The Best And Worst Of Us...


Having just spent a week in Las Vegas...it's nice to be back home.

Not being a gambler...nor a fan of 'shows'...it certainly isn't my ideal destination!

But...there I went to spend four, 14-hour days stuck on a chair learning more about how successful people 'work'.

I also managed a visit to the Strip...as well as finally getting to see the Grand Canyon up close.

And...just as we drifted a mile down the Colorado river... we suddenly saw a red-tailed hawk swoop across the bow of our boat...and fly into his nest on the protected side of the Canyon.

At the same time...it was eerily silent as the two-minute gap between helicopters taking off and landing left us soaking up the atmosphere before the thud-thud-thud of rotor blades sounded in the distance.

Certainly time for reflection...that was for sure.

Las Vegas to me, seems such a 'hollow' place. Walk just yards off of the strip...and you hit areas that you wouldn't find comfortable walking at night.

Being more aware of my feelings compared to my last visit two years ago...I got an overwhelming feeling of almost desperation spread amongst the squealing of people turned up-side down by roller coasters and rides in the 'theme park' hotels.

Why desperation?

Well...the fact that the hotels have become more lavish and and are adding rooms and shops at an alarming rate told me without speaking who the winners were in this gambling 'haven'.

If I sound a little down...I don't mean to be.

It just saddens me to see tens of thousands of people chasing a 'dream' where the odds are ALWAYS in favor of the house.

For me...Vegas is the best and worst of America.

The amazing Sistine Chapel-like ceiling paintings of the entrance to The Venetian is spoiled by the ding-ding of the slot machines.

Of course...I know that one couldn't possibly exist without the other, but to me, anyway, some of the greatest modern-buildings-replicating-historic-buildings are lost behind the sad faces of people piling their money into a computerized money pit.

Of course...the whole place is MEANT to be one huge 'theme park'...but at least at Disney all you lose is what you pay for.

People just chasing more money with the hope of changing their lives is, to me, just completely the wrong way around.

YOU should be changing YOUR life...with the EXPECTATION of EARNING more money.

That's the way it SHOULD be...and IS for those people who, usually because of some misfortune, realize that they may have their life priorities upside-down.

Even one of the speakers said that it's pointless trying to sell a 'dream' - unless you give people a promise of some financial reward as part of the deal.

It's a shame that just plain being HAPPY and having FUN is clouded by the non-stop chasing of something that gets further away the closer you get to it!

That's why I am glad that I live in MY head...and am happy with my 'lot' - whatever financial rewards it may bring.

What's the point of running after something that you may realize that you don't even want as you chase after it.

Too many lives are wasted chasing after someone elses' version of what YOUR dream should be.

Unless you begin with your thoughts...then you're going to be in a race around a running track with no finishing line.

Take stock of what's REALLY important in your life...and then look at what talents you undoubtedly have already in your possession.

THAT'S where YOUR future lies...not in some competition to win some money that you will undoubtedly lose the next time that you play.

Whether you spend it in front of a slot machine, a TV, the Internet, a book...or watching your child's school play... that time, once used, is FOREVER lost to you.

Never to return.

So...invest wisely in what you want from your future.

The true short-cuts to security are not shown in the faces of the smiling people just like you who just won a car on a slot machine.

No.

Long term prosperity is reflected in huge plasma screens that project ads 24 hours a day.

Those owners are the winners...purely because they know that us humans prefer greed to real lifelong change for the better.

Remember...the things that matter most are the things that money CANNOT buy - however much you win or earn.

And...a dollar bill, a pound coin, or a euro doesn't fit the bill.