It’s a good thing that I bite my nails (not really).

 

It’s also a good thing that I grew up overweight (not really).

 

The only good thing about those two things is that I do not believe I can ‘cure’ anyone else’s ‘addictions.'

 

If you ever do become ‘addicted’ to anything, at some point in your life, you may think you need to ‘fix’ yourself.

 

Since I don’t want young people to ever have to ‘fix’ anything, know that many addictions ‘start’ when young people are dealing with the emotional ups and downs that go along with just being young (and middle-aged and older … every age has its own specific joys and challenges).

 

If you ever think you might substitute an ‘addiction’ for just a really ‘good life,’ check out the ‘young person’s section’ in your local library:  I ran across a book in ours (initially selected because I noticed a quote by Einstein) that’s very good:  ‘I Don’t Know What I Want:  But I Want to Be Happy’ by Kimberly Kirberger (see P.S.).

 

No magic … just a lot of good thoughts … and the shelf was filled with many ‘similar’ books.

 

If you don’t have a ‘book budget,’ library or a good interlibrary loan system but can find three or four older couples who’ve grown old together happily (it doesn’t have to be in your own family but count your blessings if it is) and can find three or four other people of any age who enjoy their lives and their work (regardless of income and whether it’s in an area that would interest you), you’ll learn the same things that you’d learn from a book like this.

 

Look around you:  Who do you want to look and be like?

 

One of the greatest things about being young (or any age for that matter) is you’re still choosing the ‘habits’ that can help you for a lifetime.  If you have really good friends, they’ll help you develop ‘habits’ that will help you create economic multipliers for both you and themselves (because they have you as a friend) throughout your life.

 

I’ve never met anyone who wants to ‘fix’ something when they get older.

 

 

Things you can get addicted to:

 

I may have missed some and it’s really unfair that this list is so long because when you aren’t surrounded by lots of people who live balanced lives, it’s not as easy to ‘find your way.'

 

Many ‘addictions’ are simply a ‘lack of balance.’  Others, like my nail biting habit, are bad personal habits that are hard to break.

 

Even at my age, I’ve still got things that I’m trying to ‘fix’ and keep mended (like my weight):  I never want other people to have to ‘fix’ anything.

 

Life offers up more than enough challenges without any ‘extras.'

 

 

P.S.  I almost didn’t select Kirberger’s enjoyable quick-to-read book because it contained a piece on buying ‘technology’ and budgeting (which didn’t seem like a ‘budget’ to me):  ‘Poor’ people don’t normally eat at restaurants unless they have family restaurants and are using the businesses to help their families build their bases of wealth:  They consider themselves ‘lucky’ when they can afford groceries.

 

Because Americans sometimes have a ‘distorted’ perspective on money, know that this is mine … If anyone ever tells you that money doesn’t matter, ask them these things:

Likewise, if anyone ever wants YOU to take out a loan for anything (including education) or commit to long-term payments for anything (phone/media services, furniture, transportation, etc.), ask how much debt they personally have carried in that area in the past, how much debt they are carrying right now and how they have and are paying it back.  Any person who wants you to take on any financial commitment should have a very clear idea as to how you can pay the money back and their clear idea should also be clear to you:  Anything they say is an investment (including education) should be supportable with numbers … unless they personally want to cosign for any loans/payments and assume responsibility if something goes wrong.