than lamenting that which we don't have, we'd all probably be a lot happier. Please don't misunderstand me. I believe it's okay to work for and to strive for that which we don't have. We just shouldn't let it overwhelm us in such a manner that it causes us to lose appreciation for that which we do have.

My dear friend, Charlie "Tremendous" Jones knew that. When I met him in late 2007, he probably had a little more than a year to live. He'd been battling cancer for roughly a decade and he knew his battle was approaching its end. Was Charlie upset about his illness? Quite the opposite. As I drove Charlie to his home, he took the time to point out to me all the places and organizations in town where he had been able to make a positive impact over the years. He wasn't resentful because he didn't have much time to live. Instead, he was appreciative of everything he'd had the opportunity to accomplish during his life.

Since that time, I've tried to take his example to heart. Sometimes I've been successful and sometimes I've failed. Hopefully my successes have outnumbered my failures.

If we're going to help America survive and thrive, it's going to take some sacrifice. Those sacrifices will be much easier if we spend less time thinking about what we've sacrificed and more time thinking about the incredible country we're making those sacrifices for.

So I want you to ask yourself.

What do I have that is positive in my life?

Do I appreciate that which is positive in my life?

What am I willing to do to appreciate the positive aspects of my life more?

DO I CONTROL MY FEAR

OR DOES MY FEAR CONTROL ME?

If you plant rice, rice will grow.

If you plant fear, fear will grow.

Ancient Shaolin Precept

Fear is a feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger. A feeling of disquiet or apprehension.

What causes fear?

I believe the chief cause of fear is uncertainty. We fear that which we do not know, because we perceive there might be danger. Once we know something, our perception of danger lessens and so does our fear.

There are two types of fear. Legitimate Fear and Unwarranted Fear.

Legitimate fear is a mechanism that protects us. When there is a danger ahead, it warns us and gets us ready to deal with that danger.

Unwarranted fear is that which arises from "perceived" dangers, rather than real ones. If we perceive a danger that is not real, we will wind up fearing it anyway.

Danger is liability or exposure to harm or injury; risk; peril. Dangers can be real ones or perceived ones.

If we are going to overcome our fear and move forward, we need to learn to recognize the difference between real dangers and perceived dangers.

If we fear a wild tiger, that is a real danger. That wild tiger has the ability to cause us great harm. That is a legitimate fear.

But what about public speaking. Is public speaking a real danger or a perceived one? While we might embarrass ourselves at a public speaking event, the reality is that under normal circumstances, no real danger exists. Despite that, many people have a tremendous fear of public speaking. For most people, this is what I might call an example of an unwarranted fear.

Whether a danger is real or perceived, people will still fear it. Successful people learn how to overcome their perceived fears and how to deal with them. For example, if you fear public speaking, you could go to Toastmasters and get some valuable practice in a supportive setting. The practice will reduce the perception of danger and make the fear go away.

The bottom line is that fear holds us back. Fear prevents us from taking action. If the danger we fear is a real one, that might be a good thing, but if the danger we fear is a perceived one, our fear is a detriment.

I believe America is in the middle of a fear epidemic right now. There are perceived dangers all around us and our fear is controlling us. We perceive that America is in trouble and that the American way may eventually perish. That fear is holding us back and preventing us from taking appropriate action.

The reality of the situation is that America is probably the most powerful country in the entire world. America has greater resources than probably any other country in the world. The problem is not a lack of resources. The problem is that we haven't been using them wisely. Instead of fearing potential future dangers, we should be embracing potential future opportunities.

America is still the land of opportunity. The question is will the American people recognize those opportunities and will they take advantage of them?

So I want you to ask yourself.

What do you fear the most in your life?

Is your fear legitimate or is it unwarranted?

Do you control your fear or does your fear control you?

DID MY ACTIONS TODAY

GET ME CLOSER TO WHERE I WANT TO BE

OR FURTHER AWAY?

A life lived by choice is a life of conscious action.

A life lived by chance is a life of unconscious reaction.

Neal Donald Walsch

**Choice** \- The act of selecting from a number of possible alternatives.

**Chance** \- An accidental or unpredictable event.

Choice requires us to take conscious action. Chance is what happens to us when we act unconsciously.

Let's take a moment and go all the way back to the beginning. Let's return to Self-evident Truth #1 - The Actuality Principle.

No organism will survive, in the long-term,

without first having reached a state of consciousness

wherein it perceives its environment

as it actually is and responds accordingly.

The principle begins by stating, no organism will survive in the long-term without first having reached a state of consciousness.

In other words, no organism will survive in the long-term without first having made a decision to follow its own chosen path rather than to walk along the unconscious path of chance.

So I ask you. Are you going to follow a conscious path of choice or an unconscious path of chance?

At present, America (and most Americans) are on an unconscious path of chance. We spend most of our time, energy and resources reacting to that which happens around us.

That can change. That must change. That will change, but only if We the People CONSCIOUSLY change it.

So I want you to ask yourself.

Do I want to choose my path or do I want my path chosen for me?

Did my actions today move me further along my chosen path, or were they merely my "reactions" along the path that has been chosen for me?

What am I willing to do to take charge of my daily actions so that I can move along the path I have chosen?
