TruthOrator's Blog

Happy Woman Smiling And Resting Relaxed On The Grass “If you think you’re enlightened, go spend a week with your family.” — Ram Dass I just returned from a four-day trip with my family. It was my own family of four (my husband and two kids), plus my mom, my two sisters, and my brother-in-law. It was great. We get along well and have fun together. And, it was four days with family. It’s a funny thing… although you grow up with your siblings, listening to and being influenced by your parents, you all end up so unique — different from each other and different from the adults who raised you. Of course we’re all unique. But our differences seem to be a little harder to accept or dismiss when we’re talking about family. These are the people you care about most in the world, and that usually means they can get under your skin like no others. We tend to have the most opinions about, and agendas for, the ones with whom we have the deepe...

No matter how limitless your budget and how strong your arm, there are certain times when throwing money at a problem simply won't help. So take a look at the list below and ask yourself: Are you facing a situation whose solution might require thought and effort, as opposed to more bankroll? 1. A Failed Relationship A lot of relationships founder on the shoals of money issues, but even those can't be healed by throwing money at them — what they need is mostly better communication plus a generous dollop of willingness to compromise. And if the relationship problems aren't related to money, throwing money at it won't help at all. 2. A Mid-Life Crisis It's a cliche of the mid-life crisis for a 40-something man to buy a red convertible, but it's not a purchase that's going to solve existential angst. Of course there's nothing wrong with buying a red convertible if you want one, and can afford it. It just doesn't solve any problems. (Not even the prac...

For the most part, most of us know how we should be living our lives. We should exercise five times a week, right? And if you listen to the doctor and the USDA, we should build a diet based on the food pyramid, stuffing down nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day. We should limit the amount of alcohol and sugar we consume and make our beds every morning when we rise. We should read to our kids every night, be thankful for everything we have, and do our best at work whether we feel like it or not. And, by golly, we should create a written monthly budget to keep our families on track with our financial goals. We should spend less, save more, and put our responsibilities ahead of our desires. All of that sounds great, right? Except for one thing – time. While we all know what we should be doing, few of us feel like we have the time to live the life we truly want. And boy, do we pay for it. Four Ways You Might Be Wasting Time Every Day But, just like anything else, we do ...

H“Excellence can be obtained if you care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible.” ~Unknown After several excruciatingly painful and profoundly frightening years of undiagnosed symptoms, I was diagnosed with a “progressive and incurable” neurological disease, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy/Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (RSD/CRPS). It’s characterized by unrelenting pain that is disproportionate to the inciting event, usually an injury or trauma. As luck would have it I was diagnosed and, shortly after, hospitalized for the first of three times, just as I was accepted into a Master’s program for clinical social work. I always saw myself obtaining a Master’s Degree and a Ph.D., but how would I accomplish these grueling and seemingly impossible tasks if I could barely stand up long enough to brush my teeth on a cocktail of the most pot...

Have you ever felt grateful a relationship didn’t work out? Have you ever looked around at what you have now and thought, “Dang, I really dodged a bullet with that one!” If so, you’ve probably been reminded of that Garth Brooks song, “Unanswered Prayers.” While in the thick of your relationship and still struggling, you were willing to do anything to make it work. You prayed. You brainstormed solutions. You hoped he or she would wise up and change. But it fell apart somehow, and you’re perfectly fine with it now. In fact, you may even be thrilled things didn’t turn out quite like you planned. This is exactly how I feel about someone I dated in my early 20s. Let’s call him my “money nightmare.” You know, I wasn’t great with money at the time either (mostly because I didn’t have any). But he was really, really bad. How bad? Bounce a check almost every other week bad. Have a bad day at work and randomly quit...

If you’re anything like me, you’re incredibly tempted several times a day to spend money on something that you don’t really need. Maybe it’s a bottle of Gatorade at the convenience store or out of a vending machine. Maybe it’s an online purchase. Maybe it’s another $5 in tokens for whatever your favorite mobile game is. Maybe it’s a latte from Starbucks. Maybe it’s a lunch out with some of your coworkers. Maybe it’s the bill for your Netflix subscription. Whatever it is, you spend a few dollars on it – or maybe a few more than a few dollars. And then you forget about it. This happens again and again and again throughout the month, and by the end of the month, you’re wondering where all of the money went. “How can we possibly be broke? How can we be making this much money and not saving anything?” The reason that this is happening can be summed up in three simple words: lack of self-control. Over and over ...

“Find your Calcutta.” ~Mother Teresa Something is missing in your life, isn’t it? You’re working hard, trying to get ahead, doing everything you possibly can to make life just a little bit better. You’re trying to keep it all balanced, though. You won’t be one of those people who commits every waking second to work and the pursuit of career. Not you. You’ve got it figured out. You even make time to exercise, eat right, meditate, or maybe spend time with friends and family. You’ve got it all figured out—except for that one stupid thing that keeps tugging at your heart. You don’t really know what it is, but it is there, and it is driving you a little crazy. Yeah, I know. I get that feeling sometimes too. It is often mistaken as unhappiness, fatigue, depression, or being stuck in a rut. Many people will go off and do wild vacations or try things they would never try in a million years just to see if those activities settle t...