IntenseDebate - thadthoughts

11 years ago @ Frugal Portland - Conscious Spend: Visit... · 2 replies · +1 points

Been to Crossville. The Cumberland Gap is a very neat area.

11 years ago @ http://makingsenseofce... - Reconnecting With Fami... · 2 replies · +1 points

Wow, so much heartache in this one post. I am sorry that you have had it so very difficult. I don't know if we ever truly get over things that hurt us at the core of our being, but I do know that by God's grace we can learn how to live with them (and not let them over power us).

One of the earlier commenters suggested you email your aunt first. I think that is a great way to break the ice and move toward more regular communication. Start with that and see how it goes from there.

Don't focus on the negative things as you move toward your wedding. Focus on creating a family that is caring and loving.
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11 years ago @ http://makingsenseofce... - What Does a Virtual As... · 0 replies · +1 points

Thanks for sharing this. I know several people who have used VAs. I think it is a very needed job for many people these days.
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11 years ago @ Watson Inc - When Lattes Are NOT Yo... · 1 reply · +4 points

One of the biggest problems is simply not knowing where your money is going. Back in the day, when everything was paid for with cash you had to take special efforts to know where your money went -- you had to write it down.

Now it is much simpler (maybe too much so) to keep track. Mint.com does it for you.

Of course, Mint.com can do it because the service (with your permission) accesses your bank/credit/investment info via electronic means, which is also why it is so easy to spend money you should not probably spend -- everything is done with a simple swipe of a card.

Way to easy to lose track when you don't even have to pay attention.

11 years ago @ Watson Inc - Does Wealth Reduce Com... · 1 reply · +4 points

Excellent post Shawn. Compassion is not a function of money or lack thereof. It is a matter of character. I have personally known amazing compassionate wealthy people (using your definition--not high income earners only), as well as incredibly uncompassionate poor people.

Matters of the heart are far more complicated than most of us want to accept.

11 years ago @ Watson Inc - Getting Haters Out of ... · 1 reply · +4 points

Excellent article Shawn. The richest man I ever knew personally lived all his adult life (after getting out of the military and getting married) in the house he and his brothers built with their own hands in the early 50s. He understood frugal living before it was cool. He had money because he understood value. Too many people don't understand anything these days, much less value.

11 years ago @ Watson Inc - Do Americans Know What... · 1 reply · +2 points

An excellent post to start the week, Shawn.

I agree with so much of what you have written. I have lived in Africa and Asia for multiple years in the past, and what you point out is true: poverty in the USA is wealth in many many parts of the world.

The poor in the USA are mischaracterized or misrepresented. We tend to focus on what we don't have, instead of what we do have, with the result being envy and jealousy. Negative emotions, those, and they don't prepare us for success in any way.

11 years ago @ Watson Inc - What Makes You So Spec... · 1 reply · +1 points

Well said Shawn. I think that over my years of work, I have learned that the things that I thought I was great at were usually those things I was only a little good at. Seeking feedback and learning from it goes a long way in recognizing where your talents really lie.

11 years ago @ Watson Inc - Stolen Life · 1 reply · +1 points

Excellent post. I fear that college has been oversold. Far too many millennials believe it is a guarantee...a right if you will ... of an easy life with a high paying job. Life is not free, nor easy.

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