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Lately, I haven't been watching the news, because it can get so dang negative. Political parties fighting over their points of view. People angry because the political landscape is not what they want. People complaining about how Trump did this, and Trump did that.
We have so many complaints about all the little things that go wrong in our life and we don't even stop to think about how great we have it. Our lives are better today than they have ever been in previous times. How are our lives so much better?
Reason 1: Air Conditioning
My wife and I are having some problems with one of our A/C units in our house. I could let it get me down that my house is not cooling the way I wanted, but how can I complain about 82 degrees when there are people that live in houses with dirt floors and no A/C.
How can I complain when A/C is a relatively new invention and many people have lived without A/C years before we lived. I'm lucky enough to have A/C. I'm lucky that my A/C is cooling to 82 degrees instead of not cooling at all with the 100 degree temperatures outside.
Reason 2: Technology
From phones to cars to planes, technology has changed our lives in so many ways. We can get places so much faster, because our roads are better and our cars are better. Our phones are more than just phones. They are computers, cameras and phones all in one.
With today's technology, I don't even have to leave my house to shop. I can order stuff from Amazon and have it delivered straight to my door. Amazon has also started offering grocery options (as seen below). This has required grocery stores to offer delivery options also. Technology has made our lives so much easier.
So, it has made it easier with groceries, phones and travel, but it is also easier, because of our ability to automate bill payments and savings. For the person struggling to save money each month, the automated savings can be a great way to make sure you save something every month.
One of my co-workers even splits their paycheck direct deposit into three separate accounts. She has the money drop into a checking account, and two different savings accounts. She feels that this is the best way to help her avoid spending the money that she wants to set aside for savings. If it's not seen, then she can't spend it.
Related: 7 Reasons We Use Personal Capital (And You Probably Should, Too!)
Reason 3: Best Time to Build Wealth in History
There has been no better time in history to build wealth and become financially secure. Just look back at history of many societies. There were societies with class structures and nothing could change that. If you were poor, you remained poor.
Even in the early stages of American History, the little guy didn't have the same abilities to get ahead that we have today. The early factory workers and most workers in early American history had to work their whole life for a pension from their company or to receive social security.
Today, you don't have to wait until your 60s to retire. You can build so much wealth that you don't have to rely on social security. You can build so much wealth that you can retire early. A lot of us don't even know how easy it is to build wealth.
Anyone in America can become a millionaire by just saving every month. A small amount like $200 to $400 every month for 40 years...that's all it takes. Just look at the data below (calculated using the Future Value function in Excel using the assumptions listed below).
- Save $200 a month for 40 years at 10% annual growth rate: $1,264,815
- Save $300 a month for 40 years at 8% annual growth rate: $1,047,302
- Save $400 a month for 40 years at 7% annual growth rate: $1,049,925
Now, I understand there are people struggling out there and there are people with crushing debts. Even these people can have hope of changing their lives and reaching millionaire status. These people must get out of debt, but even an extra $400 towards the debt each month will put you on a path to reaching financial independence.
Related: We Can All Be Millionaires
Reason 4: Freedom
We, as Americans, are lucky to live in a country that has so many freedoms. Nobody tells me how to spend my money. Nobody tells me what to eat, what to watch or what to do. We get to choose the things we do and the things we spend our money on.
We are free, because there are people that give their lives everyday for our freedom. Never take the freedom that we have for granted. A lot of us are taking freedom for granted and we continue to lose freedoms everyday, because we continue to let our government get bigger and bigger.
We have these freedoms, because people laid down their lives fighting for a better life. These people have given their lives, so we could have a better life. Never take for granted the sacrifice these great men and women made for our freedom.
We have been given this great opportunity to spend time with family, go out the movies and just live a life free of major problems. We have been given a great opportunity to prosper. This memorial day as you grill out and spend time with family, don't forget. Don't ever forget.
What ways are you and your family lucky? Post in the comments section below.
