By Brian Gosur -

Are you content with your life? Are you happy with the way things are? Now I know there are always improvements that can be made, and I am not talking about that, but what I am asking is, if nothing was to ever change in your life again, would you be content with your life?

We live in a world where no one is content or happy with anything in their life. They want the next and best car, phone, computer, or big screen TV. The marketing machines that move, are always compelling us and pushing us toward the next and better one. You can’t live without this one. You have to have it. What is everyone going to think of you?

Now I’m all in favor of the free enterprise system. It’s the best system on the planet. It keeps our economy strong, and the competition always makes for good solid products. But the one thing that can bring it all down is greed, and we sure have plenty of that to go around these days, not only in both the corporate and government sectors, but also each and every one of us. Yes we Americans are greedy and we show it for the entire world to see.

We are entering into one of the biggest greed showing seasons…Christmas. Now I know that Christmas is pretty much a worldwide event, and there are plenty of other countries that get into the shopping, spending, and buying of Christmas mode, but I’m concentrating my thoughts on us who live in the U.S.

Our lack of contentment is what drives our economy. Companies play on this and get us to try and out buy each other. Every year we have to have the new thing that just came out. We buy it with money that we don’t have. We finance it from credit cards that charge us exorbitant rates, and we end up paying ten times more for it than it really is worth.

If you’re discontent, then, you my friend are not happy, and if you aren’t happy, what makes you think that a new gadget, that’s going to put you in debt, will make you happy? It might deliver a false happiness that might last for a while, but when you see those bills coming in, it will vanish just as fast as it came, and will be replaced with anguish and despair.

I think this struggling economy will and should all help us to see that, things and gadgets don’t bring happiness and contentment, people do. Maybe it’s good that we can’t buy all that stuff. Lets learn to do things for each other instead of buying each other.

I remember my parents and my grand-parents used to tell me about the great depression, “everybody was in the same boat, they would say.”We were all poor and struggling and we had to depend on each other to survive.” Maybe we all could use a little bit of that kind of humility today, and a warm strong hand to hold out to others.

I look at my grand kids and I remember when I was young. We didn’t worry about our next meal. My dad provided a roof over our heads, food to eat, and a warm bed to sleep in at night. It wasn’t till I was married and had a family of my own that I realized all that he and my mom did and sacrificed for all of us. How ungrateful we were back then.

I see that ungratefulness in our world today. We live in the, “give me” society, where we have our hands out to take, and never out to lend a helping hand and give.

There is a program that is on TV, it’s called, “What would you do?” They run different scenes that they set up with actors and see what and how the public will respond. Kind of like Candid Camera did years ago.

One was a man who pretends to have passed out on the street. He lays there for twenty minutes before a homeless person comes to his aide. A homeless person, who has no real means to help, but gives what she has to help another human being who has a need.

When the scene was over, the actor who played the fallen man was visibly shaken as he embraced this homeless person for coming to his side to help. A simple act of kindness can be a very effective Christmas present this time of year. It’s the gift that touches deep into the heart of someone, and keeps on giving and giving. It might just change you also.

You can’t take anything with you when you leave this world. There are no U-Hauls behind any casket. But there is one thing that you will take when you exit this world…that’s your relationships with people.

If you believe that there is a life after here, than why not start investing into those people right now. Put your money where it will do the best good. Help someone out, if you can. Hold a door open, say good morning with a nice smile on your face, or call a person by their name. Show people that you do care. These things won’t cost you a penny and they are things that we all can do right now.

If taking and spending has never brought you happiness or contentment, try giving, and not just things….but give yourself. It’s the best time of the year to start learning how to do that, and I promise you, you will find happiness and you will find contentment. It will change you.

It’s what we celebrate at Christmas, when God gave Himself for you. “For God so loved you, that He gave His one and only Son. That who so ever would believe in Him, would not ever perish, but have life everlasting.” John 3:16

Merry Christmas everyone.

Brian Gosur is an entrepreneur and internet marketing coach. After thirty five successful years with Ford Motor Company, he decided to start his own business. To find out more about Brian Gosur take a look at his website; http://www.bgosur.com

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